Children should not beg

In this case some parents take their children to other  places and put them under the care of a teacher for acquiring Islamic knowledge but many end up begging. These children who could be as young as five live far from their parents and  lack proper care. Some parents send their children for Almajiranci or to […]

In this case some parents take their children to other  places and put them under the care of a teacher for acquiring Islamic knowledge but many end up begging.
 These children who could be as young as five live far from their parents and  lack proper care. Some parents send their children for Almajiranci or to guardians for the because they are stubborn and expect them to be well trained and disciplined under other’s people’s care .
However, the person responsible for teaching the child  may not be able to feed the child. The number of Almajirai under the control of one Mallam (teacher) ranges from two to a hundred and sometimes even more than one hundred that is why the Mallam cannot provide them with the necessary care that is expected of him. And this gives room for the children to go roaming the streets or go from house to house begging for food.
The body of these child beggars can easily contract any kind of disease because of the dirty clothes they wear and the places they sleep. So also, the food they eat in most cases is a contaminated food while the water they drink is mostly polluted. They are also exposed to all sorts of punishment and hardships by the Mallam.
During rainy season, the child beggars  are used by their Mallam to cultivate a gigantic area of land. The produce at the end will be sold by the Mallam and the child beggars will not earn anything from it mostly.
The effect of  child begging includes making them prey to bad people and having  anti-social behavior.
Some products of child begging Almajirai have been identified amongst thugs called ‘Yan kalare in Gombe state , ‘Yan Sara Suka in Bauchi State and ‘Yan Daba in Kano state they all engage in all sorts of vices.
According to Ibrahim Sambo, a student of Islamic studies University of Maiduguri , Islam does not promote poverty and begging.
Parents should  play their roles and live up to their responsibilities to their children by being there for them. They should  stay with them raise, guide, and send them to the Islamic school which are available everywhere in states and villages near them instead of taking them somewhere else. By so doing they will be brought up properly to become better individuals in the society.

Mohammed writes from the Department of Mass Communication University of Maiduguri