بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
We need to sow the seeds of Islam and the first place we need to do that is in the hearts of our children. Life is short, and the wind is blowing against us. If we don't make a conscious effort to do this, we can be wiped out. Look at Muslim Spain--it is now a history. Read the many stories in the Qur'an about nations that were destroyed--they are for us to reflect on ourselves.
As a single mother, I know how hard it is to raise children to be good and strong Muslims. Never a day is without any challenge. But we must do what we must and be patient. Nothing precious comes without a big price tag. It is easy to give in, to leave them in front of a TV or computer. They are quiet, they don't argue, and they don't give us trouble--so we think. But that is not where Allah wants them to be, and anywhere that Allah doesn't want us to be is not good for us. If we persist to be where Allah doesn't want us to be, the troubles will surface sooner or later. Allah chose us to be their parents and entrusted them to us. So we must do our job, and do it well. This is being a thankful servant. We always go back to Him and ask Him to help us do our job well. He is the only One who can guide and help us.
When you find no where to turn to for the moment, remember what Lukman said to his son:
"O my son! Establish regular prayer, enjoin what is just, and forbid what is wrong: and bear with patient constancy whatever befalls you; for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs. "And swell not your cheek (for pride) at men nor walk in insolence through the earth; for Allah loves not any arrogant boaster. "And be moderate in your pace, and lower your voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt is the braying of the ass." Qur'an Lukman 31:17-19
Apply this advice to ourselves first as the best teacher is a good example.
We just left the month of Ramadhan where we had trained our children to wake up before Fajr to eat the pre-dawn meal. Then we prayed Fajr with them. For some, you stayed up with them after Fajr and read the Qur'an, and for many others, you took them to the masjid for iftar, prayed Maghrib, 'Isha and taraweeh. Don't lose this momentum. Keep waking them up before Fajr and do a couple rak'ah of prayer, then Fajr, then read a few pages of Qur'an with them. Try to do Maghrib and 'Isha at the masjid. In between these prayers, they can do their homework and/or read/learn Qur'an. Ramadhan should not come and go without them reaping the benefits of it the whole year. It was their training ground. What is life without Allah in your hearts and you want to sow this in your precious children's hearts while you still have the say so in their lives. Each moment you let your children watch shows on TV or computer, you are taking them away from the pre-disposition which Allah created them with.
Remember, Shaytan to us is our clear enemy and so we should treat him like an enemy. He is always there lurking to snatch our Faith away and for sure TV and internet have more soldiers of Shaytan than anywhere else waiting to get your entire family into his domain. So protect your precious ones by giving them Islam.
"Allah cursed him.And he [Shaytan] said: "I will take an appointed portion of your slaves; Verily, I will mislead them, and surely, I will arouse in them false desires; and certainly, I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and indeed I will order them to change the nature created by Allah." And whoever takes Shaytan as a Wali (protector or helper) instead of Allah, has surely suffered a manifest loss." Qur'an An-Nisa 4:118-119
May Allah help us raise our children well and guide them. Ameen. Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label internet. Show all posts
Friday, September 17, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Raising Children To Know Allah
بسم الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
We tell our children not to waste their time. But do they really understand what not wasting time means. They don't. A lot of adults don't. If they do, we would be another best generation. We wouldn't see people having TV on 24 hours a day, surfing the internet aimlessly, listening to music, passing time on YM or FB, or sitting smoking Shisha Hookah. Instead, they would be earning a living and if they are not doing that, they would be gathering good deeds.
Most of us have curiosities. These curiosities and our desires dictate our moves. That is why you see many children (even adults) on the internet (and TV) for most of their awake time! For someone who is with Allah, his move is dictated by what Allah wants him to do at that moment, not a desire to fulfill a curiosity. Even if it is nothing haram, he would do no less than the optimal thing that he can do for Allah at that moment.
You want to raise your children so they know Allah. Because when they know Allah, they will love Allah, and when they love Allah, they will do what Allah wants them to do and it will be easy for them to do what Allah wants them to do. It is a huge challenge to raise children in this high technological era, no doubt, but you have to be strong and you have to start somewhere. That somewhere starts at removing them from these modern addictions (of course you have to use good wisdom to be effective) and you have to keep trying. If you fail the first time, the second time, the third time, keep trying. Sometimes you can be alone on this. Make du'a.
Their hearts need to be emptied of the images of created things for the knowledge of Allah to enter into their hearts. Knowledge of Allah is valuable and anything of value requires big payment, big sacrifices and hard work.
Teach your children this hadith.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Take advantage of five matters before five matters--you youth before you before old; and your health before you fall sick; and your riches before you become poor; your free time before you become busy; and your life before your death."
BTW, when you tell your children not to waste their time and read Qur'an instead, it might help them to understand you and your dilemma by asking them, "would you like to have parents who waste their time on the internet, watching movies, listening to music, playing video games or sitting smoking Shisha?" You will be amazed by their looks and their answers.
May Allah bless our children, our families, our teachers and all the Muslims. Ameen, Please don't forget us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
We tell our children not to waste their time. But do they really understand what not wasting time means. They don't. A lot of adults don't. If they do, we would be another best generation. We wouldn't see people having TV on 24 hours a day, surfing the internet aimlessly, listening to music, passing time on YM or FB, or sitting smoking Shisha Hookah. Instead, they would be earning a living and if they are not doing that, they would be gathering good deeds.
Most of us have curiosities. These curiosities and our desires dictate our moves. That is why you see many children (even adults) on the internet (and TV) for most of their awake time! For someone who is with Allah, his move is dictated by what Allah wants him to do at that moment, not a desire to fulfill a curiosity. Even if it is nothing haram, he would do no less than the optimal thing that he can do for Allah at that moment.
You want to raise your children so they know Allah. Because when they know Allah, they will love Allah, and when they love Allah, they will do what Allah wants them to do and it will be easy for them to do what Allah wants them to do. It is a huge challenge to raise children in this high technological era, no doubt, but you have to be strong and you have to start somewhere. That somewhere starts at removing them from these modern addictions (of course you have to use good wisdom to be effective) and you have to keep trying. If you fail the first time, the second time, the third time, keep trying. Sometimes you can be alone on this. Make du'a.
Their hearts need to be emptied of the images of created things for the knowledge of Allah to enter into their hearts. Knowledge of Allah is valuable and anything of value requires big payment, big sacrifices and hard work.
Teach your children this hadith.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: "Take advantage of five matters before five matters--you youth before you before old; and your health before you fall sick; and your riches before you become poor; your free time before you become busy; and your life before your death."
BTW, when you tell your children not to waste their time and read Qur'an instead, it might help them to understand you and your dilemma by asking them, "would you like to have parents who waste their time on the internet, watching movies, listening to music, playing video games or sitting smoking Shisha?" You will be amazed by their looks and their answers.
May Allah bless our children, our families, our teachers and all the Muslims. Ameen, Please don't forget us in your night prayers. JazakAllahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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