Sunday, May 24, 2009

Bringing up our Young

My teacher, Ust Zhul gave a lecture in Pergas yesterday. And the topic was 'Bringing up our Young as Muslims in the present age" Its Challenges and our responsibilities"

Isn't that a much desired and needy topic for Muslims nowadays?

Though i may not have kids now, but insya allah, hope that I could benefit much from the lecture and be able to put them into practice so that i may raise sensible and pious children in the near future. amin ya rabb!

Just a gist of what Ust said during the lecture: (you can visit his blog at the link above)

Ustaz began by telling us that he was aware of all that discussions that revolved around muslims; H1N1,facebook etc. These, he felt was less significant than the impending issues and concerns the ummah should discuss about. And especially so, the importance of the Development and Education of the Muslims.

To be a Muslim, you need nurturing. How are we going to nurture our young?

Do we send them to Montessori? The Montessori system is widely used in most pre schools. Do you want to send them there too?

Ustaz started off by quoting this verse from the Quran: (Surah al-Imran:102)
'And hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate. And remember Allah's favour unto you: how ye were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts so that ye became as brothers by His grace; and (how) ye were upon the brink of an abyss of fire, and He did save you from it. Thus Allah maketh clear His revelations unto you, that haply ye may be guided,'

Every Muslim is important to us. He talks about the youth in our current times. The dangers that they were in. The concern and education that they lacked.

du'a iftitah is often recited in our subuh prayers. (Surah al-Anam:162)

"Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: "

Companies have their own 'vision' or 'mission statement'. Let us as Muslims develop this as our mission statement in our daily lives. We only have this chance of a lifetime. Since Allah swt has guided our hearts towards Islam, shouldn't we be cherishing what He has given us?

"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah) never will it be accepted of him; and in the Hereafter he will be in the ranks of those who have lost. (all spiritual good)."

Hadith of Prophet s.a.w:

'Every child is born in a state of fitrah(pure innocence); it is the parent that will make him to be a Jew, or a Christian or a pagan.'

Hence, it is the amanah of a parent.

Hadith reported by al-Hakim:

'Open(speak or when starting to teach in the beginning) recite upon your children the words, 'Laa ilaa Ha il laalah' (There is no god except Allah)

Remember our Kalimatul Haqq.

Instead of singing,'Rockabye baby on the tree top', why not try to sing this 'lullabye of kalimah' to your baby.

Prophet Muhammad s.a.w is our best Educator. Muslims must bear in mind this and not follow any other people of these modern times.

He also said:

Educate (nurture) your children upon 3 things: (Desired outcomes)

- To love your Prophet s.a.w

- To love the family members of his household

- Learn to recite the al-Quran(hadith narrated by Thabrani)

If you don't know the person, how do you love the person? How many of us know the Prophet, know the sirah of our Prophet s.a.w? Maulids are meant to remind/help us remember our Prophet. Do we know what is being read?

Prophet s.a.w said: 'Teach your children to obey Allah, and make them to be mindful(fear to ever)being disobedient towards Allah, instruct them to carry out the commandments, and to abstain from the forbidden, because this will preserve them and you from the Hell fire.' (hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas).

Allah swt teaches us through Luqman in al-Quran: (Surah Luqman:12~19)

We bestowed (in the past) wisdom on Luqman: "Show (thy) gratitude to Allah." Any who is (so) grateful does so to the profit of his own soul: but if any is ungrateful verily Allah is free of all wants, worthy of all praise. (12) - Train our children to be grateful towards Allah swt. Nurture the feeling of thankfulness in our children.

Behold, Luqman said to his son admonishing him: "O my son! Join not in worship (others) with Allah: for false worship is indeed the highest wrong-doing." (13) - The sin of shirk must always be avoided. Do not join partners with Allah in worship.

And We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command) "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal. (14) - Show gratitude towards parents. Teach them to learn how to respect.(one sign of the Akirah:mothers/parents becoming slaves to their children)

"But if they strive to make the join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge obey them not; Yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration) and follow the way of those who turn to Me (in love): in the End the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that ye did." (15) - Even if your parents are not muslims, you must still take care of them in their old age. Just remember, don't join them in worship other than Allah.

