21. Leadership of the Righteous

The Quran describes certain qualities of the people of Paradise—that is, the qualities by virtue of which a person becomes worthy of entering Paradise. One of these qualities is that they pray to God for their families in the following words:

“They say, ‘Lord, grant us joy in our wives and children and make us a model for the righteous.’” (Quran, 25:74)

Rephrased, this supplication conveys the following meaning: “O God, the true joy of my heart lies in righteousness. Make my spouse and children righteous, so that by seeing them I may find peace. Let my family be one that lives in reverence of You.”

A mother and father who are sincere servants of God do not take pride merely in their children’s material success or worldly achievements. Their real joy comes from witnessing their children grow into God-conscious individuals who are obedient to divine guidance and live according to His will. Such a household is truly God-centred, and those blessed parents entrusted with leading a righteous family are indeed fortunate.