The Need to Cut Down Family Size

8/3/2019 The Need to Cut Down Family Size

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THE NEED TO CUT DOWN FAMILY SIZE?

BY

SANNIE MOHAMMED GIBRIL

The world population has reached 7,000,000,000(seven billion) and counting. The

problems facing nations and the world at large are also increasing after each passing

second.

Though the world has more food than it needs, famine is still the one of the greatest

problems facing the so called third world countries especially Africa with annual death

through famine being in millions.

Most of the world food is wasted largely at two fronts. First is poor farmers inability to

transport their harvest to the market centres for sale. Second, which is the commonest has

to do with the problem of food wasted mostly in developed countries i.e. rich andendowed in the society preparing more than the family needs where left over find itself in

the dustbins. Food wasted in rich countries is 222 million tones per year as compared to230 million tons of food produced in sub-Saharan Africa. The average wasted between

these two comparatively is 100kg/year to 10kg/year.

Though the first problem is on the decline, the same cannot be said about the secondwhich seems to be on the ascendancy and the poor folks are also joining gradually with

inability to preserve left over in refrigerators.

Apart from these two major problems, I personally think the problem of family size must

also be considered here.

Third world countries are the most populated part of the world. Some of these has

religious undertone, others economic advantage, ignorance, lack of education, etc.

Some religions believe that they need to increase in their numbers to champion the course

of their faith and claim the majority position. This is mostly experienced between Islam

and Christianity. They may quote scriptures to support their stance on giving birth

without seizing, though it is quoted out of context without real wisdom backing thoseverses.

No doubt children are blessings from God no wonder some couples go extra mile just toget a child. Some do artificial insemination, prayers (personal or man of God), voodoo,

adoption etc. But to bring a child to the world just to suffer and lack almost all the basic

needs of a child upbringing is another matter all together.

If each religion has 2,000,000,000(two billion) followers or one with a billion more than

the other is not the case.


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We search for quality in numbers and not numbers in quality. If each has

500,000,000(five hundred million) followers and are making impact in the world and stop

senseless killings in the name of religion, the world would be a better place to live.

Gone are the days when the family with the largest size is by no means one of the richest

if not the richest in their community. There were no formal education centres, learningcenters, vocational/professional learning centers so what happens is the family lump

themselves on large farms where the produce is sold which translate into money. The

more farms you have, the more money you make.

In modern era, with the advent of invention of farming equipments, just a farmer is more

than enough to feed a whole town.

We have come of age and those with such notions need to be educated to shed off those

cultural baggage or notions and nip them in the bud and cling to fewer children with

better education and skills.

All these above mentioned problems would be made nonsense if I do not hammer on

Moslem concentrated areas.

Moslems have religious obligations to have 1 to 4 wives but with conditions. Most people

do not follow the conditions associated with marrying more than one woman and make a

wholesale approach in marrying more wives and bringing up more children although thehe can hardly take care of a wife, let alone children and inevitably wives and more

children.

Marriage has basically three judgements or rulings for three different groups of people. It

is haram (prohibited) for some people, compulsory for others and yet still advisable but

not compulsory for the third group.

If you cannot function sexually as a man or you can hardly feed yourself, it is prohibited

for you to marry because of the consequences thereof. First count, she may be tempted tosatisfy her sexual pleasures with someone (body no be firewood). On the second count,

since you hardly can feed yourself let alone another mouth, you cannot marry else you

put your wife in hardship especially when she comes from a poor background and also

the fruit of marriage which is children also would bear the greatest brunt of hardshipsince they are most vulnerable.

The compulsory groups are those who are in courtship and especially take care of the girlon daily bases. Giving her house keeping money, buy her clothes, toiletries, food, gifts

etc.

The third groups are those who are have money in excess but do not have girlfriend.

Since they do not have girl friends they are not committing adultery and could stay till

death but it is advisable they marry.


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Most of our fathers have neglected their responsibilities and the only purpose they seem

to serve is to jump on bed and make babies. Sometimes when the wife suggest relaxing in

making babies they are threatened with divorce or marrying extra wife.

When we look all over the world, the Moslem world are the most affected in terms of

poor upbringing of children, poor education, overpopulation, large family sizes,malnourished children etc.

Someone may be tempted to say we are motivated by the faith though the faith hasnothing to do with it but rather long tradition being fused with the faith.

Since time immemorial, Asiatic countries have been populated and justifiably so because

civilization started there. This is the same part of the world where Islam really boasts of itlargest followers.

We need to have paradigm shift in the way we bring up our children else we allow ill

mannered, temper tantrum; TV, western culture etc bring up our children with negativeeffects on this beautiful faith.

I really do not have problem with marrying more than one wife, bring up more children

when you have money and ready to be just among your wives, children and give them the

best of education, skills and manner.

