Reflection Summary
Dr. Haifaa Younis
The Quran calls children a gift from Allah, something to be grateful for even during hard parenting moments.
Alongside wealth, children are named as one of the adornments of worldly life, though the next life holds something greater still.
Stories of Ibrahim’s household and Zakariyya’s plea for an heir show that longing for children, and joy upon receiving them, is a deeply human and honored experience.
The Quran includes a specific dua for children who bring joy through their obedience to Allah, not just for children generally.
The same beloved children who bring joy can become a source of distraction from faith, or even lead a parent away from it.
Verses about children as a potential enemy were revealed about a specific companion, but they’re meant for every believer to examine themselves against.
Dr. Haifaa Younis begins with a straightforward but important reminder from the Quran: children are described as a ni’mah, a blessing from Allah. This framing, drawn from Surat an-Nahl, is meant to hold steady regardless of how difficult a season of parenting feels, since patience through the hard moments carries its own reward. Children also appear in the Quran, alongside wealth, as one of the adornments of this worldly life, in Surat al-Kahf, a genuine source of beauty here, even as the next life is described as holding something greater still.
She grounds the theme of joy in two prophetic stories. Ibrahim’s wife laughed in disbelief and happiness at news of a child in her old age, and Zakariyya made a heartfelt plea to Allah for an heir when he feared leaving none behind. Both stories illustrate that longing for children, and real joy upon receiving them, is a deeply human experience honored throughout the Quran. She also highlights that asking Allah specifically for righteous children, not just children generally, is an encouraged and recommended dua, drawing on language from Surat al-Furqan describing sincere believers asking for offspring who bring them joy through obedience to Allah.
The talk then turns to the other side of this reality. The Quran describes wealth and children as a trial, and includes a direct warning against letting children become a distraction from remembrance of Allah. Younis references the story behind a revealed verse involving a companion whose deep love for his children repeatedly kept him from joining an expedition with the Prophet, illustrating how even sincere believers can be pulled off course by exactly the love that is supposed to be a blessing.
She closes on an important interpretive point: verses revealed in a specific historical context are not limited to that context, they carry a lesson meant for every believer to examine honestly in their own life. She points to the story of the Prophet Nuh, whose own son did not believe, as proof that even prophets faced this exact test. The hope she leaves listeners with is that children become a means of drawing closer to Allah, and ultimately a source of continued good for a parent, rather than a source of distance from faith.
Next time parenting feels hard, remind yourself, and maybe your family, that children are described as a blessing, even in difficult moments.
Make a specific dua for your children’s righteousness, not just their general wellbeing or success.
Honestly reflect on whether anything about your children’s routines or demands has quietly pulled you away from prayer or remembrance of Allah.
Look for one small way to make your relationship with your children a bridge toward faith, rather than a distraction from it.
There are no right or wrong answers here, just space to think about your own family.
In what ways do you already see your children as a blessing, even amid the harder moments of parenting?
Have you made a specific dua for your children to be righteous, not just healthy or successful?
Is there anything about your love for your children that has ever pulled you away from your obligations to Allah?
What would it look like, practically, for your children to become a reason you grow closer to Allah rather than further from Him?
Every family is different. If you’ve tried something that made a difference in your family, we’d love to hear about it.
More reflections that may help you think about this from another angle.
