A building is just as stable as its foundation. If you want to built a high-rise house then you need a strong foundation that can support such a building. It is the same for a society, if you want to have a strong society or nation you need a foundation that can support such a society, give it strength and develop it. As Muslims we are commended by Allah to establish a strong nation, a society that implements the rules and laws of Allah and invites other people to Islam through good examples. “You are the best nation raised up (as an example) for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah.” (Qur'an, 3:110) The Islamic Ummah was raised to command what is right and forbid what is wrong and to believe in Allah. “Let there arise from you a nation inviting to good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, and those will be the successful.” (Qur'an, 3:104) These commands of Allah remind us that it is the obligation of a Muslim society to raise a generation that can live up to this task, and the groundwork for this task is importing the basic education of the family. It is in the family, that a man and a woman come together to bring a new generation to life, which becomes the future community. It is here, in the family, that the next generation to run our society learns its values, ethics and behavior. The future success of society depends on the performance of each and every single family in raising their kids, and the performance of every generation is just a reflection of the efforts of their parent's generation.” Every one of you (people) is a shepherd. And every one is responsible for whatever falls under his responsibility. A man is like a shepherd of his own family, and he is responsible for them.” (Bukhari and Muslim) The family is the basis, the backbone of society, and the backbone of the family is the division of labor between husband and wife, and the upbringing of children is the most important function of the family. This job-sharing system within the family is part of Islam. By His wisdom Allah has made the man responsible for providing for the family, an obligation which cannot be passed on to his wife under normal circumstances. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the wife to take care of his house and their children.Such a family provides a perfect environment for the development of Islamic values and moral standards, which can be passed on to the next generation. Many societies, today, find it more important for women to join the workforce in order to add to the materialistic gains of the nation. In these societies material production is considered more important, more valuable and more honorable than upbringing the children and developing them into good human beings. Women in such societies are encouraged to neglect their duties toward their families and their children in the name of ‘emancipation' and ‘ambition'. In such a scenario, life is based on building a career, acquiring wealth and spending it on worldly luxuries, and the task of raising kids is left to others, for example, maids or nannies. Thus, if this is the situation, how can we build a true ‘Islamic' society based on the true teachings of Allah and His Messenger. __
