How to Instill Love for the Prophet’s Companions in Our Children?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul Sami‘ al-Yakti
Question
How can we make our children love the Companions of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)?
Answer
All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and blessings and peace be upon the Master of the Messengers, his Family, and all his Companions.
Loving the Companions is part of faith; instilling and nurturing this love in the hearts of sons and daughters is a duty upon both fathers and mothers.
This can be achieved through several methods and steps, the most important of which is the practical method based on emulation and imitation, then introducing the virtues of the Companions -in general- their status, their role, and their favor upon the nation in serving the religion, followed by mentioning some of the Companions in particular who distinguished themselves with unique characteristics, and frequently talking about them and introducing them during occasions and in certain situations and conditions, while also considering what is appropriate for the upbringing of both genders, in addition to naming our children after them, introducing them to these names, why they were named after them, and more. And Allah knows best.
Detailed Answer
Before answering the question, it is necessary to explain the virtue of the noble Companions and their status in Islam and how their love is tied to faith as mentioned in numerous religious texts, including:
Quran
The words of Allah (Most High):
“You are the best community ever raised for humanity—you encourage good, forbid evil, and believe in Allah.” [Quran, 3:110]
“As for the foremost—the first of the Emigrants and the Helpers—and those who follow them in goodness, Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him. And He has prepared for them Gardens under which rivers flow, to stay there for ever and ever. That is the ultimate triumph.” [Quran, 9:100]
“(Some of the gains will be) for poor emigrants who were driven out of their homes and wealth, seeking Allah’s bounty and pleasure, and standing up for Allah and His Messenger. They are the ones true in faith. As for those who had settled in the city and (embraced) the faith before (the arrival of) the emigrants, they love whoever immigrates to them, never having a desire in their hearts for whatever (of the gains) is given to the emigrants. They give (the emigrants) preference over themselves even though they may be in need. And whoever is saved from the selfishness of their own souls, it is they who are (truly) successful. [Quran, 59:8-9]
Hadith
Narrated by Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“Do not insult my Companions, do not insult my Companions. By the One in whose hand is my soul, if one of you were to spend the equivalent of Uhud (mountain) in gold, it would not amount to a mud (a small amount) of one of them or even half of it.” [Muslim]
Narrated by ‘Abdullah Ibn Mughaffal al-Muzani, he said: The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“Be mindful, be mindful of my Companions, do not take them as targets after me. Whoever loves them, it is through my love they love them, and whoever hates them, it is through my hatred they hate them. And whoever harms them, has indeed harmed me, and whoever harms me has indeed harmed Allah, and whoever harms Allah, it is imminent that Allah will seize him.” [Tirmidhi]
These noble verses and honorable hadiths—and many others—indicate the obligation to love the Companions (Allah be pleased with them), to hold them in high esteem, to respect and honor them, to follow in their footsteps, and to take from their teachings. To do the opposite, such as hating them, despising them, or mentioning their faults, is forbidden. This is the creed of Ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jama‘a.
Tahawi (Allah have mercy on him), explaining this, says:
“We love the Companions of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and do not go to extremes in love for any one of them, nor do we disown any one of them. We hate those who hate them and speak ill of them, and we only mention them in good. Loving them is religion, faith, and righteousness, and hating them is disbelief, hypocrisy, and tyranny.” [Tahawi, al-Aqidat al-Tahawiyya]
Steps
After this important and necessary introduction, in answering the question of how to make children love the Companions (Allah be pleased with them), it can be done through the following steps:
1. The Practical Method through Emulation
This is the most important and effective method, which is exemplified by having the children follow their parents and replicate their actions. When the children see their parents’ interest and love for the Companions, talk about them often, and hold them in high esteem whenever they are mentioned, they will undoubtedly emulate and follow them.
2. Linking the Love of the Companions to Faith
This is done by educating children about the virtues of the Companions – in general – their status, and the obligation to love them, which is connected to creed and faith, as indicated by the religious texts we mentioned and others. As Allah (Most High) says:
“Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those with him are firm with the disbelievers and compassionate with one another. You see them bowing and prostrating( in prayer), seeking Allah’s bounty and pleasure. The sign (of brightness can be seen) on their faces from the trace of prostrating (in prayer). This is their description in the Torah. And their parable in the Gospel is that of a seed that sprouts its (tiny) branches, making it strong. Then it becomes thick, standing firmly on its stem, to the delight of the planters—in this way Allah makes the believers a source of dismay for the disbelievers. To those of them who believe and do good, Allah has promised forgiveness and a great reward.” [Quran 48:29]
3. Introducing Children to Their Role in the Umma
This is in terms of serving the religion, defending it and the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), sacrificing their blood, wealth, and children for him, and being the ones chosen by Allah (Most High) to deliver this message, and for transmitting and preserving the Quran and Sunna. Were it not for them, we would not be Muslims. So, may Allah reward them with all good on our behalf.
