Supporting Mechanisms in Children's Upbringing According to Religious Teachings with An Emphasis on Imam Reza's Lifestyle

Children are the most valuable human assets in every society whose upbringing and support is of very crucial importance. Thus the Islamic as well as Iranian legislation have set supporting mechanisms in order to preserve and support their life and fundamental rights and guarantee their upbringing. These mechanisms appear in forms including forcible authority, child custody and guardianship. Our main question is that ‘on what base upbringing should be defined’. What is the definition of upbringing and what aspects does it cover? What measures are taken in the supporting mechanisms to support the favourable upbringing? And which standards does the religious teachings, especially Imam Reza’s lifestyle, introduce to clarify the concept of upbringing in Islamic society? This descriptive-analytic article shows that in all children’s supporting mechanisms, disbelief and immorality of an applicant for child custody precludes him form custody, since the child’s faith and manners will be in danger. Moreover, there are numerous pieces of religious advice, especially in Imam Reza’s teachings, with regards to upbringing children. These advices show that Islam puts much emphasis on factors like genetics, lactation and feeding, etiquettes of child birth and educating children. Islam describes these as influential not only on children’s body but also on their innate and manners. There are methods in Imam Reza’s lifestyle for children’s religious upbringing and institutionalizing Islamic values and society norms in their mind and heart, including love-based behavior, respect, giving examples, practical upbringing, encouraging and advising.