Parent-Child Relations in Islam

By Adil James, TMO

Bloomfield–September 6–This past Saturday there was a workshop to prepare members of the Bloomfield Unity Center community for some of the difficulties of raising children.

The workshop was conducted by Dr. Mohamed Beshir, who has successfully built an organization built on integrating Islamic principles with the science of family dynamics. 

Drs. Ekram and Mohamed Rida Beshir came to the United States in 1973; and as a husband and wife team they have since written several books about family and parenting.

The focus of the lecture Saturday was really on self-inventory.  The program began with an introduction to Qur`an and Sunnah related to parenting, then went into the self-inventory with a session labelled “Self Search for Bettter Parenting,” then went into Hands on Experience  workshops where parents had a chance to try and physically experience the principles that Dr. Beshir had taught.  Finally there was a concluding lecture by Dr. Beshir. 

One important principle Dr. Beshir explained was a clear distinction in the scientific literature between two stages of development of children, one being “Stage One” lasting until about 10 years old, where a child seeks approval primarily from his or her parents–this is a crucial stage for development where parents can set the stage for the guiding principles that can stay with the child through Stage Two.

Stage Two begins roughly at age 10, when the child begins to seek approval primarily from his or her peer group.

The workshops focused on the education of a child at various stages, and of how to approach a child or “troubleshoot” difficulties with children, even after Stage Two has begun, by humbly seeking out opportunities to engage with the personality of a child through participation in the activities that the child enjoys.

To learn more, visit the website FamilyDawn.com to see the engaging techniques and principles taught by the Beshirs.

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