Examples of fatherhood from Shaykh Uthaymeen

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

In an interview with Shaykh Uthaymeen's (rahimullaah) wife, we see examples of the simple things that fathers can do that make such a big difference in a child's life....may Allaah have mercy on the Shaykh and admit him to Paradise...ameen.

This is...beautiful masha'Allaah.

From the interview:

Question 3: How did the Shaykh interact with his children in their private lives?

Answers: His dealings with his sons and daughters fell into two stages. First, in their childhood, he (rahimullah) was keen to be close to them, take care of them, raise some of the Islamic principles in them, and follow their educational achievements. In addition, he made sure to direct, admonish, and incite them. For instance, he would sometimes take the children with him to the masjid to perform some of the fard prayers. Also, he would encourage them to fast some of the days of Ramadan. Furthermore, he would incite them to memorize some of the short surahs of the Qur’aan and reward them on that. In the stage of youth and maturity, he (rahimullaah) was firm concerning their fulfilling of the religious obligations and in discipline in cases of negligence. He would couple that with direction and leniency. At certain times, he was not hesitant to do what was sufficient to change or correct their mistakes. In addition, he (rahimullaah) used to put full trust in them to do certain things so they could learn to depend upon themselves; he used to continuously encourage them on righteousness and check on them regarding that.

And the Shaykh (rahimullaah) with his grandchildren:

 

...You would also see the signs of pleasure and happiness on him upon receiving his grandchildren. He used to open his cloak to allow them to enter underneath and then inquire about them a few times before reopening it; he would do this several times. Later, he would take them to his library where he kept a special kind of sweets they used to call “halawat abooye” (my father’s sweets). We were keen to ensure that they would not find it, except with him. In addition, despite his busy schedule, he made sure to visit his grandchildren at their homes or in the hospital if any of them were ill; this would have a great influence on them and their patents.

This interview is one of my favourite reads. There is so much benefit in it and so much to take away and apply in your own life subhana'Allaah. If you'd like to read it, you can do so here insha'Allaah.

Reflect and Benefit insha'Allaah....