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01.09.2013 Feature Article

Obedience To One’s Parents Older Persons—A Prerequisite Towards Good Citizenship And Pious Leadership

Alhaji Alhasan AbdulaiAlhaji Alhasan Abdulai
01.09.2013 LISTEN

The responsibility of average parents in Ghana and the world over has been to take good care of their children as much as possible to grow into responsible citizens. Apart from supporting them to go through secular education that includes religious studies one good requirement for the children is to take their lessons serious and be obedient to their parents. While Christianity requires that all children must honor their parents in order to gain God's favor of long life, Islam requires children to honor their parents and those in authority.

To this end, children should obey not only their biological parents, but also those men and women in society who are old enough to be their parents. Young and older men and women must honor such men who are in public and work places.

The requirement for children to honor their parents is key obligation for all children to grow into becoming good citizens and be able to serve not only their parents but the nation as a whole in any capacity.

Most imams in mosques and priests in religious churches and teachers in schools in Ghana do devote time to child and youth training and sensitization programs in line with academic and spiritual developments. This 'catch them young' programs are meant to imbue in the young ones the fear of God and obedience and loyalty as they grow older. It is also meant to help in raising citizens capable of holding responsible positions in Ghana and Africa.

One such religious leader who devotes time after all five prayers of Muslims is Sheikh Amin Bonsu, Imam and acting chairman of the Ghana Muslim Mission. He is also the director of the Amin Scientific Herbal Hospital with 13 branches in Ghana including Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Wa, Sunyani, Bolgatanga, and in Cote d' Ivoire Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. There are mosques in all his hospitals. After each prayer especially in the afternoons the Imams in the hospital are required to devote some time to sensitize the congregation mostly youth with Islamic lessons. One of the most important of all the teachings is obedience to ones parents. After going through this method of teachings most of the youth who pray in the mosque of the hospitals especially in Accra have cultivated the culture of obedience to the elderly ones who attend the hospitals, a situation of proof that the teachings have gone down well with them. Apart from the hospitals all Muslim mission schools in all parts of the country do lay emphasis on moral upbringing in all their schools. Every child however old has a duty to show obedience to their parents once they are alive.

Obedience to ones parents is so fundamental in Islam that the Quran and Hadith have provided proofs from the prophet Mohamed PBH as follows; apart from praying at the right time of five times a day, the next thing required of every child or a young person is to be kind to his or her parents with the mother coming first in importance. The prophet added that 'the pleasure of the lord lies in the pleasure of the parents and the anger of the lord lies in the anger of the parents'.

One of the disciples of the prophet Ibn Abass said an easy way of gaining the favor of the lord is by one obeying his parents with the greater chance coming to those who are obedient to those whose parents are both alive. He (the child) must make them both happy for if one of them is angry God will not be pleased with him.

Even if the parents are wrong at some point no child however old he is should chastise him or her parents. God will be annoyed with those who would cause their parents to weep through disobedience, kill a soul, associate God with someone or something, consuming an orphans property, heresy, slandering a chaste woman, ,usury, deserting from an advancing army and scoffing. There is no need for a child to laugh at his or her parents and those as old as them for what they are. That amounts to disobedience for which a child could incur the displeasure of God. Play mates exchanging jokes with old and young ones in accordance with customs is allowed but this must be exercised in moderation without stepping out into a state of ridicule.

According the prophet and his followers, children should not disobey their parents even if they (the parents) are non Muslims adding that children should be in talking terms with them by seeing and greeting their parents regularly and catering for them to the best of their ability. Among other iniquities the prophet says Allah hates is those who would curse their parents whatever they may do wrong. In much the same way parents must not also curse their children.

Allah has enjoined children to continue praying for their parents when they are dead and continue their relationship with family members and close friends and associates of their parents.

Although all these admonishments are caste in Islamic settings, it will make sense to Christians and people of other faiths who also believe in the importance of parents and those in authority in the land.

Fortunately most parents are given their due respect and honor by children in the Ghanaian and some African societies due to their religious and moral upbringings. The cultures and traditions of most African countries promote obedience to parents and those in authority. All traditional rulers , schools and religious bodies must intensify their teachings towards child development in line with morality and loyalty to ones parents and nation.

This will not only bring out the best in the children to serve their nations and look after their parents they would be in a position to be pious leaders of their families the society they find themselves and the nation as a whole.

Editor's Note:

Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai

Executive Director

EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
P.O.BOX 17070AN 233244370345/23326370345/ 233208844791
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