We always look to our children and wish if there had been a conduct-designer to specify colors of all fine behaviors or provide “spare parts” replacing the non-favored ones acted by our children.

How far..! It is impossible to find a conduct-designer acting like a tailor. Even, we are not granted the option of customized selection of behaviors as we do in picking our children’s clothes. Simply, it is the human effort we exert, and through which God would change our children’s behaviors we do not favor..

At all events, we must emphasize that education is a mission, not a tailoring process of human agreeing our whims, rather a capacity building and rehabilitation processes to adapt to life employing the very most of spiritual and materialist faculties in this life, in a manner reflecting obedience to God and presenting a role model for humanity...However, how can we attain the target, while we are in dire need for helping our children get released from the obedience of other humans?

Faith is the main foundation that constitute our son’s conscience and engraves the morals of thinking,  psyche and the code of ethics. Therefore, a valid education approach starts with establishing faith in the hearts of our sons, to attain in a hierarchical manner the stage of refining morals [1]

As described by Ibn Taymiyyah, the etching of true faith in hearts can only be done through bearing love towards “common people”, which brings over God’s love as a reward showing benevolence towards His servants.. Such love is an undeniable fact, as hearts are imprinted with the love of those who are merciful to them[2].

A father/educator should teach his son/learner about the so many blessings and gifts bestowed by God to humankind, and talk about the commitment of a Muslim to worship Allah the Almighty. He is asked to act according to the morals ordained by Islam.

Moreover, he is asked to tell him/her: Allah is the Creator, Sustainer, Guarantor, Bestower, Merciful, and the Ever-Affectionate, and in terms of modest worship and obedience to Him a Muslim must abide by the imperatives that please God.

Allah the Almighty is the Most Supreme and High, for the sake of exalting Him and working for His satisfaction a Muslim must be obedient for any deed that pleases Him.

Allah the Almighty is the All-Knower, for He knows all secrets and minor secrets, even self-talks, and reckons every deed done by man. Meanwhile, Allah is the Subjugator and the Predominant, no one can flee from Allah, He protects while none can protect against Him. Also, He is the Just who punishes for sins with sharp justice and rewards for good deeds abundantly, thus for fearing Allah’s might and anticipating His rewards, a Muslim must observe every deed pleasing  Allah.

Some hearts are characterized by humble and placating nature for the sustenance and protection they receive from Allah, the Best owner, the Creator, the Protector , the Supreme Answerer,  and the Merciful.

Some hearts tremble from fear and exaltation of Allah, the Sublime, if He would see his servant in an unfavorable state.

Some abstain from wrong deeds, fearing God’s wrath and seeking His mercy and abundant reward.

Those pious people observe the obligations and prohibitions due to their pure knowledge of divinity . [3]

Similarly, the learner would be acquainted with the attributes of Allah, praise Him as He deserves, until faith in Allah becomes etched in mind and heart, impacting man and reflecting his good deeds, not just a mere theory kept in the midst of brain.

A Muslim, thus, worshipping Allah by His attributes cannot worship with a single attribute neglecting the other, he/she cannot worship Allah with His attribute The Omnipotent (Al Qadir), leaving other attributes including Ar-Rahim and the Ever-Forbearing. A Muslim shouldn’t mistake by worshipping Allah through the attribute the All-Giver, neglecting the other attribute The Preventer, or either the Most-Merciful, while neglecting His attribute The Avenger[4].. A Muslim is ordered to worship and appeal to Allah by all His divine attributes.

The Holy Qur’an says,

“And (all) the Most Beautiful Names (attributes) belong to Allah, so call on Him by them,

That among Allah’s attributes and beautiful names Ar-Rahim, the Most Merciful and the Most Generous, a learner is required to simulate them in his conduct.

The attributes that bear connotations of avenge, torment, reckoning and accountability, a Muslim should dread them.

Also, attributes that denote knowledge and cognizance, like All-Knower, All Hearer and All-Seer, one  should be humble before the infinite and limitless knowledge of Allah, and  fear the moment that Allah may be displeased with Him if found his servant in a prohibited place, or heard forbidden talks like lies or abominable acts, or witnessed a sin or dissoluteness…

Generally, the parent and the educator should be keen on reviving the positive effects of the beautiful attributes of Allah in the hearts, like stirring the feelings of love and hatred, fear and hope, desire and dread, repentance and reverence, etc. Parents should teach their sons that no life can go without faith, on which they live and are asked to sacrifice by wealth and soul, because a Muslim should prioritize Allah’s love in his heart, as the Qur’an states, 

“But those who believe are stronger in love for Allah” Chapter 2: 165.Beacuse, it is through love of Allah that a heart should be filled, one can be able to apprehend what Allah has ordained in (His Holy Qur’an), He is asked to put all pleasures afforded on earth on one hand and places Iman (faith) on the other side, then strike a balance. Allah, in the Qur’an has left choice for people,  Say, [O Muhammad], "If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your relatives, wealth which you have obtained, commerce wherein you fear decline, and dwellings with which you are pleased are more beloved to you than Allah and His Messenger and jihad in His cause, then wait until Allah executes His command. And Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people." Chapter 9: 24[5]

Love is the real connection between Allah and His servant, “He loves them and they (the believers) love Him”, Chapter 5: 54.. Love, is the spirit floating like a gentle tranquil breeze.. Love is the linkage between believers and their Lord…” A servant’s love to His Lord is an unknown blessing to those who have never experienced”…If Allah’s love to one of His servants deemed a tremendous blessing and an all-embracing gift, yet Allah’s guidance to a servant and assisting him to taste His love is a matchless and  a giant boon.

That Allah’s love to His servant is inexpressible, and beyond description, the servant’s love to His Lord hardly could be elucidated, and it is beyond speech, save only few expressions from faithful lovers.

This is the realm that recluse people of honest Sufis excelled in as they are very few- amid masses pretending to observe Sufism..

Rab’aa Al Adawiyah, the famous Sufi eremite, was very eloquent in conveying such a unique love, she says in her poem:

As long as you’re sweet, let life be bitter

As long as you’re pleased, let all men be wroth

As long as there’s a bond between me and you

Let all between me and the worlds be in ruins

If truly you love me, then all things are easy

And let all that’s over the dust, be dust

Verily, Allah is the Most Merciful,,, Allah says in the Qur’an, “And when My slaves ask you (O Muhammad) concerning Me, then (answer them), I am indeed near (to them by My Knowledge). I respond to the invocations of the supplicant when he calls on Me (without any mediator or intercessor). So let them obey Me and believe in Me, so that they may be led aright.” Chapter 2:186

Also says,

Say: "If ye do love Allah, follow me: Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Chapter 2: 31).….[6]

Hearts can never find happiness, nor acquire complete delectation save with Allah’s love and appealing to Him by performing what He loves… His love cannot be fulfilled unless every other beloved comes next and can never match Allah’s rank , this is essence of testimony “There is No God But Allah”[7]

In fact abandoning love of any other than Allah, is the strength that empowers the Muslim to reject psychologically the Shirk (polytheism) and disavowing it and its embracers. The renunciation of Shirk is the prerequisite for accepting belief in Islam in the Hereafter, as Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said,

“Anyone who dies worshipping none along with Allah will definitely enter Paradise.”

 “Narrated by Imam Muslim. Also believing in Allah only is the prerequisite for empowerment on Earth as Allah says in the Qur’an,

“Allah has promised, to those among you who believe and work righteous deeds, that He will, of a surety, grant them in the land, inheritance (of power), as He granted it to those before them; that He will establish in authority their religion - the one which He has chosen for them; and that He will change (their state), after the fear in which they (lived), to one of security and peace: ´They will worship Me (alone) and not associate aught with Me. ´If any do reject Faith after this, they are rebellious and wicked.” Chapter 24: 55 [8]

The educator can reach the stage of the psychological rejection of Shirk through narrating the story of Luqman, the Wiseman, who used to advise his son, “Luqman said to his son by way of instruction: "O my son! join not in worship (others) with Allah: for false worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing." Chapter 31: 13

Such abstention from loving anyone save Allah empowers the Muslim mentally and psychologically to reject shirk (Polytheism: worshipping other than Allah)

Shirk can be represented  in three forms:

There is a Shirk, where one can be close to worshipping idols and present them oblations, while he knows that they are not God but believes they are of a close position to Allah, or he may believe that some creatures are closer than God, that’s why he is trying to approach them!!

He may get down to an idol and wipe over it, present oblations despite his certainty that such an Idol is not God.

I say: Verily, you can find the evidence of the Shirk practiced around the mausoleums and around the sepulchral of the pious worshippers of Allah (Awliyaa) by many people even in the Abode of Islam…

Look to those who conceal inside their hearts the fear of the wrath of the Sheikhs they revere!!

This is typically what the Qur’an describes, “And those who take protectors besides Him [say], "We only worship them that they may bring us nearer to Allah in position." Indeed, Allah will judge between them concerning that over which they differ. Indeed, Allah does not guide he who is a liar and [confirmed] disbeliever.”

Chapter 39: 3

The second form of Shirk – is the shirk of worship and imitation.. Which I shall explicate in few words; the one feels really the glory of Allah the Creator of Universe and the Dominant above all, would feel promptly that he’s servant who cannot transgress worship of  Allah.. This feeling leads to an end, namely; worshipping God The Everlasting, alone, without any partner. Thus, He should be obeyed in what He prescribed and prohibited.

If man rejects to subject to Allah’s orders, and worship anyone than Allah, obeying the other’s obligations and prohibitions, this shows the he does not acknowledge Allah’s supremacy and that he’s the sole creator.

In such a case he is placing someone in the position of divinity, worshipping it through pursuing his halals and harams …. Obedience must be devoted only to God, the Qur’an exemplifies the case saying “They (Jews and Christians) have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah , and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.” Chapter 9:

Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) defines the meaning of worship (Ibadah), clearly manifested in mere submissiveness to what is prohibited (haram) and what is halal. In the story of the companion Adey Ibn Hatem (May Allah be pleased with him), once visited the Prophet (Peace be upon Him) while he was reciting this verse, They (Jews and Christians have taken their scholars and monks as lords besides Allah , and [also] the Messiah, the son of Mary. And they were not commanded except to worship one God; there is no deity except Him. Exalted is He above whatever they associate with Him.”

He then asked the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him) that they couldn’t have  worshipped them, could they?!

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: Nay, they did, because they (scholars and monks) prohibited what was halal and allowed what was haram, this is their worship..

Adey Ibn Hatem (May Allah be pleased with him), in his question, preconceived that worship means only prostration and kneeling, that’s why he denied  they (Jews and Christians) might have worshipped their scholars as such, however the Prophet (Peace be upon him) explicated the worship of scholars and monks is represented in their prescriptions of what is halal and what is haram  against reference to the revelation from Allah, this is rendered as Shirk, even if they knee and prostrate.. Allah accepts our worship when we establish His Shar’ia sent to us.

Allah expounded that appealing to anyone than Him in the Qur’an

“Or have they other deities who have ordained for them a religion to which Allah has not consented? But if not for the decisive word, it would have been concluded between them. And indeed, the wrongdoers will have a painful punishment.” Chapter 42:21

Similarly, the third form of Shirk- is associating a partner in Allah’s love and loyalty ..

This is exemplified in the love of polytheists and disbelievers. A Muslim should only be loyal to Allah, His messenger and the believers,

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an,

“O you who have believed, take not those who have taken your religion in ridicule and amusement among the ones who were given the Scripture before you nor the disbelievers as allies. And fear Allah , if you should [truly] be believers. (Chapter 5: 55-57)[9]

Through the apprehension of these concepts, an educator should engrave them deeply in the heart and mind of his son, that a Muslim should always raise the slogan, “Loyalty to Allah, His Messenger, religion and believers and disavowal from any servant or follower opposing Allah and His Messenger”.

A Muslim should accomplish his worship by accepting the Shari’a and rejecting any other man-enacted constitution or positive law. He is asked to reject any doctrine that does not fulfil submissiveness to Allah and fights its promulgators. He should keep such hatred until Allah decrees an egress for him[10]. Because showing disavowal towards polytheists is the minimal level a Muslim may pursue in defending his religion, releasing himself from the grip of worshipping people.. A man cannot be, or even born free, unless he is liberated from the dominance of a human like him and unless equality is established on all people.

In short, this is the message of Islam, as described by Rab’i ibn Amer (May Allah be pleased with him), “Allah has sent us to liberate people from  worshipping people to worshipping Allah, from the tyranny of cults to the justice of Islam and from the difficulty of worldly life to the forgivingness of the life and the hereafter”.

[1] See “Al Ummah Al-Islamiyyah min At-Tabae’iya ila Ar-Riyada”, chapter “Al Taribya A-s

[2] Majmu’ Al Fatawa- Ibn Taymiyyah

[3] Muqawimat At-Taswour Al-Islami – Sayed Qotb p.219

[4] Madarij As-Salekin –Ibn Al-Qaiyim. p. 452

[5] Al Ummah Al-Islamiyyah min At-Tabae’iya ila Ar-Riyada- p100

[6] Fi Dhilal Al Qur’an, Sayed Qotb p.918

[7] Ras’ail Ibn Taimiyyah p.33

[8] Muqawimat At-Taswour Al-Islami – Sayed Qotb

[9] See “Limaza Narfoudh Al-Almaniyyah”

[10] Al Ummah Al-Islamiyyah min At-Tabae’iya ila Ar-Riyada