How we can train our kids to be a Warrior of Imam Mahdi in the 2020s

[ShiaOfMahdi]

Salaam dear brothers and sisters.

In this modern day and age, electronic technology has become a key thing in today's society. It can have both its good and evils. Video/Computer games have become a source of attraction for today's kids. There are both good and evils out of it. It's time we put the effort to do things that benefit us and prepare us and our children to be a warrior of Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s).

Number 1 is to do all the wajibaats such as praying salah, reading the duas, ziyarat, and the holy Quran as well as obedience to our parents.

Number 2 for us is to play a game that benefits us. Kids learn more from what they play these days. For me though, I do play a game that motivates me for strength and physical training and that game is Ring Fit Adventure on Nintendo Switch (a system which is popular among kids and adults today). It's not a total waste of time. There are games that can teach people the essentials of combat like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I myself have both of these games on my Switch and I have my younger siblings who play that and learn the basic skills of combat. It's better than stuff like Fortnite and other games that may not benefit people. Ring Fit is what I like to stick to as it prepares me to stay fit which is what the Imam would mostly like from his warriors. It involves using a JoyCon with a leg strap and a RingCon with a JoyCon attached. There is also Nintendo Switch Sports which is another favorite of mine and I like it for the soccer game in there which is much better than playing FIFA or EA Sports FC which doesn't include it. It's something that can benefit us and make good use of our time. I used to play Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort as a kid but I never got motivated much to stay active until the Nintendo Switch came along and changed my life as an adult from being a habitual gamer to someone who likes to work out even if I don't have a gym membership.

What are your ways of training yourself and your children to becoming a warrior of Imam Mahdi?

Edited February 29, 2024 by ShiaOfMahdi

[In Gods Name]

1. Tawheed - reconnecting with Allah, and not making Dua to other than Allah. Only he has full knowledge of the unseen. Avoiding turning the Imams into beings more powerful than Zeus.

2. Focusing on the Sunnah of Muhammed saw , this includes realising he and his family would separate their Salah the vast majority of the time and combining was not a normal practice.

3. Making Hajj a priority and realising there are a lot of modern day practices which were never endorsed nor practiced by the Prophet or his family.

For any more details, check my threads out insha Allah.

Edited February 29, 2024 by In Gods Name

[kadhim]

Cultivating critical thinking skills. 
The imam is the imam of the age, and our texts call this the age of the intellect.

Being an obedient follower is not sufficient. He’s going to want and need people who do not require micromanagement; people who can take broad direction and figure out the details independently for themselves. 

The texts also say that the community will accuse him of bringing a new religion and that the mainstream will be against him. So to practice being on the right side of history, maintain a thoughtful, systematic skepticism toward received common perceptions, toward the mainstream, and toward established authority. 

 

Edited February 29, 2024 by kadhim

[Lion of Shia]

learn wrestling,boxing, jujitsu,judo ect,  learn hunting and archery skills,swimming

[ShiaOfMahdi]

32 minutes ago, Lion of Shia said:

learn wrestling,boxing, jujitsu,judo ect,  learn hunting and archery skills,swimming

Kids have Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Fitness Boxing, ARMS, and Ring Fit Adventure though on their Nintendo Switch as well as an option. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are popular games this generation on Switch that teach them skills like hunting, cooking, swimming, and combat skills.

[Lion of Shia]

1 hour ago, ShiaOfMahdi said:

Kids have Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Fitness Boxing, ARMS, and Ring Fit Adventure though on their Nintendo Switch as well as an option. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are popular games this generation on Switch that teach them skills like hunting, cooking, swimming, and combat skills.

you mean video games?How would those help?

[ShiaOfMahdi]

On 2/29/2024 at 9:32 PM, Lion of Shia said:

you mean video games?How would those help?

Late response but Ring Fit Adventure would help out in physical training with exercises and workouts as part of both its adventure and workout modes. I have it and it does do a great job in making sure kids and adults stay healthy and get a good workout. The Imam would want that his warriors be fit and healthy and its a good game to get people to work out. ARMS and Fitness Boxing can also teach them how to be a good boxer as well by using those JoyCons too.

[zarya]

Salaam Alaykum,

Hope all is blessings with you. 

I think it is good to ignite a spark within children through video games and this will be more than anything mentally stimulating for the children however once that spark has been ignited it is then important to implement practice within real life as humans body retains muscle memory which with certain motor skills the children can learn to perform them without conscious effort, which then potentially, the memory of this can last a lifespan.

Although physical aspect in preparing for the Imam is important, the most important aspect for children today to understand isn't only combat and survival skills but knowledge. As you have stated in this modern day and age, electronic technology has become a key thing in today's society, furthermore as we are in this modern day and age there are various aspects due to modern forms of military equipment where knowledge would be more powerful, ensuring children understand fields of study which the Imam would find most useful is a few example medical sciences, engineering, mathematics, botany, nutrition, natural medicines, languages, and many more areas but most important of all Quranic knowledge as the Quran is the umbrella for all aspects of knowledge which is used within every society after all The Quran is the word of Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) and a guide for all mankind, understanding the meaning and ensuring the interpretation has come from a reputable source, for example The Quran and The Prophet (sawa) and the Ahulbayt go hand in hand as the Ahlulbayt's way of life is the guide in implementing and following Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى).

