Introduction

CHILDREN are a very precious and valuable gift that Allah (SWT) grants to those whom He wishes. Ayatullah Mazaheri, a Marja' Taqlid, "expert" in the field of upbringing and nurturing children, who has also written countless books on this and various other topics, refers to children as a 'trust' from Allah (SWT) - the most important trust given to mankind after the Holy Qur'an and the Ahl al-Bait, peace be upon all of them. For this reason, it is obligatory upon people, especially parents, to learn what their duties and responsibilities are towards their children.

Just like when someone gives you an item, and asks you to look after it until they want it back, you will no doubt do your best to guard and protect it from being damaged or lost - similarly children are a trust from Allah (SWT) that we must be very careful with, so that when He asks for them back, we will not be punished for being negligent in having taken care of them.

The upbringing of children begins way before a child is even born. In fact, it can be said that it starts from the time a person is ready to choose his spouse. It is for this reason that Imam Ali, peace be upon him, at the time of wanting to re-marry, (after the death of daughter of the Prophet, peace be upon him and his family), asked his brother Aqil to find him a lady who was from a noble, pious and courageous family, so that with her they could have a loyal son that would serve and die in the cause of Islam. For this reason, he married Fatima (better known as Umm al-Baneen), and together they had a child, namely Abu al-Fazl al-Abbas, peace be upon him, whose courage and loyalty, especially during the battle of Karbala, is unparalleled in the annals of history.

Imam Ali, peace be upon him, wanted to teach his followers a lesson that both parents play a very important role in the upbringing of their children, and even if one of them is at the status of The Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib, it does not suffice as both the husband and the wife play a considerable role in their child's outcome, and both the parents must be serious in wanting to bring up their child in such a way that in the future, he or she will even sacrifice his life, if need be for the cause of Islam.

The role of the mother is especially important since the child is with her most of the time, and every thing she does is monitored and imitated by the youngster. Therefore, she must be extra careful in all her words and actions so as to be a good teacher and molder for her precious gift. We conclude with a quote from Dr. Ali Qaimi, from his book, 'The role of the mother in Upbringing" where he says:

"To have a child is an easy task, but to be a mother is a great accomplishment."