4. Acquainting Children with the Virtues of the Companions
Like the virtues mentioned about some Companions and what they were distinguished for, such as the ten Companions to whom Paradise was promised, and others as in the hadith of our Anas Ibn Malik (Allah be pleased with him), where he said: The Messenger of Allah, (Allah bless him and give him peace) said:
“The most merciful of my Umma towards my Umma is Abu Bakr; the one who adheres most sternly to the religion of Allah is ‘Umar; the most sincere of them in shyness and modesty is ‘Uthman; the best judge is ‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib; the best in reciting the Book of Allah is Ubayy bin Ka‘b; the most knowledgeable of what is lawful and unlawful is Mu‘adh Ibn Jabal; and the most knowledgeable of the rules of inheritance (Fara’id) is Zaid bin Thabit. And every nation has a trustworthy guardian, and the trustworthy guardian of this Umma is Abu ‘Ubayda Ibn Jarrah.” [Ahmad; Nasa’i]
5. Referencing Companions in Specific Situations
Like during the occasion of the migration, for example. Introducing them to the Companions who played a role in the noble Hijra, like our Master Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and his son ‘Abdullah, and his daughter Asma, and like our Master Ali Ibn Abi Talib, and his sleeping in the Prophet’s bed (Allah bless him and give him peace) to return things to the rightful owners, may Allah be pleased with them all, and other situations, events, and occasions. Encouraging children to follow them, imitate them, and take them as role models in their lives.
6. Introducing Children to Companions Relevant to Them
For example, we specifically acquaint girls with the Mothers of the Believers, the daughters of the Prophet,(Allah bless him and give him peace), their virtues, deeds, and their role in serving the religion and calling to it, and what has been mentioned about them in verses and hadiths, like Lady Khadijah, Lady ‘Aisha, and Lady Fatima, may Allah be pleased with them all. Allah (Most High) says:
“Allah only intends to keep (the causes of) evil away from you and purify you completely, O members of the (Prophet’s) family!” [Quran, 33:33]
And also other female Companions, like Lady Nusayba bint Ka‘b al-Maziniyya (Umm Amara) (Allah be pleased with her), who defended the Prophet, (Allah bless him and give him peace) in the Battle of Uhud, and stood firm with him among the Companions and beyond.
Likewise, acquainting male children, for example, with the young Companions and their role in serving the religion, the Prophet’s,(Allah bless him and give him peace) care for them, and his reliance on them, like ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas, who is the scholar of the nation and the interpreter of the Quran, and Anas Ibn Malik, the servant of the Messenger of Allah, (Allah bless him and give him peace), and Muadh bin Jabal and his sending to Yemen, and Usama Ibn Zaid in leading the army in the last days of the Prophet’s life (Allah bless him and give him peace), and Zaid Ibn Thabit (Allah be pleased with him) in his directive to learn languages and being appointed as his (Allah bless him and give him peace) personal translator, then undertaking the task of compiling the Quran in the era of Abu Bakr and then again in the era of ‘Uthman, may Allah be pleased with them all.
7. Naming Children after the Companions
Specially acquainting each child with the Companion they are named after and why they are named as such.
These are the most important steps in making children love the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all, and Allah knows best.
Conclusion
Know that we must first instill the love of the Companions (Allah be pleased with them) in the hearts of our children, and then nurture this love with knowledge and the obligation to follow and emulate them, especially if we, as parents, apply this in front of our children. We ask Allah (Most High) to protect our children, your children, and the children of all Muslims, and to make them a source of joy, and to make them guided guides who benefit the world. Amin.
[Shaykh] Abdul Sami‘ al-Yakti
Shaykh Abdul Sami‘ al-Yaqti is a Syrian scholar born in Aleppo in 1977. He obtained his degree in Shari‘a from the Shari‘a Faculty of Damascus University, a Diploma in Educational Qualification from the Faculty of Education at Aleppo University, and a Diploma in Shari‘a and a Master’s in Shari‘a from the Faculty of Sharia, and Law at Omdurman University in Sudan. He is currently writing his doctoral thesis.
He studied under esteemed scholars such as Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Shaghouri, Shaykh Mustafa al-Turkmani, and Shaykh Dr. Nur al-Din Itr, among others. Shaykh al-Yakti has worked in teaching and cultural guidance in orphanages and high schools in Aleppo. He served as an Imam, Khatib, and reciter at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi and as a certified trainer for Khatibs in Abu Dhabi’s Khatib Qualification Program.
He is involved in developing and teaching a youth education program at Seekers Arabic for Islamic Sciences.
Among Shaykh al-Yaqti’s significant works are “Imam al-Haramayn al-Juwayni: Bayna Ilm al-Kalam Wa Usul al-Fiqh” and the program “The Messenger of Allah Among Us (Allah bless him and give him peace).”
