We begin in the name of God, the most Loving, the most Wise,
One of the du’as I make most frequently for our son and any children we have is that they will grow up loving the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) more than anything else, that they will follow his example the way Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) did, and that whatever they choose as their path in life that it be something that will make prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) proud to have them as part of his ummah.
It is incredibly important to me for my family to have a love of prophet Muhammad, a love that permeates our everyday lives. I decided early on that it would be a priority for me to make sure that we come to know him (peace be upon him), that we make it a regular habit to sit together and learn about him and recall his life stories. I want him to seem like a friend, a mentor, a teacher to our children – because that is the truth.
In this post, I will be sharing 6 things we do in our home to work toward this aspiration. Simple habits that we are slowly incorporating into our day/week to ensure our children (and ourselves) will come to know Allah’s beloved, our prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him):
1. Start straight away. Even while your baby is still in the womb, make it a family habit to sit together on a weekly basis and talk about him (p.b.u.h). Though your child may not understand all that is being said, if you maintain this habit eventually they will begin picking it up. What is more, they will be used to the habit and it will be like second nature to them.
2. Don’t forget the power of sending salawat. Even saying ‘Allahuma Salli Ala Muhammad’ is a part of incorporating love, respect and awareness of prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). Not to mention it will bring blessings for you in saying salawat on a regular basis. This is also, in itself, a habit you want to impart to your children from a young age.
3. As I mentioned above, present him (peace be upon him) as the teacher, the leader, the warrior, the friend, the family figure that he was. Don’t share his stories in such a way that he simply becomes some authoritarian figure or someone in the distant past that we should, because we’re Muslim, look up to. Make it relatable. Share the story of his life with joy and awe.
4. Following up with the last point, make it fun. In the beginning it’s all about the storytelling but as your child gets older, incorporate activities – arts & crafts, scavenger hunts, games and challenges. Not only will this help the information stick, it also allows for us to become immersed in the life of prophet Muhammad. It helps make it more real and lots of fun.
5. Be consistent. Commit to making it a family priority. You will not know all there is to know after reading one book, or listening to one lecture series or taking one class. Your family is not going to be able to incorporate every prophetic character trait or habit into your home all in one go. Learning about prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h), living like him and truly loving him is a lifelong journey.
6. Remember it all starts with you, so lead by example. Focus on having a prophetic character and point out to your child that you learned this or the reason you implement these particular traits is so that you can act like prophet Muhammad. Be sure to follow his example when it comes to our daily living tasks and as you are teaching your child to do these things for themselves, emphasize the prophetic way. If we want our family to learn about, live like and ultimately love prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), we need to be making sure we are giving an example of that in our own behavior and in our homes.
Question for the comments: What is one thing you and your family does on a regular basis to incorporate the life of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) into your life?
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