FAQ

Q: I am 25, and single. Alhamdullillah, I have been raised in a religious family and so I am fond of my religion - Islam, and desire to be faith-minded in all conditions. All my friends know about my faith and so try to offer me any advice they consider useful and interesting for me, and I appreciate this. But one of them just told me that I have become thisworldly, because I bought a gold necklace for myself. Of course it was not a very expensive one and it has been the only gold ornament I have ever bought myself. I have a paid   job and so I can help the needy to some extent. I see nothing wrong in a pious one’s enjoying a little luxury in this world. Am I right?  (Leila, India)

A. According to Islamic teachings, being pious and otherworldly does not mean that one should totally avoid ornaments and pleasures in this world. Rather Islam teaches us that one should try hard to earn his/her living through halal (lawful according to Islamic decrees) means and that also one should pay the religious dues on what he/she earns and help the needy as much as possible. So, if you are sure that   you are fulfilling these religious requirements, rest assured that your having bought a gold ornament for yourself does not make you deprived of the otherworldly blessings. Moreover, in a Hadith we read that Allah does not like to see a female even (a child or an old woman) with no ornaments on her.

Q: My 27-month-old son has sucked his thumb since he was a newborn. In the past month, the nail on his thumb has become so soft that it is about to come off, and now he has started sucking his other thumb. What can I do? (Pinar, Turkey)

A: You can sit back, relax! Ultrasounds and actual videos of foetuses in the womb show them sucking thumbs or fingers! This is a most natural, normal, self-nurturing, and stress-reducing behaviour. A veteran nurse in a newborn nursery used to actually try to encourage the newborns to "find their thumbs" and felt she helped thousands of parents and tens of thousands of babies get millions of hours of better sleep!

The feeling of paediatricians and dentists alike is that as long as the thumb sucking has ceased by the time the first permanent upper central incisor teeth come through (usually age 7 or so), this behaviour does not cause any dental disorders. And even at this age, foul-tasting potions applied to the thumb is cruel and to be avoided. If the behaviour has not gone away by this age, there is a very reasonably priced appliance that your dentist can apply across the child's upper arch prevents the formation of suction. The behaviour usually quickly ceases, without threats or punishment.

In your toddler's case, he did some very impressive problem-solving all on his own by switching thumbs! Even if the first nail comes off, there will be a perfectly fine new one beneath. And be sure to avoid the use of any kinds of arm restraints or bandages (that could become lodged in his airway!).  
There are plenty of things that parents have to worry about. Thumb sucking is not one of them!