Teaching our children to love the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam and to hold fast to the Sharia

.....Hold Fast To The Sharia and the Sunnah...

"Thus we have made you a Wasat (just) (and the best) nation, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger be a witness over you." (2:143)

The most prominent characteristic of the Muslim Ummah is that they live their lives and practice their Deen in the most moderate and balanced way.

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’aala (GOD) says in the Noble Qur’an, what could be translated as, "Thus We have made you [Muslims] a Wasat nation, that you be witnesses over mankind and the Messenger Muhammad be a witness over you." (Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 143)

In this verse, Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) says He has made this Muslim Ummah, an Ummah of Wasat. And No one has the right or authority to change the Ummah's status of Wasatiyyah.

In the same verse, Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) indicates to us what the objectives of Wasatiyyah are. They are "That you are witnesses over mankind and the Messenger Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam) is a witness over you." And no one has the authority to change the objectives of Wasatiyyah. (Get it guys)

In an Arabic dictionary, the term Wasat has three meanings. The three meanings are: to be moderate, to be in the middle, and to be the best. Therefore, when Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala describes the Muslim Ummah as a nation that is Wasat, Allah means that we are moderate, we are an Ummah that is in the middle, and that we are the best nation.

Atawasoot in an Islamic sense means that the Muslim should try his best to be moderate in all of his affairs, and he should keep away from extreme practices and making extreme statements.

Imam Bukhari reported that three companions came to the houses of the wives of the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam to inquire about how much the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam worshiped. When the men were informed, they considered the amount of worship to be insufficient and said: "Where are we in comparison with the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam while Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala has forgiven his past sins and future sins." One of them said: "As for me, I shall offer prayer all night long." Another said: "I shall observe fasting continuously and shall not break it." Another said: 'I shall abstain from the woman and shall never marry." The Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam came to them and said, "Are you the ones who said such things? By Allah, I fear Allah more then you do, and I am most obedient and dutiful among you to Him, but still I fast (some days) and I don't fast (other days), I pray at night and I also sleep (meaning he does not pray all night), and I married, and whoever does not follow my Sunnah (way of life) does not belong to me."

Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam said, "All of you are heads of a group and all of you are responsible for your groups; the ruler is the head of state and he is responsible for his people, the man is head of his family and responsible for his family, the woman is the head in her husband's house and she is responsible for the house. In short all of you are heads and responsible for your group." (Imam Bukhari)

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The prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam did not excuse any one from responsibility that Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) has put on every individual to build the Islamic society: the ruler is responsible: the man and woman are responsible.... All within their capabilities, domains, and authorities, and the loss of Islam from our Muslim ummah these days is nothing but a result of the neglect of responsibility...

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) has entrusted parents with their children. Parents bear the responsibility to raise their children in the Islamic way. If they do that they will be blessed in this life and in the Hereafter, and if they don't, they will get bad result during their life and in the Hereafter.

Teaching our children to love the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam and to hold fast to the Sharia and the Sunnah he embodies that the true springs of faith will take root in their hearts. Faith begin with love and grows through love until it reaches perfection, and perfect faith can not be reached until one’s love for Allah and for the Messenger Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam is stronger than one’s love for all else.

The Holy Prophet said, none amongst you can be a true believer until his love for me is greater than the love he holds for his parents, his children and everyone else.

The Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam is a perfect example for how human beings can be elevated through the stations of spirituality. Following his example, Muslims are required to be transparent with their thoughts. In other words, a Muslim should not think one way and act differently, and it is important to be consistent with children. Witnessing an inconsistency between what adults say and do can lead to deep wounds in the spirituality of a child. 

The heart of a child should be nurtured with belief in Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (God) and spiritualism at an early age. Learning about Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) at an early age will help a child to overcome the difficulties of this life, not only in their childhood, but also in later adult years. The more a child is exposed to a community that observes religion, the easier it will be for that child to understand and accept religion and spiritualism later in their life. It has been observed that children who grow up in a spiritual environment are more likely to establish healthy relationships with their parents. Islam teaches that children are gifts from the all-compassionate and generous Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (God). We should love and care for them with perfect compassion and tenderness to ensure their healthy growth.

 A child needs to feel safe, and the best way to give them this feeling is to teach them that Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (God) is the Most Merciful and the Most Compassionate and that He is protecting them from all evil. A child, weak and needy, can feel secure in life only through this belief. Furthermore, teaching a child to be grateful for everything they possess and receive is another vital aspect for healthy spiritual development. A child should be made aware that everything that is given to them ultimately comes from   Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (God). In this way, they will grow into a thankful and appreciative person.

Showing mercy and love to children has a special place in the Prophet Muhammad's Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam teachings. To address the importance of mercy in children's spiritual development, the Prophet stated, "Whoever does not show mercy to his children is not one of us [Muslims]." Thus the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam taught that children should be approached with mercy, love, respect, and trust, while Islamic teachings particularly emphasize mercy and love. His wife Aisha (R.A)  gave the following example:

One day a person from the desert came to the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam and said, "You are kissing children but traditionally we don't kiss them." The Prophet replied, "What can I do if Allah swt (God) removed mercy from your heart?”. (Bukhari).

Another teaching by the Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam on this concept concerns his grandson Hasan Radiyallaahu:

One day the Prophet was in one of the markets of Medina. He left the market and so did I. Then he asked thrice, "Where is the small child?" Then he said, "Call Hasan." So Hasan got up and started walking with a necklace of beads around his neck. The Prophet stretched his hand out like this, and Hasan did the same. The Prophet embraced him and said, "O Allah! I love him, so please love him and love those who love him." Since Allah's Apostle said that, nothing has been dearer to me than Hasan (Bukhari).

It is important to note, however, that the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam was overall even-handed in his approach toward raising children. He was merciful and loving towards children, but he was also resolute in his guidance.

The Messenger was completely balanced in the way he brought up his children. He loved his children and grandchildren very much, and instilled love in them. However, he never let his love for them be abused. None of them deliberately dared to do anything wrong. If they made an unintentional mistake, the Messenger's protection prevented them from going even slightly astray. He did this by wrapping them in love and an aura of dignity. For example, Once Hasan or Hussein wanted to eat some of the dates that had been allocated for distribution among the poor as alms. The Messenger of Allah immediately took it from his hand, and said: "Anything given as alms is forbidden to us." In teaching them while they were young to be sensitive to forbidden acts, he established an important principle of education.

He never made any distinctions between his sons and daughters, saying "How beautiful a child is a girl—compassionate, helpful, easygoing, blessed, and full of motherly feelings." The Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam did not limit his love and mercy and showed love and mercy to children from different religions. He taught Muslims to treat neighbors of other faiths as their closest relatives. For example, the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam visited one of his Jewish neighbor's sons when he was ill.

 The Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam seek to remove children from the congregation while he was preaching.  One of his students said, "I saw our Prophet giving a sermon. Hasan was sitting on his knees. During his speech he occasionally would bow down, kiss the child, and say: "I love him."

The Prophet Muhammad Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam not only allowed children in the mosque, but even assigned a special space for them to join the prayers. Keeping children close by during the daily prayers is of utmost importance, for the child will benefit from the spiritual environment.  We learn from these teachings that rather than remove children from places of worship, we should train ourselves to concentrate during prayer in the presence of children. This will improve our ability to focus on our relationship with Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (God) during prayer even in distracting environments. In Islam it is important to be able to live spiritually in all parts of life. This goal can be achieved by learning how to be with God even during the difficult times of our lives. A person who trains his concentration and spirit to be close to God during prayer, even in the presence of children, will be able to continue their spirituality during the difficult times of his life.

 Hazrat Umar Radiyallaahu said to the Holy Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam, ‘I love you more than everything than myself.’ The Holy Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam him) said, ‘None amongst you can be a true believer until I am dearer to him than even himself.’

 

  Hazrat Umar radiyallaahu said, ‘I swear by Him (Allah) who revealed the Book (Holy Quran) to you! You are indeed dearer to me than even myself.’

  

 The Holy Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam replied, ‘Umar, now your Iman (faith) is complete.’

(Bukhari)

A man came to the Holy Prophet and said, O Holy Prophet! You are indeed dearer to me than my family and my wealth, I remember you and I cannot wait until I can come and look at you. I think of my death and yours and know that when you enter paradise you will be at a high ranking place with the prophets and so, even if I am granted entrance to paradise I will not be able to see you (because of your high status).

In response to this, Allah revealed the verse:  And he who obeys Allah and the Prophet he will be with those whom Allah has favored-the prophets, the siddiqeen (truthful people), the shahid (martyrs) and the salihun (pious people). And what good companions they are.

(Holy Quran, Surah 4: An-Nisa, Verse69).

The Holy Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam called the man and recited this verse to him.

Hazrat Jabber bin Mutt am radiyallaahu-anhu relates that I heard the Holy Prophet say, I have many names. One of them is Muhammad (Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam) and another is Ahmad. I am known as Hasher, for (on the Day of Judgment) the entire human race will be gathered together under my banner. I am also called Aqib and Aqib is the one after whom there is no other prophet.

(Bukhari and Muslim)

Hazrat Anas radiyallaahu also relates that the Holy Prophet Sallallaahu alayhi Wasallam said, ‘A person who possesses the following three qualities has acquired the true meaning of Iman (faith):

1. His love for Allah and the Holy Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu-alaihi-wasallam is greater than his love for anyone else.

2. His friendship with anyone is solely for Allah’s pleasure.

3. Having accepted Islam, he abhors ‘kufr’ (disbelief) as much as he would loathe burning in fire.’

(Bukhari and Muslim)

Ghufraanaka Rabbanaa WA ‘alaika masiyr

WA sallallaahu Ta’aala ‘alaa Sayidina WA Mawlana Muhammadin WA Alayhi WA Sahabihi wasallam

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