Reciting Dua al-Faraj regularly and daily and sending Salawat to the Imam (a.t.f.s) ensures that he is always within the children's hearts, so when they see injustice in the world they know Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) will restore justice with Imam Al-Zaman(a.t.f.s), as he is amongst us and alone. Doing charitable work, volunteering in the community with the children so they understand different social classes and how to be compassionate towards others. 

Most Importantly the focus on purifying our souls, once we overcome our selfish desires and distractions from Shaitan and only focus on being a good Muslim and servant of Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) while trying to follow in the footsteps of Our Prophet(sawa) and Ahlulbayt, then we will be amongst those whom Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) is most happy with and he will surely motivate our hearts and the hearts of the children to strive to prepare the arrival and furthermore help Imam Mahdi (a.t.f.s) through the best means as Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) will find the best skills that each individual carries within themselves. Being Spiritually, Physically and Mentally fit, increasing knowledge in all three areas is key for children.

Please forgive me if I have said anything against you, we are all part of one family ensuring the younger generation is focused and preparing on what the near future will entail is important and we must always ensure to find the most ethical ways which Allah(سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) would be most happy with to ensure their focus and upbringing is on the right path, and it can seem to become more difficult but we can only learn and persevere together. Hope I was able to enlighten you at least slightly. 

Side note: Some Nintendo switch games are not produced from the Angelic side of a human soul and the intention and imagery may be inappropriate for subconscious of children for example, The Legend of Zelda.  The more sporty and physical games would be recommended more highly than these narrative games. If you still intend to use these games to motivate children then ensure they and yourself seek refuge with Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى). There is no need intending to help children become a help to the Imam when there focus is on something that Allah (سُبْحَانَهُ وَ تَعَالَى) would not be content with us allowing children to focus on.

[lowbe01]

I dont know if you Mahdi or anyone else has heard of these types of games but their called grand strategy games. And I personally love them its one of the most in depth games ive ever played. the games are infinitely replayable. But the games i play that are considered this is crusader kings three which  is a medeval simulator of being a lord or count or any other type of ruler and your goals are entirely up to you on what you want to do. their is a difficulty meter you can put it on but religion politics and and culture is ahuge part of these games and you would think by the name that you could only be a Christian ruler just by the title of the game but no you can anything historically accurate to what would have been back then or if you didnt want to play historical you could do that to  The game is very intense and is great for teaching people the struggles of leadership and the fundamentals of strategy. They also haveother games based on other time periods as well where you would control the countrys themselves but if i had a kid and he was say thirteen or fourteen I would tryto get them in to these games its great for teaching skills in leadership and does well to show how complicated things get in world politics and culture throughout history. THe reason I brought this game series up is because I think if you want to train children to be a leader or to be knowledgeable about things try to make it fun or give them something that simulates something like a challenge you know theyll face in real life. And I agree with Mahdi on that games can be used to these effects

[ShiaOfMahdi]

On 2/29/2024 at 7:52 PM, ShiaOfMahdi said:

Kids have Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, Fitness Boxing, ARMS, and Ring Fit Adventure though on their Nintendo Switch as well as an option. Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are popular games this generation on Switch that teach them skills like hunting, cooking, swimming, and combat skills.

Now that we have the Nintendo Switch 2 coming out in less than a month's time, the new generation of kids will have access to Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom as well to learn hunting, cooking, swimming, as well as combat skills. I do hope for the new generation to have access to Ring Fit Adventure 2 when that comes out alongside the first Ring Fit Adventure secondhand in the future inshallah so that they can be more active with the workouts in both the adventure mode and the custom workout mode. Nintendo Switch Sports will still be around or get a sequel on Switch 2 since I like the motion controls for the sports games and the soccer (with the left JoyCon on the leg strap as that's my favourite way to play soccer indoors) as I grew up with motion controls during the Wii/PS3/Xbox 360 era with stuff like Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort as well as Kinect Sports on Xbox 360 in middle school. It was all fun and family time for me growing up in the late 2000s and early 2010s when I had a Wii and getting active. Our kids truly do need to focus on being motivated on learning more about Islam and the Imams, doing the wajibaats and duas, as well as staying fit and active in addition to learning essential skills including combat skills in the day of electronic gadgets such as computers, smartphones, tablets, and video game consoles including the hybrid Nintendo Switch and the soon to be released Switch 2. We need to make sure our children grow up using technology in a safe and wise way and not wasting time doing things that don't benefit them like playing a game that doesn't benefit them as I have done by being addicted to video games and internet sites that didn't benefit me. I don't play much these days thankfully but my younger bro he spends way too much time playing on the computer with his school friends in online PC games which is an unhealthy addiction.