"O my son!" (said Luqman) "If there be (but) the weight of a mustard-seed and it were (hidden) in a rock, or (anywhere) in the heavens or on earth, Allah will bring it forth: for Allah understands the finer mysteries, (and) is well-acquainted (with them). (16) - Taqwa. If you possess this element, your children will follow.

"O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong: and bear with patient constancy whatever betide thee; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs. (17) - Solat! This has been largely neglected. Destroy it, and you will destroy your faith. Prayers are the first thing to be accounted for. Train them to justice; patience (sabr). Inculcation programmes like observance of fasting in Ramadan, Hajj)

"And swell not thy cheek (for pride) at men nor walk in insolence through the earth; for Allah loveth not any arrogant boaster. (18) - Self esteem should not be overtrained till the ego gets 'boosted'. Humility must be inculcated. Respect other people. Be concerned of your shortcomings, and not others.

"And be moderate in thy pace, and lower thy voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass." (19) - Teach them to be gentle and moderate.(means of character; not the volume of the voice). This is the teaching of Adab.

Due to time limitations, this will continue at a later time. You can visit his blog for more notes.

Please forgive me.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Allah is our Preserver and Sustainer

11 May 2009 was a subsituted PH for Vesak Day. And I was already planning my activities in full gear.

"I could sleep a little later after my Faj'r prayers, i thought to myself". How wonderful is that?
It's like the weekend never ends.

But on that Sunday night, my body was sending some signals to my brain. I was feeling lethargic, my body was beginning to ache. Oh dear.... I was hoping that i wouldn't wake up the next day feeling sick.

And true enough, I was already having a fever in the wee hours of Monday morning... I couldn't sleep well and my whole body was aching so badly...When my husband woke up, i told him i wasn't feeling well, he got me a wet towel for my forehead. I couldn't take any medicine because i have allergies towards paracetamol.

I was really struggling to get out from bed for my subuh prayers. To the extent that I even had to use a chair to perform my prayers. After prayers, i went back to bed again. I was really feeling so weak. I continued to sleep and sleep and sleep because i just couldn't do anything at all. My body couldn't take it.

I called my mum because i thought i could get well by late afternoon and i could drop by and visit her but she told me to rest at home. My fever got higher till it reached 39 degrees celsius and there's nothing much i could do about it. I just continued to sleep it off. I struggled to wake up at 3plus to pray my zuhr and tried to keep awake for my asar prayers.

I went to see the doctor with the help of my husband after magrib. And i could recalled that i didn't finish my dinner and went back to bed. All i could do is to sleep and sleep.

Things just didn't get better on Tuesday and i had to take another day of MC on Wednesday. Fever went down but my body was still aching when i returned to work on Thursday.

During those sick days, i had never prayed once to Allah swt to remove it but only to lighten it, for i know sickness removes sins. and I prayed fervently for His Forgiveness. amin ya robbal alamin.

"What, did you think that We created you in mere idle play, and that you would not be returned to Us?But, high exalted is Allah, the King, the True! There is no god but He, the Lord of the Noble Throne.
(Surah al Muminun 118-116)

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Humility

Habib Umar on Humility (Awaarif al-Ma-aarif)

"The heart is the place where humility for Allah resides, the heart is the source of humility for Allah, the heart is the place of humility for Allah, the heart is the container of humility for Allah. The heart is th treasury of humility for Allah, and if the light of humility settles in this heart, then secrets will spread from it to other hearts and the signs of the heart will become manifest in it sspeech and its interaction(his speech and interaction) with those who are close to him and (also) with those who are distant from him, and in every affair of his; in his secrets and in all that is apparent of him, and because of this he will be sincerely devoted and attached with all honesty in seeking elevation and an increase in his proximity and felicity and he will ramin like this until the unseen realm will become to him as it it is seen.

So whoever does not have humility will not find actions that will be a means to reach Allah and His acceptance."