giving expensive toys to kids

[Sabs]

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu

Imam sahib,

I have been reading here, and on otther sites that we should not encourage our children in the latest toys and games as well as clothes and fashions, how do we overcome this, and also is it haram to give expensive toys to our children ?

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem,

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,


Praise be to Allah the Almighty, who is the Lord of the Worlds, and may Endless Blessings be showered upon His Messenger (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam).


Jazakallah for your question. It is not haram to give toys to our children, as this is a means of education for them from the earliest of stages. However, once they are around five or six, then more emphasis should be placed upon educational activities, like reading, writing, problem solving, and so forth. These do not have to be boring, yet as long as one can learn from them, then it is regardless of whether they are games or not.


As far as playstations, x-boxes, nintendos and other computer games are concerned, then as a child grows older, his interest also diverts from traditional education, towards one of wasting time, spending money, lack of reading and writing. It is therefore advisable, that they should be either limited, or even refrained from, to begin with.


Their best toys are those which can be learned from, those that stimulate the mind, and produce positive results. Some Islamic bookshops also have toys that are Islamic, or puzzle books that are Islamic. These can also be chosen from, in order to increase the intellectual capacity of a child.


May Allah the Almighty, help us to be the best of learners, and may He help us to act upon the learning that we receive.


Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi