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Enhancing the Prophet`s Birth Anniversary in the Hearts of Children
Author : Dr. Ahmad Al-Harasees
Date Added : 30-01-2023

Enhancing the Prophet`s Birth Anniversary in the Hearts of Children

 

The Prophet`s birth anniversary is a golden opportunity to instill his love in the hearts of future generations in general and children in particular. This is since humans by nature are inclined to love those that do good to them, join the role models, and seek the practical and realistic model to emulate.

This anniversary paves the way for parents and educators to highlight the Prophetic role model with all its manifestations, potentials, morals, mercy and attributes through dwelling on his noble biography, dealings, and skills.

The first step to this end is achieved through instilling love and attachment to the Prophet (PBUH) in the hearts of these children as well as reading his biography on frequent basis. These steps generate love towards the Prophet (PBUH) since, as it is said: when you love someone or something, you mention them a lot. In addition, this love represents the second part of the testimony of faith (…And I bear witness that Mohammad (PBUH) is His slave and Messenger).

Love is proof of perfect faith since Anas reported God’s messenger as saying: "None of you believes till I am dearer to him than his father, his child, and all mankind." {Bukhari}. Loving and emulating the Prophet (PBUH) constitute a strong shield against taking evil individuals of society as role models.

As part of celebrating the Prophet`s birth anniversary, we can draw up a methodology or a simple brief plan to achieve the goals, meanings, and secrets of this great anniversary to arrive at a spiritual connection between Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and this generation. Based on this, we can do the following:

Glorifying this anniversary and the merit of this day through showing the merit of the Prophet (PBUH) and that he is the chosen one and was sent as mercy to the Worlds. Almighty Allah Says {What means}: "Say: "In the bounty of God. And in His Mercy,- in that let them rejoice": that is better than the (wealth) they hoard." {Younis/58}.

We can also explain to them that the Quran teaches us to remember this day since Allah The Exalted Said {What means}: "We sent Moses with Our signs (and the command)."Bring out thy people from the depths of darkness into light, and teach them to remember the Days of God." Verily in this there are Signs for such as are firmly patient and constant,- grateful and appreciative." {Ibrahim/5}. This is in addition to the fact that the Prophet (PBUH) himself has celebrated this day. Abu Qatadah (May Allah Be Pleased with him) reported: "The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) was asked about fasting on Mondays. He said: "That is the day on which I was born and the day on which I received Revelation." [Muslim].

 

Another practical method is gathering household members to talk about his attributes and biography.

It is no secret that it is highly important to attend the celebrations held at mosques and Quran centers. These usually include religious guidance and prophetic chants within a joyful atmosphere.

Moreover, we could organize competitions in which questions concerning the Prophetic biography are asked and prizes given. In other words providing moral and material motivations.

This is along with encouraging the children to send prayers upon the Prophet (PBUH) on frequent basis and clarifying the reward for this great deed both in this world and the next. This can also be encouraged through giving a monetary prize no matter how small it is in order to promote the spirit of competing in doing good deeds.

This anniversary is an excellent opportunity and a high rank since it derives its greatness from the person whose birthday is being celebrated and that is Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). It is one method to instill meanings of love and affection towards this great Prophet (PBUH) in the hearts and minds of the children.

The purpose is to connect this generation with Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and educators are at liberty to choose the method that they see fit to achieve the aforementioned goals and objectives. And all perfect praise be to Allah The Lord of The Worlds.

