Dought & clear, - Raising Muslim children in the West to have an aversion to pigs

In my country in the west, pigs are a big part of the culture. Not
only in eating but also in stories for children, cartoons en dolls or
othing play things. Is it forbidden or at the least not recommended to
make my child familiar with the pig? Should I avoid my child seeing
this animal.
Praise be to Allah.
Undoubtedly the concepts and ideas that a child learns about and
experiences in the early stages of his upbringing will have an impact
on him for much longer than the parents and teachers of the child
themselves realise, and that does not go away once that stage is
passed; rather they will remain and form an important part of his
make-up and thinking, and will have a clear impact on the formation of
his identity and culture.
InSaheeh al-Bukhaari(6130) and Muslim (2440) it is narrated that
'Aa'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: I used to play with
dolls in the house of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him), and I had friends who would play with me, and when the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) came in,
they would hide away from him, but he would send them one after
another to play with me.
The scholars stated that Islam only granted a concession to children
to play with such toys, even though it forbids images and the making
of images, because of the role that playing with such toys plays in
preparing the child mentally for what he will do in the future.
Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
An exception is made for this from the prohibition on keeping images.
This was stated definitively by 'Iyaad and was narrated from the
majority. They regarded it as permissible to sell toys to girls to
train them from an early age in caring for their houses and children.
End quote fromFath al-Baari, 10/527
Undoubtedly the pig is not only an impure animal or something that is
haraam to eat, or other things that are said about it or other Islamic
rulings that have to do with it; it is also a cultural element of the
Christian West, and part of the identity of those nations.
InSaheeh al-Bukhaari(2222) andSaheeh Muslim(155), it is narrated that
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of
Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said:"By the One in
Whose hand is my soul, soon the Son of Maryam) will descend among you
as a just judge, he will break the cross, kill the pigs and abolish
the jizyah, and wealth will become so abundant that no one will accept
it."
Ibn Battaal (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The reason for breaking the cross and killing the pigs is because they
are part of the religion of the Christians who are fabricators and
transgressors. Hence the Prophet told us that 'Eesa will change what
they attributed to him, as Muhammad changed it and told them that they
were following falsehood in that regard. This indicates that 'Eesa
will come to confirm the corrections introduced by the law of
Muhammad, and will judge with justice between people.
End quote fromSharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari, by Ibn Battaal, 6/604
An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
This indicates we should object to evil deeds and remove them, and
remove the symbols of evil, and killing the pigs comes under this
heading. It is also indicative of the view favoured by our madhhab and
that of the majority, which is that if we find a pig in non-Muslim
lands or elsewhere, and we are able to kill it, we should kill it; and
it proves false the odd opinion held by some of our companions and
others, who said that pigs should be left alone if they are not
causing any harm.
End quote fromSharh Muslim, 11/221
To sum up:
Pigs are an animal that is not respected, and one of the symbols of
disbelief and lies against Allah, may He be exalted. So it is not
right for a Muslim to raise his children to like them or pay attention
to them or be fond of them, whether that is in a picture book or a toy
or a cartoon and so on. Rather what is prescribed is to point out that
they are connected to their false religion and are one of its symbols,
and that they have no protection or sanctity in sharee'ah, and we
should explain that according to the child's level of understanding,
so that when he grows up, he will have a proper understanding of the
shar'i rulings having to do with them.
With regard to making your children avoid seeing pigs, if what is
meant by that is a passing glance or seeing a picture of a pig in
passing, this is something that is difficult to do, and we do not
think that it is necessary. Rather all that is required is that the
child should not become used to them or care about them or pay any
attention to them.
And Allah knows best.

Dought & clear, - His parents think that he does not offer the naafil prayers, but he prays them in secret for fear of showing off. Should he tell them about that?

