Whenever a woman companion of the Prophet (peace be upon him) gave birth to a child, she made sure to take the child to the Prophet to bless. This was normal because the Prophet’s companions realized that every prayer by the Prophet is answered, and if he prayed that their child to be spared evil and harm and to have of God’s favors and blessings, then the child would certainly be given plenty of these and spared much harm. We have many reports of mothers taking their children to the Prophet. One of these was Zaynab bint Humayd who took her son, Abdullah ibn Hisham, to the Prophet when he was young. She asked the Prophet to “accept a pledge from the child. The Prophet said that he was too young. However, he rubbed his head and prayed for him.” (Related by Al-Bukhari).
This Hadith shows the mother’s keenness that her young son, who must have been in his early years, should be ranked among those who gave their pledges to the Prophet. However, as a young child, he would not have understood what such a pledge meant in commitment to the Islamic cause. Hence, the Prophet explained to her that pledges by such young children were not required, and could not be accepted. Nevertheless, the Prophet was kind to both the mother and child. He gave the child a gesture of endearment, rubbing his head, and prayed for him. This must have greatly pleased his mother.
Another Hadith mentions a child who is not named, which suggests that it was unknown to the Hadith reporter who was none other than Aishah, the Prophet’s wife. She says: “The Prophet was brought a boy, and he kissed him, then said: ‘They (meaning young children) are causes to be stingy and cowardly, yet they are part of the sustenance granted by God Almighty.’” (Related by Al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Al-Hakim and Al-Baghawi).
The fact that the child in this report is not mentioned by name suggests that it was common practice that the Prophet saw young children who were brought to him for his blessing. The Prophet would always take the child, kiss him or give him a loving gesture, or show his care in some other way. He would always pray for the child. In this case, the Prophet makes some comments, giving his companions insight into what motivates people to take certain attitudes. He describes young children as being the cause of stinginess and cowardice. It is natural for parents of young children to give the upbringing of their children top priority in their lives. Thus, they want to ensure a good future for them. Today, parents want to educate their children and give them a good start in life. They may save for their children’s future. They may be keen to buy some property, so that they would have a comfortable family home, and they choose the best education they can afford for their children. This is all very good, but its correlative is that parents are not as forthcoming to help with good causes, as they would have been if they did not have young children to care for. The same is the case with their readiness to join an army engaged in a campaign for God’s cause. While a Muslim normally thinks of the two great prospects of either achieving victory for Islam or being a martyr, when he has young children he thinks first of their future and this may cause him to hesitate before joining up in such a campaign.
Yet a true believer takes good care of his young children, knowing that his life is always subject to God’s will and that the welfare of his young children is in God’s hand. He might have any plan for their future, but even the best of plans and preparations might come to nothing unless God grants them success. Many are the children of good parents who lose their way in life despite the best of help given by their parents. On the other hand, many are those who are deprived of parents’ good care yet grow up to be very successful. Hence, if we trust the future of our children to God, and do what is expected of us, always aiming to earn God’s pleasure, ready to sacrifice for His cause when sacrifice is called for, then He may give our children and us more than we expect.
The Prophet took care of all his companions, but he showed much more care for young ones. Jabir ibn Abdullah was young when the Prophet arrived in Madinah, yet he was a close companion of the Prophet. He related a large number of Hadiths, but one of these dates back to the time when he was still a young lad. He reports: “I prayed the two prayers of Zuhr and Asr with the Prophet. When we finished, he said to us: ‘Stay where you are.’ He was given a jar of sweet as a gift. He gave each one of his companions a spoonful. When it was my turn and I was young, he gave me a spoonful, then said: ‘Would you like some more?’ I said: ‘Yes, please.’ He gave me a second spoonful for my young age. He continued to give everyone a spoonful until all had had a share.” (Related by Ahmad and Ibn Majah).
Here we see the Prophet sharing with all those who were present the sweet that was given to him as a gift. However, he gives the child among his companion twice as much as he gives an adult, because children like sweets. In other situations, a child might be passed by, or at best given a similar share to that of an adult, but the Prophet gives the child more as a gesture of kindness. We are not told how big was the jar, or how many of his companions were with him, but many other incidents speak of a small amount going round to a large number of people when the Prophet shared it out himself. This was an aspect of blessing given to him. In more detailed reports of this incident we are told that the gift was given by Ukaydir, the chief of Doomat Al-Jandal, a town to the north of Madinah. Ibn Majah mentions this Hadith in the chapter on medicine, under the subheading of honey, which suggests that the jar contained honey. Whatever it was, the Prophet’s companions enjoyed it.
