Three short stories about how the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) loved, played with, and was gentle to children – even during prayer.
Come sit with me, my love. Tonight I want to tell you something very special about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). You know how some grown-ups think children should be quiet and out of the way? The Prophet was not like that at all, sweetheart. He loved children. He kissed them. He carried them on his shoulders. He played with them, listened to them, and was patient with them even when they cried during prayer. His companions noticed it, and they wrote it down for us so that hundreds of years later, you and I could read it together. The Prophet was the kindest man who ever lived, and the people who got to see that kindness most of all were children – just like you. Let me share three of those stories.
1. A Hug in the Middle of the Market
Imagine this, my love. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is out walking through a busy market in Madinah. There are people selling things, calling out, carrying baskets. And right in the middle of all that, he stops at the house of his daughter Fatima and asks, "Where is the little boy?" He means his grandson Hasan – just a tiny child at the time. He waits patiently while Fatima gets the little one ready. Then Hasan comes running out, and what does the Prophet do? He bends down, scoops him up, hugs him tight, and kisses him. Right there in the middle of the busy market. And then he says, lifting his face to the sky, "O Allah, love him – and love whoever loves him."
What it means for us: Did you hear that, sweetheart? The Prophet was not too busy to stop and hug a child. He was not too important. He was not embarrassed that people might see. He asked Allah to love his little grandson, and to love anyone else who loved him too. That includes you, my love – because you love the Prophet, and you love his family. Every time you hug someone you love, remember: this was how the Prophet was, too.
Read the full hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 2047 →
2. Praying While Carrying a Little Girl
This one is one of my very favorites, my love. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was leading the prayer. The people were lined up behind him. And he was holding his little granddaughter Umama in his arms – just a small child. Now when it was time to bow and put his forehead to the ground for sajdah, he gently set her down. And when it was time to stand back up, he picked her right back up again. The whole prayer. Down, up, down, up – and every time he stood, there she was again, safe in his arms. He did not get upset. He did not hand her to someone else. He did not say "not now, sweetheart, I am praying." He just kept her with him.
What it means for us: See how he made room for her, my love? Even in the most important moment – standing before Allah in prayer – he still made room for a little child. That is how much he loved children. So the next time you see a baby crying at the masjid, or a little one being a bit silly during a quiet moment – remember Umama. The Prophet would have made room. We should too.
Read the full hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 507 →
3. A Crying Baby Made Him Hurry
Listen to this one carefully, sweetheart. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said something so gentle that I want you to remember it for the rest of your life. He said, "When I stand for prayer, I plan to make it long." The Prophet loved standing before Allah. He could have prayed for a very long time. But then he said, "…when I hear a child crying, I make my prayer short." Why? Listen to his reason: "because I do not want to trouble the mother." He was thinking about the mother in the back of the masjid who was worried about her crying baby. He was thinking about that little one who needed her. So he made his own prayer short – not because the child was bothering him, but out of kindness to both of them.
What it means for us: My love, the Prophet of Allah – the leader of all the Muslims – changed his own prayer because a baby was crying. That is who he was. So if anyone ever tells you that children are a bother, or that babies should not be at the masjid, or that crying is annoying – you remember this hadith. The Prophet did not just allow children at prayer. He cared about them. He cared about the moms holding them. And he showed it.
Read the full hadith: Sahih al-Bukhari 690 →
A Little Thought Before Bed
These three stories are not just history, my love. They are a window into the heart of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He was the greatest man who ever lived – and yet he stopped for a child in the market, prayed while holding a little girl, and shortened his own salah for a crying baby. That tells us something so important: in Islam, children are not in the way of the religion. Children are part of the religion. You matter to Allah. You mattered to the Prophet. And you matter to me, more than I can ever say.
Ya Allah, fill my heart with the same gentleness the Prophet (peace be upon him) had for children. Make me kind to little ones, patient with their noise, and warm to anyone smaller than me. Ameen.