The following are my thoughts on being a good father, or “fathering”. (Note: Lately, even the noun “parent” has been made into a verb, “parenting”, as in “parenting skills”.) “On the ground”, as anthropologists say, many Muslim fathers leave the parenting to their wives during the child’s first six or seven years of life. And even many fathers do not fulfill their parenting commitment due to their own commitment at workplace. “Urban lifestyle” – as the term is used – becomes an excuse for fathers who are actually clueless as to what role exactly they have to play to ensure effective communication with their children.
Unfortunately, this is one of those many cultural deviations we have from the model of our Prophet Muhammad (*blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)* *sunnah*, so many of us are blind to what is actually unIslamic in our cultures-of-birth. The Prophetic model is clear. It is an active involvement of fathers in their children’s upbringing. Read full post http://thereflectiveheart.wordpress.com/2009/06/06/fathering-matters-a-time-for-reflection/ -- Azril Mohd Amin
