Paradise Under Your Feet — Page 55
Chapter 3: Toddler and Preschool Years 55 promoted for commercial gains, especially the candy, greeting card and gift industries. Mother ’ s Day and Father ’ s Day honor parents, which is an Islamic concept, although Muslims are taught to honor their parents on a daily basis. Although not forbidden, we should teach that every day is Mother ’ s Day and Father ’ s Day in Islam and stress the importance of parents in Islam. Celebrating Mother ’ s Day or Father ’ Day is permissible as long as it does not become a huge spending extravaganza. Mothers will appreciate their child doing a small chore for them far more than a very expensive gift. Birthdays are often celebrated lavishly with gifts and parties in Western culture. However, as birthdays are not celebrated in Islam, children should be taught this early on. Parties and gift giving are discouraged because they can become an unnecessary financial burden as people try to outdo each other. However, recognizing that the child is another year older is different. The occasion can be marked with extra Nawafil for the child, giving thanks to Allah Almighty for all the blessings of the year gone by, and with prayers for the next. It is important to remember that we have to give the child a reason and an alternative, even at this very young age. Just saying “ no ” will not work and will cause confusion for the child. As children grow older, they can mark their birthday by giving to others less fortunate than themselves, either as a donation or gift to a charity, or by helping through community service if they are able. HAZRAT AMMAN JAN ’ S (RA) TARBIYAT Sahibzadi Amatul Mateen Sahiba, daughter of Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih II (ra), has related how her grandmother, Hazrat Amman Jan (ra) trained her in a loving and playful way. She relates that at their summer residence in Dalhousie, in the afternoons when the children would be playing outside, Hazrat Amman Jan (ra) would call her into her room. She would give her a tray filled with lentils and rice grains mixed together. Curiously, she would ask her granddaughter to