Things We Took for Granted -- Mother's Love and Wisdom

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Moving out of home as we transition into adulthood is a wonderful thing. We gain independence, become self-reliant, and have the freedom to really discover who we are and what we want in life. Sometimes we enjoy the independence of adulthood so much that we forget the things that make up who we are.

There is nothing like the love of a mother. She cares for you like no one else does. She loves you like no one else ever will. No matter how good or bad you are, for most of us, she will always forgive you and welcome you home.

A mother's love is love of extreme sacrifices  --  when someone else's well-being is above her own; when someone else's pain stabs her heart with the knife; when someone else's wrong doing causes her heartbreak and disappointment.

Sometimes we take for granted the love of our mothers  --  which is probably the only love that lasts until the day she dies. We used to yell. We used to argue. We used to lie. We used to rebel. We used to do stupid things just to give her headaches and painful adrenaline rushes. All of these did nothing but hurt her.

A mother shows her love through her actions, not her words. She proves to us that actions are the only things that truly count.

Everyone grows up with different types of parents  --  some have cool, hipster parents; some have strict, conservative parents; some have free-spirited parents; and some have parents as protective as a dog.

Regardless of what our mothers are like in terms of personality traits and lifestyles, she always pass on something she learned to us.

From always reading documents before signing, to how to live life, how to do house chores, how to cook, how to pick fruits, how to ride a bike, how to be patient and accept that we can't always get the toys we want, how to laugh at ourselves when we trip over, and how to cry when it hurts and get back up again...

Without her as our mentor when we were young, we would have stumbled upon so many more errors in life. Her preaches might seem like they've gone into one ear and right out through the other. But as we get older, those things she preached us start to turn into life's golden wisdom. The skills she taught become valuable for a lifetime. The mindset she planted into us is probably the most powerful thing one could inherit from a mother.

If you still have a mother, keep her companionship and take good care of her. And you will see where you will end up as a reward... in Paradise. Remember the story of Uwais Al-Qarni? Uwais didn’t get to be a companion of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam because he chose to care for his mother and keep her company. So Uwais was given the honor of being the Prophet's companion in Paradise. This also goes for you.

Imagine how Uwais must have felt to hear what the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam had said about him to his companions: “...He is a man of medium height, head held high despite being poor with very dark skin. I can see him putting his right arm on his left arm and weeping as he reads Qur'an. He is wearing a cloak of poor wool,” said the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wassallam, smiling as if he can see him as Jibril alayhissalaam is describing him. “On his left shoulder, there is a white mark the size of a dirham that is the effect of an illness. He is unknown among the people but known in the skies. His biggest sign is the mother he deeply cares for. When he makes du'aa, it is granted. He will come among the people on the Day of Judgment and as they are entering Paradise, he will be stopped. When he asks why, Allah will tell him he can bring whomever he wants into Paradise with him, as much as 200,000 people (the amount of two large tribes).”

Uwais is going to take 200,000 people with him to Paradise! Even a martyr only gets 70.

May Allah guide our children and help them serve and treat us well. Ameen.

Allahumma salli 'ala Muhammad wa 'ala aalihi wa sahbihi wassallam.

And Allah knows best and He alone gives success.
Wassalaam