4. Encourage your daughter to be active in the community. Be supportive of her activism. The women around the Prophet (S)were beacons of empowerment to other women in their communities. Encourage your daughter to be a part of this legacy, whether she is teaching other youth or volunteering at a local event. It encourages empathy, God-consciousness, independence, time management skills, and so much more. 5. Be the best example of a man you can be. Why? Well, besides “you’ll be accountable for your actions,” your daughter will almost certainly use you as her standard when deciding on her future husband. As her father, you are the first man to whom she develops an attachment. Her expectations of a man will be affected by the way you treat her, her mother, and others, the way you deal with emotions, your work ethic and so on. The Messenger of Allah, (S), said, “Every one of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock. The leader of people is a guardian and is responsible for his subjects. A man is the guardian of his family and he is responsible for them” [Bukhari and Muslim]. 3. Tell her that she is beautiful at every age. In present-day society, all forms of media, be it Instagram, magazines or music videos, can have potentially devastating psychological effects. We cannot escape these subliminal messages that try to define beauty. Young girls and women are especially targeted by these messages. Althoughwe cannot eliminate these influences, you as a father can act as a ‘stress buffer’ or someone who alleviates the negative psychological effects of such influences. So let her hear from the most important man in her life that she is beautiful. But remember to also stress the importance of inner beauty. The Messenger of Allah (S) said, “Allah does not look at your figures, nor at your attire but He looks at your hearts [and deeds].” [Muslim] Its not about what you leave for your children, but what you leave in your children. 18
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