Q&A’about Parenting
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Answered by A’alimah Nadia Sadiq
Interviewed by Sania Qureshi
Child rearing can be extremely challenging and all of us, at one time or another have been
faced with a situation where we just do not know how to respond. Parenthood is a trust given
to us by Allah and as parents it is our responsibility to make sure that we are rearing children who are an asset to our ummah. I sat down with ‘Aalimah Nadia Sadiq and asked her
to share her advice about some of the questions asked by concerned parents.
Q-1 There was a stray
cat that used to come to
our house periodically, and
my kids had adopted it. It
recently passed away and the
children are heartbroken. I
did not realise how affected
they were by this and I am
not sure about how to handle
this situation. Initially I had
hoped that they would forget
about it, so I sort of ignored
it, and tried not to make a
big deal about it. Now I am
wondering if maybe it would
be better if I talked to them
about death. The kids are
between the ages of five and
eleven and I needed your
advice?
A- Children need to be given
due respect according to their
age and values. This pet was of
importance to them so it is good
to share their sorrow with them.
The brother of Anas ibn Malik
had a pet bird. Whenever
the Prophet would meet this
child he would ask him how
the bird was doing? This is the
Prophet ,who had better things
to talk about, but No! He was
asking about the bird because
this was important to the child.
The hadith then goes on to say
that the bird died. The Prophet
went to the house of this child
to offer his condolences. This is
the Prophet of Allah . This is
the importance because he knows
that for the child the bird means
a lot. He visited the child and
mourned with him. SubhanAllah!
How many times do we think
about that, when our kids lose
something. ‘Come on, it is just a
car, forget about it.’ Share their
sorrows. Go and sit with them,
hug them,’ I am so sorry. Your toy
broke and I feel for you.’ Then
they will also share your sorrows
when they get older.