Incident From Life of Shaykh Muhammad al-‘Arifi How often does the good treatment of children not only affect them but also their parents and families, and it earns their love and respect? It is often the case that primary school teachers are contacted by their pupils’ parents who thank them and express their love and respect merely for the fact that they love and respect their children. They may express their gratitude sometimes by words and sometimes as gifts. Therefore, do not belittle smiling at a child, winning his heart and exercising interpersonal skills with him. I once delivered a lecture about the importance of prayer to a group of children in a school. I asked them if anyone knew of a Hadeeth concerning the importance of prayer. One of the children responded saying, “The Prophet has said: “Between a man and disbelief and polytheism is to abandon the prayer.’’ I was so amazed by his response and his zeal that I instantly took off my watch and gave it to him, although, my watch wasn’t anything special. This incident encouraged the child to study more eagerly and memorise the Qur’an, since he had felt self-worth. Years passed by, I went to a mosque and was astonished to discover that the Imam of the mosque was that same child. He had grown to become a fine young man who had graduated fromthe Shari’ah College, and was now working in a court. Although, I did not remember him, he had remembered me. Notice how love and respect developed in his heart due to a childhood incident. I used to meet a friend of mine every now and then who would have his son with him, and I would be extremely kind and playful with the son. One day, this friend of mine met me at a wedding party with this son. He greeted me and said, “What have you done to my son? His teacher at school asked his pupils what they would like to be when they grow up. Some said doctors, others said engineers, but my son said: ‘I want to be Muhammad al-‘Arifi: