Dear caregivers and Daa‘iyahs (callers to Islam) – male and female,

Your role is no less important than that of the other.

Together you bring up your child with a good upbringing -- you and not anyone else.

First: The role of the father when he is a Daa‘iyah:

Dear father, your role is extremely important. You are the head of the house; and if your participation is missing, the house will collapse. A house without a father is like a ship without a leader or a captain.

Dear father, I know well that you do not have enough time to even read my words. But I beg your pardon: the time that you spend at home is quite important, otherwise, you would be shocked by a smoking, stealing or lying child. Here are some practical means to help you play your role:

1- Daily session with your family:

Fix, say, half an hour everyday to sit with your family members, and it is better if this is scheduled in the morning, in order to give an opportunity to all the members of the family to gather together.

Dear caregiver, make this session a daily routine for the entire family. This session should consist of the following:

-            Reciting a short portion of the Noble Quran (five minutes);

-            Read a noble Prophetic Hadeeth (narration) (five minutes);

-            Introducing to your children a good moral, such as altruism, and it is better if it is related to the subject of the Quranic Verse and the Prophetic Hadeeth (ten minutes);

-            Reciting a short song (Nasheed): (ten minutes).

-            Having  breakfast with your family.

2- The weekly session with your family:

This session is similar to the daily one, except that it is for two hours.

I suggest that it should entail the following items:

- Recite a Rubu‘ (one-eighth a Juz) of the Noble Quran with Tajweed;

- A portion of Islamic Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence);

- A section of the Prophetic Seerah (biography);

- Study the best Names of Allah;

All this should be done in a style simplified for children.

- To hold a competition of one question in which the children compete to answer throughout the week;

- To have some dessert during the session;

Dear caregiver and Daa‘iyah, how many sessions do you hold outside the house in the way of Allah The Almighty? So, why do you not indulge in this familial session, for it is the real sustenance of the house?

3- Buy a Mus-haf (copy of the Quran) for your son and a Hijab for your daughter.

4- Do not forget to get your young child to accompany you whenever you go to perform prayer in the Masjid.

5- Follow up your children in school, and meet their friends; and, at least once every two weeks, pay a visit to the school in order to be briefed on the affairs of your child.

6- Establish an intimate friendship between you and your child, so that he takes refuge with you if he faces any worrisome matter, especially during adolescence.

Second: The role of the mother when she is a Daa‘iyah:

Dear mother, you are the nurturing ground of such leaders and conquerors as Muhammad Al-Faatih and Salah Ad-Deen (Saladin).

Your role is too important to be neglected. If the father is absent, you spend all the day with your children. You are more capable of keeping a closer watch on them. You must have a set of practical means to help you extend your call to your children at home:

1-       The sound of the Noble Quran should never stop in your house.

2-       Beware of the TV for it corrupts your children. However, there is no impediment in watching various Islamic satellite channels like Al-Majd, Iqra', Al-Fajr, and so on with your children.

3-       It is important to engage in Da‘wah, provided that it is not at the expense of your home and children. In other words, you should not neglect any of your husband’s rights, nor neglect looking after your child.

4-       It is your duty to prepare your children for the daily and weekly sessions. You have to encourage and prompt them to be interactive in it.

5-       Teach your young daughter to be modest from her early childhood, through short stories and beautiful Nasheeds.

6-       Follow up the children in memorizing the Quran, as you spend more time with them when they study; do that interactively with all your strength to make your children memorize the Quran.

7-       Your small bookcase in the house motivates your children to read: fill it with useful books and audio/video cassettes.

Dear caregivers and Daa‘iyahs,

You know best the different ways of Da‘wah, and you are resourceful about Da‘wah-related ideas, programs and methods; so do not withhold this source of benefit from your children.

A Daa'iyah, Except in One's Own Family - I