The fact of the issue is that no matter the number of population of the world, the world I

believe should be able to solve famine and solve it problems because that is how God

created us. We are supposed to be able to solve almost every problem facing our worldthat is why God said He does not challenge people or over burden any people at any time

beyond their capabilities.

Some do have the believe that the more children they have, the chances become more for

one to rise among them to alleviate the family from the clutches of poverty forgetting that

with less children, diversity would be greater, better care for the children, bettereducation and skills which mostly culminate into chances for the children to rise to higher

heights in society and take the family there and out of poverty.

I come from a society where Moslems are the richest yet the poorest. We hardlyprioritise, we spend thousands of dollars on marriages, naming ceremonies, stuff our

wardrobes with expensive wax print which surprisingly are hardly used, some pile up

utensils as high as mountains and never eat in them though bought for in some case over20years ago. They use them as decoration and laugh at the other groups who sale salt and

give their children proper training, spend all they have on them and see them through to

the universities and finally change the situations of their parents.

The typical Moslems without any provocation would easily add another wife though the

first one wife with over 4(four) children is hardly taken care of.


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A Moslem will save money and go to hajj (pilgrimage) whereas his children are sacked

from school for fees. We are the most ill trained children in our society making us prone

to manipulation, brainwashing (brain defilement) and indoctrination by any group ofpeople especially those in political offices and the so called Islamic fundamentalist or

extremist.

The politicians in my country use the Moslems as broom to clear all the rubbish around

them and drop them in the corner of the backyard. We are used in rowdy places be it

political era, as land guards, beat someone, collect debt in a rowdy manner etc.

With proper education and concentration on the size of the family, I believe most of these

problems would be a thing of the past. We have the best of all teachings in our scriptures

be it children upbringing, manners, character, justice, care for elderly, makingmoney/business legit, niggardliness, etc yet we are the most affected by the negative

aspect of all these and the underdeveloped in every society we find ourselves in large

number.

Muslims are considered the richest on large scale in my country and justifiable so

because we waste money more than any single group of people. It is always a shock tomy Christian friends when brilliant Muslim drop out of school for inability to pay school

fees when their parents throw away hundreds and thousands of US dollars which could

have gone a long way to see the child through education.

One fact I have experienced is any Muslim worth of a sort is either the best in every class

or one of the best but surprising enough most drop out before Senior High School.

We are hardly motivated by our parents. When we are sacked from school for not paying

fees, we are told secular education is just for dunia (world) and has no meaningful impact

in hereafter. This is one lie which is often repeated. Others are told, those who were eveneducated have not seen any changes in their life, so you wouldnt be an exception.

Islam which championed sciences is now at the bottomless pit of advancement. We madethe west what it is today when it was under the clutches of barbarism and backwardness,

yet we can hardly boast of any technological advancement.

Another area of concern is villages with lack of electricity. The source of entertainment isreduced because there are no TVs, sound system, computers etc and is more centered on

sex and with lack of education on their part as well, babies are the result of this fun or

entertainment.

No wonder the population censors in villages always beat once imagination considering

the small area or settlement they have.

In conclusion, we need to take the issue of family size seriously. Give our children proper

education and upbringing to save them from brain defilement from any group who are

menace to the society. We Muslim in particular must take a second look at the way we


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allow our children to manage their own affairs right from their teen to adulthood. We are

always blessed with talents and geniuses but are hardly unearthed let alone developed.

Let direct our passions to something meaningful to the society and not a canker to thesociety. We are really revered by our Christian brothers and sister when it comes to

competing in class and other sporting activities but just when success is about to be

chalked, we fizzle out due lack of motivation and unpaid school fees.

A study was conducted in Al-Azhar University (Cairo, Egypt) and they discovered that

25% of Muslims are children below the age of 12years. This is a startling statistics. Thequestion now is, what future do we have for these chunk of Muslims who some would

assume the leadership of Muslim in the near by future.

There is a political veil between Muslim/Islam on one hand and the media on the other.The media does not report anything good from the Muslim and spend their time in

reporting on some disgruntled and misguided few.

Our characters are in no doubt the best channel of propagation of Islam but how do we

have proper character and manner when we are ill trained both at home andacademically? We need to rise to the modern trend else we shall continue to be left

behind.

As the angels said in the Noble Quran 2:32 They humbly said, Glorified are You, High

above all! We only know what you have taught us (the tasks assigned to us). Most

certainly, You, only You, are the Knower, the Wise.

These are just my observations and where I went wrong, may Allah forgive me. Correct

me my readers so that I would learn from my mistakes. Where I was correct too, mayAllah have mercy on us in this world and hereafter and make us among the successful.

If cannot correct or criticize publicly, you may do so privately through my emailaddresses: [email protected] [email protected].
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

The Need to Cut Down Family Size

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