With children...

How many incidents that occurred in our childhood days do we still remember up until today, be they happy or sad memories? Think about your childhood and no doubt you will remember the day you received a certificate of achievement at school, or when someone praised you in a public gathering, and so on. These are the sort of incidents that become imprinted in your memory such that you can never forget.

We likewise remember the sad memories from our childhood, such as a teacher chastising us, or a fight with a classmate, or being humiliated by a family member. How often does the good treatment of children

not only affect them but also their parents and families, and it earns their love and respect? It is often the case that primary school teachers are contacted by their pupils’ parents who thank them and express their love and respect merely for the fact that they love and respect their children.

They may express their gratitude sometimes by words and sometimes as gifts. Therefore, do not belittle smiling at a child, winning his heart and exercising interpersonal skills with him.

You can sometimes notice the different ways in which people deal with children. When a person enters a public gathering with his son, he shakes everyone’s hand one by one, while his son follows suit. Amongst the people are those who would completely ignore the child, others would barely shake his hand, and others would warmly shake his hand saying, “Welcome, young man! How are you today?” It is the love of that person that will be engraved in the heart of the child, as well as in the hearts of his parents.

The Prophet e would display the best form of treatment with children. Anas bin Malik – may Allah be pleased with him – had a younger brother, and the Prophet e would play with him and nickname him Abu ‘Umayr. The child had a small bird that he played with. Whenever the Prophet e would meet him, he would joke with him saying, “O Abu ‘Umayr, what happened to al-Nughayr?” meaning, the bird.

He would be kind and playful with children. Whenever he would meet Zaynab bint Umm Salamah, he would playfully say to her, “O Zuwaynib! O Zuwaynib!” Whenever he passed by children playing, he would greet them. Whenever he visited the Ansaar, he would greet their children and place his hand on their heads out of compassion. Upon the return of the Muslim army With children from Mu’tah, the Prophet e along with the rest of the Muslims and their children met them on their way back to Madinah.

When the Prophet e saw the children he said, “Take the children and carry them, and please pass me Ibn Ja’far.” They passed ‘Abdullah bin Ja’far on to him and he held him in his arms.

One day as the Prophet e was performing ablution, there came to him Mahmud bin al-Rabi’ who was only five years old. The Prophet e took some water in his mouth and jokingly blew it out in his face. (al-Bukhari) Generally, the Prophet e was lively and merry with everyone.

He would always try to make people happy. He would always be easygoing with everyone so that people would not become bored in his company. Once, he jokingly said to Anas, “O you, the possessor of two ears!” We read in various Ahadith that often the Prophet e would smile till his molar teeth would show. He was indeed an extremely kind and friendly companion. If we were to train ourselves to embrace such skills, we would surely taste the sweetness of life.

                                                          A thought...

A child is like soft clay that we shape according to our treatment of it.