Raising Scholars of Tomorrow

21Nov09

I don’t exactly remember when I came across his video first on YouTube but when I happened to see it after a long while again this Thursday night, it shook me. Really, I cannot describe with adequate words how I felt listening to him, watching him. He must be hardly eight in the video, young Hassan bin Abdullah Al Awadh, but his voice moves the heart.

So there I was at 1 am listening to him over and over and over again. Then I downloaded the audio into my iPod and listened to him before bed, the next morning, during my evening walk, when I got angry over something, on my way to back from college… you get the picture. By now, I’m sure I’ve gone on enough of a ramble to really stretch your patience.

Who’s young Hassan then? A young boy who’s recited the initial verses of Surah Ya Seen in a video on YouTube, son of an Imam of a masjid in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. When they first put his video on YouTube, I don’t think they had an idea how would much people would love it… that it would trigger off a sharing spree. People ask if he has a CD out. The more inquisitive minds want to know who he is. Where does he live? Who taught him?

The Quran is not an ordinary book, it is the Word of Allah(swt) and when recited, especially by a Qari with an exquisite voice, it is difficult to stay dry-eyed. The eyes automatically well up with tears, a fluttery sensation fills the heart and you know it is not something any man could put forward. If you can understand Arabic to any extent, it carries massive weight and immediately affects you, feeling as if there’s no-one else around… just you and your Lord. The words have direct impact, anger and sadness subsides, leaving an intense motivation to get up, make something of yourself and please Allah(swt) the way he wants you to!

Watching and listening to Hassan made me wonder about so many things. The powerful words of Surah Ya Seen were themselves enough to prompt self analysis. However, it also made me wonder about the reciter himself, whom Allah(swt) has blessed with such a beautiful voice. It is evident that he is in the constant company of the best reciters, who’ve taught him so well MashAllah. I also thought about the kind of environment he must have at home that he’s reciting with all the intricate rules of Tajweed at an age so tender. His mother, what an amazing woman she must be to have raised such a sweet child, MashAllah! What lessons did she teach him, setting the solid foundation for a soul that seeks to purify itself? Really, the beautiful tones in which this child recites indicates all these things about his life – his inner self literally shines through… that’s how it is with reciting the Quran with a sincere heart.

I also wondered about his future. I hope and pray he becomes a scholar of Islam through the magnificent talents that he has, that Allah(swt) has made known to us about him. We need these young children to grow up in Islam, nurtured by sincere and upright Muslim families, to become the leaders of tomorrow. Confident in their faith, trusting in Allah(swt), drawing closer to Him through His Words… that is the process of purification that produces strong believers.

Hassan has recited other portions of the Quran and a small handful of videos of him during a visit to Bosnia in 2007 show him to be about twelve or thirteen years old. His voice has matured slightly with age, lowering in pitch, but of course that does not reduce the beauty of the recitation in any way. In fact, it made me so happy to know he’s reciting and will possibly come forward as a well known Qari as he grows older InshAllah. Based on his videos, he seems like a modest young boy, nonetheless confident… a mark of a person well grounded in faith, may Allah add strength to it! Only those with strong faith can remain modest and shy while so much attention is turned towards him but the Shaitan is always at play and thus, I pray for Hassan sincerely.

I’ve learned so much from Hassan just listening to him recite those verses full of meaning. I’ve also learned about the importance of giving children the right upbringing and the massive benefits of doing that. Hassan proves you can become very knowledgeable in the Quran even at a young age. Very frankly, if I ever have a son, I’d be greatly blessed in so many ways if I could teach him, guide him, inspire him to be like the cute little boy who moved my heart with his sweet voice. Alhumdolillah, I have Hassan’s example right before me to inspire and motivate my own self for something so crucial and so rewarding.

Filed under: Dreams, Faith Re-inforcers, Praise be to Allah!, Quran, Reflections, Sunnah, Tajweed   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Children, Hassan bin Abdullah Al Awadh, Islam, Muslims, parenting, Quran, Tajweed

The Weeding’s Overdue!

