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10 Things We Can Learn From Children

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The Word “Dhurriyyah” was mentioned 32 times in the Qur’an in 19 different surahs. This points to the significance of the word “Dhurriyyah,” which means offspring or children. Family is the cornerstone of society, and for this reason Islam placed much emphasis on the importance of family.
When we think of children, we often think:

“How can we raise them?”
“How can we provide for them?”
“How can we teach them?”
“How can we protect them?”

This is only natural, for the Prophet  ṣallallāhu 'alayhi wa sallam (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said:

“Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you will be held accountable for his flock.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

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And

“Teach your children and family good manners and etiquette.” (Musannaf Abdul-Razzaq)

Today though, I would like for us to look at our children through a different lens, the lens of a learner. Children have many skills and attitudes that adults are in dire need of. I have gathered just a few:

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1- Perseverance: Children do not give up easily. They are goal oriented. Obstacles are ignored, and they focus on their goals until they get what they want. All too often, adults allow the challenges they face to discourage them from achieving their goals.

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2- A Positive Attitude toward Mistakes: Before entering school and being told that being wrong is bad, children do not dwell over their mistakes and use them as learning experiences. I wish that we, as adults, could learn to see our mistakes as opportunities for learning and growing rather than as failures. Our success is not in ‘never failing’ but in rising every time we fail.

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3- Purity of Heart: Children do not hold grudges and forgive easily. They are transparent about their feelings. Adults should learn to deal with one another with the same level of sincerity. If you were to extend an act of kindness toward a child, he would easily forget wrongs of the past. Many adults however forget years of kindness if you were to wrong them once.

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4- Ability to Adjust: Children adjust quickly to changes in their lives and are resilient but flexible, unlike adults who are often rigid and resistant to change.

LiteChoices / Shutterstock.com

LiteChoices / Shutterstock.com

5- Laughter and Smiling: The average child laughs around 200 times a day, while the average adult laughs 14-17 times a day. Most adults are borderline grumpy a good part of the day.

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6- Discovery: Children are naturally curious. They are continuously making discoveries about their own abilities and the world around them. We, as adults, should continue this path of self-discovery and curiosity to investigate the unknown.

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7- Trust: Children are noticeably trusting of others. People who choose to trust tend to be happier, better liked by others, and more ethical than less trusting people. We, as a community, must behave in a trustworthy manner, earning the trust of other adults while keeping faith in our brothers and sisters.

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8- Confidence: Young children feel that they are the most beautiful, the fastest, the strongest, the smartest. We need adults who have confidence in themselves, so they can pursue their dreams.

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9-Liveliness and Activity: Kids are always on the go. Adults need to get off their behinds and get moving.

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10- Knowledge We Might Not Have: In this generation of Google and smart phones, our children are often exposed to useful information that we have never come across. If we learn to open our ears and listen to our children we might be surprised. Education has changed, and children are taught things at school that we never learned. If we discuss what they’ve learned with them, we might actually learn from them.

Brothers and sisters,

Appreciate these treasures within our children and develop them. Do not neglect them so that they, in turn, neglect them. We await a generation better than our own and a youth who will strive to uphold what we have struggled to achieve.

Remember, a child raised to be righteous is an act of continuous charity that will endure should you pass on before he does, and the weightiest reward on your scale should he pass on before you do.

Life is not so much about what you have accomplished but what you have contributed. May Allah protect our children and make them among the righteous.

This article is based on a Friday sermon given at Clear Lake Islamic Center- visit their website at www.themasjid.org.

Keep supporting MuslimMatters for the sake of Allah

Alhamdulillah, we're at over 850 supporters. Help us get to 900 supporters this month. All it takes is a small gift from a reader like you to keep us going, for just $2 / month.

The Prophet (SAW) has taught us the best of deeds are those that done consistently, even if they are small. Click here to support MuslimMatters with a monthly donation of $2 per month. Set it and collect blessings from Allah (swt) for the khayr you're supporting without thinking about it.

is Vice President of AlMaghrib Institute and Director of Clear Lake Islamic Center (CLIC). He is a frequent guest speaker at Universities, Conventions, Radio Talk Shows, Television, Interfaith meetings, and community centers nationally and internationally. He is also a member of the North American Imam Federation (NAIF), Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America (AMJA)-Fatwa and Research Committee, Director of Texas Dawah Convention, and Advisor to numerous Islamic Societies/Organizations around the US. Shaykh Waleed Basyouni graduated with a Bachelors in Islamic Sciences from Al-Imam Muhammad University, KSA; did his Masters in Islamic Theology, World Religions and Modern Religious Sects from Al-Imam Muhammad University; and acquired a Doctorate in Theology. He is also an instructor at the American Open University in Alexandria, VA, USA, and serves as, the Imam of Clear Lake Islamic Center, Houston, TX, USA. Shaykh Waleed has Ijaazahs in reciting the Holy Quran and in several books of Hadeeth, awarded by various scholars. He studied with great scholars time such as Shaykh Ibn Baz, Abdul-Razzaq Afify and others.

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Isa Shahbudin

    April 24, 2015 at 4:01 PM

    Very infomative. I like it.

  2. AJ

    April 24, 2015 at 7:47 PM

    It’s a nice article and somethings are true to an extent but pardon me for saying that it’s a bit over generalized. I don’t know how children do not dwell over their mistakes and use them as learning experiences, an example maybe helpful. Similarly, it’s nice to keep smiling but if adults will smile 200 times a day they will be called crazy. If someone is upset, a smiling baby makes their mood better but a smiling adult maybe called insensitive. I can go over every point but all I am trying to say is that it’s over generalization.

    • Ghulam Mustafa

      March 28, 2016 at 9:21 AM

      May Allah reward you for the comment for the supportive comment!

  3. nasir

    April 25, 2015 at 2:46 PM

    very interesting and education

  4. Abdulkareem Mudathir Olaitan

    April 25, 2015 at 5:52 PM

    it is highly sagacious

  5. Reema

    April 26, 2015 at 8:02 PM

    So true and often overlooked. However I wonder how Muslim mothers, as bearers and raisers, perceive the innate virtue of children. Mommies often endure their naughty sides!

  6. Reema

    April 26, 2015 at 8:05 PM

    Very true and overlooked. However I wonder how Muslim moms, as bearers and raisers, perceive the innate virtue of children. Mommies often endure their naughty sides!

  7. Noor

    April 28, 2015 at 12:54 PM

    Not sure if this is an authentic hadeeth, or possibly from shiite collections, nonetheless beneficial:

    “I love children because of five things: they cry often and crying is the key to Paradise, they play with sand (removes pride), they fight with one another but quickly make up, and don’t hold grudges, they do not save anything for tomorrow (no long hopes), they build houses and then destroy them (are not attached to things).”

  8. Umm Maeve

    May 3, 2015 at 4:28 AM

    and children knows no hatred.

    they also know how to really live in the moment.

    i encourage you all to read the book “Philosophical Baby”, it’s eye-opening book how children have tremendous wisdom, virtue and compassion more than adults. :-)

  9. Ghulam Mustafa

    March 28, 2016 at 9:24 AM

    Ameen to your du’a and may Allah reward you for the comment.

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