Thursday, October 19, 2017

Nurturing Eeman in Children, Chapter Two Summary

Intro:



As Muslims, it is important to understand the significance and responsibility of the parenting role, the importance of preparing children for the hereafter, and the obligation of protecting them from the hellfire. This should be a main focus in parenting from an Islamic perspective.

Responsibility and accountability

The Prophet (saws) said:
«Each of you is a guardian and is responsible for his ward. The ruler is a guardian and the man is a guardian of the members of his household; and the woman is a guardian and is responsible for her husband’s house and his offspring; and so each of you is a guardian and is responsible for his ward.»'  
This hadith of the Prophet (saws) emphasizes the fact that parenting is a crucial responsibility that must be approached earnestly and sincerely. Allah will hold each and every parent accountable for how they carried out this responsibility and this will be present on their balance of deeds in the hereafter. For this reason, parenting could be a person’s door to paradise or it could be his or her gate to the hellfire.
Parents have the capability to influence a child more than any other person. This influence, in turn, affects the community in which they live. Families are the building blocks of society, and the society is only as strong as its foundation.

Children as a test from Allah

One of the most fundamental concepts for a parent to understand is that children are a test and that through this test they will be held accountable on the Day of Judgment. Once this is realized, there should be a profound change in how they relate to and deal with their children.


Out of Allah’s mercy to His servants, He sends tribulations and tests so that they may return and repent to Him, giving up that which Allah has forbidden, and so that Allah might forgive them. It is part of Allah’s mercy that tests occur in this life so that our souls might be purified and come back to Allah before we die.


What most people often forget is that blessings may also be a test or tribulation from Allah. Wealth and children, for example, are a trial and a trust by which Allah tests His servants to know who will give thanks for them and who will be distracted from Allah by them


Unfortunately, in this day and age, too many people fail in this test that Allah has given them, or they attempt to avoid the test as much as possible. Other aspects may be given precedence over the children, such as career, money, hobbies, or friendships.


Parenting does require a lot of effort and hard work, but it is also one of the most rewarding tests that Allah could give His servants. It is, above all else, a test of patience, selflessness, and sacrifice.  It is amazing that in the process of nurturing believing children, parents also ‘nurture’ themselves. The increase in eeman that is experienced through parenting will bring one closer to Allah and closer to an understanding of His infinite wisdom and mercy.

Rewards and joys of parenting

Parenting holds some of Allah’s greatest rewards on this earth: unconditional love, bonding and human closeness, shared moments, a smiling face with loving eyes, and hugs full of love and care.


A devout parent will experience the gratification of watching his or her child grow into an obedient servant of Allah; a believer who will love and obey Allah and contribute to the society around him or her. A pious child who supplicates is one of only three ways through which a person may acquire continuing good deeds for presentation on the Day of Judgment.

Goals of parenting

In Soorat Luqman (Chapter 31 12-19 of the Qur’an), we find the wisdom that Prophet Luqman (raa) provided to his son. Luqman was a wise man whose insight was bestowed upon him by Allah. He taught this wisdom to his son for his benefit in this world and the world to come.  Understandably, priority was given to teaching tawheed and warning against polytheism, since this is the foundation of the Islamic creed. Following one’s duty to Allah, he enjoined kindness and obedience to parents. This ingredient is critical in terms of parenting, for it eases the task when children assimilate this principle into their personalities. After informing him of the rights due to Allah and parents through the expression of gratefulness, Luqman reminds his son of the awareness of Allah (swt) in all matters, public and private. Allah is aware of all that we do and for this reason we should have fear of Allah. We should also be cautious about taking sins lightly. Those few verses contain an abundance of wisdom for parents. From this, parents can delineate the important goals for their children.


Activity: Look on the card you were given at the beginning of this talk.


Green cards
  • Belief (eeman) in Allah with pure tawheed and avoidance of associating partners with Allah
  • Kindness, respect and obedience toward parents
  • Fear of Allah and awareness of His all-encompassing presence
  • Establishment of prayer, on time and in the correct manner
  • Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong
  • Bearing life with patience
  • Humility and meekness
  • Moderation and avoidance of extremes


In addition to these, the following may be added:


Blue cards
  • Strength in belief and faith
  • Attachment to the Qur’an and authentic hadiths
  • Love of and sincerity to Allah, His Messenger, and His Book
  • Adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet (saws)
  • Understanding of all things from the perspective of Islam
  • Islamic personality, values, and identity
  • Equity and justice in dealing with other
  • Kindness, mercy and good character towards all people
  • Concern for the affairs of all Muslims (aid them, fulfil their rights)
  • Inviting others to Allah and Islam
  • Pride in being Muslim


Associated personality characteristics that would be desirable include the following:


Yellow cards
  • Self-confident and with positive self-esteem
  • Motivated
  • Responsible
  • Persistent, hard-working
  • Capable and skilful
  • Content and satisfied
  • Honest and trustworthy
  • Courageous
  • Leader


Halaqa # 86



Muharram 29, 1439
Al-Wahhab
Be Thankful


Year 4
Attendance:
  • 12 Sisters
  • 1 Junior Sisters
  • 4 Junior Guests


Location: Sister Sara’s Home
Agenda: (please note, we have included many links where you can read in detail more on each subject)


  • OPENING DUA
Sister Lamiaa read our opening  Dua.
O Allah, bless this Halaqa, allow us to gain, act upon and share beneficial knowledge.
Guide us, forgive our sins and grant us Jannah with our families and loved ones.
O my Lord increase me in knowledge*.  رَّبِّ زِدْنِى عِلْمًا   Ameen


  • QURAN RECITATION: TAJWEED/LEARN ARABIC

We listened to Sister Noura recite Surah Al-Fil.



The above link has both the recitation by Sheikh Husary and the individual word pronunciation
(click on each word) for learning Arabic.


Sisters who practice their reading in sha Allah will have an opportunity at the next Halaqa to have
a sister listen to their recitation. Please arrive at 10 am sharp in sha Allah in that case.
Tajweed rule


Sister Dania presented our Tajweed Rule.
In the throat, there are 3 makhaarij and each one has 2 letters   
Note: Makharrij is an Arabic word for Articulation Point


We then listened again to the Surah recited by Sheikh Husary


Alhamdulillah, Sister Noora has volunteered her time and expertise to teach sisters Arabic and Tajweed.
Please contact us to join our learning Arabic group if you would like to take advantage of this generous offer.


  • QURAN RECITATION AND REFLECTION


We read Surah Fatihah aloud altogether, then sisters individually read aloud a few letters/words,
ayahs (according to her ability and with the help and encouragement of her fellow sisters).
We read Surah Yusuf from Ayah 44 to Ayah 52.  In sha Allah, this will be an ongoing part of
our Halaqa and one day in sha Allah, we will have Khatam Quran and begin again.
Sister Cindy read an English Approximation (Sahih International) of the above verses.


We have chosen to use Tafsir Ibn Kathir.
Volume 5 Page 170-177 (From our library shelf)
We only had enough time to read the first part of  “Yusuf’s Interpretation of the King’s Dream”
and the first part of “The King investigates what happened between the Wife of the ‘Aziz,
the Women in the City, and Yusuf”.

You can view this tafsir online: Link


Discussion:  
Sister Lamiaa pointed out that Verse 52 has two opinions about who is the person speaking.
She informed us that she learnt that “The wife of the Aziz” is the stronger opinion than “Prophet
Yusuf”. We have further researched this and find that indeed the majority of scholars are of the
opinion that it was “The wife of the Aziz” while the minority of scholars are of the opinion that
it was “Prophet Yusuf”


  • A TEMPORARY GIFT
Sister Rim and Sister Cindy read the Introduction: Finding Amr page 13-18
Discussion:  
We highlighted the fact that Sister Asmaa uses the Names of Allah, on a continuous basis in her
book.  