 

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Summarized Fatawaa

Is "Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm" a verse (āyah) of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The basmalah ("Bismillāhir-Raḥmānir-Raḥīm") is, without question, a verse (āyah) of the Noble Qur'an, and according to the Shāfi‘ī school, it constitutes a verse of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah itself. Al-Fātiḥah is a pillar of the prayer, and it consists of seven verses, of which the basmalah is one. The prayer is not valid without reciting it, nor if any of the Fātiḥah's verses, letters, or shaddahs (consonant doublings) are omitted or altered.
It is stated in Bushrā al-Karīm (Vol.1/p.202), from the books of the Shāfi‘ī school: "The basmalah is a complete verse of it [i.e., of al-Fātiḥah] in practice — and it suffices, for this to be established, that there be strong probability (ẓann), especially given that this has come very close to certainty (yaqīn), due to the consensus (ijmā‘) of the Companions on its inclusion in the muṣ-ḥaf [the written text of the Qur'an] in its script, despite their extreme diligence in excluding from it anything that did not genuinely belong to it — to the point that they even [carefully regulated] its diacritical dots and vowel markings." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on supplicating with other than the transmitted (Ma'thur) supplications in prayer?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is permissible to supplicate (make du'a) during the prayer for anything from the affairs of religion or worldly life, and the prayer is not invalidated by doing so.
Shaykh al-Islam, the Imam an-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on him, says: "Our madhhab [i.e., the Shafi'i madhhab] holds that it is permissible for a person to supplicate during it [the prayer] with anything that is permissible to supplicate with outside the prayer, from the affairs of religion or worldly life. He may say: 'O Allah, grant me wholesome sustenance, offspring, a house, and a beautiful young wife' — describing her; or: 'O Allah, free so-and-so from prison,' or 'destroy so-and-so,' and other such things — and none of this invalidates his prayer according to us. And this is also the view of Malik, ath-Thawri, Abu Thawr, and Ishaq." [Al-Majmu', Vol.3/P.454]. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.

Is the multiplication of reward for prayer in the sanctuaries of Makkah and Madīnah limited to the obligatory prayer, or does it include the voluntary prayer as well?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
There is no difference between the obligatory (farḍ) and the voluntary (nafl) prayer in the ḥadīth on the multiplication of reward in the two Sanctuaries (al-Ḥaramayn), because the authentic ḥadīths are unrestricted and general in wording. It is therefore not permissible to restrict or specify them without evidence. Shaykh al-Islām Imam al-Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “Our school holds that the superiority of prayer in the two mosques of Makkah and Madīnah is not limited to the obligatory prayer, but includes both the obligatory and the voluntary.” [al-Majmūʿ Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab, Vol.8/p.476]
The multiplication of reward applies to whoever prays in al-Masjid al-Ḥarām or anywhere within the sanctuary (ḥaram). Al-Shirwānī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The more correct view according to al-Nawawī is that the multiplication of the prayer’s reward covers the whole sanctuary, and is not limited to the mosque, nor to Makkah itself.” [Tuḥfat al-Muḥtāj with the glosses of al-Shirwānī and al-ʿAbbādī, Vol.10/p.95]. And Allah Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible to sleep before the time of the Fajr prayer begins, with the intention of waking up shortly afterward?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is permissible for a Muslim to sleep before the time of the Fajr prayer begins, intending to wake up and perform the prayer, by setting an alarm or asking someone to wake him. What is to be avoided is that a person sleeps while he predominantly assumes that he will not wake up for the prayer.
If he does not wake up until the time of the prayer has ended, he must make it up. It is recommended that he hasten to make it up as soon as he wakes, and likewise recommended that he make up its sunnah along with it.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ by Shaykh al-Islām Imam al-Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him): “Whoever was obliged to pray and did not pray until the time passed must make it up, because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): ‘Whoever sleeps through a prayer or forgets it, let him pray it when he remembers it.’ It is recommended that he make it up immediately, because of the ḥadīth we have mentioned. If he delays it, that is permissible, because it is reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) missed the Fajr prayer and did not pray it until he had left the valley. Had it been required immediately, he would not have delayed it. Abū Is-ḥāq said: If he left it without a valid Sharia excuse, he must make it up immediately, because he was negligent in delaying it.”
It is therefore the duty of every Muslim to keep the prayer in its proper time, seeking help from Allah the Exalted and striving against the self to do so. And Allah Almighty knows best.

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