Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 187
! ! 187 restricted that they are unable to mix with other children, nor should they be left complet ely free to do whatever they wish , without supervision. Secondly, children should not receive excessive love. After this explanation , let me advise you that where it is necessary to worry over your children’s reformation and their supervision, it is also essential to keep an eye on other children’s hab its and morals. U n less yo u watch for the other children’s behavior, you cannot be at peace with regards to your own children. Haz rat Khalifa t - ul - Masih I ra recommended a simple suggestion, which is to have children memorize certain useful phrases , in which they are told that we will and will not do such and such. T his has a profound effect on children. The second remedy, which can be traced back to the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa , is to inculcate the habit of praying before going to sleep , since it is not proper to sleep without rememb ering Allah. Without fail, t he Holy Prophet sa would recite Ayatul - Kursi and the three Quls and exhale the air over his body. Sunnah are those actions he sa regularly performed , and just as the Sunna h s in Salāt are obligatory, this Sunnah is obligatory as well. I f it is a sin to neglect the former action , then it should be a sin to neglect the latter action. If the Sunna h s in Salāt are discussed , it is said that the Holy Prophet sa specifically mentioned them, thus making them obligatory. I would add that he also specifically mentioned reciting these prayers before sleep , and it is confirmed that he taught these prayers [to be recited before sleeping] to some of the men. Nevertheless, he neither delivered a formal lecture or instructions regarding the Sunna h s in Salāt , nor did he take any such action regarding the recitation of prayers before sleep ing. Just as he gave instructions regarding the Sunn ah prayers , likewise this Sunnah is supported by the fact that he taught a number of people this prayer and urged them to observe it.