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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 someone who is uncertain whether he omitted one of the ab‘āḍ of the prayer, such as being uncertain whether he omitted the first tashahhud?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The ab‘āḍ include the middle tashahhud and the qunūt in Fajr prayer — for which sujūd as-sahw (the prostration of forgetfulness) is prescribed if left out. Whoever is uncertain, during the prayer, whether he omitted one of these elements, should proceed on the assumption that he did not perform it, and should perform sujūd as-sahw accordingly.
It is stated in ‘Umdat as-Sālik (p. 63): "If he is uncertain... whether he omitted a specific ab‘āḍ element, or whether he performed sujūd as-sahw, or whether he prayed three or four rak‘ahs — he proceeds on the assumption that he did not do it, and performs sujūd as-sahw."
The original principle (al-aṣl) for someone uncertain about [having performed] the first tashahhud is that he assumes he did not perform it. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling on praying seated due to severe obesity, given that I experience hardship in performing the prayer — especially when rising from the ground after sujūd to perform the next rak‘ah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Standing, when one is able to do so, is a pillar of the prayer. However, whoever would experience severe, intolerable hardship, or fears harm to himself or to a limb due to obesity, or finds that standing causes him to lose his khushū‘ (humble focus and concentration) in prayer, then there is no objection to his praying seated on a chair or on the ground, performing rukū‘ (bowing) and sujūd (prostration) through gesture — provided that the gesture for sujūd is made lower than that for rukū‘. Whoever is able, at any point, to properly perform any one of these pillars, is obligated to perform it in full; for omitting it is a concession that applies only in cases of genuine inability. The Prophet ﷺ said: "When I command you to do something, do of it whatever you are able." (Related by al-Bukhārī). As the scholars of fiqh have established: what remains possible is not waived on account of what is difficult.
The criterion for determining genuine inability, as chosen by Imam al-Ḥaramayn al-Juwaynī (raḥimahullāh), is that the worshipper experiences hardship that causes him to lose his khushū‘.
As for voluntary (nafl) prayer, there is no objection to performing it while seated, even if one is able to stand. However, rukū‘ and sujūd must still be performed [in their proper physical form] by anyone who is able to do so. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

"If the fidyah becomes obligatory upon a pregnant or nursing woman because she broke her fast out of fear for her child, is it obligatory from her own wealth, or from her husband's wealth?"

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The fidyah (ransom/compensation payment for breaking the fast) is obligatory from the wife's own wealth, and is not obligatory upon the husband unless he voluntarily chooses to pay it on her behalf.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vol.2/P.174): "If the two [the pregnant woman and the nursing mother] fear for the child alone — such as a pregnant woman fearing miscarriage, or a nursing mother fearing that her milk supply would decrease, thereby endangering the child — then both the qaḍā' (making up the missed fast) and the fidyah become obligatory upon them, to be paid from their own wealth." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the Islamic ruling on the Udhiyah (sacrificial offfering)?

 
 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
The Udhiyah (sacrificial offering) is a Confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah Mu’akkadah) for every adult Muslim of sound mind who possesses the financial means, whether they are a resident, a traveler, or a pilgrim (Haj). This is based on the statement of the Prophet ﷺ: 'When the ten days [of Dhu al-Hijjah] begin and one of you desires to offer a sacrifice, let him not touch [cut] anything of his hair or skin' [Narrated by Muslim].
 
The point of evidence (Wajh al-Dalalah) here is that the Prophet ﷺ linked the sacrifice to the individual's will and desire by saying, 'and one of you desires.' This indicates that it is not obligatory (Wajib); had it been mandatory, he would have simply said, 'let him not touch his hair until he sacrifices' [without making it conditional upon desire].
 
Furthermore, it is narrated that Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) would sometimes refrain from offering the sacrifice out of fear that people might mistakenly view it as an obligatory duty [Narrated by al-Bayhaqi and others with a good (Hasan) chain of transmission]. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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