How can children's rights be fulfilled by parents? By teaching them with love, compassion, understanding, guidance, kindness, firm but gentle discipline and respect. Sounds difficult? Let us turn to the Hadith for examples of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)’s love for children and how he treated them.
- Anas (Radhiallahu anhu) was given into the care of our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) at the tender age of 8. He declared that whenever the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) returned from a journey, he would pick up the children and put them onto his camel.
- Usama in Zaid (radhiallahu anhu) narrated that ‘The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) put me on one of his thighs and Hasan bin Ali (radhiallahu anhuma) on the other thigh and said, ‘Oh Allah, please be merciful to them as I am merciful to them.’
- Ayesha (radhiallahu anha) narrated that once a Bedouin observed the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) kiss a little boy. The Bedouin remarked, ‘You people kiss the boys, we don't kiss them.’ The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is said to have responded thus, ‘I cannot put mercy in your heart after Allah has taken it away.’
We will make mistakes in bringing up children, but practicing the Sunnah method of child psychology and upbringing will definitely bring good results.
