How Did the Prophet Show Kindness to Children?

The Holy Prophet’s صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم Compassion for Children

The Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم came as a mercy for all the worlds. Just like adults, children also received a large share of the mercy of the beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. The merciful Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم showed immense kindness to children. He would call them to him, stroke their heads with his hand of mercy, and bless them with supplications for goodness and success.

Here are some examples:

1. The mother of Sayyidunā ꜤAbdullāh b. Hishām رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ brought him to the presence of the holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم. The Holy Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stroked his head with his hand of kindness and blessed him with a supplication for blessings.^[1]

2. The holy Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم used to make children happy by being cheerful and playful with them. It is narrated that the younger brother of Sayyidunā Anas رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ had a small bird. When that bird died, the holy Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم visited their home and asked, "What happened to Abū ꜤUmair?" The people replied, "His bird has died." The Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم jokingly began to say to him, "O Abū ꜤUmair! How is your bird? O Abū ꜤUmair! How is your bird?"^[2]

3. Whenever the holy Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم returned from a journey, he would let children sit with him on his mount.^[3]

4. When a child was born and brought to the court of the noble Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم, he would bless the child with a supplication for blessings and perform taḥnīk himself (this means he would chew a small piece of a date and put it into the baby’s mouth).^[4]

5. Furthermore, whenever the merciful Prophetصَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم heard the sound of a child crying during congregational prayer, he would shorten the prayer.^[5]