In memory of little Yaseen Ege

Aliyu Musa

Yaseen was a seven-year old boy who recently lost his life following the cruel treatment he received from his own mother. Reports claim Sara Ege, who lived in Cardiff with her family, had been angered by Yaseen’s failure to commit some verses of the Holy Qur’an to memory and subjected him to continuous beating in the hope that it would compel him to work harder.

Unfortunately Yaseen, who might have faced this sort of cruelty over a long period of time, allegedly collapsed on this occasion and died. And in order to cover up her crime the mother was said to have set fire on the remains of the little boy and claimed he died in a fire accident.

But as is always the case with lawbreakers who fruitlessly work hard to cover up their crime her lies have since been exposed and she is now in jail where she will remain for another 17 years.

I find this incident worthy of comment particularly due to the interpretation it could be subjected to: that Sara Ege acted in this manner in the belief (possibly backed by certain Islamic teachings) that Yaseen must memorize the Qur’an at all cost, including his own life. On the contrary I am disposed to argue that her action must have been informed by her sadistic instincts in addition to poor knowledge of the Islamic prescription of the roles parents must play in the care and upbringing of their children.

The Prophet (SAW) said in an authentic Hadith reported by Bukhari and Muslim that: “Every one of you (people) is a shepherd. And every shepherd is responsible for whatever falls under his responsibility. A man is like a shepherd of his own family, and he is responsible for them.”

Children are given to parents as a trust from Allah for which they shall be made to give account on the Last Day. They shall fully tell of how they care for them including ensuring they protect them from harm as a shepherd would do to his herd.

In another Hadith of the Prophet (SAW) it was reported that the messenger of Allah said one of the best things expected of a father is to give his children a pious mother. So even before your children are born you are expected to begin planning their upbringing by making sure you marry the woman that would give you the necessary support. This is because women spend more time with children naturally and are inclined to influence children more than men.

Thus, the education of women is as important as educating a man because she is more than likely to spend more time with the children and play positive roles in their education.

The Prophet (SAW) further emphasized the inestimable value of educating women in a Hadith when he said: “Whoever had a daughter, tutored her on good morals, educated her well and fed her properly; she will be protection for him from hell fire.”

Even as a university teacher I have not played half as much role as my wife has played in ensuring our children’s education is given the sort priority it deserves. She sits with them to make sure they do their homework; gets them to read their books or reads them storybooks when they go to bed; and gets them to bed at the appropriate time.

Allah has specifically created women with this kind of natural compassion, which makes it much easier for them to teach children. Often, men because of their rigid nature are less likely to have the patience to listen to or respond to the needs of children. In any case men would want to be seen as firm disciplinarians.

The Prophet and his pious successors (Khalifas) used their times as leaders of the Muslim Ummah to strengthen the position and ensure the protection of women and children. In pre-Islamic Arabia they were the most dehumanized. Female children were devalued and buried alive to escape poverty.

Since I first read about Yaseen’s unfortunate travail I have not stopped to wonder why his mother did that. But one thing I am certain about is that she drew no inspiration from the Qur’an or the teachings of the Prophet (SAW) or even his pious successors. I am very convinced that her action must have been informed by reasons best known to her, which so far she has failed to tell the world and may never be known. Her action, therefore, is not a reflection of what is expected of a true Muslim. May Allah accept little Yaseen into Prophet Ibrahim’s school where he will be treated with limitless adoration.