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Family`s Role in Countering Extremism
Author : Dr. Ahmad Al-Harasees
Date Added : 16-01-2023

 

 

Family`s Role in Countering Extremism

 

 

The family is the first line of defense that prevents its members from falling as victims for extremism and perversion. It also corrects behavior, builds values and morals, leads minds and thoughts, and teaches the children what is right, wrong, lawful, and unlawful.

Despite the growing role of media and educational institutions in modern societies, the institution of the family has the biggest impact on human life in terms of the intellect, morals and practices. However, the mission of the family remains linked to how much it achieves the foundations of sound education derived from the magnanimous message of Islam, which protects our children against causes of perversion and provides them with the ability to counter factors of corruption and extremism.

As a concept, extremism is tied with exaggeration, strictness, and ignoring the right course of action in understanding issues whether with regards to religion or worldly matters. In fact, the concept of extremism isn`t limited to the calls for violence, hatred, Takfir (Accusing Muslims with disbelief) and sectarian militarization; rather, it extends to calls for division, discrimination, and exclusion based on religious or political grounds. This deepens the tendency towards conflicting with the other, destroys the social fabric, and hinders the building of human relationships on basis of equal rights and duties.

In Islam, family education keeps members of society away from extremism and exaggeration. Rather, it creates an integrated and balanced personality since the family is primarily responsible for the formation of an individual`s true character as well as morals. Proper education is the outcome of love, mercy, mutual respect between spouses, and parents` sense of duty and responsibility as regards the greatness of the task ahead.

Undoubtedly, the family that is broken and far removed from the values of Islam can produce various forms of extremism, behavioral, psychological, and intellectual deviation. The children-deprived from love, sound moral guidance, steered not to accept others, immersed in selfishness and self-love, and adopt perverted notions about the issues of Islam-are more susceptible than others to become perverted and extremists. This is because they feel marginalized, detached from society, and skeptic about society and its higher values.

The Islamic family education is the best education that establishes a collaborative and cohesive society. In addition, adherence to the principles and guidelines advocated by Islam represent the optimal method to confront and defeat extremism, and this is reflected in the following educational aspects:

1- Maximizing Human Worth.

The Noble Quran confirms that the value of a human being lies in his/her humanity, not in his/her ethnic, religious or cultural affiliations. Almighty Allah Says {What means}: "We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation." {Al-Isra`/70}.

2- Building Psychological Balance.

If the sense of injustice and persecution represent an essential trait in the building of the extreme personality, which suffers from persecution complex, then the good family upbringing must be based on psychological balance and not to be dragged behind the sense of injustice because it leads to spreading hatred and the desire for revenge.

3- Building Objective Thinking.

The family education encompasses moral, behavioral as well as intellectual aspects. This is since a child learns from its parents ways of thinking along with forms of behavior, consciously or unconsciously; directly or indirectly.

Some forms of objective thinking are:

A- Not generalizing judgments, be that in religious, moral or political issues.

B- Teaching children the scientific method in explaining social phenomena and that there are reasons behind them that can be grasped by the human mind, and that this doesn`t go against believing in Allah. However, it is a religious duty in addition to being a human necessity that elevates human societies.

4- Building the Right Conscious Concepts.

Misconceptions are key factors for extremism; namely when it comes to the concepts of (Loyalty and disavowal, governance, innovation, and other). This conceptual flaw leads to the inability to draw a distinction between religion as a set of theoretical principles and sacred texts and religiosity as a way of understanding and application practiced by an individual in reality. This is reflected in understanding the discrepancy between what is attributed to Islam from amongst the practices that go against its values and morals and Islam itself. This helps the younger generation to reject extreme practices attributed to Islam and impede being dragged behind extremist movements. It also impedes having doubts about the values and the humanity of Islam when love and mercy are the cornerstone and aim of family education. This will also be reflected on the methods and styles of education and will be anti-extremism.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

What is the ruling on wiping the front of the head beneath the ḥijāb, and is it permissible to wipe over the ḥijāb if it was put on while in a state of purification (wudu`)?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is permissible to wipe the front portion of the head (nāṣiyah) with the fingertips. It is likewise sufficient to place a wet hand over a head covering (ḥijāb), provided the moisture actually reaches the hair beneath it — if it does not, it does not suffice. A head covering is not treated in the same manner as leather socks (khuff) and may not be wiped over in lieu of the head itself.
Imām al-Nawawī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.1/P.407): "If a person is wearing a turban and does not wish to remove it — whether for a valid reason or otherwise — he should wipe the entire front portion of the head... The same ruling applies to whatever a woman wears on her head. If, however, he confines himself to wiping over the turban without wiping any part of the head itself, this does not suffice — and there is no disagreement among us on this point." He further states: "A woman is like a man in the manner of wiping the head... She should insert her hand beneath her head covering so that the wiping falls upon the hair itself. If she places her wet hand over her head covering, our scholars stated: if the moisture does not reach the hair, it does not suffice her." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What are the Sunnahs and etiquettes related to the slaughtering of an animal?

 

 
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
1-Avoid terrifying the animal before it is slaughtered.
 
2-Do not slaughter the animal in front of others of its kind.
 
3-Offer water to the animal before the sacrifice.
 
4-Sharpen the knife thoroughly prior to slaughtering to ensure the cut is made as quickly and cleanly as possible. This is in accordance with the statement of our Master, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Indeed, Allah, the Almighty and Majestic, has prescribed excellence (Ihsan) in all things. So when you kill, kill well; and when you slaughter, slaughter well. Let each of you sharpen his blade, and let him put his sacrificial animal at ease." (Narrated by Muslim)
 
Do not begin skinning the carcass until you are absolutely certain that the animal has completely passed away.
 
Slaughter cattle, sheep, and goats while they are lying down on their left side, facing the Qiblah (direction of prayer). Leave the right leg untied so the animal can move it, helping it rest more easily during its final moments. For camels, however, the preferred method (Nahr) is to slaughter them while they are standing up, with their left knee tied. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.

Can a woman perform I‘tikaf in her home?

No, a woman's I‘tikaf is not valid if performed at home, because her home is not a mosque.

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