Developing Social Spirit in Muslim Children
Human beings
are social by nature and find comfort in others; however, a person’s sense of
familiarity with people is cultivated through upbringing and habituation from
an early age. For this reason, the Prophet (peace be upon him) would motivate children to engage in social
interaction with others—by attending joyful occasions, offering condolences,
and sharing with others in whatever brings goodness.
To illustrate
this, consider the following examples:
1. The Prophet (peace be upon him) personally participated with his Companions in
building the Noble Mosque in Madinah. He worked alongside them to encourage the
Muslims to take part, so the Muhajirun and the Ansar worked diligently. One of the Muslims said:
If we sit while
the Prophet works,
that would indeed be misguided conduct on our part.
And the Muslims
would chant as they built it:
There is no
true life except the life of the Hereafter;
O Allah, have mercy on the Ansar and the Muhajirun. (1)
The Prophet (peace
be upon him) also took part in digging the trench during the
Battle of Al-Aḥzab. Thus, the children of the Ummah
saw their great leader, our master Muhammad (peace be upon him), moving with his own hands and participating in the
work of the community without holding back.
2. Direct guidance toward community participation,
making it a part of faith, and affirming that the true believer is the one who
mixes with people and endures the harm that may come from them. In the hadith: “The believer
who mixes with people and bears their annoyance with patience will have a
greater reward than the believer who does not mix with people and does not put
up with their annoyance.” (2) There is no doubt that this
is a call to social interaction and human participation, fostering self-confidence
and awakening human empathy.
3. Encouraging his students, followers, and all who walk
upon his path to offer whatever brings public benefit to people—and even to
other creatures. From his noble Sunnah, it is evident that he explicitly
directed people to acts of kindness and goodness. The Prophet (peace
be upon him) emphasized that whoever plants a crop, brings a smile
to lips deprived of it, shares in making others happy, or opens a door of
goodness for others, will surely be rewarded and receive their due recompense.
In the hadith: “Never does a
Muslim plant trees or cultivate land and birds or a man or a beast eat out of
them but that is a charity on his behalf.” (3)
In another
wording in Sahih Muslim: “Never does a
Muslim plants a tree except that he has the reward of charity for him, for what
is eaten out of that is charity; what is stolen out of that, what the beasts
eat out of that, what the birds eat out of that is charity for him. (In short)
none incurs a loss to him but it becomes a charity on his part.” (4)
This carries a
message to educators about the necessity of nurturing a sense of belonging in
young people toward their societies and homelands, by encouraging participation
in everything that brings benefit to the community.
4. Training on consoling others when calamity befalls
them, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) did with the
family of Ja`far ibn Abi Talib when he was martyred at the Battle of Mu`tah. In the hadith narrated by `Abdullah ibn Ja`far
ibn Abi Talib, he said: “When
the news of Ja`far’s death came,
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘Prepare food
for the family of Ja’far, for there has come to them that which is keeping them
busy or something which is keeping them busy.’” (5)
Indeed, a child
raised upon the meanings of compassion and sensitivity toward others will never
wrong anyone. He will feel the burdens of people when matters trouble them and
circumstances grow tight. All these examples have a profound impact on the psychology
of the emerging generation of youth, as they cultivate a sense of
responsibility toward their society and homeland. They also play a major role
in preparing a generation that loves goodness for others—especially in an age
in which selfishness has come to dominate the souls of many people.
Having
discussed in this article how to nurture in our children the spirit of social
initiative and noble engagement in people’s affairs, we must next pause at the
major obstacles that may hinder all these educational efforts, disrupt the
family’s path, and distort the personalities of children.
Therefore, our
next discussion—by the will of Allah—will be about keeping away from the destroyers of the educational process: those educational mistakes and practices that
demolish what we build, kill trust and love in the child, and erase the effects
of role-modeling and guidance.
Read Also:
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Prophetic Foundations in Parenting (1)
-
Islamic Path to Emotional Well-being
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Footnotes:
(1) See: Ar-Rawd Al-Unuf fi Sharh As-Sirah An-Nabawiyyah by Abu Al-Qasim `Abd Ar-Raḥman ibn `Abdullah ibn Ahmad As-Suhayli(d. 581 AH), vol. 4, p. 234, 1st ed.,
1412 AH, Dar Iḥya’ At-Turath Al-`Arabi, Beirut; and Al-Bidayah wa Al-Nihayah by Abu Al-Fida’ Isma`il ibn `Umar ibn Kathir Al-Qurashi Al-Baṣri then Ad-Dimashqi
(d. 774 AH), vol. 3, p. 216, Dar al-Fikr, 1407 AH / 1986 CE.
(2) Musnad Aḥmad: From the Musnad of Bani Hashim, the Musnad of `Abdullah ibn `Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭab (may Allah be pleased with him), hadith no. (5022).
Shaykh Ahmad Shakir said regarding it: “Its chain of narration
is authentic.”
(3) Sahih Al-Bukhari: Book of Sharecropping, Chapter: The Virtue of
Planting and Cultivating When It Is Eaten From (2320).
(4) Sahih Muslim: Book of Irrigation, Chapter: The Virtue of Planting
Trees and Crops (1552).
(5) Musnad Aḥmad: Musnad of the People of the Household (may Allah be
pleased with them all), Hadith of `Abdullah ibn Ja`far ibn Abi Talib (may Allah
be pleased with him), hadith no. (1751). Shaykh Aḥmad Shakir said in his verification: “Its chain of
narration is sound (ḥasan).”
