HE HAS RECOGNISED our voices and our smell for weeks. He now recognises our faces easily. And at 6 weeks he has started to smile. The first proper gummy smiles of absolute delight because he’s really pleased to see us!
Sure, we saw a few quick smiles here and there and in his sleep in the last couple of weeks but this is the smile that a parent never forgets.
Once he realises that smiling at us makes us smile back, he will just keep smiling! That’s because small babies like to imitate facial expressions, so the more we smile at the baby, the more likely he is to smile back. By responding to his smiles and engaging in this way, we encourage his development.
But it isn’t just these early months where we should smile. Islam has a lot to say about smiling.
ibn Jaz (ra) said: ‘I have not seen anyone smile more often than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ (Tirmidhī)
Jarir ibn Abdullah (ra) said: ‘Allah’s Messenger ﷺ never refused me permission to see him since I embraced Islam and never looked at me but with a smile.’ (Muslim)
The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘Do not disdain a good deed, (no matter how small it may seem) even if it is your meeting with your brother with a cheerful face.’ (Muslim).
And he ﷺ said: ‘Smiling in your brother’s face is an act of charity.’ (Tirmidhi)
It is an essential component of good character that warms the heart and breaks barriers and is recognised in every culture across the world. Shakespeare once said: ‘It’s easier to get what you want with a smile than with the sword.’
Smiling elevates mood and creates a sense of well-being. Scientists have found that smiling releases dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin which are the body’s feel-good hormones. Endorphins are natural pain relievers and act as the body’s opiates. Researchers even found that one smile can generate the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate.
We have all experienced the infectiveness of smiling. When you’re smiling the whole world smiles with you.
So smile, it’s sunnah.
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