Psychological Explanation and Clarification of the Quality of Parental Interaction and Its Impact on Children’s Behavior: A Case Study of a Prophetic Narrative

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 University of Religions and Denominations Assistant Professor of Psychology Department

2 Faculty Member, Al-Mustafa University, Qom, Iran

3 Full Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Islamic Sciences and Education, University of Quran and Hadith, Rey, Iran

Abstract

Extended Abstract
 
Introduction and Objectives: The impact of spousal interactions on children’s development has been widely examined, though most studies focus on divorced families. Far fewer have explored this issue in intact families, particularly from the perspective of Islamic sources. To address this gap, the present study investigates one Prophetic narration attributed to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) concerning the father’s responsibility in relation to the rights of the child.
The narration contains the phrase “an yastafriha ummah”, which may be interpreted in two ways: (1) that the father should honor and respect the child’s mother, or (2) that he should select a virtuous and dignified mother for his child. The central questions of this research are therefore: What is the precise meaning of the phrase “an yastafriha ummah” (and its variant ummaha)? And why is the father’s respect for the mother considered one of the child’s rights?
Method: This study employed a documentary research method, involving the collection, description, and interpretation of religious texts relevant to the research problem. Sources included Qur’anic verses, narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt, classical commentaries on hadith, and scholarly works in psychology.
The research proceeded in several stages:

Authentication: verifying the narration’s transmission and chain of authority.
Validation: assessing the degree of reliability based on Islamic sciences.
Lexical analysis: clarifying decisive words and phrases using dictionaries, hadith commentaries, and related narrations.
Interpretive synthesis: deriving the overall meaning through comparison with Qur’anic verses and narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt.
Content analysis: integrating insights from psychology and systems theory to interpret the text in its broader social and developmental context.

Table 1. Research Steps




steps


Function




Authentication of the document


Verification of hadith transmission by the Infallibles




Validation of the document


Assessing the degree of reliability of the hadith in Islamic sciences through document and source review




Lexical analysis


Clarifying the meaning of key, decisive, or difficult terms in the hadith using authoritative dictionaries, hadith commentaries, and related narrations




Interpretive synthesis


Deriving the overall meaning of the narration through comparison with other hadiths and narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt




Content analysis using complementary sources


Analyzing the components of the narration in relation to other authentic sources, including Qur’anic verses, narrations of the Ahl al-Bayt, classical hadith commentaries, and specialized psychological texts




 
Results: The analysis, supported by authoritative works such as Al-Wafi and Malādh al-akhyār, indicated that the stronger interpretation of “an yastafriha ummah” is that the father must honor the child’s mother. This act of honoring is itself one of the rights of the child.
From a psychological perspective, the study identified three major benefits of the father’s care for the mother:

a) Maternal well-being: When a father meets the physical and psychological needs of the mother, she develops greater self-worth, emotional security, and stability. This enhances her ability to meet the child’s needs, resulting in secure attachment.
b) Role modeling: Children replicate the relational patterns observed between parents. Respectful spousal interactions thus shape healthier future marital relationships and provide a model for balanced gender identity development.
c) Family systems efficiency: Positive spousal interactions strengthen the overall family system, where every relationship influences the whole.

Discussion and Conclusions: Parental interactions—whether positive or negative—have a direct impact on children’s mental health, personality formation, and learning. The narration under study highlights a unique point: although the right belongs to the child, it is expressed through the father’s responsibility to honor the mother. Psychologically, this makes sense: a respected and emotionally secure mother is better able to nurture the child.
This dynamic produces multiple benefits. First, the child experiences secure attachment and a positive self-concept. Second, the child internalizes a healthy model for future marital and social relationships. Third, as family systems theory suggests (Goldenberg, 2017), respectful parental interaction strengthens the functioning of the family unit as a whole.
In sum, the father’s respectful treatment of the mother serves as both a religious duty and a psychological necessity. It directly supports the child’s rights and indirectly enhances the stability and health of the entire family system.

Keywords

References

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