  • NEXT HALAQA and News


In sha Allah, our next Halaqa will be on Thursday, November 2nd.


In sha Allah, our sister Mona will be having a booth at this event with her Sister.
November 11th, 11 am to 7 pm
Syeda Khadiijah Centre
7150 Edwards Blvd Mississauga


  • DON’T BE SAD
Sister Sara read Contemplate and be thankful  
We have this book in our Library.


  • NURTURING EEMAN IN CHILDREN
Sisters Marwa, Rehab and Lamiaa read a Summary of Chapter Two
Activity:
Each sister was presented an index card. We took turns reading out the Primary and Secondary goals
written on our cards.  We then reviewed the desirable personality characteristics for our children also
written on our index cards.


  • Dua al Ghayb

Sister Lamiaa led a dua for Sister S*** and her family.
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Images Courtesy of Chic Craft Design Instagram Facebook


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  • VIDEO
The sisters chose to watch the following video:
Sheikh Omar Suleiman 8:27
  • CLOSING DUA


Sister Siham and Cindy read our closing Dua.


For the expiation of sins, said at the conclusion of a sitting or gathering.
To listen to this dua click here


196 - "How perfect You are O Allah, and I praise You. I bear witness that None has the right to be
worshipped except You. I seek Your forgiveness and turn to You in repentance."


سُبْحـانَكَ اللّهُـمَّ وَبِحَمدِك، أَشْهَـدُ أَنْ لا إِلهَ إِلاّ أَنْتَ أَسْتَغْفِرُكَ وَأَتوبُ إِلَـيْك


Subhânaka l-lâhumma wa bi-hamdika. Ash-hadu an lâ ilâha illâ anta, astaghfiruka wa atûbu ilayka.




If any of this information was good and true, know that it comes from Allah subhanahu

wa ta’ala.  If there are mistakes we ask for Allah’s Forgiveness and Mercy.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Finding Your Balance

Part 1: Lose the Wobble
Have you tried standing on one leg? Do you wobble back and forth? Balance exercises should be a part of your regular routine but what about Finding Balance in Your Life?


Do you wobble between activities, leaning towards one then another, maybe even falling down i.e. completely neglecting one area altogether?


It happens to me! Very recently, I received a gentle reminder that my balance was askew. So I thought about it. Why? How could I “practice” so that the wobbling would be reduced. For the physical, the answer is simple, just add in more balance exercises. But what about life?


The first thought should be “What are your activities?  List them. Then rewrite them according to priority. Now you have a framework or let's say a ladder. (Do you want to lose your balance on a ladder?) No, of course not, even a little wobble is scary.


Let's use this ladder of activities to keep your life in balance. Whenever you go to do something, ask yourself, Where is it on my ladder? If there are things above it, you may be wobbling. Try to the activity above and in sha Allah, systematically work from the top down and in sha Allah, you will have a safe landing.


Part 2: The 30 Minute Rule

Continuing the thoughts on Losing Your Wobble, once you have your ladder set up and you have set your priorities. An important step to do next involves time. When I get out of balance, most likely I spend way too much time in one area at the expense of many others. So I came up with the 30-minute rule.


I break my day into 30-minute slots. Mentally this is a real organizing boost as you are planning what to do next and next and next. Sure you can have 2 or 3 slots of the same thing but ideally taking a small break between slots of the same activity will help with focus and productivity.


This rule can be tweaked to suit your individual circumstances.


Could be 30,10 30,10 or a variation.


For me, 30 min slots are best with slight alterations for “watching a game”, “shopping”, Halaqas” etc. In those cases, mentally recognize the passage of each half hour.


Will this rule work for you? Maybe. Make Dua, adjust to fit your day and Believe it can work!