In these blessed days, many mothers wish to connect their children with the rituals of Hajj in order to nurture in them a reverence for the symbols of Allah. This is something good. However, in doing so, the story of Ibrahim and Ismail the sacrificial son is often brought up. The question is: are the details of this story appropriate for a child? The story of Ibrahim and Ismail the sacrificial son aims to purify the heart from everything other than Allah. In the example of Prophet Ibrahim we find a noble model that teaches us to cleanse our hearts from all attachments that compete with our love for Allah. But does the child truly grasp the meaning of this story when you tell it to him? Certainly not. What does the child understand then? A child understands that Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son, but he does not understand why Allah commanded him to do so. This is why he may ask his father: "Will Allah ask you to sacrifice me?" And this is exactly what many children in kindergartens have asked, especially the more intelligent ones. Telling this story with all its details to a young child may lead to negative assumptions about Allah in the long term, and it will certainly not draw him closer to the path of Allah, because the purpose of the story is beyond his level of understanding. The details should therefore be delayed until after the age of nine. What Do We Tell a Young Child When He Asks About the Eid Sheep? We can explain to him that Allah gifted Prophet Ibrahim a sheep because he obeyed Allah, without mentioning that Allah had commanded Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. We add these details later when the child grows older and his understanding matures. We can also explain to our younger children that the Prophet of Allah, Prophet Ibrahim, loved Allah deeply and always obeyed Him, and that Allah gifted him the sheep because of his obedience. When we see the sheep, we should remember how Prophet Ibrahim loved Allah and obeyed Him, and we should be like him, loving Allah and obeying Him. This helps anchor the child in the early foundations of faith-building. Some may ask: but this story is mentioned in the Noble Quran, so why do we withhold it from the child? Not everything mentioned in the Quran needs to be explained in detail to a young child. We do not, for example, explain the concept of adultery to a child even though it is mentioned in the Quran. We explain only what the child's mind is capable of understanding. How Do We Explain Hajj to a Child? We tell our children that Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail to build the Kaaba, and we tell them why: so that people would come there and gather to worship Allah and obey Him in that beautiful scene we witness, where voices rise from that sacred place filling the sky with "There is no god but Allah." A child can understand this. A child can also understand that Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to call people to Hajj so that they would gather and worship Him alone, repeating "There is no god but Allah." Do We Tell the Child That Satan Is Our Enemy and That This Is Why Pilgrims Throw Stones at Him? After the age of seven it is appropriate for a child to learn that Satan is a creature made of fire, and we can then narrate to him the story of how Allah commanded Satan to prostrate with the angels before our father Adam. Before that age, however, the child needs to know his Lord and become attached to Him before learning much about Satan, so that he does not imagine Satan as equal to Allah or come to fear him. We tell our children above the age of seven that with the story of the angels prostrating to Adam, Satan's enmity toward human beings began, and that he vowed to misguide us and keep us away from the straight path. On the Day of the Greater Hajj we remember this enmity and renew our covenant with Allah that we will not follow Satan, which is what throwing the pebbles symbolizes. Many mothers believe they need to fill their children's minds with a great deal of information in order for them to become better or smarter. We remind them that this is not correct. We are commanded to speak to people according to the capacity of their intellect. In the early stages of faith-building, a child needs attachment to Allah and a grounding in His Oneness more than anything else. Then he needs attachment to His Messenger and the Noble Quran. After that we expand according to the child's understanding as he grows. The years ahead will come, with Allah's permission, and his understanding will deepen. From wisdom is to seize the right moment and not to rush. Remember to repeat with your children during these blessed days the Takbir of Hajj: "Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, there is no god but Allah. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise." Say it together with a beautiful, unified voice that brings them comfort and nurtures their love for remembering Allah. May Allah accept your good deeds, and may you be well every year.