Chapter 2: If You Want An Intelligent Child...

If You Want An Intelligent Child...

“Surely My Lord is near! He answers (prayers)!”

Researchers have discovered recently that a pregnant mother can speak to her child in the womb and will be understood by the unborn child.

Is it surprising? It is true!

Researchers report that narrating pleasant stories and singing melodious songs to the unborn child is beneficial. A mother needs no microphone to speak good words to her child. 

The child of a pregnant Muslim mother reciting the Quran will be God conscious and good mannered. Fathima, a relative of mine, read books that gave her knowledge about English or books in English. Her child learnt the English alphabets at a very early age.

A woman who is pregnant must view beautiful scenery, perform kind acts, talk sweet words. This will make the child’s life nice. When speaking about this in the Holy Quran, Allah says in chapter 23 verse12, “We created man from clay;” “It changes into a blood clot”. The Almighty doesn’t use personal problems in the initial stages to refer to the foetus. The foetus is referred to an animate being after the fourth month- it gets ruh/ soul then. It gains an ability to hear. We must give glad tidings to nourish the good qualities of the developing infant, resulting in a good future.

My history teacher informed me that Veer Shivaji ‘s mother narrated stories about brave historical personalities to the young Shivaji thereby, instilling values of bravery in him.

“Any child that is born is born good Whether the child is a saint, or a sinner is based on the mother’s upbringing” is a famous old Tamil lyric stresses the role of a mother in the development of a child.

There was a legal issue in a foreign country.  A thief was imprisoned. He requested the judge. “My mother must also be imprisoned, your honor!”. When the Judge inquired, “Why must it be so?”, the thief explained his story. “When I was a kid, I went with my mom to buy vegetables in the market.  Without drawing attention of anyone, I stole a mango and kept it in my pocket. I showed it to my mom when we returned home. My mom appreciated me and did not scold me for my theft. Because of her appreciation I was interested in stealing. If my mom had punished me and corrected me that day, I would not have become a big thief today”.

We must not lie even in jest Infront of children; they would start lying. We are the role models for our children. A father did not take proper care of his old father. He stayed in an air-conditioned room feasting on delicious food while he let his father sit and sleep on the bare floor, serving him only plain rice in a clay pot. The old father suffered in both the hot and the cold weather.  He died due to lack of proper and adequate nutrition. After they buried the old man, the family members removed from the floor, the items used by the deceased.  The young grandson ran and grabbed the old pot and remarked, “Father, do not throw the old clay pot away ... when I grow up, I need this old clay pot to serve you rice when you become old”.

The prophet (ﷺ) remarked “Of all the gifts that a father can give his son nothing is greater than good education and good morals”.

A mother is a symbol of love. A loving mother has a loving child.

Some parents hate the birth of baby girls. I would like to tell them something significant. One does not foresee what goodness we can obtain through these female children. We must bear in mind that is women who birthed great leaders such as the Prophet (ﷺ), Abul Kalam, Nehru, Gandhi, Kamarajar, Anna.

For many years, the parents of Mother Mary (Maryam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ)) were not blessed with a child. When they prayed to the Almighty, Mother Mary (Maryam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ)) was born to them. When they were disappointed that it was a baby girl, the Almighty remarked “Maryam (عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ) will be one among the four renowned women in the world”. Even after we die the prayers asked on our behalf (duas) by our children adds goodness to us.

We must teach good habits to our children from an early age. If we bring up a child to be God-conscious, the child will grow up to add benefits of goodness to her father when she does good deeds.

In addition to that, if the son is good, he prays for the deceased father’s life in the Hereafter. The Almighty accepts these prayers and blesses us. A pregnant mother must view pleasant scene. The house must be with pictures of natural scenery. On the contrary, films with violence, demons and devils must not be viewed.

Another important thing is that the husband must be affectionate and caring towards his wife. It is not possible to have a marriage without differences and arguments. Every family is subject to this. Despite these differences and arguments, there must be adjustment from both partners.

It is important that the husband must be of assistance to a wife who is carrying his child. He must buy the food and fruits she desires. In short, he must do things to please his wife. Couples who live happily will bring happiness to their children as well. When the children see the parents accommodating and adjusting with each other, they will also follow it in their future.

A husband and wife understanding each other’s feelings, adjusting themselves, and bringing up their children with values of love, wisdom, courage and morals are rungs of ladder to achieve domestic bliss.