Educating Children

When children’s programs are offered in the community, there is always an emphasis on learning the rules and requirements of being a Muslim.

Moreover, children learn about the Prophet through stories of his kindness and example but they often are rarely allowed opportunities to directly connect to the Prophet.

“My facilitator placed an array of pictures in front of me. One of the photos was of a Muslim woman standing with her Muslim daughters.

The girls were smiling and stood close to their mother. There was something about their faces that struck me intensely and I felt myself feeling extremely emotional,” Malika stated to Aboutislam.net

During the time of the Prophet, families were so ashamed of having daughters that they buried their baby girls alive. To cope with the pain and devastation of such a traumatic custom, members of this society were driven to indulge in drinking and killing over small matters.

Each photograph presented to Malika represented the Prophet’s profound impact on the transformation of society.

Honoring the Prophet goes far beyond reading hadiths and following the way he dressed. Our implementation of his Sunna begins with learning how to love him.

Love is a personal choice and can’t be forced. Therefore, commanding our children to love the Prophet because it’s the rule, is simply not enough.

The Prophet said to his companion, Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph in Islam, “By Him in whose hands my soul is, (you will not have complete faith) until I am dearer to you than your own self.” [Bukhari].

“The picture of the smiling girls represented the Prophet’s influence on banning the shameful custom of burying girls alive. He was the first to introduce the concept of equality between men and women. He made it possible for a family of girls to grow, thrive, and be happy. At that moment, it became possible for me to pick up my pen to write my letter,” Malika spoke intently to AboutIslam.net.

The Love Letter

Dear Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him),

I write this letter through silent tears and a broken heart. I have struggled with not being able to honor you nor being able to know you. I only heard stories of your greatness but never understood how you impacted me directly.

At the age of eight, I lost my mother to cancer. She was an amazing mother to me. She was devoutly religious and I always remember her referencing you every time she spoke. Throughout my life, I’ve always been told I look like my mom and I have some big shoes to fill. This has always saddened me because I’ve never felt capable of living up to such an amazing woman.

I remember her telling me the story of how she fell in love with Islam. She told me that she was given a book about your life and she couldn’t believe such a human being ever existed. She would spend many nights speaking to me about this story and sending prayers and peace upon you.

I will admit that I avoided you after her passing. Remembering you meant remembering her and that was simply too painful. I didn’t know how to thank you for giving her ease in her last moments on this earth. When I would see her aching in pain, she would whisper a dua (prayer) and send salaams to you. I have never had the strength to honor you before this but I can honestly say I love you.

I love you for being there as an example of how we should live our lives. Thank you for giving my mother hope through the final stages of her demise, for liberating humanity through your precious example, for allowing girls like me to be born to mothers like mine. Thank you dear beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

The day you were born means so much to me because it’s the day humanity was gifted with your presence. It’s the day when our world changed through your ability to touch the hearts of so many people. We honor and love you immensely, Ya Rasoolullah.

Love,

Malika

Conclusion

It is clear that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was more than a reformer. He brought real change and impact on our ever-changing world.

The Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) impact should never be limited to only adults. Teenagers need the Prophet as a relevant model and a beautiful example of patience, triumph, and resilience.

His life cannot be truly be honored in the absence of love. Authentic love for the Prophet is the central focus of the mawlid. Our children are the primary gatekeepers of this tradition.

This article is from our archive, originally published at an earlier date.