UK, Rotherham: His Eminence Shaykh-ul-Islam Prof. Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri attended Salat-ul-Jumma at Masjid Abu Bakr in Rotherham today, followed by a short but deeply impactful session of nasiha.
Shaykh-ul-Islam was warmly welcomed and accompanied by Allama Afzal Saeedi, Seerat Ali Khan, Basir Ahmed, Moazzam Raza, Ahsan Khan, Sabir Hussain, Muhbeen Hussain, Vakas Hussain, Adil Khan and Haroon Khan. Representatives from MQI centres and forums were also present, including Minhaj Women League, Minhaj Sisters and Minhaj Muslim Generations.
Shaykh-ul-Islam spoke to a spiritually thirsty audience on the urgent need to revive tarbiyah within Muslim homes, mosques and communities. He explained that many Muslim homes have become places of residence only, rather than places of upbringing, where children are nurtured through prayer, dhikr, modesty, truthfulness, piety, loyalty and good character.
Reflecting on earlier generations, Shaykh-ul-Islam recalled how Muslim homes once carried an atmosphere of remembrance, where children would witness elders rising for Tahajjud, engaging in dhikr and crying in the love of Allah Almighty. Through these lived examples, children absorbed Deen not only through instruction, but through the daily conduct and spiritual state of their parents and elders.
Shaykh-ul-Islam highlighted that children today are increasingly receiving their intellectual, moral and spiritual formation from three dominant sources: school, society and social media. He warned that without conscious tarbiyah at home and within the community, these external influences shape a child’s entire understanding of life, values and identity.
He placed particular emphasis on the formative years of a child’s life, explaining that tarbiyah begins even before birth and continues through the earliest years of childhood. Shaykh-ul-Islam explained that the atmosphere around the mother, including peace, stress, recitation of the Qur’an and the emotional state of the home, has a deep impact on the child’s development. He encouraged parents to create peaceful, loving and spiritually nourishing homes, where children are exposed to the Qur’an, dhikr, good conduct and righteous company from the very beginning. Shaykh-ul-Islam reminded parents that the real protection for children is not sought later when problems appear, but is built through tarbiyah during the formative years. He explained that by the time children reach adolescence, many behaviours are an expression of what has already been shaped within them over the earlier years. The true “taweez” is therefore the positive, pious and loving environment written upon the child’s heart and mind through parental conduct.
Shaykh-ul-Islam also emphasised the importance of connecting children with righteous company and religious community. He explained that in an age of intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual challenges, a child cannot protect themselves alone. Connection with the mosque, Jama’at and gatherings of knowledge provides collective support, strengthens faith and keeps children close to the remembrance of Allah Almighty and the love of His Messenger ﷺ.
Shaykh-ul-Islam further reminded the audience that mosques must not only be places of worship, but also centres of tarbiyah. He urged mosque committees, scholars and elders to make mosques welcoming spaces for children, so that the next generation feels love, comfort and belonging in the house of Allah. He said children should not be pushed away for playing or crying, but welcomed with smiles, kindness and encouragement, so that their connection with the mosque begins with love.
He also advised mosque management and ulama to consider practical ways of making mosques child-friendly, including designated areas where younger children can feel comfortable and attached to the mosque environment. Shaykh-ul-Islam reminded the audience that children who first come to the mosque with love and comfort will, with time, develop a deeper connection with prayer, worship and the wider community.
A further important point was made on the need for children to develop strong language foundations. Shaykh-ul-Islam encouraged bilingual education as a minimum, with parents making serious efforts to preserve Urdu and, where possible, support trilingual development including Arabic. He explained that Urdu opens access to a significant body of Islamic knowledge and also brings children closer to Arabic, while Arabic remains the direct language of the Qur’an, Hadith and classical Islamic sciences.
Shaykh-ul-Islam also cautioned that although English is the natural language of communication for children born in the UK, much of the deeper classical Islamic knowledge is not available in English. He encouraged families to build strong foundations in Urdu, Arabic, Tafseer, Hadith, Fiqh, Aqeedah and the classical sciences, so that young people are able to distinguish sound knowledge from unverified or confusing online content.
He also warned against unrestricted exposure to social media and online material, where children may encounter religious content without the tools to judge what is authentic, balanced or beneficial. Shaykh-ul-Islam advised families to limit screen time, strengthen the foundations of Deen first and guide children towards reliable knowledge, righteous company and trusted scholarship.
The gathering was a powerful reminder that the future of the Ummah depends on reviving tarbiyah in our homes, reconnecting our children with the mosque, preserving language and knowledge foundations and surrounding the next generation with righteous company, wisdom and love for Allah and His Messenger ﷺ.
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