Difficult Questions Muslim Kids Ask and Their Answers
It's a really good sign if a child is asking you difficult questions about Allah and Islam. It means they are taking an interest in their Deen and intelligently pondering over some aspects of it that they may not quite understand yet. However we can all um and ah uncomfortably at times, when thrown off-guard with a hard-to-answer question.
Some weeks ago, we asked you what questions your children ask you that you find difficult to answer, so we may attempt to help you with them. We have below selected some of the most commonly asked questions, and some rather tricky ones and provided child-friendly answers.
What does Allah look like?
Like nothing you’ve ever seen before! Imaginations are amazing things, and yours probably tries to imagine what Allah looks like. But the wondrous thing is that whatever your super imagination can dream up, Allah looks different to that. This is actually really fun, because when we finally see Allah on the Day of Judgement, it will be like nothing we’ve ever seen or felt before. A true surprise!
If you have Migo & Ali: Love for the Prophets, read the story of Musa (as) and see what happens when he asks Allah to show Himself to him!
Where is Allah?
The Qur’an tells us that Allah is above the heavens, above his throne. That being said, usually when we ask ‘where’ something is, it applies to things, objects, animals or people that have a body. They can be said to be in a certain place. For example, ‘where is the apple?’ It is on the table, right in the middle, taking up about the same space as the size of your fist. But when it comes to Allah, we have to remember that He is not like anything we know of. We can’t limit Allah to a space, like we do to other objects, so really He has no ‘where.’
But of course, Allah can see absolutely everything, everywhere and He can hear absolutely everything, everywhere. His knowledge and power are everywhere.
Why do some ladies not wear Hijab and some do?
Yes, some Muslim women wear Hijab (referring to a clothing element of hijab, like headscarf), and others don’t. If there is a woman who isn’t wearing hijab, it doesn’t mean that she is not Muslim. It also doesn’t mean that it’s not important to wear hijab. A lady who wears hijab might not be better, in Allah’s eyes, than the lady who does wear hijab. We can’t think that. Perhaps the lady who doesn’t wear hijab is earning many rewards and earning Allah’s love in other ways, and perhaps she will wear the hijab soon, in sha Allah.
Why are we sometimes harmed, even if we recite duas before going out?
Imagine that you recited duas and went out to ride your bike. While you were out, the bicycle peddle hit your leg hard. Ouch! Now you might wonder how that happened since you had said your duas! But little do you know what really big harm Allah saved you from because you said your duas. If you hadn’t said them, something really bad could have happened. You could have fallen off, or be hit by a car (Allah forbid, and may Allah protect you). And don’t forget, that Allah could make it so that even the peddle doesn’t hit you, but He wants to see how strong you are. If you carry on reciting your duas, trusting in Him, then he will love you even more and reward you even more.
Why are some people poor? Why didn't Allah give them money?
Allah did give money to everyone, but what happens is that some people on the Earth behave greedily and keep it for themselves. Allah gave more money to some people so that they could give charity to those who have less – so if we have more money, we should try and give some of it to help the poorer people. Giving money does not make us poorer, in fact, it makes us richer because Allah will give us back more money than we gave.
Does Allah punish Shaytan?
Allah does punish Shaytan, yes. Don’t you worry, that horrid creature will be taken care of!
Does Allah get bored?
No, not even for a second! Allah never gets bored. He tells us in the Qur’an, in Surah Rahman, that He is doing something all the time, at every moment. Allah has everyone’s lives and all of creation to look after and take care of. Also, don’t forget, that boredom is something that we as humans feel. Allah is nothing like us!
Questions answered by Zanib Mian, author of Migo & Ali: Love for the Prophets and other children's books. With special thanks to Shaykh Sajjad from Barking Mosque and Yusuf Chaudhary – Jazak Allah Khair. Also, Jazak Allah Khair to everyone who shared their questions with us on Facebook. We apologise for not answering every question on this occasion, but please keep submitting them to us as we have something very exciting coming up soon where all the questions will be answered in sha Allah!