19Nov09

(Yes, that’s weeding, not a typo or anything. )

I haven’t blogged in a while but I’m glad I didn’t because then I’d be writing about something without really meaning it or feeling I’d something worthwhile to share. I’d been loaded with lots of assignments recently, mostly related to college, that put me through an exponential learning curve. It was really hectic and seemingly difficult but Alhumdolillah, that phase passed away too.

One project I was involved with required teamwork and it spanned several months. Being the “leader” or “representative” of my group in college, I found myself facing situations and challenges that were very new and even daunting. Making decisions, deciding on the quality of work needed, identifying specific talents in people and then ensuring that work gets done within the deadline… it’s certainly not a piece of cake. With eleven young women working together, there are bound to be issues. Meanwhile, I was also juggling another assignment not related to college but which also involved teamwork. Finally, one or two other issues also cropped up making a tough week where everything converged.

However, one thing I was very aware of was that I was learning so much from all my good and not-so-good experiences. There were lessons in leadership, interpersonal relationships, patience (that was a big one!), tolerance, empathy, counselling and time management, to name a few. How to get along with different people coming from different backgrounds. How to overlook someone’s irritating habits and respond nicely, keeping the longer term in mind. How to deal with problems that friends may be having, medical or otherwise.

However, I also noted the glaring faults in my character and personality that I need to fix, no matter what. As a friend, as a daughter, as a sister, as a leader… as my own self… there’s a lot to do. So even though I had a tough week to handle and various stresses on my mind, I was satisfied I was learning about myself and about others that would InshAllah train me for the future.

In all of this, even if I did something right and got good results, I was aware that it was superficial and needed real substance as its foundation. If I didn’t feel happy about my own self, my personality and character, any praise I received from others on anything did not bring in total satisfaction. Why was I rude to that person? Why did I have to snap? How should I learn to control my temper and frowns, at home and at college? Why do I think negatively of that person? How should I improve my relationships, as a daughter? What am I doing wrong in my relationships with other people?

I was thinking about this a lot and in the process of identifying my weaknesses when I heard Stephen Covey’s famous book mentioned on TV. The person on TV was basically summarizing the book. For those of who don’t know, Stephen Covey is the author of a best selling book on changing yourself inside-out, working on your own self to take on the habits of people who’re achievers and not moaners and groaners. He talks about seven habits that are common to successful people, based on age-old principles of honesty, integrity, being optimistic, loving others and kindness. I’d always wanted to read that book, having heard it being quoted by several teachers at my Quran class and elsewhere. Turns out we had that book at home and I fished it out, sat down to read and did fifty pages before bed!

The book really is very, very good. It’s inspiring, full of common wisdom and it’s in the first person, directly addressing the reader. Why don’t I get along with people? Why do my plans fail? Why doesn’t my sister listen to me? Why can’t I achieve my goals? As you read the book, it really is amazing how the lessons in the Quran and Sunnah are essentially being described by Stephen Covey, of course without his knowing it. But then, that’s what he says, in similar words, that the things he mentions in his book are solid principles which man has always known in some form or the other. We’ve just stopped living by them and instead opted for “quick fixes” to all our problems, not realizing relationships are built over a long period and habits need to change fundamentally deep within us to have lasting impact.

The book’s made an impression on me, particularly at a time where I was already looking for change that has meaning and not just being all nice superficially. People who really come closer to Allah through the Quran and learning from the Prophet(pbuh)’s life, change so much for the better… everyone can see it for themselves. That’s why I need to improve, to really practice what I learn and not just hold up a degree from a Qur’an course and say “I’ve done it!”. Real change demands application, without which only knowing stuff is just not enough. Yes, the weeding is certainly overdue and it’s making the garden patch very unsightly even though there are a couple of good plants in there.

Time will tell what changes come about InshAllah.

Filed under: Islah   |  1 Comment

Recipe for Confusion

21Oct09

I was supposed to go to my University today but I didn’t and this is why: two suicide bombers blew themselves up in the International Islamic University in Islamabad. Six people fell victim to this heinous crime while dozens were injured. One of the attackers actually disguised himself and managed to get to the girls cafeteria where he detonated his bomb. Following the incident, schools, colleges and Universities will remain off till Sunday, across Pakistan.

