Paradise Under Your Feet — Page 4
4 “ If a woman decides that she is going to make the future generation righteous rather than barbaric, then how can Satan capture them? ” 1. 4 Huzoor (ra) said that men are usually unsuccessful in their resistance to Satan. At best men, can reform one generation and make them righteous, however it is women who have the capacity to revolutionize entire future generations. He explained: “…it is only women who can challenge Satan permanently. If women decide that they are going to make the future generations servants of religion, then who will Satan corrupt? The future generation is not influenced by Satan but by their mothers; but mothers can make the mistake of letting them go so that they become prey to Satan…. . . . . . . You must understand your responsibilities. ” 1. 4 Another reason why the training of children has been entrusted to mothers is because of the special mother-child bond, which exists between mothers and their children. Up to the age of adolescence, studies have shown that children naturally gravitate towards their mothers far more than their fathers, giving mothers a greater opportunity to influence and teach their children. There is also considerable evidence that children who are deprived of a mother ’ s attention especially at a young age develop more emotional, social and psychological problems later in life. A recent 10-year study of 1300 Americans found that the more hours that toddlers spent in day care, the more aggressive they became. 1. 5 So, Ahmadi Muslim mothers truly have to recognize the importance of their role in the training of their children at every stage of their lives, both for the benefit of their children and the benefit to themselves in obeying Allah Almighty ’ s command. As Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih IV (rh) aptly said: