Winning Essays from the Family Fun Night Competition

As part of the BIS Family Fun Night, an Essay Competition was organized for the elementary,

middle and high school students. Topics were designed to encourage creative thinking and thoughtful expression. The elementary aged topic was, “How has the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) Influenced Your Life?“. Middle school students were prompted to write about, how “The Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Qur’an tell us to practice two things: (a) practice good and spread it to others and (b) avoid evil and help others to stay away from it. As a Muslim youth living in our modern time and place, how can you practice the above two teachings of Islam?”. High school’s topic was, “You do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness.” Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) - Sahih al-Bukhari. Explain the individual, social, and cultural aspects of applying the above tradition during the contemporary period and the issues and/or benefits that we might have”.

Maria Ejaz placed first followed by Musab Khan for High School.

Elementary school student Haroon Nabi was first followed by his brother Yusuf Nabi in second and Saima Iqbal was third.

There was no entries for middle school.

Here are the winning essays.


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Applying the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) to Our Daily Lives

By Maria Ejaz

There are many passages from the Hadith of Prophet Muhammad, but a few sayings stand out because they apply so well to today’s world. Hadith is a collection of traditions containing sayings of the prophet Muhammad. The Hadith contained Muhammad's accounts of his daily life which we know now as the Sunna. Throughout his life the prophet found success in spreading the message and culture of Islam. He is duly noted as one of the most influential people in the world leaving a mark for generations to come. His maxim, “you do not do evil to those who do evil to you but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness”, expresses a primary belief for people then and now. The meanings of Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) teachings apply to the following three aspects of life today in a beneficial way: individual, social, and cultural.

The effects of the above quote on an individual are amazing to see. It teaches people to not let their evil thoughts of others get the best of them. The quote emphasizes forgiveness, a now well-known key quality in a human being, and kindness, a vocal point to prevent evil such as bullying from spreading. The emphasize on forgiveness is key because it shows that people must learn to forgive much like Allah(swt) who is the most merciful, but as the Quran says it is not always easy to forget, and this is the same quote many individuals still live by today: “Forgive, but don’t forget”. The emphasize on kindness is so crucial to understanding the meaning of the prophet's quote because it explains to individuals that kindness is the best peace offering one can offer. People must learn from Allah(swt), who shows his kindness through his mercy.

Not only are individuals impacted by the prophet's message, but also society as a whole shaped by this lesson. Society carries the weight of pride which will eventually lead to their downfall when they do not forgive and do not teach others to forgive: “ He who has in his heart the weight of an atom of pride shall not enter Paradise”. The societal need for salvation, including from people of any religion in which they believe in an Almighty, and the fear of an Almighty helps this lesson dig deeper into the societal roots we have all been raised on.

The cultural effects are closely related to the societal effects, but differ due to creating cultures based off of Islamic law in various parts of the world. The cultures in different parts of the world differ in multitudinous ways. An example of the effect on Britain, a country with many religions including Islam as a primary religion, is when a British man by the name of Terry Waite forgave his capturor, a Dubai man named Hezbollah. Another example of the effect of the forgiveness part of the quote is the Pakistani Law of Forgiveness which protects killers.

It is hard to argue with the messages of the messenger himself because of his wisdom which benefited not only people long ago, but also those of our world today, but such as with the Pakistani Law of Forgiveness we can see that not everyone has the same perspective on certain topics, and how something can be taken a different way than its intent. Overall, the effects of the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) have well impacted our individuality, society, and cultural laws and beliefs.

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Generosity is the beauty of Islam

By Musab Khan

The hadith or the saying of our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) are so important that if we follow them, our life can be a whole different story. Following his path doesn’t just affects you but everyone around you; friends, family, society. In one of Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) saying he says that, if something that is harmful has been done to you by someone, do not respond the same way, rather be generous and be forgiving towards them (Sahih al Bukhari). Applying this hadith in our lives and doing this to somebody can change their life in many ways.

A disbeliever gave some money as loan to prophet to feed the poor. He came to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to get his money back three days before the end of loan duration, to get his attention he pulls Prophet Muhammad (SAW) cloth in a disrespectful way and asks, “where is the money that I have loaned you?” That disrespectful behavior has caught by one of the companions of Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) attention, and the companion was Umar (R.A). Umar (R.A) confronted the disbeliever with anger and wanted to punish the disbeliever badly because of the behavior toward Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Prophet Muhammad (SAW) became very disappointed by the action of Umar R.A. Prophet Muhammad told Umar (R.A) to pay the disbeliever back and give him more than what he loaned. The disbeliever was shocked by the generosity and forgiveness from Prophet Muhammad (SAW), later the disbeliever accepted Islam.

One time when I was in school, a student started calling me out by some names and talked about my religion on how bad it is. I became mad, which led me to say something bad, but next day I gave him something and apologized to him only because of Islam. After few days, he came to me and apologized for what he said. This is an example of following the way of Prophet Muhammed (SAW), if it’s used then things will be beneficial for the person using it and the ones around you.

Following the way of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is very important for the individuals in Islam these days, since the disbelievers of Islam are against Muslims because of what they see in the media, we Muslim must prove them wrong. The easiest way to prove them wrong is to follow Islam in the right way.

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How Prophet Muhammad (saw) Influenced my Life

By Haroon Nabi

Prophet Muhammad (saw) influenced my life by teaching me how to be kind and generous, loving and respectful. He also taught me to be responsible. Thanks to his teachings I try and be a religious Muslim boy.

