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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

Is the one offering the sacrifice liable if its meat spoils?

Praise be to Allah, and prayers and peace be upon our Master the Messenger of Allah.
 
If the meat (of the sacrifice) spoils due to the negligence of the one offering the sacrifice in preserving it, or due to improper storage, then he is liable to compensate for the portion due to the poor (which is estimated as half a kilogram of meat). If the sacrifice was a vowed (mandatory) one, then he is liable for all of it.
 
However, if he was not negligent, then there is no liability upon him, because its ruling is the ruling of a trust (like an item left in someone's care). And Allah Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on offering the sacrifice (uḍḥiyah) using the wealth of a minor or a legally incompetent person (safīh)?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is not permissible for the guardian (walī) of an orphan or a legally incompetent person (safīh) to offer the sacrifice (uḍḥiyah) on behalf of the minor or the safīh using their wealth, because the guardian is charged with exercising caution over their wealth and is prohibited from giving any of it away voluntarily, and the udḥiyah is a voluntary act of charity (tabarru'). The guardian may, however, offer the sacrifice using his own personal wealth. And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling on praying alone (munfaridan) in a row, and what should I do if I enter the mosque together with another person, and there is only a single gap in the first row with no second row present — should I fill that gap in the first row, or should I stand together with him in a new second row?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
If a person enters [the congregation] and finds no space available in the row, it is recommended for him — after making his opening takbīr for the prayer — to gently pull someone from the row in front of him to pray alongside him, provided he senses that this person would be agreeable to it. If that person does not agree, then he prays alone, and there is no dislike attached to his doing so in that case.
If he ends up praying alone [behind the row], it is sunnah for him to stand directly behind the imam. Then, if someone else arrives, that person stands to his right; and whoever comes after them stands to his left — and so on — such that the imam remains centered in the middle of the row. This is done so that everyone attains the reward of congregational prayer.
As for the case where two people enter the prayer together, and there is a gap in the row wide enough for only one person, then the two of them should pray together in a new row [of their own], and whoever arrives after them should fill that original gap. This is because if only one of the two fills the gap, the other would end up praying alone [which is to be avoided when it can easily be prevented].
Al-Khaṭīb ash-Shirbīnī (raḥimahullāh) said in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.1/P.494): "If he does not find space, then it is recommended for him, while still standing, to gently pull a single person from the row toward himself after making his opening takbīr — out of caution, so as to avoid the position held by some scholars that a person's prayer standing alone behind the row is not valid.
Az-Zarkashī and others said: this should only be done if it seems he would agree to it; otherwise, he should not pull anyone — indeed, doing so becomes impermissible, out of fear of causing discord (fitnah). It is recommended for the person being pulled to cooperate and agree, so that he may attain the reward of assisting in righteousness and piety (al-birr wat-taqwā). However, he should not pull one of two people [praying together] from the row, since this would cause one of them to end up praying alone. This is why the 'pulling' described here takes place only after the opening takbīr [i.e., once the person doing the pulling has already validly begun his own prayer]."
Accordingly: it is sunnah for you to pray alongside the person praying alone, and then, if someone else arrives afterward, you may go and fill the gap in the original row. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on one who vows to fast a specific or non-specific year? Are the two Eids, the days of Tashreeq, Ramadan, and the days of menstruation and postnatal bleeding included in them? And do these days break the consecutiveness if it was intended?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
If someone makes a vow (Nadr) to fast a specific, designated year, this vow does not include the days of Eid, the days of Tashreeq (the three days following Eid al-Adha), Ramadan, or the days of menstruation (Hayd) and postnatal bleeding (Nifas). Furthermore, there is no requirement to make up (Qada) these specific days.
 
However, if someone vows to fast a year that is not specifically designated (i.e., any twelve-month period) and stipulates that the fasting must be consecutive, they are bound by that condition. They must not fast on the days of Eid, during Ramadan, or during menstruation, but they are required to make up these days afterward—with the exception of the days of menstruation and postnatal bleeding, which do not need to be made up.
 
It is stated in Hashiyat al-Bajuri ‘ala Sharh Ibn Qasim ({Vol.2/P.606): 'If one vows to fast a specific year, the Eid, Tashreeq, Ramadan, and days of menstruation or postnatal bleeding are not included. This is because Ramadan does not accept any fast other than its own, and the others do not accept fasting at all. Therefore, they do not enter into the vow, and no makeup is required for them because they are legally excluded—contrary to Al-Rafi’i regarding menstruation and postnatal bleeding.
 
If one vows to fast a non-designated year: if they stipulated consecutiveness (Tatuabu’) in their vow, they must fulfill it; otherwise, they are not bound to it. Consecutiveness is not broken by the days that do not enter into the specific year vow (Eid, Tashreeq, Ramadan, menstruation, and postnatal bleeding). However, one must make up the days missed—excluding the time of menstruation and postnatal bleeding—immediately following the end of the year. As for the time of menstruation and postnatal bleeding, it is not made up, contrary to Ibn al-Rif’ah, who argued that it must be made up just like Ramadan.' And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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