Ahmadiyyat or The True Islam — Page 223
223 Islam acknowledges that the use of wine is beneficial in some cases, but says that its harm far outweighs its benefits, and it ought, therefore, to be avoided. In short, Islam accepts the principle that food af- fects the moral condition of man, and it has, therefore, prescribed such restrictions and regulations as secure to its followers an unhindered course of moral develop- ment. It permits the use only of such foods, in such proportions and quantities, as are conducive to moral progress and development. The third way of moral development devised by Islam is that a child should be subjected to and sur- rounded by good influences from its infancy. Islam, possesses the unique distinction of having emphasized this principle. In other religions it is generally under- stood that religion should regulate the conduct of a child only after it has attained to years of discretion. Accord- ing to Islam, the injunctions of religion become binding on a child only after it has attained discretion but in matters of habit and routine a child is not expected to be able to conform to the commandments of its faith with ease and facility in later years unless it is trained from very infancy to act in accordance with them. Islam, therefore, enjoins on parents the duty of correct bringing up of a child from the moment of its birth. As soon as a child is born to a Muslim, the Adh a n (i. e. , the words used for calling the faithful to prayer), which contains an abstract of the essential doctrines of Islam, is recited into its right and left ears. This might, at first sight, appear to be a pure formality but it serves two important purposes. In the first place, it serves to remind the