Apple of the Eye

THE HOLY PROPHET (SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WA SALLAM) EXPRESSED HIS LOVE AND KINDNESS TO CHILDREN.

GRANDDAUGHTER
The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is reported to have read salaah (prayer) while carrying his grandaughter Umaamah (radhiallahu anha). She was the daughter of his daughter Zainab (radhiallahu anha).

GRANDSONS
Once, while giving a talk on the mimbar (pulpit) in the musjid, the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw his grandsons Hasan and Husain (radhiallahu anhuma) coming in and tripping over their clothes as they were small. He got down from the mimbar and gathered them up.

Old Time’s Sake

Adapted From Adopt a Sunnah No. 19
By Madrasah In’aamiyyah

To keep up old ties is a concept that is deep rooted in Islam.
The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam said, "To maintain relationships is certainly a part of Iman (Islamic faith).

WIFE
It was the noble habit of the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam that when he used to slaughter a sheep for his household, he would send portions of it to the friends of his first and most cherished wife Khadijah radhiallahu anha after she ahd passed away.
When he received any gift, he would say that it should be taken to so and so, who was a friend of and used to love Khadijah radhiallahu anha.

VEHICLE
Abdullah Ibn Umar radhiallahu anhu was once on his way to Makkah for Umrah. On the way he met a shabbily dressed Bedouin whom he asked if he was the son of so and so. The Bedouin replied in the affirmative. Hearing this Ibn Umar radhiallahu anhu greeted him with full zeal, took off his turban and gave it to the Bedouin.
He then gave him his conveyance. At this, Ibn Umar radhiallahu anhu’s companion said that the Bedouin would have been pleased with whatever little he had given him. Ibn Umar radhiallahu anhu replied, "This person’s father is a friend of my father and I have heard our beloved Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam say, ‘Verily from the greatest forms of loyalty to ones parents after their death is for one to keep up ties with their friends.’" Here Ibn Umar radhiallahu anhu extended his kindness to the son of his father’s friend and not just the friend.

PARENTS
A man once enquired as to what rights his parents have on him after their demise. Among the things he was told by the Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam was to maintain ties with those relatives who are linked to you via them and to pay respect to their surviving friends.
By doing this, one would also be pleasing his deceased parents as the Hadith tells us that parents are made aware of whatever the child does on their behalf.

Building a Loving Family

Everyone desires to have family relationships that are loving and functional. For this you need to learn and apply the qualities loving families share. Here are five signs:
1. An attitude of service. Slavery is at the heart of dysfunctional families. When people serve others because they are forced to do so, freedom to truly serve is lost. In Islam there is a greater emphasis on fulfilling other people’s rights and helping them than on demanding one’s own rights. For children, developing an attitude of service is a process. In the early stages, acts of service must be required. But the goal is that the child will find personal satisfaction in serving others.
2. Intimacy between husband and wife. Building intimacy is a process. It involves self-revelation, in which one tells the other something of his or her thoughts, feelings and experiences. The Prophet sallallahu alaihi wa sallam once told his wife Aeysha radhiallahu anha: "I know whether you are angry or pleased." She asked, "How do you know that, Allah's Apostle?" He said, "When you are pleased, you say, ‘Yes, by the Lord of Muhammad,' but when you are angry, you say, 'No, by the Lord of Abraham!' She replied, ‘Yes, I do not leave, except your name." His love was still in her heart.
3. Parents who teach and train. Parents will be actively involved in giving guidance to their children by teaching and training and not just focusing on one and neglecting the other.
4. Children who obey and honor parents. Obedient behavior brings positive consequences; disobedient behavior brings negative consequences. In a loving family, parents will focus on these: loving the child, and making sure the child experiences the consequences of his or her behavior. This involves setting rules, setting consequences (good as well as bad), and administering discipline.
5. Husbands who are loving leaders. The Hadith mentions that the best person is one who is best to his family. `