To all those Fathers... Some people think that if the father comes down to his childrens level and interacts closely with them, this will diminish his paternal status in their eyes and undermine his parenting efforts. Nothing could be further from the truth, for this kind of approach is the most efficient method of raising children properly, and is promoted by modern experts. It is also the method promoted by the Prophet (s) fifteen hundred years ago, and clearly demonstrated by him in word and deed. The Prophet (s) used to line up Abdullah, Ubaydullah and Kuthayyir, the sons of al-Abbas (r) and say: Whoever reaches me first, I will give him such-and-such. So they would race towards him and jump on his back and chest, kissing him.1 Bukhari, in al-Adab al-Mufrad, and al-Tabarani reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (s) took the hand of al-hasan (r) or al-husayn (r), then put his feet on his foot and said, Climb up. There is no clearer demonstration of the spirit of the great educator than in the way he carried al-hasan (r) and al-husayn (r), and treated them with love and care, thus setting an example for fathers and grandfathers everywhere, no matter how great their status and influence, to treat these tender young shoots in the most gentle and caring way. This may be seen in the hadith narrated by Ahmad and al-Nisai from Shaddad: ´The Prophet (s) went out carrying al hasan or al husayn, and when he came forward to lead the prayer, he put the child down and commenced the prayer. He prostrated himself and stayed in that position for a long time. I raised my head and saw the child on his back, so I returned to my prostration. When he had finished praying, the people said, O Messenger of Allah, you prostrated for such a long time. He said, My child was riding on my back, and I did not like to disturb him until he had had enough. 2
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 19:25:23 +0000
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