Getting things cosy…
Getting things cosy…
Long, long ago, in the city of Madinah, there lived a little boy.
Everyone called him Abu Umair. He was very, very small. And he had a big brother called Anas.
Abu Umair had a tiny bird. It was a nughair. Can you say it? Noo-ghair!
It had soft little feathers. Cheep, cheep!
And Abu Umair played with his little bird. Hop, hop! Flap, flap!
Now, sometimes a very special visitor came to their house.
Who could it be?
It was the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ!
Whenever the Prophet ﷺ came, he saw little Abu Umair. And he asked him a kind, friendly question.
"O Abu Umair, what did the nughair do?"
Abu Umair… nughair. Abu Umair… nughair. Can you hear it? The words sound alike, like a rhyme.
Every time the Prophet ﷺ came, he asked the same thing. "O Abu Umair, what did the nughair do?"
The Prophet ﷺ knew the little boy's name. He knew about his tiny bird. And he always had a cheerful word for him.
Later, Anas told people about it. That is how we know it today.
Anas said the Prophet ﷺ was the best of all people in character. The Prophet ﷺ was kind and friendly, even to a very little child like Abu Umair. That is one reason we love him so much.
It is dark outside now. The little birds fluff up their feathers. They tuck in their heads. And they go to sleep.
All done hopping for today. All done flapping for today. Shh.
Now it's your turn. Close your eyes, little one.
Goodnight.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, whom Anas called the best of people in character, made time for a very young child in the house: every time he visited Anas's family, he cheerfully asked little Abu Umair about his pet bird. Imam al-Bukhari placed this hadith in a chapter on being cheerful with people, and Ibn Hajar noted that it shows light-hearted joking with young children is allowed, because the Prophet ﷺ did it himself. Children feel loved when we notice what matters to them, and hearing how he did this helps their love for him grow.
Because every little heart deserves a real answer.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ came to visit, he always asked little Abu Umair a friendly question about his tiny bird. He was kind and cheerful with children, even ones as little as you.
Anas said the Prophet ﷺ was the best of all people in character. The more you hear about how kind he was, even to a little child just like you, the more your heart will love him.
You can be kind and friendly like the Prophet ﷺ too. Tomorrow, ask someone a friendly question about something they love, like a favourite toy, and listen to their answer.
“The Prophet (ﷺ) used to mix with us to the extent that he would say to a younger brother of mine, 'O Aba `Umair! What did the Nughair (a kind of bird) do?”
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ — Sahih al-Bukhari 6129
Graded SahihRead it on sunnah.com ↗
Snuggle up and wonder together. There are no wrong answers.