Sunnahs to Connect with Our Beloved Prophet

Our Arabic Numbers Finger Trace Book was written with the aim of helping to foster the connection with Rasulullah s.a.w. from an early age. Every child will be taught their numbers so why not make it more meaningful by connecting it with our beloved Prophet s.a.w. 

We have created not one but TWO activity packs that can be used alongside this book. The first is our Sunnahs to Connect with our Beloved, a pack designed for children ages 5 and above. For younger children, we have the Arabic Numbers Activity Pack which is a free download from our website. This pack focuses more on numeracy skills whereas the former pack focuses more on activities that link to Rasulullah s.a.w. 

Besides the activities in the packs, we will share other possible activities that can be done with children as a follow-up to our Arabic Numbers Finger Trace Book. Why do we feel this is important? Read the following story which was shared by one of our teachers. 

How did a 5-year-old girl manage to move hearts and get 18 teachers in her school to embrace Islam? 

Hanan was a 5-year-old girl from a Syrian family living in the United Kingdom. She did not attend an Islamic school but went to a regular one.  

Every day, her mother would give her two sandwiches and ask her to share them with her friends. 

She was a popular student and the other children loved her because of her generous and caring nature. She was well-behaved and her good manners did not go unnoticed by her teacher. 

Her teacher was impressed by how giving she was and how she willingly shared her meals with her friends. When in conversation with her teacher one day, she shared with her teacher that she is a Muslim and that her religion teaches them to share, to help others and encourage one another to do good. 

Curious, the teacher asked the parent if she could come and visit them at home. On the day of her visit, as she entered the home, she was puzzled when Hanan politely asked her to step out again so that she can re-enter with the right foot. Throughout her time there, Hanan explained to her the different sunnahs that they follow such as the sunnah of eating and drinking and many others. 

The teacher was so amazed by this young girl, she cried. She wanted to know from the mother how Hanan was brought up. Her mother shared that she taught Hanan about Allah s.w.t. and Rasulullah s.a.w. from a very young age. 

Eventually, the teacher embraced Islam. And through that teacher, as she shared about Islam to others, 18 teachers embraced Islam in that school. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could raise children like that? 

Perhaps this may not be the only story you have heard of children who show remarkable behaviour. However, we noticed one common feature among these families, which is the desire to learn more and to put into practice whatever they have learnt. So even if we find ourselves lacking in following sunnahs, this is a great opportunity to introduce it slowly to our children and inshaAllah practice it ourselves. So, what can we do? 

Let’s start with the things we do daily. 

 

1) Sunnah of drinking 

In the Arabic Numbers Finger Trace Book, we introduced Rasulullah's s.a.w. way of drinking by taking three sips of water and mentioned the scientific benefit behind this in our Sunnah Activity Pack. Here are other sunnahs related to drinking that we can share and practice with our family:

  • The full du’a :

    Many of us know the du'a to recite before and after eating, but do we practice the du'a before and after drinking?

    I remember when I was pregnant, I absolutely LOVED water. Drinking water felt like heaven, and I remember reciting this du'a a lot because I really FELT its truth: the sweetness of water. Even water vapour from freshly cooked rice, or a very hot shower was a great pleasure to bask in.

    اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ الَّذِىْ سَقَانَا عَذْباً فُرَاتاً بِرَحْمَتِهِ وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْهُ مِلْحاً اُجَاجاً بِذُنُوْبِنَا

    "All praise is due to Allah, Who of his mercy has granted us sweet and pleasant water to drink and did not make it bitter and salty due to our sins."

    • Sitting down while drinking

    I used to travel back and forth to send my child to religious class after school. It was during this period that I got acquainted with a mother who had a child my daughter’s age.

    I noticed that every time her children wanted to drink, she would always emphasise that they needed to sit first. If we were outside, she would point out an area for them to sit before they drank. I never really paid attention to the sunnah of drinking while growing up. It was only after I witnessed this that I started observing it. She did this so often and so consistently that I would find myself giving my children the same advice. This is the power of influence and leading by example. 

    In Hadhramaut, I also witnessed their custom when it came to drinking. If there was no seat around, they would simply squat to drink. This showed how much they emphasised the following of the Prophet’s sunnah. 

    SubhanAllah, if you do your research, there are scientific studies that show the benefits of sitting down while drinking. This research could be a project that you can do with your children. 

    •  Don’t blow into the cup 

    How many of us when drinking a hot drink will slowly blow into it so that it cools before we take a sip? 

    I remember doing this as a kid and will be reminded not to blow into my drink. It was never fully explained to me and when I asked why, I was told it was just ‘not good’. 

    However, every action that Rasulullah s.a.w. observes has its merits whether we are aware of it or not. Rasulullah s.a.w. restricts breathing inside the glass when one is drinking water. Narrated by Abu Qatadah r.a., Rasulullah s.a.w. said: 

    “Whenever anyone of you drinks water, he should not breathe in the drinking utensil...” (Sahih al-Bukhari 153) 

     Again, scientific research has shown the wisdom behind this hadith.

    • Covering your drink

    My grandmother used to always have a glass of water in her room and she'd make sure she has a metal cover for her to place over the water when she's not drinking it. Only as an adult, do we truly see the wisdom behind the practices of our elders.

