Parenting with Sabr: Lessons from the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ 

Parenting Perspective 

Parenting with Sabr (patience) is not about staying calm because everything is easy. It is about staying committed when things are not simple. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ modelled this kind of patience not from a place of comfort, but from the very centre of life’s trials such as grief, fatigue, loss, loneliness, and immense responsibility. 

The holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ experienced the death of multiple children. He carried the responsibility of a universal task while still being a father and grandfather. He knew the pain of poverty, the pressure of people’s expectations, and the ache of exhaustion. And yet, even in all of this, he never withheld gentleness from those in his care.

Parenting through Trials: Prophetic Lessons in Sabr 

Gentleness was never abandoned. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ never used hardship as an excuse to become harsh. Even when he was grieving or exhausted, he treated children with tenderness. His Sabr was not silent suffering, it was active restraint in service of compassion. 

Connection mattered more than control. He would shorten prayers if he heard a child crying. He would carry his grandsons on his shoulders, even during public gatherings. His patience was expressed not in how long he endured, but in what he prioritised despite his own state. 

He allowed space for emotion. He wept when holding his dying son and he felt sorrow. He did not numb his feelings to be a ‘perfect parent’. Instead, he brought his heart fully into every moment, even the painful ones and this was also a form of Sabr. 

He corrected with love, not force. When children made mistakes, he would teach them gently, using few words and kind tones. His Sabr meant giving them time to grow, rather than expecting perfection. 

These lessons are not theoretical ideals. They are real examples of parenting from a place of fatigue, stress, and heartbreak, the same states many parents quietly carry today. 

Spiritual Insight 

Allah Almighty states in the noble Quran at Surah Al Zumar (39), verse 10: 

“‘…Indeed, those people that were resilient shall be rewarded with what is their due, without any limitations.’”  

When you choose not to shout, when you soothe a tantrum while your head is pounding, when you give love while your own heart feels empty, these are not minor acts. They are recorded, valued, and promised reward beyond measure. 

The Prophetic Model: Choosing Mercy Over Reactivity 

It is recorded in Sahih Bukhari that the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: 

“He is not of us who does not show mercy to our young.”  

[Sahih al-Bukhari, 5648] 

This is not just a statement of character, it is a call to how we parent, especially when tested. Sabr in parenting is not stoic silence. It is choosing mercy over reactivity, repeatedly. 

You do not have to wait to feel ‘strong’ or ‘perfect’ to practise Sabr. If the holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ showed us anything, it is that the most meaningful patience is often born in the middle of our exhaustion, grief, or chaos and even that can be a form of worship. Keep holding on gently and this is prophetic parenting.