Socks on the Wall


           


This post is not about finding rolled up stinky socks in every corner of the house...although, with three boys that is one of my realities. It is about a very special pair of socks that found their way on to a wall in my son's room. 

It is the right of a child that his parents give him a good name. We chose to name our second son Muhammad, after the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the mercy to the worlds, the best of humankind, the most kind and compassionate soul. Muhammad means the one who is praised, and it is the most common name in the world. 


 Anyone who knows my boys know they are obsessed with sports and look up to great athletes. I’ve always wanted to make sure the kids look up to individuals who are upright in character and faith. After the cricket world cup recently, we watched England cricket team's celebrations. It was wonderful to see the two Muslims on the team, Adel Rasheed and Moeen Ali, take the celebratory picture and rush off to the side before their teammates celebrated with champagne. These are important teaching moments. Of course, Muslims can be successful in sports and still stay devoted to our faith. We often talk about Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Hussain and Hamza Abdullah, Enes Kanter, and of course the G.O.A.T Muhammad Ali.


Recently my little Muhammad was gifted these amazing socks with his name and number by his baseball buddy Devan. A super thoughtful and wonderful gift. The only issue I saw was that in order to get the socks on, his name would be pulled from the bottom of his feet. Hence, the bottom of his feet would be touching the name Muhammad. This may sound petty to some folks. It’s just a name, right? The thing is, it’s not just a name. It is the name of the Lord’s most beloved; it is the name of the one who stayed up all night at Muzdalifah on his final hajj praying to Allah to forgive our sins, it is the name of our messenger. 

 When I told Muhammad, who was super excited about the socks, my concern about the name going under his feet he quickly reminded me that Muhammad Ali didn’t allow for his Hollywood star to be put on the ground on the walk of fame for the same reason. Muhammad Ali said, "I bear the name of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and it is impossible that I allow people to trample over his name.”

I was so thrilled Muhammad recalled this from the book ‘Who was Muhammad Ali?’. Then it was just a no-brainer for us to cherish these socks in the same way- framed and hung up in his room.

It is very easy to lose sight of the small things that are disliked or questionable in our faith. If we fail to implement the small things they will be forgotten by the next generation. It would have been easy for me to just let him wear the socks and move on, but this small step made my son more aware and more connected to the Prophet than ever before. InshaAllah, he will continue to respect his own name and with that in mind make mindful life decisions.

Guide your children to the right role models. Once you see them develop their interests nurture them with the right guidance. It is easy for us to tell young people to look up to the sahabah, but the reality is they also need to look up to individuals whom they share a common interest. Our Ummah is blessed to have exceptional people who are exceptional role models for our future generations. Find them, share their stories, connect your children to them. May Allah grant us all and our children guidance and understanding. Ameen

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