The first thought that comes to mind is how low could the attackers and their planners get that they could attack students with such impunity? What were they thinking? How did they justify it and put their consciences to sleep – that t00 for so-called “religious” causes?

There’s another belief that all such attacks on Muslims in Pakistan could never have been carried out by fellow Muslims. Such ideas are backed up pieces of evidence indicating direct as well as indirect involvement of “foreign agencies” in a highly complex scenario of vested interests driving a myriad of events.

Unfortunately,  with all the bloodshed, we now have a highly confusing situation on our hands that is certainly dividing the nation. I receive messages and emails from fellow Pakistanis urging people to recognize the “real” enemy and not be “deluded” into thinking the Taliban are behind the killings. Such people exhort the Taliban and whoever supports them, believing them to be the ultimate savior for Muslims in Pakistan (and even across the world!).

Surprisingly, some even believe the Taliban is in fact an extension of foreign agencies’ evil schemes and thus, such people would lump up the Taliban as one big conspiracy too. Thus, “Muslims could never kill Muslims like this” is their mantra every time a vicious incident takes place.

However, if you talk to refugee families from the conflict-ridden areas, they will tell you how people they initially thought were their helpers and leaders (Taliban, etc.) turned upon them later on. Extortion, kidnapping for ransom and routine harassment then exposed the true nature of these people to the innocent villagers. The common people admitted their mistake of initially lending their support to these Muslim brothers “in the name of Jihad” but later had to suffer themselves.

So what is going on? Why is all of this happening? What are the motives?

I’ll admit I do not have a single clue as to the real situation. I do know we have Muslims with totally distorted ideas of killing other Muslims “for the greater cause”, whatever that is… so I will not attempt to turn a blind eye and glorify them. I also know there are vested interests out to secure their interests, just as was done in Iraq. I also know there are common criminals who jump into the frey whenever confusion abounds to see what they can possibly get out of it in terms of wealth and power.

However, the biggest problem in all of this is that we do not know the truth and because of that, I cannot possibly stay united with my Muslim sister, for example, in her claim that we must “fight the enemy” when I am not even convinced the enemy is one single, definable entity.

Some people have twisted notions of battles in the name of Islam and their brains have become totally addled by all the war hype. Such are the people who totally sadden me: lacking direction, driven by vague ideas, making no sense when they speak and seeing things as either “black” or “white” and thus oversimplifying the entire complex scenario. In fact, this was what led me to write this right now – the madness that is driving the educated people in this nation today.

A confused mix of “religiosity”, nationalism, pessimism and a tendency to see a conspiracy in every tiny thing – that’s what’s going on. The Qur’an and the Sunnah, the wisdom that is required and the need to refrain from knee-jerk responses have all been forgotten. Why don’t people open their eyes already and realize the common Pakistani Muslim is not what they are glorifying him to be? Why don’t they realize we have so much work to do, to being people to the practice of Islam as taught by the Prophet(pbuh) and not drag them off into half-baked ideas of “martyrdom” all stemming from nationalism? Most of all, why don’t people realize all this confusion only helps the original enemies of Islam who have opposed it from the time of the Prophet(pbuh)?

To set things back on the right track, the Pakistani Muslim first needs to free himself of such baseless notions of “Pakistan is the bastion of Islam”, ignoring all the un-Islamic acts that he commits in his daily life. How many Pakistanis actually offer the five daily prayers in the masjid? Killings, “honor crimes”, lying, cheating, corruption, ignoring traffic rules, domestic abuse all happen in Pakistan. If you don’t admit it, you’re never going to change and there are no “short cuts” available.

Whatever is going on today, only one thing is for sure: Allah(swt) is the Only One Who is aware of the real situation and we ask Him to guide us to what is right for us. Yes, we Muslims have failed miserably in our duties but, in seeking to improve upon our knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah and implementing it in ourselves, spreading it in our areas of influence, we can find the right way again.

The important thing is Hikmah… wisdom. If we lose this, as many people are demonstrating to, may Allah protect us!

