A Sanad of Love
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when hearing the word “Sanad”? For most of us, that word is used in relation to Hadith narrations. It is the chain of transmission that started with our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace)and ends with the person relaying the Hadith. The soundness of that chain of transmission is what allows scholars to determine whether a Hadith is sahih (sound) or da’eef (weak). However, the word Sanad can be used in relation to more than just Hadith. The way we are taught to live as Muslims originates from our beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). So, there has been a chain of transmission starting from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) to his Sahabah to the next generations all the way to our parents who not only taught us how to eat, sleep, and work using the example of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) but also how to portray emotions, such as love, like the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). Every aspect of the Prophet’s (Allah bless him and give him peace) life emanated love. We know the true meaning of love because of him – love for Allah (SWT), love for our parents, love for our spouses, love for our children. Being born and raised in this country, where so often religion is trivialized, I sometimes find myself wondering how I became connected to this deen and to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) of this deen. Then, I realize it’s not the physical aspects that I was taught that had the most impact. Growing up and even to this day, whenever the beautiful city of Madinah is mentioned to my mother even in passing, she can’t control her tears; she can’t control the yearning she has to visit our beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). As a kid, I didn’t really pay much attention to it (as most kids in immaturity). Now, as an adult, I realize what a profound impact those tears had on my connection with the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). He is someone to yearn and strive for because it is through him that we can reach Allah (SWT). Just as we were taught what true love is by our parents, we are trying to continue that chain of transmission by teaching our children about love. In essence, we are all a part of a Sanad of Love.
Sanad Prep is one of the educational institutions that is trying to be a part of that chain that is instilling love into our children. This is my second year as a learning coach for Qur’an, Islamic Studies and girls PE at Sanad Prep. I can honestly say it is one of the most refreshing parts of my day. The attitude of the people there and interacting with the students always puts a smile on my face. There are moments when I am taken aback by the purity of the students. One such instance that comes to mind is during the last few weeks of class last year. We had spent the year talking about fiqh and mostly focusing on prayer and its different aspects and requirements. I asked my students what they thought was the purpose of learning all those details about prayer. Why is it important to know where to place your hands or how to do sujood in the proper way? One student answered that it’s important because that is how the Prophet prayed and when you love someone, you try your best to emulate all of their behaviors. When we can learn to emulate the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in the best way possible, that is when we have a chance at reaching Allah (SWT). SubhanAllah! What a profound understanding of our purpose! That answer left me speechless and made me realize that the love Sanad Prep is trying to teach is seeping into the students beautifully. I think what makes Sanad Prep unique is the intimate relationships the students are able to build with their learning coaches. Each student gets to feel important and special and the default attitude of the learning coaches is always to deal with them with love and gentleness, which is the way the Prophet always dealt with people, especially children. The students at Sanad Prep are reminded daily that their voice is not trivial. They are reminded that they should always feel comfortable asking questions about their faith whenever they have any doubts. I think Sanad Prep is like a safe haven for kids and their families where questions are answered in an honest and caring way and relationships are built on love and trust.
There is a lot of confusion and chaos within the larger Muslim community and society as a whole. When observing the societal shift that is taking place right before our eyes, it’s difficult not to stress and worry about how this will affect the next generation of Muslim youth in this country. Every day there are stories of kids and adults alike leaving their faith. In my humble opinion, I think in a general sense we have forgotten to take hold of the Sanad of Love. We have this beautiful tradition filled with instances of how our beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) dealt with many of the issues our youth are struggling with today. We have forgotten that the default emotional state of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) was of love and gentleness rather than anger and hostility. I believe it is even more important to go back to our tradition of love in this divisive and hateful sociopolitical climate to show others how our beautiful Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) taught us to live. This is especially important when dealing with our children and our youth, to preserve and protect their faith by instilling love of Allah (SWT) and love of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), which can only be done if we ourselves embody that love.
This is a test bio for the widget style