This book aims to introduce a dimension of the Sirah – or biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – that previous accounts have rarely touched on: the way the Prophet ﷺ interacted with children. It also aims to introduce readers to a wide range of methods used by the Prophet ﷺ in his dealings with children. This book also emphasizes the complexity of raising children and the difficulty of satisfying and meeting their needs. It helps develop analytical skills through the example the Prophet ﷺ set and encourages readers to reflect on the challenges of employing these same proven methods in a contemporary context. Finally, this book aims to acquaint the reader with some of the children closest to the Prophet ﷺ, as part of a larger effort to popularize the early protagonists of Islamic history.

Chapter 1 aims to introduce the main characters of the book: the Prophet ﷺ and some particularly important children around him. It focuses on aspects of his personality that influenced the children, such as his compassion, kindness, and mercy. The second part of this chapter also briefly presents some essential information about some of the young Companions who lived in Makkah and Medina during the formative years of Islam.

Chapter 2 stresses the importance of the emotional dimension of children's personalities, especially as a prerequisite for spirituality and belief. In his dealings with children, the Prophet ﷺ aimed to build a relationship based on trust, love, compassion and kindness. Once these foundations were laid, the children were then more ready to listen to his teachings and put them into practice with all their heart. Parents should not underestimate the importance of this dimension when interacting with their children, even when it comes to educating them in the teachings of Islam. The real and genuine practice of Islam should be based on persuasion, conviction and love, and should not be inculcated by lecturing, lecturing or getting carried away in angry harangues.

Chapter 3 aims to demonstrate that parents, in their efforts to build and strengthen belief in the hearts of their children, must first represent Islam themselves through their own words and actions. They should also emotionally attach their children to Allah, the Prophet ﷺ and the Quran. The many stories about the love and mercy of the Messenger ﷺ can be used in creating this link.

Chapter 4 examines how the Prophet ﷺ taught children to worship Allah. With its emphasis on daily prayer, the concept of worship requires gradual training and patience, on the part of adults and children alike. Many aspects of worship are not a religious obligation for children, so it is important to make this worship experience as close to your child's heart as possible. This chapter explains how the Prophet ﷺ went about achieving this goal.

Chapter 5 explains how the Prophet ﷺ shaped the morals and behavior of children. Much of this process was the natural result of progress in building their iman (faith) and training them to worship Allah. Be that as it may, parents must understand that morality is not inculcated in the character of children by fine speeches and sermons, but by action: this was also the pedagogy of the Prophet ﷺ.

Chapter 6 examines how the Prophet ﷺ approached and dealt with the sexual desires of young people. This chapter also discusses some Quranic advice and instructions relating to sexual desire, which are particularly useful for parents worried about raising their children in today's hyper-sexualized society. Emphasis is placed on the role of parents and the family home in sexual discipline, through the different social norms and mores that children must learn and internalize when they are young.

Chapter 7 explores the ways in which the Prophet ﷺ encouraged children to become social creatures. The essence of this chapter is to recall that the Prophet ﷺ sought to form confident and socially engaged individuals who were proud of their Muslim identity. One of the goals of this approach is to ensure that the friendships formed outside the home complement the efforts of parents within the home.

Finally, the Afterword concludes this work by retracing the lives of some of the children who grew up around the Prophet ﷺ, once they reached adulthood and themselves became parents. The reader will thus be able to see how these young children assimilated the values they learned from the Prophet ﷺ, and to what extent they put them into practice in their lives.