دار محمد Daar Muhammed

Right here, in front of our eyes, in the little hands of our children, dear reader. If we don’t wake up now, then when?

قُلْ أَعُوذُ بِرَبِّ الْفَلَقِ (1) مِن شَرِّ مَا خَلَقَ (2) وَمِن شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ إِذَا وَقَبَ (3) وَمِن شَرِّ النَّفَّاثَاتِ فِي الْعُقَدِ (4) وَمِن شَرِّ حَاسِدٍ إِذَا حَسَدَ (5)

1. Say: “I seek refuge with (Allah) the Lord of the daybreak,

2. “From the evil of what He has created;

3. “And from the evil of the darkening (night) as it comes with its darkness; (or the moon as it sets or goes away).

4. “And from the evil of the witchcrafts when they blow in the knots,

5. “And from the evil of the envier when he envies.”

Al-Falaq

Early last year, my son brought home a book from school. There is a rota where books are exchanged once in two weeks or so. At first sight, it looked like any other children’s book; it was colourful and designed using comical fonts with a picture of a child printed on its cover and inside just as the age of the intended reader. However, on a closer look, the title was…unusual, to say the least. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” the cover read. I stopped everything to take a better look because something felt off. I turned the book to read the blurb, and yes, it was really— about a sorcerer’s apprentice! This shocked me to my core. The occultism was not finding a home here.

I have seen a good share of what I call ’empty’ books from the libraries I was a part of when small as well as what is sent home now that contain hardly anything nourishing a child can adopt into his life. However, this one seemed to convey a much more sophisticated meaning than the empty storybooks that usually come. Of all the amazing things a child can be an apprentice for, this one was purposefully chosen. All set to penetrate into a young mind in the name of ‘literacy’ and ‘inspiration’ or in their very own words, ‘to create a magical world’.

The Hidden Curriculum

The hidden curriculum, in short, is the implicit messages a child receives while in an educational setting. It is those influences stemming from the organizational level of any institution that influence the child unconsciously. The hidden curriculum today in most schools has reached a sad point— the most depressing it has been in a long time. Since it has a direct impact on our younger generation, it is something which is very much ‘our business’. Our business mainly, in fact. Understanding the truth of it and what is fed to your child is not as hard as it is made to seem. The growing trend of the hidden curriculum today is, in a variety of methods, the normalising of everything ‘magical’. There is an almost seemless acceptance of books, films, and other media, of magic, magical beings, and symbols used in the occult world. They are made into a colourful form to signal “child-friendliness” in order to be integrated into the curriculum, drawing children right into them. However, the truth, as we know from the wisdom of Allah Ta’ala’s Laws, remains the same: magic is evil.

Acknowledging, Unconditionally, the Evil of the Occult

Magic, witchcraft, astrology, and their ilk are from the work of Shaitan. They are his tools exclusively. He employs from his following from man and jinn to use these tools and spur discontent, conflict, and other evil between unsuspecting humans. Eavesdropping the angels’ conversations as much as they are able to do, carrying what they hear to their fellows on earth, preying on innocent people, formulating spells all night long, and trying their tricks to reach their victims are his signature way of doing things. Sihr (magic) is one of the worst sins only second to shirk (associating partners with Allah). No amount of cleverly written novels with richly-coloured graphics can beautify the evil that lurks in its practices. They eventually lead to shaitain’s lair, not Paradise or forgiveness, clarity, or creativity. This evil has been beautified and found its way on the covers and contents of our children’s leisure time storybooks while we look on blindly.

“Max is learning to be a sorcerer,” the blurb of the book read, “and can not wait to try out some magic on his own.” Max looked about the size of the intended reader himself, and he looked happy. It— the whole situation— was made to look novel and interesting and, most importantly, harmless and ‘just a bit of fun’. The series mentioned it was for young readers specifically as can be understood by the presentation style. Throughout the book are moments where Max wonders, what harm can it do? How hard can it be? The constant ‘push’ is so obvious yet so blurred, at the same time. What or how could this be wrong?, it makes the young mind wonder, Max is just having some fun. You can too, if you want.

وَأَلْقِ مَا فِي يَمِينِكَ تَلْقَفْ مَا صَنَعُوا ۖ إِنَّمَا صَنَعُوا كَيْدُ سَاحِرٍ ۖ وَلَا يُفْلِحُ السَّاحِرُ حَيْثُ أَتَىٰ

We (Allah) said (to Musa): “Fear not! Surely, you will have the upper hand.

“And throw that which is in your right hand! It will swallow up that which they have made. That which they have made is only a magician’s trick, and the magician will never be successful, no matter whatever amount (of skill) he may attain.”

Taha:69

When every other story is about magic and fairies and tricks and stirring potions with colourful scenes and excitement-packed pages, the young mind starts to familiarise these things and slowly—very slowly, begins to accept them as normal. If not nipped at its bud, mention of these repulsive things after that will no longer make the young one flinch. Or stop to think twice that something’s up. Or say a dua for protection. The integration of the occult into a child’s life by these books and media is just like the occult itself. Stealthy, quiet, and quick-moving with no time given in between. After this, as the child is older and stronger, introducing magic as unlawful in Islam will not be received by the seriousness that anything haram is supposed to. This is because in his formative years, magic was normalised and an integral part of his life in whatever he was allowed to consume. May Allah save us all.

A few months ago, I stumbled on this fantastic post by Allamah Education that highlights how books like the aforementioned present the occult to children. The post has mentioned ahadeeth under each that highlight the limits the believer and the believing child need to maintain in their reading choices.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by allamah (@allamah.education)

A World of Alternatives

It is important to influence children’s preferences to meaningful stories filled with wisdom and truth so that they can emulate what they read, be inspired by the characters in the story, and be influenced by their greatness. Our Ummah is blessed with its own rich history as well as talented historians and noble writers who convey it to us in every language whom we need to introduce to our young. The age of reading is a breakthrough for a young child. In his new found freedom to read and ‘see’ for himself, it is important as his caregivers— parents, elders, teachers, to steer him into making more wholesome choices as to the literature and media that he consumes.

A child’s time needs to be cleared of fantasy fiction in order to free time and capacity to absorb more solid and robust texts that contribute positively to life whether history, earth sciences, poetry, linguistics, self-help or anything else. This is in hopes that the child will develop a more grounded worldview and a realistic set of expectations as he grows into a teenager away from a fantasy build-up in his mind, in sha Allah. If your child is already into fantasy fiction, it is not too late. A gradual shift, plenty of friendly discussion about the ‘new’ genre of books after trying a few of them together to get started and consistent encouragement will help him shift his interests to them, in sha Allah. The human soul searches for the truth that he has ingrained in him already in the form of fitrah (belief in the Oneness of Allah) and a young heart will be able to familiarise itself with the haqq (truth) as quickly as ever, quicker than we may expect.