Beautiful Stories

Empathy of Prophet

Once a Sahabi's son was missing. He went looking for his son and found him playing among a group of children. He saw that Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) was sitting nearby, watching the kids play.

He walked up to the Prophet and said: "O Prophet, I have been looking for my son everywhere and found him here. Do I have your permission to take him?"

The Prophet replied, "Let your son play a little while longer."

The Sahabi took his leave and returned a short while later and found the Prophet still sitting there, watching the children play. He once more asked the permission to take his son but was given the same reply: "Let your son play a little while longer."

The Sahabi returned a little while later and this time when he asked the Prophet to take his son, he was granted permission.

As the Sahabi approached the group of children, he was called back by the Prophet. Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasallam) said: "Take your son but call him by his name, do not call out to him as 'my son'."

The Sahabi was curious. He asked, "Ya Rasul Allah, he is my child. If I called out to him as my son, would that be a problem?"

The Prophet, may Allah bless him, began to cry and said, "O my companion, among those children are orphans. If you called out to your son as 'my son', they may feel the loss of their father and be saddened. Only to avoid this, I have asked you to call your son by his name."

The Sahabi was amazed at the empathy of Prophet Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasallam). He enquired, "Ya Rasul Allah, why are you sitting here watching the children play?"

The prophet replied with tears in his eyes: "I sit close by them here so they know that even if they do not have fathers to look over them, they do have the Prophet of Allah to take care for them."

(Shaykh Abu Yusha Yasin)