Filed under: Pakistan, Peace, Reflections, Reminders, Society, War   |  4 Comments
Tags: Islam, Pakistan, Peace, Terrorism, War

Deception

17Oct09

I didn’t know what to do just then. My mind was totally blank for a moment… exactly when I needed it to work the most. I stared at the mobile phone in my hand, with a partly composed message to my teacher. I had to tell her I couldn’t make it to class today. Yes, that’s what I had to do.

Midterm exams are closing on. I hadn’t done my laundry and it would be hard to find proper clothes for going to the class. I looked around at my room to buy some time and spotted my college books. I remembered the difficult day at college I’d just had and grabbed my head in my hands. Why was it so difficult to do this? Why not skip class and study for the exams?

I’d missed last week’s class too. I stayed home and studied that afternoon and slept a little too… but every glance at the wall clock reminded me of what my fellow students would be studying in class, while I had held back. Later that week, a couple of days ago, I had heard a wise person say, “you only make time for things you really want to do.” How true that had been and the guilt underneath the surface had bubbled up, as if it was there just waiting for a trigger!

And today, I was again faced with the same dilemma – should I stay home? The exam is only five days away, a voice in my head reminded me.

“Yeah,” I thought. “But I guess I could spare three hours and study more over the coming days to make for it.”

The voice in my head changed to a different reason – clothes not ready.

“Yeah,” I thought. “But I could wash a dress quickly… still got about an hour and a half before class starts.”

And your unfinished assignments, which you have been lazy about? Just don’t go, you can always do them this week and give them the next rather than showing up without them!

“Well but…”

I then thought of what I’d be missing and the voice quickly said I could always catch hold of my classmates’ notes. And my help-out duties after the class? The voice in my head quickly suggested I message a fellow classmate to help out with that.

“Okay…”

Besides, the voice suggested, look at what you’ve become! You’re so “low” that you can’t really get any lower. All these classes, have they really had any effect on you? It all bounces off you! You go, you listen, you come home – end of the story! Even now, you’ve reached such a point that you can’t decide which deal’s better for you! Come on, one more missed class won’t kill you.

“But I wasn’t like this before! I knew my priorities, I used to jump at opportunities to get to the class, among such classmates and now, I’m debating between lousy midterm exams that won’t even be marked in the final grade this semester and my class, which is priceless?”

I turned the mobile over, feeling miserable. I’d have to go ahead and do the dreaded. I poised my thumbs to complete the message to my teacher, trying to think of words that wouldn’t sound lame. I paused again. Something was just not right. Ameera, you’re not who you used to be…

NO! This. Is. Not. The. Right. Thing. To. Do!

Each word was punctuated by my thumb tapping on the mobile – somehow, the message I had half-typed out symbolized the wrongness of the situation and as such, needed to be singled out for a bashing.

You’re mad, the voice in my head shouted at me in disbelief. It almost shook my resolve.

“No, I need this the MOST right now!” I said to the voice. “I need to be as far away from you as I can right now! Yeah… yeah, I’ll find clothes. I’ll do the assignments… I’m going!”

I jumped up, rummaged through my cupboard, quickly washed a shirt I wanted to wear and tossed it into the dryer. I grabbed the half-finished assignments and started completing them. I typed one out on my computer within ten minutes (sometimes, typing is faster than writing it out with a pen). I ironed my clothes as quick as possible, assembled my books and soon was on my way.

Two hours ago, I came back from the class. It was like a fresh breath of air, not at all how the voice kept trying to convince me it would be. I needed to be with my classmates, with my teachers. I needed to take that time to step back and take stock of my situation. The voice that kept holding me back wasn’t trying to help me at all! This week, I’ve been taking that voice’s advice a lot and oh, how I decayed and deteriorated because of that!

Go ahead, it used to tell me, and tell your sister how mean so-and-so was (a.k.a. backbiting). Forget the Sunnah and Nawafil this time. There’s still time to sunrise, you can sleep in a little longer. There’s no time for the Qur’an today, there’s too much to do, it would distract you. Shout at your sister, she won’t listen otherwise!

Go ahead, it prodded me and I listened to it, blindly accepting everything. Last week, I’d listened to a similar idea that voice had dangled before me tantalizingly – a Saturday off from the class… and I’d caved in. Not this week… Alhumdolillah.

