اِعْلَمُوْۤا اَنَّمَا الْحَيٰوةُ الدُّنْيَا لَعِبٌ وَّلَهْوٌ وَّزِيْنَةٌ وَّتَفَاخُرٌۢ بَيْنَكُمْ وَتَكَاثُرٌ فِى الْاَمْوَالِ وَالْاَوْلَادِ كَمَثَلِ غَيْثٍ اَعْجَبَ الْكُفَّارَ نَبَاتُهٗ ثُمَّ يَهِيْجُ فَتَرٰاهُ مُصْفَرًّا ثُمَّ يَكُوْنُ حُطٰمًا وَفِى الْاٰخِرَةِ عَذَابٌ شَدِيْدٌ وَّمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّنَ اللّٰهِ وَرِضْوَانٌ وَمَا الْحَيٰوةُ الدُّنْيَاۤ اِلَّا مَتَاعُ الْغُرُوْرِ (20)
Quran Ayah Data not found….for Surah:57, Ayah:20 and Translation:24
Quran Surah:57 Ayah:20
“Have you not seen that Allah sentdown water from the sky, then made itpenetrate into the earth (and gushforth) in the form of springs? Then Hebrings forth with it crops of differentcolors, and afterwards they wither, andyou see them turned yellow, then He makes them chaff. Surely in that thereis a lesson for the people ofunderstanding.”
In the verse appearing above, there has been pointed out the reality of the glamour and apparent radiance of world and its impermanence. Through it a man is urged to prefer the world Hereafter to the worldly life through bringing home to him the its deceitful nature.
In the same verse, the light has been shed on different stages of each of them. They are as follows:
- The first stage is that of childhood; a stage considered to be an age of playing and enjoying.
- The second stage comes that of youthfulness; a stage of life in which one is tremendously inclined towards the worldly beauty, fashion and a sense of pride through competing with each other.
- The third and last stage is that of agedness, a stage in which one is naturally opt to competing with a each other in amassing wealth and bearing children as much as possible and rather concerned about establishing them financially.
All the three aforementioned stages of one’s life and their attractive features are but natural. Hence, taking them into consideration is utmost important in this hectic life. As only if they are disturbed, there are possible chances of disorder in human life, since it amounts to going against nature. Taking for instance, the children must be given a chance to enjoy and play in their childhood, since it guarantees their wholesome and healthy growth and fitness. It allows the self-confidence developed in them and teaches them how to cooperate with each other and face the different challenges of life.
In contrast to it, if they are not given a chance to enjoy and play, how can they be equipped with all the characteristics mentioned above? It is the same thing taking place these days in urban life where the children are deprived of enjoying their childhood. They are not given a chance to enjoy as they are deserve partly because of the hectic schedule of their parents or lack of reasonable sources sports everywhere and partly because of the wrong notion of their parents that if they play outside, it will cause to make their clothes dirty and thus add to their tension to wash them or it will cause any physical harm to them.
Though they are somehow correct in this notion as there are some possible chances of these things, but the disadvantages and harms it causes to children as a result of not being given a chance to play and enjoy are as follows:
- They grow physically weak resulting in making them coward.
- It affects their creative skills badly, since as it is proverbial, ‘A sound mind dwells in a sound body.’
- It causes to instill in them a terror which results in falling a prey to inferiority complex.
- It causes to make them opt to lead their life in seclusion. Thus, they are deprived of learning a way of leading a good social life. Hence, they are inflicted with the dangerous decease like self-interest and so on.
Only if the parents desire not to allow their children develop such types of defects in them, they must allow their children to enjoy their life fully through playing freely. The Holy Prophet ﷺ did not only exhort the children to play, rather he would conduct a sport competition among them.
It appears in a tradition that the Holy Prophet ﷺwould make Abdullah, Ubaidullah and some other children of Banu Abbas and say that he would reward them with such and such thing if any of them comes running to him first. It was then that they would come running to him and sit on his blessed chest while some of them put themselves on his stomach. Then the Holy Prophet ﷺ would lift them up, kissed and hugged them. (Ahmad)
As for the precautionary measure, it should be really taken into consideration, but should not pressurize them. In this regard, some instruction may suffice us. They are as follows:
“Once when Hazrat Abu BakrSiddique (R.T.A.) came out having performed Asar Salah, he saw HazratHasan (R.T.A.) playing on the way with other children. He lifted him up on his shoulders and said, “May my father be sacrifice upon you, you resemble the Holy Prophet ﷺ and not Ali. Hearing these words, Hazrat Ali (R.T.A.) laughed. At that time HazratHasan (R.T.A.) was seven years old.” (Bukhari)
Similarly, once when Hazrat Umar (R.T.A.) chanced to pass by Hazrat Abdullah bin Zuber (R.T.A.) while he was playing with some children. Seeing him all of them fled away except Hazrat Abdullah bin Zuber (R.T.A.). When Hazrat Umar (R.T.A.) approached him and asked why he did not flee away seeing him just like other children, he replied that why he should be afraid of him when committed neither any theft nor heneeded to keep aside as there was enough space left for him on the road.
We do come to know through this elaborative description that how bad effects one has to experience in case of going against nature and how remarkably Islam encourages and exhorts its followers to take the demands of nature into consideration!
Here does arise an important question in light of this description for the consideration of knowledgable and intellectual ones. Thus, it is must to draw one’s attention towards it. The question goes like this is it the demand of nature or useful to send one’s children to school, to load them with the burden of books and force them to attend tuitions classes in their spare time when they are just two and half years old?
Is it not the case that it is an act of depriving the children of their childhood and freedom and causing a disturbance in their natural growth? In fact, a considerable part of childhood which should be spent in playing and enjoying is being snatched from them. As a result, the children are subject to undergo the bad effects of it. There are a number of living examples which tell that many a children seem to be disgusting education due to this burden. Hence, the parents who are spending their money and valuable are recommended to ponder over this fact. Similarly, those who are running this system also need to consider on it if it is not causing more harm than benefits? However, we must do our best to maintain a balance in their childhood, educational and psychological demands. It is no true doubt that it is something important lacking in these days prevailing system. We do need to reform it, or else, we may have to undergo more dangerous effects of it in our future.