Answers to Everyday Issues Part 117
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A
Islam Ahmadiyyat in the East and West Indies (1926)
Tabarruk and the risk of shirk: What the Promised Messiah actually said
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In memory of Chaudhry Hameed Ahmad Lyallpuri Sahib
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THE WEEKLY
www.alhakam.org AL HAKAM | Friday 4 September 2026 | Issue CDXLII Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre (ARC), 22 Deer Park Road, London, SW19 3TL, UK info@alhakam.org | ISSN 2754-7396
Does ‘gentle parenting’ truly reflect the Islamic model of child-rearing? Many children grow up harbouring a deepseated fear of their own parents. Some become quick-tempered, struggle with selfconfidence, grow withdrawn or even lose all emotional closeness with their families. Others may appear obedient but are merely acting out of fear of reprimand. This situation is merely the tip of the iceberg – a remnant of past parenting practices that have long been regarded as normal. For decades, harsh shouting threats and even physical punishment have often served as the primary tools for disciplining children. Yet, without realising it, this parenting style – fraught with emotional repression – leaves internal scars that persist well into adulthood, even if it produces compliant children. In the modern world, when a generation carrying these emotional wounds grows up and becomes new parents, a collective desire to break this cycle emerges. They do not want their own children to experience the same fear. This wave of awareness has propelled the popularity of “gentle parenting” – a parenting approach focused on empathy, validating a child’s emotions and completely rejecting all forms of verbal and physical aggression.
The challenges of a new era: Shouting and screens The transition toward a gentler approach to parenting, however, has not been without its challenges. Just as modern parents strive to restrain their emotions and refrain from outbursts, they are immediately confronted with a new reality never experienced by
previous generations: gadgets lurking around children from infancy. The struggle to regulate one’s emotions must now compete with the rapid tide of digitalisation. Many children today grow up accompanied by screens from a very tender age. In restaurants, in cars and even before bedtime, devices are their constant companions. While it may initially seem practical, this practice gradually weakens the emotional bond within the family. Modern science indicates that continuous shouting can disrupt a child’s emotional development. Intriguingly, excessive exposure to gadgets produces a remarkably similar emotional impact. Children become more easily angered, struggle to focus, lack empathy and find it difficult to build healthy social relationships.
This alarming phenomenon is comprehensively analysed by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt in his phenomenal book, The Anxious Generation. Haidt explains that the global transition from a “play-based childhood” to a “phonebased childhood” has triggered the largest mental health crisis in modern history. When children spend hours in front of screens, they lose crucial time needed for physical interaction, reading facial expressions and developing gross motor skills. As a result of this excessive digital interaction, the modern generation has experienced a drastic surge in acute anxiety and loneliness. Gadgets promise connectivity but isolate a child’s soul from the real world. Continued on page 3
Hadith-e-Rasul – Sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa
The miser and the charitable spender
َ ُ َ َ ّٰ ﻋ ْﻦ أ�ِ� ﻫ َﺮﻳْ َﺮة رﺿﻰ ا��� ﻋﻨﻪ ّٰ ّ ٰ َ ُ َ َ َ ُ َّ َ ���أﻧﻪ � ِ�ﻊ رﺳﻮل ا�� ِ� ﺻﻠﻰ ا َْ ُ َ َ ُ َُ ﻴﻞ ِ �ِ ��ﻠﻴﻪ وﺳﻠﻢ ﻳﻘﻮل ﻣﺜﻞ اﻟ َ َْ ْ َ َ َواﻟ ُﻤ ْﻨ ِﻔ ِﻖ ﻛ َﻤﺜ ِﻞ َر ُﺟﻠ� ِ� َ�ﻠ ْﻴ ِﻬ َﻤﺎ ُ َ َّ ُ َ ْ ﻳﺪ ِﻣ ْﻦ ﺛ ِﺪﻳِّ ِﻬ َﻤﺎ ٍ ﺎن ِﻣﻦ ﺣ ِﺪ ِ ﺟﺒﺘ َ َ ُ ْ ُ ْ َّ َ َ َ َ َ إﻟَﻰ ﺗ ﻗ ا ﺮ ��ﻴﻬﻤﺎ ﻓﺄﻣﺎ اﻟﻤﻨ ِﻔﻖ ﻓ ِ ِ ِ َ َ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ ْ َ َ َ َّ ُ ْ ُ ﻳﻨ ِﻔﻖ ِإ�� ﺳﺒﻐﺖ ـ أو وﻓﺮت ـ �ﻠﻰ ْ ُْ َ ُ َ َُ ِﺟﻠ ِﺪ ِه َﺣ ّﺘﻰ �� ِ� َ� ﺑ َ َﻨﺎﻧﻪ َوﺗ ْﻌﻔ َﻮ َ ُ َ َ ُ َْ َ َ ُ ََ أﺛ َﺮه َوأ ّﻣﺎ اﻟ� ِ�ﻴﻞ ﻓ�� ﻳ ُ ِﺮﻳﺪ أ ْن َ ْ ُّ ُ ْ َ َ َّ ً َ َ ﻳ ُ ْﻨ ِﻔﻖ ﺷ ْﻴﺌﺎ ِإ�� ��ِﻗﺖ �ﻞ َﺣﻠﻘ ٍﺔ َّ َ َ َ َ َ �َﻣ�ﺎﻧ َﻬﺎ ﻓ ُﻬ َﻮ ﻳ ُ َﻮ ّ ِﺳ ُﻌ َﻬﺎ َو�� ﺗ� ِﺴ ُﻊ
Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that he heard Allah’s Messenger (sa) say: “The likeness of the miser and the one who spends [in charity] is that of two men wearing coats of iron extending from their breasts to their collarbones. As for the one who spends, whenever he spends, his coat expands – or becomes more ample – over his body until it covers his fingertips and effaces his footprints. As for the miser, whenever he wishes to spend anything, every ring of the coat clings firmly to its place. He tries to stretch it, but it will not expand.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab az-zakat, Hadith 1443)