Paradise Under Your Feet — Page 65
Chapter 4: Elementary School Years 65 created by mothers. Wherever possible, children should be taken to the mosque to listen to Darsul-Qur ’ an. Keeping ties with Khilafat and Jama ’ at Ahmadi Muslims are blessed with the institution of Khilafat. The Khalifa is our spiritual father and a special relationship of love needs to be fostered between the members of the Jama ’ at and the Khalifatul - Masih. Love and obedience to the institution of Khilafat should be cultivated in children from a very young age so that they do not question the directives that come from the Khalifa later on in life. There are several ways in which parents can help children develop a relationship with their beloved Khalifatul - Masih (aba). One way is to emphasize the importance of praying for Huzoor (aba) and asking him to pray for them. The children should be encouraged to write letters to Huzoor (aba) regularly to request for prayers. A day of the week can be set aside when the whole family writes to him. It can be shared with children that once the letter is written and mailed, the blessings of the prayer requested start to work. Children love it when they get a reply back from Huzoor (aba) in response to their request for prayers. However, it is best not to stress too much on receiving a reply as sometimes it can be delayed and children may become disappointed and refrain from writing again. Families should set aside a time on a weekly basis to watch the Friday Sermons as well as other programs on MTA. Children whose mother tongue is not Urdu or who are not proficient in the language can watch the Sermons in English. At the end of the Sermon, the main points can be discussed as a family. As children reach fourth and fifth grades, their level of understanding will improve and the discussion will become more meaningful.