Have you talked with your child today?

Have you had a meaningful conversation together? Do you know what your child accomplished
today, how he may be feeling, whether or not he has any concerns? Does your child know
that you care about him?
In Islam, the ties of kinship and family are very strong and something that will always be present
throughout our lifetime. There are very serious consequences for someone who decides to
break these ties. Allah, subhanahu wa ta'ala, says,"Then, is it to be expected of you, if you were
put in authority, that you will do mischief in the land, and break your ties of kith and kin? Such
are the men whom Allah has cursed for He has made them deaf and blinded their sight."
[Qur'an 47:22-23]. The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, said,"Whoever severs the bonds
of kinship will not enter Paradise." (Bukhari and Muslim).
A major component of our familial ties is communication. In fact, without communication there
would be little connection between people. Living together in the same household with limited,
or even hostile, interaction would not fit the criteria for maintaining the bonds of kinship. To
develop meaningful relationships within our families we need to know how to communicate
effectively and sincerely with each other. A large part of this involves skills and principles that
can be learned through practice and sincere effort. The following is a guide to strengthen these
ties that bind.
1) Active Listening.
You may be surprised to discover that the most important aspect of effective communication is
listening. This means that the listener pays full attention to the speaker and attempts to
understand what that person is saying and feeling. The listener should suspend judgment, show
interest, and respect what is being said. He or she may then restate the content and feelings to
demonstrate that sincerity is present. The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhe wa sallam, always gave
his full attention to anyone that he conversed with, even his enemies and those with whom he
disagreed. When he addressed his companions, they listened intently and attached importance
to everything he said.
2) Level of Understanding.

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Have you talked with your child today?

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