The Children on His Shoulders

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the leader of a whole community. People came to him with their problems, their questions, and their needs from morning until night. He had great responsibilities. Yet despite all of this, he always made time for children — especially his grandchildren, Hasan and Husayn, the sons of his daughter Fatimah. The Prophet (peace be upon him) loved Hasan and Husayn dearly. He would carry them on his shoulders and walk around with them, smiling and laughing. He would let them climb on him and play, and he never pushed them away or said he was too busy. He said about them: "Hasan and Husayn are the leaders of the youth of Paradise." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 3768) Sometimes he would be walking with one of them on his shoulders and he would say, "What an excellent ride you have, and what an excellent rider you are!" (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 3784) One of the most beautiful stories is what happened during prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was leading the people in salah, and he went down into sajdah — the position where you place your forehead on the ground. While he was in sajdah, one of his young grandchildren climbed onto his back, the way a small child might climb onto a parent during play. (Sunan al-Nasai, 1141) The companions waited. The sajdah was going on much longer than usual. They wondered if something was wrong, or if perhaps the Prophet had received a revelation. But when the prayer was finished, the Prophet (peace be upon him) explained simply: his grandchild had climbed onto his back, and he did not want to get up quickly and make the child fall. So he stayed in sajdah patiently, gently, until the little one climbed down on their own. (Sunan al-Nasai, 1141) Some people in those times thought that showing love to children, kissing them, and playing with them was not something important leaders should do. But the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Whoever does not show mercy to our young ones is not one of us." (Sunan Abu Dawud, 4943; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 1920)