In the name of Allah. All praise is due to Allah and may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His beloved Messenger, his family and companions, and those that follow them in righteousness till the final day.

The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam was once sitting in his home, his lower legs uncovered, when Abu Bakr radi Allahu anhu came in, followed by ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu. The Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam remained seated as he was. Then Uthman radi Allahu anhu arrived, and this time the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam sat up, covered his lower legs and greeted him with the warmest greeting. Aisha radi Allahu anha witnessed this and when she later questioned the Messenger of Allah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam about it, he sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam replied, “Should I not be shy from he whom the angels are shy of?”

Jibreel alayhis salaam once came to the Prophet sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam and asked him about Islam, eman, and ihsan. The Messenger of Allah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam in response to the question, “What is eman?” said, “Eman is to believe in Allah, in His angels, His books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and the divine decree – the good and the bad thereof.”

We learn from the above hadith that believing in the angels is one of the pillars of eman. Angels are a creation of Allah. They were created before our father Adam alayhis salaam was created. Allah created them from light; they do not eat or drink; they are characterized by neither feminine nor masculine qualities; and they do not tire. Some spend their entire existence in ruku’, others in sujood and then when the judgment is called they will raise their heads and say, “Glory be to You, our Lord, we did not worship You in a way befitting Your Majesty.”

The Messenger of Allah sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam told us about some of the characteristics and duties of the angels. Some of what he sal Allaahu alayhi wa sallam taught us is as follows: Continue reading →

Al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib said, “When the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to retire to his bed, he would lie on his right side and then say, ‘O Allah, I surrender my soul to You and I turn my face to You and I entrust my affair to You and I seek Your support with hope and fear of You. There is no refuge from You but to You. I have believed in Your Book which You sent down and Your Prophet whom You sent.’” [Al-Bukhari: 814.]
al-Bara’ ibn ‘Azib reported: ‘The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to me, ‘Whenever you go to bed, do wudu’ as you do wudu’ for the prayer and then lie down on your right side. Then say…’” and he mentioned the rest of it and in it is, “Make that the last of the words that you utter.” [Al-Bukhari: 815.]
816. ‘A’isha said, “The Prophet , may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray eleven rak’ats at night. When it was dawn, he would pray two quick rak’ats and then lie on his right side until the mu’adhin came and gave the adhan.” [Agreed upon] Continue reading →

Find a range of ideas for imaginative play, covering themes children love such as dressing up, pretending and role play and dinosaurs.

Dinosaurs

Kids love dinosaurs. They’re a huge source of fascination but unlike make-believe fantasy creatures from cartoons and kids programmes dinosaurs have a real educational value; you’re not just ‘playing dinos’ but actually learning about the prehistoric world before humans came into being, and introducing your child to a subject they’ll probably cover at school as part of the National Curriculum. You shouldn’t need too much help to bring these epic creatures to life but if you’re struggling for inspiration, here are some fun play ideas to stimulate your child’s imagination:

Make a primordial, swampy forest, using old blankets and towels, and pretend to be your favourite dino or use plastic dinosaur figures to play out a prehistoric scene. This game can be transported outside if the weather permits, using the flower beds as the backdrop jungle.

Play ‘hide the dinosaur egg’ – use a pretend egg (you can buy these from toyshops or joke shops) or a real one (kids will love blowing out the egg whites and yolks first!) and take it in turns to hide the egg. Perhaps once you’ve finished playing you could then decorate the egg with pens or paints.

Go on a dinosaur hunt – make pretend magnifying glasses out of cardboard and foil and dress up in ‘safari’ gear (e.g. hats and shorts) and hunt around the house looking for dinos. Hide cut out ones you’ve made earlier or toy ones in unlikely places! Continue reading →

Every parent dreams of having kids that are trustworthy, conscientious, and willing to take accountability for their actions.

Unfortunately, kids aren’t born knowing how to be responsible – they must be taught. Children who don’t learn to be accountable for their actions grow up to become irresponsible adults and blame others for their shortcomings. Listed below are some things mums and dads can do to raise responsible kids.

1. Give Children Chores to Accomplish

For a child to learn responsibility, he has to be given responsibilities. From an early age, you can give your child age-appropriate chores to accomplish. For example, children at 3 and 4 can be taught to make their beds in the morning. Chores teach children to plan and follow through and provide them with a sense of achievement. Make sure you praise responsible behavior. Positive reinforcement is a powerful motivator, particularly for children in grade school.

When assigning chores, let your child have a say in what task he performs and to make sure he agrees to any consequences that will be imposed for shirking. This also teaches responsibility, because it makes your child feel like he is part of the decision-making process, and it reinforces that he must live up to what he agreed to do. Consequences should be designed to fit the offense. For example, if your child doesn’t do his chores by the deadline, he will not be able to play until it is done. This teaches another lesson about responsibility–that work comes before play. Continue reading →