Schooling children: deviant-run schools versus secular state schools

Question

السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ,

in our city there are no Ahlesunnat schools for kids KG to 5th grade only established schools are of Badmazhab. Is it permissible to send kids to these schools or should we utilize the public school system of the Kufur?

— Zain, Chicago USA

Answer

وعليكم السلام ورحمة الله وبركاته

It is not permissible to send kids to schools managed and run by deviants. Providing such an environment of evil and heretic beliefs to one’s own child is detrimental to their creed and faith and is thus akin to throwing one’s own child to a fire while expecting that the child shall emerge from it unharmed. This act is blatant display of disobedience to the divine command of Allāh Almighty:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا قُوا أَنفُسَكُمْ وَأَهْلِيكُمْ نَارًا

“O those who have believed, save yourselves and your families from the fire!”

[Sūrah al-Taḥrīm: 6]

A plethora of verses from the Noble Qur’ān and the narrations of Ḥadīth can be found wherein it is emphasized that a believer must steer clear of the company of the deviants. The Messenger of Allāh, upon him be billions of blessings and salutations, has explicitly stated:

يكون في آخر الزمان دجالون كذابون يأتونكم من الأحاديث بما لم تسمعوا أنتم ولا آباؤكم فإياكم وإياهم لا يضلونكم ولا يفتنونكم

“In the end of times, there shall be lying imposters who will present to you some narrations concerning that which you have never heard and nor your forefathers. Steer clear of them, lest they lead you to misguidance and put you in trials.”

[Jāmi` Ṣaghīr: 14111]

Furthermore, concerning relations with heretics, the Merciful Messenger, upon him be blessings and salutations, states:

فلا تجالسوهم ولا تشاربوهم ولا تؤاكلوهم ولا تناكحوهم

“Do not sit with them, do not drink with them, do not eat with them, and do not marry them.”

[al-Ṣawā`iq al-Muḥriqah, Vol. 1, Muqaddimah ‘Ūlā]

He, upon him be blessings and salutations, also states:

إن مرضوا فلا تعودوهم وإن ماتوا فلا تشهدوهم وإن لقيتموهم فلا تسلموا عليهم

“If they fall ill, do not visit them. If they die, do not attend their funerals. If you encounter them, do not say salām to them.”

[Sunan ‘Ibn Mājah: 92]

Sending one’s child to learn from deviants, be it for religious or secular studies, is not merely one sin, but it is opening the door to hundreds of sins and paving the way to heresy. The child, spending the majority of their time at the school, will certainly form bonds with their teachers and will befriend their classmates. The oft-given excuse that the parents will ensure to instill the beliefs of the guided into the heart of the child to protect them from the potential deviance is futile as a child spends the majority of their time at school and hardly finds even a couple of hours wherein the child can communicate with the parents in a day. In fact, the reality is that even a single moment spent in the company of the deviants is harmful to one’s faith, and no matter how much a parent may try to protect the faith of their children, giving them such a poisonous learning environment jeopardizes their faith.

Sayyidunā ‘A`lā Ḥaḍrat, upon him be mercy, in response to a query about sending one’s children to learn from deviants, states:

حرام حرام حرام اور جو ایسا کرے بدخواہ اطفال ومبتلائے آثام

“[It is] Ḥarām, ḥarām, ḥarām! He who does this wishes ill for his children and is engaged in sin!”

[‘Aḥkām e Sharī`at, Section 3, Query 8]

On the other hand, to send one’s children to public schools in the United States, is giving them uncontrolled exposure to heretical poisons such as liberalism and atheism. Although the enemy to faith is easier identified in public school systems, it is unwise to think a young child, whose mind is comparable to a sponge in the manner it absorbs information, shall remain uninfluenced by these concepts.

In essence, one should not consider these two to be the only options for the education of their children. In the modern age, online paths of education have become more accessible than ever before. With cooperation and active involvement from the parents, this path may prove to be a great alternative. Moreover, the city of Chicago has too large of a Sunnī community for there not to be a single school or madrasah for advanced sciences for Sunnī children of Sunnī parents. The community must come together and fulfill these needs of the people – may Allāh Almighty grant the tawfīq. And Allāh knows best.

Faqīr Sayyid `Abdul Ṣamad al-Qādirī · (may he be pardoned) · Muḥarram 23, 1446 AH