A long time ago when there was a fight for who would put the black stone in the Kaba, Prophet Muhammad (saw) he was chosen to settle the dispute. He asked one of the men there, to bring a cloth and put the black stone in the middle. He then asked one man from each tribe to pick up a corner of the cloth and place the stone in the Kaba. This solved the problem in a good way, because everyone got to help equally. I keep this in mind when my friends have an argument. I try and solve it in a way that doesn’t make one of my friends sad while another is happy.

There is also a story about Prophet Muhammad saw always helping that I need to remember when I’m asked to do something I don’t want to do. One day, the Prophet and his companions were stopping for the night and planning to have a lamb for dinner. Each of the companions volunteered to do something to help. The first one said he would kill it, the second one said he would skin it and the last one said he would cook it. Prophet Muhammad (saw) offered to gather the wood. The companions, said, no stress on you, but the Prophet said something like, “Allah doesn’t like people who think they are better than others.” So, he went and gathered some wood. If he could help, so should everyone.

Another story that I should try to follow is when a man brought grapes for the Prophet and he ate them all without sharing. Normally he shared everything, so one of the companions asked him why didn’t you share. And he said, the grapes were sour, and if you ate them you might make a bad face and hurt the poor man’s feelings. I try to not hurt anyone’s feelings, but I need to remember this story and keep trying harder.

While so much of what I do has been influenced by Prophet Muhammad: pray, say Assalamalaikum, read Quran, share, forgive. There are a lot of things I need to remember: eating with my right hand, being more responsible, not losing my temper, and الحَمْد لله, there are a lot of stories of Prophet Muhammad (saw) that I can learn and put in to action.

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How the Prophet Influenced My Life

By Yusuf Nabi

The Prophet Muhammad (salllahu alayhi wa sallam) influenced our lives in many ways. He is our role model because he is the last prophet of Allah (swt), and he is guaranteed Jannah. He also received the Quran and is the example for how Muslims should behave. He influenced us in all aspects of our life, especially for me, in giving charity, being kind, and being patient.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) taught us that helping the poor and needy is important. There is a hadith that says, “He is not a perfect Muslim who eats his fill and lets his neighbor go hungry.” I try to remember the poor and needy when I eat. I give food to my friends when they don’t have any at lunch. As a family we make sandwiches and lunches and give them to the homeless downtown. I also give food and other things to my little brother when I don’t want to, because Prophet Muhammad also said, "None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself,” (Bukhari & Muslim).

Prophet Muhammad (saw) told every one to be kind, even when people are mean to us. In fact it says in the sahih al bukhari, “kindness is a mark of faith and who ever is not kind has no faith.” As a student, I see kids being mean all the time, and I try to not be like them. I try to help those that people are being mean to by being a friend to everyone. I also try to help my teachers when everyone is out of control by telling everyone to be quiet and being a good example.

Sometimes being patient is hard for me. I have two little brothers who annoy me, a sister who bullies me, and a class that is sometimes crazy. I try and be patient and remember what Prophet Muhammad experienced in his life. He taught us to be patient. He went to Ta’if to preach Islam, and they threw stones at him. This is an example of patience as he could have asked Allah (swt) to hurt them, but he prayed to Allah (swt) to make them Muslims instead.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) was blessed, but had a hard life. For me, his example is not just charity, kindness, and patience, but in all things, so that Inshallah, I too will go to Janna. We should all be happy that we are Muslims and be happy that we have a good example to follow, Alhumdulillah.

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How did Prophet Muhammad (s) influenced your life?

By Saima Iqbal

Many times we were told in the Qur’an that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was sent as a Mercy to mankind. And we Muslims cannot describe as to how, and how much, he made us feel blessed for having him (pbuh) as our Prophet. We love him of course, because he has brought with him Islam, my and your religion. Without the Islam he has brought, I would not have known about myself and about my Lord, Exalted is He. Without the Islam he has brought, I would have gone astray, away from Allah (swt) and away from the Truth. Without the Islam he has brought, I would not have known about the Day of Judgment, wherein we will be rewarded for the good deeds we have done and punished for the evil deeds we have committed. Without the Islam he has brought, I would not have become close to my parents, my siblings, and the rest of the people of my household and many, indeed, too many to mention.

It is a sad thing indeed that many people are unaware of these sayings of the Prophet (pbuh), and even ridicule and accuse him of being this-and-that when truly I have not known anyone better and kinder than him.

Now that I am writing this essay, I’ve realized that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) played a major role in my life and that I do love him and am very proud of being among the people of his (pbuh) Ummah. For all the goodness people see in me now, it is because of Islam which he (pbuh) has brought that turned me this way. Allah (swt) has indeed granted me my prayer and has consoled me regarding my problem, Alhamdulillahi Rabbil A’lamin.

One of my favorite sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is this A believer is one who desires for his brother what he desires for himself.” And another saying tells us that when a believer supplicates for his brother, an angel will say, Ameen may you have the same.

Muslims believe that Islam is a faith that has always existed and that it was gradually revealed to humanity by a number of prophets, but the final and complete revelation of the faith was made through the Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. the most important type of revelation for Muslims. The Qur'an is regarded as a special revelation from Allah to Prophet Muhammad. It was revealed to him in Arabic. The Qur'an is therefore different from any other book for Muslims because it contains the words of Allah.