“He gives wisdom to act to whomever He wills, and whoever is given wisdom has been given immeasurable good. Yet none remember and heed but those of insight and mind. ”
Educating Children is a trust
The great Imam Abū Ḥāmid al-Ghazālī (May Allah be pleased with him) explains how a child’s education is a trust for us to fulfil:
‘The child is a trust placed in the hands of his parents. His pure heart is a priceless, simple essence that is bereft of all impressions and imagery. However, it is receptive to every impression and inclines towards everything that is naturally inclined towards. If he is habituated upon good and instructed in it, then he is raised upon it and is thereby felicitous in the World and the Hereafter. His parents thereby share his reward with him, as does every teacher and caregiver of his. However, if he is habituated upon evil and neglect, in the manner that animals are neglected, then he becomes wretched and is destroyed, with the burden of sin being upon his guardian and the one in charge of his affairs.’
