—some foolish individuals who, if a little boy wanders up to them while they are sitting in a café, snap at him and shoo him away. Such behaviour is wrong.

Now look at the Prophet ﷺ—the most refined of all people in character and the noblest in manners. One day, while he was leading the congregation and was in prostration, al-Hasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib toddled over and climbed onto his back, just as children do. The Prophet prolonged the prostration; the Companions found it remarkable, whereupon he said, “My son has turned me into his mount, and I did not wish to rise until he had finished enjoying himself.” That was nothing but mercy.

On another occasion, the young girl Umāmah—the daughter of Zaynab, the daughter of the Messenger ﷺ—was with him. He carried her to the mosque, stepped forward to lead the people in prayer while holding the child, and whenever he went into prostration he would place her gently on the ground; when he stood up, he would pick her up again. All of this was compassion and kindness toward her. He could easily have said to ʿĀʾishah or any of his other wives, “Take the girl,” but mercy moved him. Perhaps she had clung to her grandfather ﷺ, and he wanted to put her at ease.

And in