From the beautiful advices I remember hearing from the noble scholar, Shaykh Sulaymān ar-Ruḥaylī - may Allah preserve him - in his beneficial dawrah (دورة أصول معاملة الأهل والأصحاب - Seminar on the Principles of Interacting with Family and Companions), which I sincerely advise every husband, wife, or anyone upon the path to marriage to listen to - the Shaykh mentioned a heartwarming and practical point of advice.
He said that from the most beautiful things a father can do is to create for his children a structured timetable and a family program, and that the husband and wife join them in this noble routine. For example, the parents say to their children: “Between ʿAṣr and ʿIshāʾ, no one is allowed to use a phone or any device.” A box is placed in the home where everyone places their phones, and during that time the family engages in seeking knowledge, reading the Qurʾān, reading beneficial books, having meaningful conversations, enjoying one another’s company, and sharing moments of ḥalāl fun and joy as a family. The Shaykh said this will never work without patience.
And how true are his words. We live in a time where people have become captives, imprisoned by the screens of their phones. You will find a family living under the same roof - yet texting each other through a screen. A mother sitting alone. A wife longing for attention. A child seeking a moment with their father - but all lost in the scroll of devices. This is truly saddening.
How beautiful is a home where mercy, love, and warmth are spread - because the father and mother made a decision: no devices for a portion of the day. Instead, hearts connect, eyes meet, and love is rekindled. For relationships are not built upon mere presence - they are built upon true attention, emotion, and connection.
Do we not remember the Prophet ﷺ? He once sat with his companions wearing a ring. He noticed that it distracted him during their gathering. As narrated by Ibn ʿAbbās, he would look at the ring, then look at them - so he removed it, and he threw it away. The companions, out of their deep love and attentiveness, immediately noticed and asked, “Why did you do that, O Messenger of Allah?”
The Prophet ﷺ said: «شَغَلَنِي هَذَا عَنْكُمْ مُنْذُ الْيَوْمَ» “This has distracted me from you since today.”
So ask yourself: What did he choose? The ring - or them? He chose them. He chose his companions. He chose the people over the object.
So when will we do the same? When will we turn our phones off, and turn to our families? To our beloved mothers, wives, children, and siblings?
Let us not allow the brightness of our screens to darken the warmth and love of our homes.