بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
There is no future if there is no Islam. We believe that now, Alhamdulillah, but if we don't instill this in our children they will not believe this when we are gone. We will be history.
If you want great things to happen for our children, we need to think far ahead. If we do it right now for our children, 50 years from now we will see the change. We may not be around anymore 50 years from now but our kids, our grandkids will and they will be the ones who will carry the banner to the finishing line if we pave the way for them now inshaAllah.
How do we do this? Not easy. But if we are always after short term gain, not farsighted, not willing to take a couple of setbacks, hits in short term, change is not going to happen and our future is bleak. There was an incident recently in our neighboring community when someone had died for a day and no jenazah because the family members didn't know what to do! Whose fault is this? So that is the answer in the negative.
Andalus (Muslim Spain) was once the ornament of the world, the cradle of civilization, the "Super Power" of the time. It was that way because of righteous, godfearing and brave people like Tariq bin Ziyad, Musa bin Nusayr, Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil, Yusuf ibn Tashfeen, whose desire was to make Allah's words paramount. People at one time flocked to Andalus for knowledge. They learned from the Muslims. The non-Muslims of Andalus (Christians, Jews) wanted to look like Muslims--they became Arabized--some of them knew Arabic language and literature better than Muslims themselves. What happen to this great civilization? This is the consequence of somebody didn't raise their children properly and loving the dunya. People started running after power and glory. People started doubting each other and killed each other and colluded with the enemies of Islam. Constant infighting--brothers fought with each other for power and glory and more wealth. Muslims colluded with the enemies against their fellow Muslims for power and wealth. Rulers divided the states to keep their sons/wives happy and gave each son a share of the state--they thought this was fair (this was a fatal mistake!). When people do things for self-interest and not for the sake of Allah, then things will fall apart.
When we raise our children, it is not about raising them to be nice, compliant, pliable and docile, but raising them to be strong Muslims, with himma. I don't know what to tell you exactly how to get there--but read our history. You will find great lessons and they will motivate you to get up and do more inshaAllah.
When Grenada fell to Ferdinand V and Isabella of Castille, which marked the fall of Andalus, it was a consequence of 100s of years of infighting. Why the infighting--for none other than for the world. Muhammad ibn Al-Hurra, the ruler of Grenada, who gave the keys of Grenada to Ferdinand and Isabella, went to live on the hills overlooking his palace, and he would cry. His mother, Aisha al-Hurra, would recite some lines of poetry to his son, "Weep like a woman over the kingdom you just wasted; you did not protect it like a man did."
We have the power to create a great history for our children through the lessons from our history but the work should start now. We should never forget that what we have is from Allah, the Giver of Allah (al-Wahhab). So don't hold back spending what you have--time, money, health, knowledge, intelligence...for the sake of One and only One, Al-Malik-al-Mulk, the King of Kings, the Owner of All. If you don't do this, then you will lose everything slowly but surely!
"The life of this world is merely a game and a diversion. If you have iman and taqwa, He will pay you your wages and not ask you for all your wealth. If He did ask you for it and put you under pressure, you would be tight-fisted and it would bring out your malevolence. Here you are then: people who are called upon to spend in the Way of Allah and then some of you are tight-fisted! But whoever is tight-fisted is only tight-fisted to himself. Allah is Rich and you are poor. If you turn away, He will replace you with a people other than yourselves and they will not be like you." Qur'an Muhammad 47:36-38
"Say: 'If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your clan, your possessions that you have gained, commerce you fear may slacken, dwellings you love -- if these are dearer to you than God and His Messenger, and to struggle in His way, then wait till God brings His command; God guides not the people of the ungodly.' " Qur'an at-Tawba 9:24
May Allah grant us and our children success in this world and the Hereafter. Ameen. Please don't forget all of us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