    Jaabir ibn ‘Abdillaah r.a. heard the Messenger of Allah s.a.w. saying: “Cover the vessel and bind the waterskin, for there is a night in the year when an epidemic spreads, not passing an uncovered vessel or an unbound waterskin except that some of that epidemic descends into it.” (Muslim)

     

    2) Toilet etiquette 

    • Start with du’a 

    This should be started early. For very young children, we can introduce the basic and get them to recite ‘Bismillah’ before entering and ‘Ghufranaka’ upon leaving. 

    It’s also good if we can paste the full du’a at the toilet door so children can easily see it and remember to recite it before entering and leaving the toilet. If your door opens into the toilet, it is best to paste it on the outside wall next to the toilet instead as we would not want the name of Allah to be inside the toilet. 

    • Entering with the left and leaving with the right

    Another habit we can inculcate is to remind them to enter the toilet with their left foot and leave the toilet with their right. 

    • Covering your head and wearing slippers 

    As for using slippers in the toilet, this action is recommended. 

    Among the etiquette of entering the bathroom is wearing slippers. According to the scholars, wearing sandals when we want to enter places that are usually dirty, such as bathrooms, toilets and others, is a sunnah. 

    This is as stated by Imam Nawawi in the following book of Al-Majmu': 

    قال امام الحرمين والغزالي والبغوى وآخرون يستحب أن لايدخل الخلاء مكشوف الرأس قال بعض أصحابنا فان لم يجد شيئا وضع كمه علي رأسه ويستحب أن لايدخل الخلاء حافيا ذكره جماعة منهم أبو العباس بن سريج في كتاب الاقسام وروى البيهقى باسناده حديثا مرسلا أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم كان إذا دخل الخلاء لبس حذاءه وغطى رأسه 

    Imam Al-Haramain, Al- Ghazali, Al-Baghawi, and other scholars said, “It is advisable for a person not to enter the toilet with his head exposed. Some of our scholars said, “If he does not find any covering, then his sleeve can be placed over his head. 

    It is also recommended that you do not enter the toilet when you are not wearing slippers. This was mentioned by a group of scholars, among whom was mentioned by Abu Al-Abbas bin Suraij in the book Al-Aqsam. Imam Baihaqi narrated a mursal hadith that the Prophet s.a.w. when he entered the toilet wore sandals and covered his head. 

    This is also mentioned in the book of Al-Iqna and Syarh Muntahal Iradat.

     

    3) Sunnah of using the siwak 

    Rasulullah s.a.w. was reported to have said, “Whoever revives my sunnah, then he has loved me. And whoever loves me, he shall be with me in Paradise.” (Tirmidhi 2678) 

    One of such sunnahs is to use the siwak. Some people may say that the toothbrush is good enough and we do not deny that it does its job, but the siwak has added benefits compared to the toothbrush. 

    Did you know that using the siwak is a sunnah of ALL Prophets? 

    Rasulullah s.a.w. said, “Four things are from the sunnah of the Prophets: Modesty, the use of perfumes, the use of siwak and marriage.” (Tirmidhi) 

    Simply using the siwak before we do our daily prayers earns us more reward. “A prayer with siwak is better than seventy prayers without siwak.” (Ahmad) 

    So why not add this simple action that brings about multiple benefits.  

     

    4) The order of cutting nails 

    Did you know that there is a sunnah way of cutting nails? 

    “It is mustahab to start with the hands before the feet, and to start with the forefinger of the right hand, then the middle finger, then the ring finger, then the pinky finger, then the thumbs, then to move to the left hand and start with the pinky finger then the ring finger, until all the fingers are done, then to move to the right foot and start with the smallest toe on the right foot and end with the smallest toe on the left foot, And Allah knows best.” (Sahih Muslim 3/149) 

    The following picture will give you a better visual regarding the order to follow.  

    And for every sunnah, there is reward if we do it but there is no sin if we do not do it. So let’s strive to do the best we can. 

     

     5) General sunnahs 

    Have you ever noticed the patterns with regards to the usage of our right and left in general? For example, when putting on clothes or when entering the mosque, you will notice that actions which seek blessings start with the right. When removing items like shoes or clothes, we remove the left side first. 

    When entering places of comfort like the home and mosque, we enter using our right foot. However, when entering places we should not spend too long in, like the marketplace or the toilet, we enter using our left foot. Consequently, we leave the home and mosque with our left foot and we leave the marketplace and toilet with our right foot. 

    There are many other sunnahs that we can share with our children. Below is just some that you may want to touch on in future. 

    Sunnahs of Prayer 

    • Use attar 
    • Use siwak 
    • To recite du’as after the tashahud before salam  
    • Making du’a between iqamah and azan 
    • To say niat out loud before takbiratul ihram 

    Sunnahs of Traveling 

    • Du’a when leaving the house 
    • Du’a when riding on something (e.g. car, airplane, horse, etc.) 

    Sunnahs of Eating 

    • Du’a before eating 
    • Eating food nearest to you 
    • Eat with your right hand 
    • Manner of sitting when eating 
    • Not wasting food  

    Bedtime Sunnahs 

    • Sleep on your right
    • Sleep in a state of wudhu
    • Recite 3 sets of the 3 Quls, blow and wipe over your body
    • Dust your bed 3 times before sleeping 

    Sunnah when interacting with others 

    • Smile
    • Start with salam
    • Inquire about their well-being
    • Refrain from argument or speaking bad about others

    There are so many sunnahs that we can learn and put into practice. If you find that the list is overwhelming, perhaps you can focus on one at a time for a period of a few days or weeks before moving on to the next. It's easier to implement if our whole family practices them together.

    May we be closer to our Beloved by learning and following his way inshaAllah.

     


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