A Cheerful Face

Narrated Abu Ishaq: Al-Bara' was asked, "Was the face of the Prophet (as bright) as a sword?" He said, "No, but (as bright) as a moon."  (al-Bukhari, Book #56, Hadith #752) In other words, Prophet Muhammad (s) had a friendly face and not a sharp and harsh one.

How does one have a bright and happy face? It is by simply smiling and not frowning. It is too often these days that a Muslim’s face is associated with a frown. It is no wonder that we are portrayed in the media as aggressive and cantankerous. Even when we are preached to we hear harsh words and see frowns on the speaker’s face. Where are the gentleness and smiling faces that encourage us to goodness?

As humans we respond to such gentleness and smiling countenance much better than to a frown and negativity. Parents are often told to praise the child in the act of doing something good rather than focussing negative attention on the child when he does something bad. We are even encouraged to have a cheerful face for our fellow Muslims. Abu Dharr reported: The Prophet (s) said to me, “Do not belittle any good deed, even your meeting your brother with a cheerful face.” (Muslim) Indeed, having a cheerful face is a quality that all Muslims should have.

To this end I have written some activities for children in different age groups. For example,

0-2 years - Imitation

Babies are good at imitation so smile at your babies often. Look into those adorable eyes and greet him/her with a smiling happy face.

To read more, please download the program.