A three-year research project at the University of Oxford, involving 57 researchers from 20 countries, found that young children naturally tend to believe in God and life after death. The project, led by Dr. Justin Barrett, explored whether these beliefs are innate or learned. In his book Professor Barrett talks about how all babies, no matter where they come from, tend to believe in God from the time they’re born. Barrett, a well-known expert in psychology and anthropology, explains that this belief starts in the brain. When babies are born, they’re influenced by both their internal feelings and the world around them. They try to understand their surroundings by imagining a powerful and intelligent creator who controls things like the sun and night. This belief in a good creator can bring them comfort, especially when things feel chaotic and out of control. As children grow up, they develop more complex ideas about God’s knowledge, life after death, and the idea that God never die. Barrett shares experiments with kids from different parts of the world to show how these beliefs develop naturally.

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1. Imam Jazuli & the Dalail al-Khayrat

Imam Nabhani relates that Shaykh Hasan Adawi, in his marginal notes on Dalailul Khayrat, mentions that Imam Jazuli compiled Dalailul Khayrat in Fes (Morocco). The reason was because the Imam went to pray at the mosque and couldn’t find anything to get water from the well. Nearby, a young girl saw that the Imam was perplexed, so she came to him and asked him who he was. When the Imam told her who he was, she exclaimed, “You are a well-known scholar, yet you are confused about how to take water out of the well!” So the young girl spat into the well, and the water rose up. The shaykh made wudu with the water and asked the girl, ‘How did you attain such a rank?’ She replied,

بِكَثْرَةِ الصَّلاةِ علي من إذا مشي في البر الأقفر تعلّقت الوحوش بأذياله ﷺ
‘By sending Salawat upon He who when entering a barren land, all animals cling on to him.’ So the Imam pledged that he would compile a book on Salawat upon the Holy Prophet ﷺ.⁴

2. Malik ibn Dinar & eating dates

Malik ibn Dinar was a renowned Sufi and ascetic. For forty years, he lived in Basra and never ate fresh dates. When the season of ripe dates came around, he would say, “People of Basra, my belly has not shrunk from not eating them, and you who eat them daily, your bellies have not become any larger.” After forty years, he began to crave dates. However hard he tried, he could not control the craving for fresh dates. After a few days, when the craving intensified, he exclaimed, “I will not eat fresh dates. Either kill me or let me die!” That night, in a dream, a heavenly voice spoke. “You must eat some dates. Free your nafs from bondage.” Waking up, he decided that if he fasted for a week, he would eat some dates. So for a whole week, he fasted. He finally bought some dates and entered the local mosque. As he was about to eat them, a young boy shouted,

يا أبت، شخص يهوديٌ اشتري شيئاً من الرطب، ودخل هذا المسجد ليأكل
“Father! A Jew has bought dates and is going to the mosque to eat them.”

What business has a Jew in the mosque?” the father ran to the mosque and was shocked to see it was the great Imam Malik bin Dinar. Malik asked the father, “Why did the boy shout that I was a Jew?” “Excuse him, master,” the boy’s father pleaded. “He is only a child and does not understand. Many Jews live in this area. We are constantly fasting, and our children see the Jews eating by day. So they suppose that everyone who eats anything by day is a Jew. What he said, he said in ignorance. Forgive him!” When Malik heard this, he was consumed with awe and bewilderment. He realized that Allah had inspired the little boy to speak. “Ya Allah, I had not eaten any dates, and you labeled me a Jew by the tongue of an innocent child. If I had eaten the dates, you would have branded me as an unbeliever. By your sake! I shall never eat dates.⁵

3. Imam Abu Hanifa & Fiqh

In the Hanafi school, Imam Abu Hanifa would encourage discourse and discussion. Ibn Abideen states that the Imam would gather around 1000 people around him, 40 of whom had reached the level of Ijtehad. He would discuss an issue, and when consensus was found amongst them, he would say to Abu Yusuf, “Put this in this chapter.” Sometimes discussions would last over a month. The students of Imam Abu Hanifa differed with him in 1/3 of issues. However, in reality, they were all opinions of Abu Hanifa. Abu Yusuf states, “I did not oppose Abu Hanifa in any issues except that they were also opinions of Abu Hanifah.” Zufar stated the same. All this was due to the Imam’s piety and scrupulousness. This was because the Imam passed by a child who was playing in mud. He warned the boy to be careful so that he doesn’t fall and injure himself. In response, the boy stated,

احذر أنت السقوط، فإن في سقوط العالِم سقوط العالَم
You must be cautious, for if you fall the world falls.’⁶

(If the scholar slips, so do those who follow him)

In summary, these stories show how children’s innocent words can profoundly influence scholars and Sufis. They remind us of our innate connection to Allah and the importance of humility and piety. Let’s value the wisdom of children and learn from their insights to strengthen our faith in Allah, Ameen.

1. The Dalail al-Khayrat is a famous collection of prayers dedicated to the the Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon him be peace and mercy). It was authored by the Moroccan Shadhili scholar Muhammad al-Jazuli, who passed away in 1465 AD. This collection is widely embraced by traditional Muslims, particularly in regions such as North Africa, the Levant, Turkey, the Caucasus, and South Asia. It is organised into sections intended for daily recitation. ↩︎
2. Malik was a respected figure in early Islam. He was from the student of Hasan Basri and other notable Tabi’en scholars. Malik is reported to have died in 748 in Kerala, India. ↩︎
3. Abu Hanifa is one of the four great Scholars of Islam. Born in Kufa in 699, he met the leading scholars of his time. He is the founder of the the Hanafi jurisprudential school, the largest in the Muslim world. He died in Baghdad in 767 ↩︎
4. p. 62. Dalalāt Wadihāt Ala Dalailul Khayrat, Imam Yusuf Nabhani. ↩︎
5. p. 75, Tazkiratul Awliya, Shaykh Fariddudin Attar. ↩︎
6. p. 218, vol. 1, Radd al-Muhtār ‘ala al-Durr al-Mukhtār, Imam Muhammad Amin ibn Umar al-Shami, ed. Dr Husam Eddin Farfour ↩︎