Ramadan Parenting Challenge Day 9: Teach Your Children To be Chaste

Ramadan Parenting Challenge 2014

Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity; this will be most conducive to their purity, and Allah is aware of all that they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and be mindful of their chastity, and not to display their charms beyond what may be apparent, hence let them draw their head covering over their bosom. (Qur’an24:30-31)

Just as you fast your stomach and tongue you must also fast your eyes. What this means is to not look at forbidden things such as under-stressed people and the opposite sex. By lowering your gaze you are protecting it from indecencies.

When you lower your eyes you protect yourself from licentious thoughts. These licentious thoughts lead to desire and desire will eventually lead to action. By stopping it at its source you close off all avenues leading to sin. As Prophet Muhammad (s) said, if we can protect what is between our mouth and legs he can guarantee us a place in Paradise.

When I was younger my siblings and I watched television and every time there were kissing or skimpy-clad body scenes, my mum would always tell us to quickly look away or shut our eyes. This reaction became automatic to this day and not just for television but for wherever we go. This is what I taught my children to do as well. If we’re at the beach, on a hot day, at a park or wherever we may be and there happens to be a prohibited scene, I’d say, “Look away or shut your eyes!” They would say, “Yes, we are!” And even though I know that they are I’d still say it so that it becomes so ingrained into their psyche that they’d never forget or lapse.

Challenge for today is to:

1. Fast your eyes by lowering your gaze.
2. Teach your children to be chaste by lowering their gaze.

Do these and continue to do them throughout Ramadan.