🧒 Raising children (tarbiyah) · #26
Some fathers feel awkward hugging and kissing their children. Is physical affection like this encouraged?
Yes, hugging, kissing and playing with children is a sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ and a sign of mercy in the heart.
When the Prophet ﷺ kissed his grandson al-Hasan, al-Aqra' ibn Habis said he had ten children and had never kissed any of them; the Prophet looked at him and said: whoever does not show mercy is not shown mercy (Sahih al-Bukhari 5997). He also joked with children, asking a little boy called Abu ʿUmayr about his pet bird (Sahih al-Bukhari 6203), and greeted children with salam (Sahih al-Bukhari 6247). Touch and attention build a child's sense of safety and self-worth, especially boys, who are often raised to think "boys do not need hugs". A father who was never hugged himself can begin little by little. See Educating the family.
When the Prophet ﷺ kissed his grandson al-Hasan, al-Aqra' ibn Habis said he had ten children and had never kissed any of them; the Prophet looked at him and said: whoever does not show mercy is not shown mercy (Sahih al-Bukhari 5997). He also joked with children, asking a little boy called Abu ʿUmayr about his pet bird (Sahih al-Bukhari 6203), and greeted children with salam (Sahih al-Bukhari 6247). Touch and attention build a child's sense of safety and self-worth, especially boys, who are often raised to think "boys do not need hugs". A father who was never hugged himself can begin little by little. See Educating the family.
Sources
Sahih al-Bukhari 5997Sahih al-Bukhari 6203Sahih al-Bukhari 6247