THE INNOCENCE OF CHILDREN
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Salam all
Could not help sharing an article by Br Joseph Islam
THE INNOCENCE OF CHILDREN
Yet untainted by corrupt doctrines, children are often vocal about their distaste of matters which they find imbalanced, unjust or simply nonsensical. The simple filters of discernment, the inner barometer of basic reason at times seems so woefully absent in adults which we are often accustomed by the purity of thought of children.
As years pass by and as our minds are pounded by heavy scripting and indoctrination, those basic filters often become obscured which pale in comparison with those children who often retain that simplicity of knowing when something is out of kilter.
I remember that afternoon well many moons ago, as I sat with my children quite ironically as the sun set and asked what they thought of a Prophet ?allegedly? killing his horses having realised he had forgotten remembrance of God as the sun declined.
Their awed yet heavenly expressions indicative of their pure hearts still remain vivid in my mind as they expressed utter shock which nearly bought them to tears despite having spared any graphical depiction present in Muslim sources inappropriate for children.
The younger one enquired with incredulity, "Why did he punish the horses? they didn't do anything!...? the other remarked, "Why did Prophet Solomon not give his horses to other poor people who could use them rather than killing them?? The resounding sentiment 'It?s not fair..." still resonates in my ears today with utter clarity.
As they got much older, I discussed the ?alleged? age of young Ayesha's betrothal and later consummation with an ageing prophet with my older son. The expression was similar, yet more pronounced. Being much older, the innocence of the young child had disappeared but yet still untainted by intense religious doctrine his response was one of utter dismay.
As adults, we often seek excuses and justify narratives which we know deep down are extremely troubling and often unpalatable. Some of us are brave enough to probe deeper. Others, possibly out of a fear of the unknown, deem it apt to overlook them pretending they never passed them by.
Sometimes life warrants a reboot of the mind, a return to first principles and to extricate our once unscathed filters from the debris and dust of religious indoctrination. Sometimes what we seek in ourselves is the simplicity, honesty and innocence of the mind of children.
After all, having only entered this world, the child arguably remains closest to their true innate self. As the corruption of thought infiltrates our minds as we get older, we often find ourselves distanced from the perfection in which we were once moulded as new-borns.
091007-10
"And a soul and Him Who perfected / proportioned it (Arabic wanafsin wama sawaha). And inspired it (with conscience of) what is wrong for it and (what is) right for it. He is indeed successful who causes it to grow (purifies it), and he is indeed a failure who corrupts it (buries it)""I believe in the same manner at this moment; and I moreover believe, that any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system."
DID PROPHET SOLOMON (pbuh) REALLY SLAUGHTER HIS HORSES?
http//quransmessage.com/articles/did%20solomon%20really%20slaughter%20his%20horses%20FM3.htm
PAINE. T, Age of Reason, Part First -
I guess this is why they say things like these
http//www.quotegarden.com/inner-child.htmlCool thought
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"So they set out, until when they met a boy, He killed him. said, "Have you killed a pure soul for other than a soul? You have certainly done a deplorable thing." (1874)