The Worst Best

A person once instructed his servant to slaughter a goat and return with its two best parts. The servant went and soon returned with the heart and tongue of the goat. The master next instructed the servant to slaughter a second goat, and to this time present its two worst parts. The servant went and again returned with the goat’s heart and tongue!

The master was confused as to how the heart and tongue could be both the best and worst at the same time.

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Freezer is not Working

Two weeks before Ramadhaan, you were pleasantly surprised by your ‘hubby’ with a gift that you needed most at that time … the biggest upright freezer that can comfortably and neatly accommodate all those tupperwares of savouries that you made or ordered with sooo much of difficulty. You unwrap it with excitement, plug it with anticipation and then fill it till capacity.

The next day, when you went to grudgingly take out some samoosas for an unexpected guest, you were shocked to see that all your savouries had melted and some were even giving off a stench.

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Remove the Black Box

Zina of the eyes – can it be avoided when watching TV? Almost impossible! How often will there also be zina of the ears and several other sins. Yet … due to the TV having become a standard part of almost every home … most people do not regard it as a sin. People go on watching everything … but there is no feeling of guilt. If it is not regarded as a sin … and there is no guilt … where is there ever going to be taubah from this combo sin box. The children then grow up in the same deception – May Allah Ta‘ala protect us.

The television is a curse in the home. Apart from the sins, it leaves us with no family time to sit and communicate with each other. It moulds our children’s dark future – a life of desire and sin. They may be our children in name but in reality they become “children” of an alien evil culture.

The best thing we can do for ourselves and our children is to remove the television from our homes. Firstly we need to acknowledge the forbidden nature of the television. We need to repent from this sin. We need to hate it and speak against it.

Let us strive to clean our lives from the sin of the television before the coming of the blessed month of Ramadhaan, and then enjoy peace, mercy, ease, contentment and the blessings of Ramadhaan. 

Thrill with some Frill

Masha-Allah, while we may have the noble desire to listen to the talks of deen, however, the question to ask ourselves is, “What is our intention”? If it is to change our lives and to become better Muslims, then we will definitely be prepared to hear what we need to hear. On the other hand, Allah Ta‘ala protect us, if we seek to entertain ourselves, then we will only hear what we want to hear.

Really, we cannot allow our deen to become a mere thrill with some frill. If someone is truly concerned about her health, she will adhere to the advice of one doctor and at times refer to a specialist for a second opinion. However, nobody will visit every doctor in town in order to enjoy different coloured syrups and tablets. Such foolishness will bring about further complications, rather than any cure. Our spiritual health is many times more delicate and sensitive. Listening to a single poisonous word could leave us spiritually dead.

Hence, instead of listening to the talks of anyone and everyone, watching videos of the most thrilling motivational speakers on YouTube, chasing after variety, confusing our taste buds, digesting nothing and practising nil, we rather hold firmly to the teachings of a few reliable, Allah-fearing and sunnah-adhering ‘Ulama who will not only tell us what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. 

My Child’s Salaah

The difference between the parents of yesterday and the parents of today is that yesterday’s parents were concerned about nurturing the child’s inner qualities and outer actions, whereas today the parent’s main concern is the comfort, education and entertainment of the child. Thus the children of today lack discipline and righteousness.

As mothers let us help our child to become a saahib e tarteeb, that they do not miss a single salaah from the day of their maturity. Let us ensure that our son goes to the musjid with his father and our daughter performs salaah with us at home. Daily we need to check on their salaah. Our children will be the coolness of our eyes when deen comes into their lives. Salaah is the stepping stone to complete deen coming alive in our children.