Parents’ Corner
Leading by Example
Mawlana Rashid Ali Attari Madani
After Jumuʿa prayer, I had lunch and laid down to observe the Sunnah practice of a siesta. I rested for a while, but was unable to fall asleep. I felt like talking to my four-year-old daughter Haniya. So, while lying down, I called out to her. "Yes Daddy,” said Haniya while running into my room. I picked her up, and as we lay down together, I said, “My dear daughter, let's sleep for a little while.”
Haniya innocently replied, "Daddy, it's still morning yet. It’s not night yet, is it?” In Haniya's dictionary, there are only two times; morning and night. Whether it is the time after Fajr or before sunset, she calls it morning. And she defines night as the darkness that sets in until it is morning again. Noon, afternoon, evening, she doesn't use any of those terms. That is why she even referred to the time after Friday prayers, as morning. In response, I told her that it was not a problem, we just need to sleep for a little while. Immediately, she replied in her sweet little voice, "Daddy, the second hadith in my book says that sleeping during the morning stops sustenance."
Although taking a nap during the afternoon is a sunnah, in a state of amazement and delight, I kissed my darling daughter, showed her affection, and sent her to play. It struck me that despite her young age, she had internalized a hadith from her school lesson to the point where she observed my actions in relation to that hadith. Children closely observe and take note of our behaviour and actions. They learn from every action we do in front of them, including our sitting, standing, talking, sleeping, and waking up. One of those actions is not waking up for Fajr in the morning. Sleeping in very late on days off is worth paying attention to.
A hadith states:
الصُّبْحَةُ تَمْنَعُ الرِّزْقَ
"Sleeping at dawn prevents sustenance."[1]
It is mentioned in another hadith that Sayyidatuna Fatima al-Zahra رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهَا said: "The Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم passed by me at dawn while I was lying down, and he gently moved me with his blessed foot and said, 'My daughter, stand! Be present for the sustenance provided by your Lord, and do not be from the neglectful ones. Indeed, Allah Almighty distributes sustenance among people between dawn and sunrise."[2]
The erudite scholar, Burhān al-Dīn al-Zarnūjī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه writes that sleeping in the morning diminishes sustenance, and habitually sleeping excessively leads to poverty and neediness.[3]
The ulema state:
وَيُكْرَهُ النَّوْمُ فِي اَوَّلِ النَّهَار
"Sleeping in the early part of the day is disliked."[4]
Fatwa number WAT-1209 of Dar ul Ifta Ahl al-Sunnah (Dawat-e-Islami), states:
Sleeping after Fajr without any need, is disliked according to the honourable jurists. The blessed hadith also mention that the time from true dawn until the rising of the sun, is when Allah Almighty distributes sustenance among His creation. Therefore, those who sleep during this time are classed as heedless.
From these narrations and fiqh rulings, it becomes evident that unnecessarily sleeping in the morning is one of the causes of financial difficulties and unemployment. Therefore, make an effort to wake up in the early morning, perform the Fajr salah and stay awake until sunrise, so that your children can learn from your example.
Comments