Anas Bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) is a name that is so familiar and recognizable, especially among the Muslims, since many generations ago. He is a young sahabah who served Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) for ten years since his young age. Anas is known for his loyalty towards the Prophet. The young sahabah has the intelligence in the teaching of the religious matter. As a young man, he memorized an incredible amount of hadith of Prophet Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with him).

In this article, we would analyze his life story to highlight the six crucial life lessons that we can take and emulate, especially as parents of our future generations.

his mother, Umm Sulaim, the great woman companion with great qualities.

Umm Sulaim , the great woman companion who was courageous, patient, generous with many more noble qualities, is the mother of young sahabah Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him). Umm Sulaim was married to a disbeliever, Malik bin Nadhar. She persevered and loyal to the religion of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) even though his husband was against it. Despite the difficulty and challenges, she never gave up on calling her husband and her children towards Islam.

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam in her hand. She was one of those women companions who served the wounded on the battlefield. Anas Bin Malik did them with courage for the sake of Allah.

action speaks better than words

Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) inherited these qualities from his mother. He participated in many expedition with Prophet Muhammad and the battles of conquest after Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away. The actions speak better than our words. This is true in the story of Umm Sulaim and her son. He learned from his mother’s actions and follow her foot steps and qualities. As parents, we should develop good qualities in ourselves before we can expect them to be in our children.

Anas served the Prophet for ten years during his young age

Umm Sulaim (may Allah be pleased with her ) gave Anas Bin Malik to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to serve him from a young age of 10 years old when Prophet Muhammad first made a hijrah to Madinah. The reason for this was to allow him to learn from the best person and teacher in the whole world. Anas did this for ten years, and these were the best years of his life. He benefited a lot from the Prophet. ibn Malik learned the Quran, and many more, directly from the Prophet. He understood and followed each of the Prophet’s footsteps with care and great interest.

learnt from the best teacher

Anas got priceless education and guidance from Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). There were numerous hadith recorded by him from the Prophet. One hundred sixty-eight of them were recorded in Al Bukhari and Muslim. He narrated great numbers of reports regarding Prophet Muhammad’s conducts.  

From this, it is clear about the importance of finding the right teachers and personalities for our children. Our children should learn and emulate them during their tender years. 

obedient and humble towards his mother and the Prophet 

After Anas’s father passed away, his mother married Abu Talhah, a prominent Ansari sahabah. His family belonged to the Najjar clan of the tribe of Hazraj, one of the two main tribes in Madinah. Anas bin Malik remained obedient towards his mother when she ordered him to serve Prophet Muhammad as his servant.

He humbled himself and did any task given by the Prophet with an open heart. The young sahabah brought water for the Prophet when needed. Narrated by Anas Bin Malik, ‘Whenever Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) went to answer the call of nature, I along with another boy from us used to go behind him with a tumbler full of water. [1] Humbling oneself is an excellent quality that we should instill in our children and ourselves. Research shows that leaders are more powerful when they’re humble.[2]

Prophet Muhammad treated him with respect

The young sahabah has served the Prophet as a servant. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) had always treated him with respect and never raised his voice. Anas reported: I served the Prophet, peace, and blessings be upon him, for ten years. By Allah, he never even said to me, “Uff!” He never said harshly for anything, “Why did you do that?” or, “Why did you not do that?” [3]

What about our children? Research shows that yelling towards children makes them more aggressive, physically and verbally. We should always remind ourselves to speak with gentle and right words, and never criticize them even in difficult situations. 

the Prophet made supplications for him for this world and the Hereafter. 

Umm Sulaim asked the Prophet to make dua for Anas Bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him). Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) supplicated to Allah for an increase in knowledge and prosperity for Anas Bin Malik. Allah answered his dua. Anas lived to the age of 103 and had eighty children. He was the last sahabah to passed away in the year 93 AH. He owned a palace with a massive garden in Basrah, Iraq. 

Other than that, Anas Bin Malik devoted his life to education and teaching religion. Uthman bin Affan reported: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.” [4] From this, we can understand that Anas Bin Malik has been practicing the quality that Prophet Muhammad mentioned in the hadith that makes him amomg the best in this life and InshaAllah in the hereafter.

family members sacrificed themselves for the sake of Allah.

Anas Bin Malik’s family members devoted themselves to the cause of Allah. Besides his mother, his brother, Bara b. Malik, his aunt Umm Haram, his uncle Anas b. Nadr and his stepfather Abu Talha (May Allah be pleased with them all) accepted Islam and devoted themselves to Allah.

We should surround our children with devoted family members towards Islam. We need to prepare our family members to be faithful slaves of Allah, like the family of Anas bin Malik. May Allah make it easy for all of us.

Finally, let us always ponder and reflect on our life and parenting style. There are many different styles, and which one do we choose? The best is the one that has been exemplified by Prophet Muhammad and his companions. Let us try to emulate them.

Written by Dr. Fadzidah Ariffin, www.knowledgedunes.com

Please click the link stated below to discover more. Happy Reading!

1. Reflections From The Life Of Usamah Ibn Zaid Radiallahu Anhum By Umm.Afraaz
2. Benefits from the Life of Abdullah Ibn Masood By Level 10 Muslimah Life Coaching
3. The Virtues of Asma Bint Abi Bakr by Adeeba Jafri
4. Abdullah Ibn Abbas The Young Scholar by Ilma Education
5. Nusaybah Umm Umarah: Life lessons from Islam’s first lady soldier by theoddmuslimah
6. Fatima bt Muhammad by jeddahmom
7. Umm Ayman: The Second Mother of the Prophet (PBUH) by atfalna education
8. Umm Sulaym by motheringthenest

[1] Sahih al-Bukhari 151
[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2016/12/08/leaders-are-more-powerful-when-theyre-humble-new-research-shows/

[3] Saḥiḥ al-Bukhari 5691, Ṣaḥiḥ Muslim 2309
[4] Narrated by al-Bukhārī 4739

References:
1. Great Women Of Islam, Sheikh Safiur Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri Darussalam
2. Heroes Of Islam, Prof Mahmoud Esma’il Sieny
3. thonline/2011/04/08/prophet-
never-said-uff/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anas_ibn_Malik
5. https://lastprophet.info/anas-bin-malik-ra-the-devoted-servant-of-the-prophet-saw

6. https://www.healthline.com/health/parenting/yelling-at-kids