A special dua from my baby

My daughter woke up screaming again yesterday. We ran out of bread and her little brother is having the last piece. She screamed again when he pushed her out of the way of a huggle with her mommy.

Normally, I would start shouting at both of them or tell them to go out of the room and take it outside. Today, I felt sorry for her. I was getting ready for work. I won't see her for the next 9 - 10 hours. I know she misses me when I am at work and Allah knows how much I miss all of my kids and how I worry about them.

I gave her a cuddle, cupped her face in my hands and said to her, "Darling, mama's going to work. I will be driving and it is very dangerous. Will you ask Allah to look after mama?"

She stopped screaming and looked at me with her wide round eyes. She is the most beautiful thing ever...I said to her, will you make dua for mama? Say "O Allah! please look after my mama. Please help her get safely to work and safely home". She repeated after me. She was happy and playing when I left.

I know she will probably scream again tomorrow. There's so much to be upset about as a child but I hope that I can help her to develop Taqwa and Tawakkal.

The Ideological challenge

There is so much to moan about, to express dissatisfaction. Everyone can sense the problem, the issues, the fact that something is missing...but what is it?

What I have studied about Ideological nations vs. non-ideological nations now makes complete sense. A person must have a purpose in life and so, does a nation. That purpose has to be something concrete about what life is about and what we want to achieve from it.

Today, we have so many ideas and visions...to be 'developed', to progress, to have the tallest buildings and biggest shopping centres in the world but what message do we want to send out to the world, what vision do we have for the world and what is the basis of that vision? Fighting for race and country is not enough. We need an ideology but what form of ideology?

Do we embrace Capitalism? Secularise ourselves, separating God from our worldly life as if we have two hearts in one body? Do we abandon some parts of the Qur'an that talks about hudood, jihad, social, economic and political system and just take the bits we want such as personal ibaadah and rituals? Do we really want to view this world with Capitalist eyes, as a place of complete enjoyment, exploitation and fulfilment of all of our desires? Do we want to exploit this world for our own profit at the expense of other people's lives and the environment? Do we really believe that is the meaning of success and that we can do all that without facing any consequences in the Akhirah?

Allah swt says in surah 33:4

مَّا جَعَلَ ٱللَّهُ لِرَجُلٍ۬ مِّن قَلۡبَيۡنِ فِى جَوۡفِهِۦ‌ۚ
"Allah has not made for any man two hearts in his (one) body:"

Allah swt says in surah Al-Baqarah: 85
"...Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? but what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life?- and on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do."

No person with Iman in Allah and the Last day can do all that without feeling a tiny bit of fear or doubt or regret. We cannot adopt an alien ideology and then think that we can compete with those who truly embrace it. We need to find our own way with our own ideolgy. An ideology that states that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger. An ideology that has produced a state that was feared for 1400 years, not for being a rogue state but for being the empire of the world, the leading nation far greater than the Byzantine nor the Persian and definitely, greater than the pathetic leading nation of today.

We need the Khilafah state.

NB picture above is inside Aya Sofia in Istanbul.

My amazing children

My 7-year old and I spent time together reciting Juz Amma. He has a strange mind, sometimes I think he is imaginative but sometimes I think he lives in another planet. I love talking to my kids as they have such an amazing mind and a different way of viewing things.

However, they do need guidance as human beings need guidance...and they need direction in order to become successful people in this world and the next. This week, we were reciting surah Al-Bayyinah and to make things more interesting, we read the tafsir and I tried to explain certain things to him.

لَمۡ يَكُنِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ مِنۡ أَهۡلِ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبِ وَٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ مُنفَكِّينَ حَتَّىٰ تَأۡتِيَہُمُ ٱلۡبَيِّنَةُ

This is an extract of our conversation.

Malik: Mummy, why was Daddy a Christian? (my husband is a revert to Islam)

Me: because he didn’t know about Islam

Malik: How did he become Muslim?

Me: He met some Muslims and they told him about Islam.

Malik: Oh! And they talk to him about Islam and he said ‘okay, I will become Muslim’.

Me: Yes

Malik: Oh! That’s good. They must have been very polite.

(I thought to myself 'what an amazing association, to link politeness and good character as a motivating factor for another person to become a Muslim')

Continue reciting and reading the meaning...


Malik: When will Khilafah come?

Me: When Allah wants it to come.

Malik: Oh! I can’t wait to see the Khilafah. I wonder what he will look like.

Me: Khilafah is not a person. It is a state, a country

Malik: Oh! Can we go there?

Me; No Malik, it is not there yet.

(How incredible! To him, the Khilafah is visual and something tangible like a person and when I told him it is a country (a state), he wants to go there. To him it is real and not abstract)

Continue discussing about surat Al-Baiyinah...

“Those who believe and do righteous good deeds...”

Me: see Malik, we cannot just believe, we must also do what Allah tells us to do.

Malik: But how? We cannot hear him!

Me: (LOL!) Malik!...that’s why we read the Qur’an because this is Allah’s Words. Allah is talking to us in the Qur’an and telling us what to do la....

Malik: Oh.....

I love to hear my children express their thoughts, to say what is in their mind, to ask questions and be inquisitive. However, not in the Western view of individualism and capitalism and selfishness but in a way that they want to get to the Truth, to get closer to Allah.

O Allah! Please make my children strong worshippers of You, adherent to the Truth, with patience and steadfastness. Amin!