Parents’ Corner
Small Matters and Great Benefits
Asif Jahanzayb Attari Madani
For young children, parents take a great deal of care to protect them against physical and spiritual harms. They may, for example, apply a speck of kohl on the child’s face to ward off the evil eye. This is a good practice, but as children grow up, usually around the age of 6 or 7, they begin to venture out to play outside with friends, exposing themselves to new dangers such as the evil gaze of others (ʿayn/nadhar). It is essential to equip children to protect themselves by teaching them essential supplications and making them a part of their daily life. Some points to consider:
1. Evil jinn dwell in impure places like washrooms. If children recite the relevant supplication before entering the washroom, they will be protected. The beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “A supplication is an army from the armies of Allah,”[1] and “Prayer is the weapon of a believer.”[2]
As children frequent public spaces, they are susceptible to the evil gaze. Reciting the supplication for leaving the house will protect them against the evil gazes and sudden accidents, اِنْ شَــآءَالـلّٰـه.
2. If your children go to school in a van or another mode of transport, accustom them to recite the supplication of travelling. This will protect your children throughout the journey.
3. There are supplications that, if children recite them in the morning, they will be protected from calamities until the evening. If they recite them in the evening, they will be protected until the morning. Teach your children these powerful supplications and encourage them to read them regularly. Their faith in Allah will be enhanced, and they will be saved from many troubles. Likewise, there are supplications for everyday tasks such as eating, drinking, sleeping, waking up, going out, and entering the house. Although these are routine tasks, preceding them with the relevant supplications will invoke the mercy of Allah, and your child will reap the full blessings of these seemingly insignificant tasks. So inculcate a culture of dhikr in your children whereby they are supplicating to Allah before every activity, small or big.
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