Children and Parental Responsibilities: An Islamic Perspective

Abstract

All religions have provision for nurturing the life of individual in healthy surrounding and environment. They have some set of teachings or principles that ensure a secure and healthy life for all human beings. In the same manner Islam is also having guidelines for a protective and vigorous life of human beings. It ensures all protection and a healthy environment by giving fundamental rights to individual and reciprocally imposing duties on them. These rights and duties are granted by God, no one can change or withdraw them, if anybody violates these rights will be punished according to the laws of God. Islam gives special attention to vulnerable section of the society like women, children, old age people etc, because weaker section of the society has more possibilities of exploitation or oppression. Children are weaker and unable to survive themselves, their care and maintenance are the responsibility of their parents as an agent of God to take care of the children or trust of God. The duties and responsibilities of parents for their child are start with the conception of the birth of child and continue till the age of puberty. Islam has given detailed guidelines for these responsibilities in view of development of a healthy, well aware of Islamic teachings and responsible person of the society. This paper is critically examining these responsibilities in the light of Islamic guidelines