Paradise Under Your Feet — Page 26
26 رَب ۡ ہَب َ لی ۡ من َ الصّٰلحیۡن “ O Lord, grant me a righteous child. ” 2. 2 Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II (ra) has explained that Tarbiyat of a child begins before birth. In his lecture, “ Way of the Seekers ,” he said: “ The door to evil thoughts must be closed particularly while we are preparing to receive the child. What can we do except, as far as possible, to keep our thoughts always pure and clean? If you desire to do your unborn children any good, then your own thoughts must also be pure. Islam has a recipe for situations like this. This recipe is that when husband and wife consort together, they should supplicate: Shield us, O Allah, against Satan, and keep Satan away from whatever Thou might bestow upon us. ” 2. 3 Once Allah Almighty has granted their prayer, the prospective parents have the duration of the pregnancy to offer fervent prayers for their unborn child. Prayers for the spiritual and physical well-being and development of the child are extremely important throughout pregnancy as the fetus is undergoing wondrously complex changes, growing and developing to its final form. Prayers that the child has a pious nature and is bestowed with a healthy and prosperous life are therefore vital. Thus, both parents should pay great attention to their observance of Salat and to offering Nawafil (voluntary prayer), especially at Tahajjud. During pregnancy the expectant mother develops a very special connection with her unborn child; in fact, the baby can be aware of its mother ’ s emotions and even her voice. Research has now reinforced what Islam has always recognized; it has been shown that babies can hear what their mothers say in the womb and what is more, their brains recognize these words after birth. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih I (ra) reported that he could recall hearing the recitation of the