My parents usually scold me whenever i do not pray the optional
prayers after the fardh prayer. I actually pray these prayers at home
after returning from masjid and my parents think i dont pray because i
return faster from the masjid after i get scoldings. When i am scolded
i obediently listen but do not reply because i feel when i will tell
them that i do a better thing by praying the optional prayer at home,
i will show off which is haraam. I am also aware that they will be
pleased by hearing that i do a better thing. Kindly suggest on whether
i should continue as i am doing (leave them dissapointed) or should i
inform them that i do pray at home (may be a show off).
Praise be to Allah.
Firstly:
Concealing acts of worship and not doing them openly is better than
doing them openly and announcing them. Allah, may He be exalted, says
(interpretation of the meaning):
"If you disclose your Sadaqat (alms-giving), it is well, but if you
conceal it, and give it to the poor, that is better for you. (Allah)
will forgive you some of your sins. And Allah is Well-Acquainted with
what you do"
[al-Baqarah 2:271].
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him) said: The words "but if you
conceal it, and give it to the poor, that is better for you" indicate
that giving charity in secret is better than giving it openly, because
that is further removed from showing off, unless giving it openly will
serve a greater purpose by setting an example for people, in which
case it is better in that respect.
End quote fromTafseer al-Qur'an al-'Azeem, 1/701
Secondly:
The Sunnah indicates that it is better to offer the naafil prayers at
home. Al-Bukhaari (6113) and Muslim (781) narrated that the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "You should pray in
your houses, for the best of a man's prayer is in his house, apart
from the obligatory prayers."
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) stated that one of the
benefits of that is that praying at home is closer to sincerity and
further removed from showing off.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Offering voluntary
prayers at home is better, because the Messenger of Allah (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "You should pray in your houses,
for the best of a man's prayer is in his house, apart from the
obligatory prayers."Narrated by Muslim. It was narrated from Zayd ibn
Thaabit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) said: "A man's prayer in his house is
better than his prayer in this mosque of mine, apart from the
obligatory prayers." Narrated by Abu Dawood. And that is because
praying at home is closer to sincerity and further removed from
showing off.
End quote fromal-Mughni, 1/443
For more information, please see the answer to question no. 22209
Thirdly:
If not telling your parents will result in what you mentioned, then in
this case it is better to tell them, so as to ward off suspicion and
negative thinking of you. Moreover, perhaps by telling them – as you
said – it will make them feel happy, and making parents feel happy, by
obeying them and doing good, is part of honouring them, which is
something that is prescribed and that one should be eager to do.
With regard to the fear of showing off, you have to strive to make
yourself sincere, and ask Allah, may He be glorified and exalted, to
help you to do that.
May Allah help us and you to be sincere in worshipping Him, may He be
exalted, and may He protect us all from the evil of our own selves,
for He is able to do that.
And Allah knows best.

Time in Islam: Time is very precious utilize reading Noble Quran

Since last night my young son has been unwell. When I got back from
work this evening I decided to take him to hospital despite my
exhaustion. There were many waiting; perhaps we will be delayed by
more than an hour. I took my number and sat down in the waiting room.
There were many faces, young and old, but all silent.
Some brothers made use of the many booklets available in the waiting
room. Some of those waiting had their eyes closed, while others were
looking around. Most were bored. Once in a while the long silence was
broken by a nurse calling out a number. Happiness appears on the one
whose turn it is, and he gets up quickly; then silence returns.
A young man grabbed my attention. He was reading a pocket-sized Noble
Qur'an continuously; not raising his head even once. At first I did
not think much about him. However, after one hour of waiting my casual
glances turned into a deep reflection about his lifestyle and how he
utilizes his time. One hour of life wasted! Instead of making benefit
of that hour, it was just a boring wait. Then the call for prayer was
made. We went to prayer in the hospital's Masjid (Mosque). I tried to
pray close to the man who was reading the Noble Qur'an earlier in the
waiting room.
After the prayer I walked with him. I informed him of how impressed I
was of him and how he tries to benefit from his time.
He told me that most of our time is wasted without any benefit. These
are days that go from our lives without being conscious of them or
regretting their waste. He said that he started carrying the
pocket-sized Noble Qur'an around when a friend encouraged him to make
full use of his time. He told me that in the time other people waste
he gets to read much more of the Noble Qur'an than he gets to read
either at home or in the mosque. Moreover, besides the reward of
reading the Noble Qur'an, this habit saves him from boredom and
stress.
He added that he has now been waiting for one and a half hours. Then
he asked, when will you find one and a half hours to read the Noble
Qur'an? I reflected; how much time do we waste? How many moments of
our lives pass by, and yet we do not account for how they passed by?
Indeed, how many months pass by and we do not read the Noble Qur'an? I
came to respect my companion, and I discovered that I am to stand for
account and that time is not in my hand; so what am I waiting for? My
thoughts were interrupted by the nurse calling out my number; I went
to the doctor.
But I want to achieve something now. After I left the hospital I
quickly went to the bookshop and bought a pocket-sized Noble Qur'an. I
decided to be mindful of how I spend the time.

Nine great benefits of reciting Holy Qur'an

1.Reading and reflecting over the Noble Qur'an fulfils an Islamic duty.
2.The Noble Qur'an will be a proof for us on the Day of Judgment.
3.The Noble Qur'an will intercede for us on the Day of Judgment.
4.Your status in this life will be raised.
5.You will be from the best of the people.
6.There are ten rewards for each letter you recite from the Noble Qur'an.
7.The reciters of the Noble Qur'an will be in the company of the noble
and obedient angels.
8.Your position in Paradise is determined by the amount of Noble
Qur'an you memorize in this life!
9.The Noble Qur'an will lead you to Paradise!