Magical Child

In the Islamic tradition, it is believed that children are very blessed beings. This belief is upheld by the understanding that right before they came to Earth they were just with God. Paraphrasing, “Just like rain is a mercy, children are a mercy because like rain, they were just with God.” Ever held a baby close, and smelled their sweetness? The sweet scent of a newborn is believed to be the sweet scent of Paradise. How beautiful is that sentiment: you are holding a piece of paradise in your arms.

In the Islamic tradition, it is believed that a child does not fully comprehend lying or follow our logic about things. They will ‘blatantly lie’ but in fact sincerely believe that what they are saying is true. It is because they are in that blessed realm still trying to figure out this world. It is as dangerous for us to force the butterfly out of the cocoon, as it is dangerous for us to try to force a child out of this blessed realm. To punish them for their understanding of reality is an obscenity.

In the Islamic tradition, children are believed to be able to see angels till about the age of seven years. When they giggle or babble or coo it may be them playing with angels. In this realm of the unseen, it is where their imagination grows; where they dream up imaginary friends and wonderful adventures. If we leave them be in that realm unhindered – letting them hold onto this sacred piece of childhood – we can only imagine what beautiful dreams they dream, what wonders their magical place holds.

Image source can be found here and through this website.

This post is inspired by a talk given by Hamza Yusuf Hanson of Zaytuna College entitled “The Magical Child”, during a week-long conference on education in early 2001 at the University of Toronto – OISE, in Canada