When Prophet Sulaymān (AS) was given power greater than almost anyone in history, he didn't ask 'look what I built' - he asked Allah to help him stay grateful. That mindset is exactly what we try to plant in every child at DSQA.
Ask a child who did well in a test how they got their high mark, and you'll usually hear some version of "I worked hard" or "I studied a lot." That's true, and effort deserves praise. But it's only half the story, and it's a half we don't always finish teaching. Who gave that child the mind to understand, the health to sit and study, the eyes to read, the teacher who explained it, the quiet home to work in? Effort is real, but it never explains everything.
The Qur'an gives us one of the clearest lessons on this in the story of Prophet Sulaymān (AS). He wasn't just wealthy. Allah gave him a kingdom, wealth, authority, and abilities no one before or after him would have. And yet the Qur'an doesn't tell his story so we learn that having more makes a person greater. It tells his story so we learn how to hold more without letting it hold us.
He Asked for a Kingdom, and He Asked Allah for It
Sulaymān (AS) made a du'a that's preserved for us in the Qur'an:
"My Lord, forgive me and grant me a kingdom such as will not belong to anyone after me. Indeed, You are the Bestower." (Qur'an 38:35)
He didn't ask for the bare minimum. He asked for something extraordinary, and he asked Allah (SWT) directly. That matters for how we raise children too. We want DSQA students to have big, healthy ambitions - to want to excel, to lead, to build, to achieve. Wanting more isn't the problem. The question is always who you're asking, and who you thank when it arrives.
An Ant Reminded a King Who the King Really Was
One of the most beautiful moments in his story is small on purpose. Sulaymān (AS) was marching with his army when he heard an ant warning the other ants to get out of the way so they wouldn't be crushed without anyone noticing. The Qur'an tells us his response:
"So he smiled, amused at her speech, and said, 'My Lord, inspire me to be thankful for Your favour which You have bestowed upon me and my parents...'" (Qur'an 27:19)
A man with an army, a kingdom, and authority over jinn, birds, and wind still turned that moment into a du'a for gratitude. Power didn't distract him from Allah (SWT). It reminded him of Allah (SWT). Elsewhere in the same surah, he says plainly:
"This is from the favour of my Lord, to test me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful." (Qur'an 27:40)
Every gift, in his eyes, was a test question, not a trophy.
What This Looks Like in a Classroom
At Darus Saulieghien Quraan Academy, this is exactly the mindset we try to build alongside the academic and Qur'anic curriculum. A child who completes a juz of hifz, wins an award, or masters a difficult subject has genuinely worked for it, and we celebrate that effort. But we also want them to finish the sentence Sulaymān (AS) modelled for us: this ability, this memory, this teacher, this opportunity - it's a favour from Allah (SWT), and it comes with a test attached. What will you do with it?
That's the difference between raising a child who says "look what I achieved" and one who says "look what my Lord gave me, so what should I do with it now." One produces pride. The other produces Taqwa, humility, and a habit of turning back to Allah (SWT) every time something goes right.
A Small Practice for Home
Next time your child brings home a good mark, finishes a Qur'an milestone, or is praised for something they did well, try adding one extra question after "well done": "Who made that possible?" Let them name the favours behind the achievement - the mind Allah (SWT) gave them, the effort He enabled, the people He placed around them. It takes thirty seconds, and over years it builds exactly the mindset Sulaymān (AS) carried into a kingdom: hold what you're given with an open, grateful hand, and never confuse the blessing with the One who blessed you.