Zaid stared down at the contents of his hands in disbelief, trying to find words to express the feelings of love and appreciation that were rushing through every inch of his body.
It was the day of ‘Eidul Fitr. As usual, Zaid and his three younger brothers, along with their families, met at the house of their parents. But this year, Zaid’s youngest brother, Ebrahim, had a special ‘Eid gift arranged for his siblings. After they had finished with their mothers special “‘Eid biryani”, he presented the shining gold Kruger coins to his three elder brothers. Zaid and Ebrahim had their ups and downs over the years; but for Ebrahim to give him a gift like that was really something. Zaid put the coin down and embraced his brother, allowing the hug to wash away all the ill feelings, petty grudges and enmities which had developed over the years. This definitely covered up for all that and more!
At different phases and stages of our lives we attach value to different things. When we were kids our most valued commodities were our candy bars and sweets. A little further along in our lives, smartphones, smart watches, fast cars, fancy holidays and luxurious lifestyles were the be-all and end-all of our existence.
But the sad reality is that most of the things that we attach value to are material things of this temporary world, since the reality, conviction and value of the Hereafter and Jannah have not truly settled in our hearts.
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has mentioned in one hadeeth that the two rakaats sunnah before the Fajr Salaah is better than the entire world and all that it contains. (Saheeh Muslim #1688) It is estimated that the earth contains approximately 244 000 metric tons of gold! But do we give these two rakaats of sunnah salaah that regard and value?
In another hadeeth, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mentions “The best among you are those who learn the Quraan and teach it.” (Saheeh Bukhaari 5027) Thus we need to ask ourselves, do we afford that value to the Quraan Majeed? Do we show that appreciation to the ‘Ulama and Aapas/Mu‘allimaat who teach the Quraan Majeed to our children?
When the son of Imaam Abu Haneefah (rahimahullah) completed Surah Faatihah, Imaam Abu Haneefah (rahimahullah) sent 1000 silver coins to the ustaaz as a token of appreciation. The ustaaz was baffled by this large sum of money and asked Imaam Abu Haneefah (rahimahullah) the reason for it as all he had done was teach his son Surah Faatihah. Imaam Abu Haneefah (rahimahullah) told him that if he had more than 1000 coins, he would have given it to him out of respect and value of just one surah of the Quraan Majeed. (Al-Khairaatul Hisaan pg. 42)
Allahu Akbar! Look at the value that Imaam Abu Haneefah (rahimahullah) had for the Quraan Majeed!
In retrospect, how much attention do we pay to the Islamic education of our children? Are we making sure they are attending a good maktab (primary madrasah)? If they are, are we monitoring their progress? Are we keeping an eye on their punctuality? Do we make sure that they study for their exams and produce good results? In short, do we give Islamic education the same value that we give to school and secular education, or do we treat it like some extra mural pass time?
We need to remind ourselves that one of the three things that will earn us rewards after our demise is a pious child who will make du‘aa for us, as explained by Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). (Saheeh Muslim #4223) The first step towards instilling piety in our children is to give them a strong Islamic education from a young age. By doing this we will see the benefits in this world and the next, insha-Allah.
Let us make a change today by understanding our priorities and thereby attaching value to those things which are truly valuable, such as the Quraan Majeed and the Islamic education of our children.