Children are the real wealth of nation, the future of humanity, the source of its strength, the continuation of its populating the universe, and doing the duty of human replacement of God Almighty, in truth, justice, and goodness. Islam had directed human being into five necessities which are: the maintenance of debt, saving the soul, the maintenance the progeny, the mind, and money. Hence, the keenness of Islam on progeny comes to preserve the entity and survival of community. Islam has cared for children and encouraged their procreation. It has also set up provisions that regulate their lives and provide them with security, care, protection, and a decent life with their families.
Humanitarian society has several attempts in order to protect the child and to defend his rights through a variety of international, regional, and local conventions and documents especially with the spread of armed conflicts and wars. Children and their parents have been exposed to killing, displacement, and other inhumane violations against children.
A historical study to the history of children, we find that there were wrong practices in dealing with them up to the point of murder such as female infanticide which Islam sanctified, “And when the female (infant) buried alive shall be questioned. For what sin she was killed?”(At- Takwir, Al Ayah 8-9) Islam cared a lot for children, but this interest was not applied properly in which the history of children has witnessed wrong practices such as assigning children arduous work or not caring lack about their upbringing and nutrition. The Middle Ages in Europe had seen dark stages in its history lasted until the nineteenth century when social reformers began calling for the need to consider children's issues and it appeared many legislations governing their lives and defending their rights. The second half of the twentieth century is the golden age in the defense of children's rights and the emergence of many legislations of their own.
In these legislations, we find much similarity between them and some of what is stated in the Qur'an and Sunnah which indicates that some of these regulations are derived from human civilizations mainly the Islamic civilization. Due to these legislations which mostly passed in the United States and Europe, we find they carry many more details about children's rights particularly the social aspects in which it operates at the level of communities. They also carry a mechanism for real application, making it successful and appropriate to confront the mistreatment and abuse of children as one of the problems facing modern communities. And this is the issue that the rights of children lack in some developing societies. In this research, we will clarify the approach of Islamic law in child protection and preservation of his rights as set out in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Then we consider some recent legislations and ordinances in this area.