Parents are Shepherds for their Children

0:00The Prophet al-Asaat al-Salam, he said every one of you is a shepherd and every one of you is responsible for their flock. The Prophet al-Asaat al-Salam, he was blessed with something called Joami al-Kalam, where he could say something in very few words, but the meaning is extremely profound, the more that you delve into it. One thing I want to point out is the significance of this example of being a shepherd, how significant being a shepherd is. The Prophet al-Asaat al-Salam, he said, Allah did not send any Prophet except that he heard it cheap. So this concept of being a shepherd is one that we should really take to heart. It's something that Allah would use as Tawtabia for the prophets before he sent them to their Ummas, their people, to call them to Islam, to guide them. This was something that they would experience because there are certain qualities that a shepherd gets by performing this duty, but also that a good shepherd should have. So of course, when it comes to this Hadith, not all of us are literally going to be shepherds.

1:01Not all of us are literally going to be this definition, a person who herds and tends in guard sheep, but rather this is used as a metaphor. And I really love metaphors when it comes to teaching, when it comes to learning, because metaphors are such a useful tool in terms of simplifying the understanding of something, but also there is this aesthetic, profound beauty when you really reflect on the creation of Allah and when you compare one thing to another. And this is a tool that Allah uses in the Quran. It's a tool that the Prophet al-Asaat al-Salam repeatedly uses. So when we look at this Hadith, what's really meant is that by shepherd, it's referring to the fact that all of us, we are people who protect, guide, and we watch over other people or other things. So that's what we want to reflect upon, and hopefully we can really think about this image and some of the thoughts that come to mind, the fact that, yes, this is literally a shepherd, and we, as parents, we are being compared to that. We'll see some of the connections in inshaAllah.