When someone deceives you and you find out, that’s the end of any trust that existed between you two. But then, why is it that this voice that deceives me repeatedly, was responsible for deceiving my parents, Adam(as) and Hawwa(as) is my close aide, confidante and trustee? A voice that whispers into me ear, eager to see me lose out on all joy, is my chosen friend? Why is it that when I am at the verge of doing wrong and I know the voice is egging me on, I chose to listen to it rather than to what I know is right?

Writing it out helps. After all, if together we don’t write about the wrong that is done to us and we don’t expose deceivers, how will we recognize them the next time they dare cross our paths?

O mankind! do your duty to your Lord, and fear (the coming of) a Day when no father can avail aught for his son, nor a son avail aught for his father. Verily, the promise of Allah is true: let not then this present life deceive you, nor let the Chief Deceiver (Satan) deceive you about Allah.(Qur’an 31:33)

Filed under: Experiences, Reflections, Reminders   |  3 Comments
Tags: Islam, Reminders

Breakfast at Dawn… or not?

11Oct09

Imagine boarding an airplane at 6:30 am to take a ninety-minute trip across the country. It’s just about sunrise and you vaguely wonder what the catering trolley will serve for breakfast. I’d probably even wonder whether they’d offer a choice between omlette and bread crumb-dipped potato rolls and what I’d choose. As the airplane takes off and gains height, you’ve finally found a comfortable spot in your seat and have just begun to flip through the in-flight program menu when you see the air hostesses bring out their trolley.

“Aha! Better choose a good program to watch with the meal,” you think and quickly scan the menu.

Slowly but surely the trolley makes its ways down the isle and finally it’s your turn.

“Juice or soda, madam?”

Juice or soda?! Oh of course, it’s only the first round – how stupid could I be? They don’t serve the meal directly, it’s always a drink first, especially in decent airlines.

Choosing a fizzy orange drink, you settle back into your seat. Rumble…rumble… no, it wasn’t the airplane (Alhumdolillah!), it was your tummy asking for breakfast as the sun climbed up the sky.

Fifteen minutes later, the trolley comes by again and this time, you’re ready to receive your tray. The air hostess smiles down at you, extends her hand and… hands you a shiny little fluffed up packet of potato chips! What?!

“Uh, no thank you,” you smile politely, only partially hiding your surprise and also wondering how the airline got the idea of serving juice and potato chips before breakfast.

“No, no, please, have some!” she insists, wearing a dazzling smile.

“I’ll just wait for breakfast,” you almost begin to say but stop, wondering how silly it would sound… as if you were a three-year old who needed a timely meal.

“Oh, ok,” says the air hostess in a chirpy tone and moves on.

Twenty minutes pass. Tick tock… tick tock… according to the flight status indicator, you’ve just completed more than half the journey and will be at your destination in another three-quarters of an hour.

Tick tock… tick tock. That’s not your wristwatch anymore… it’s your “tummy clock”, clocking the number of hours it has been since your last meal.

Lo and behold! The trolley arrives again. Forcing yourself to smile at the air hostess (the reward for patience is Paradise!) while inwardly shaking your head at the poor service, you look up.

“Would you like juice or soda, madam?”

“No thanks!” you blurt out, partly in shock and partly knowing, in some corner of your mind, that you’d known it would happen exactly like that.

The trolley moves on. Thirty minutes to touchdown and now, you’ve given up on breakfast altogether. Suddenly, you remember the half-finished packet of chocolate chip cookies in your purse, rummage for them and quickly down them, wondering how they’d have tasted with a piping hot cup of delicious tea. Just as you are busy brushing off a wayward crumb from your dress…

“Tea, madam?”

The trolley’s back again! But you’re trained now. You shake your head, mumble a “no, thanks!” and busy yourself deleting off all the useless messages in your mobile inbox.

Somebody in the row ahead of you impatiently asks for a customer comment card. Then there’s another one asking for the same. You smile. Some people air their views directly to the air hostesses  who point out they are only employees, following the company policy. Someone asks for the airfare to be reduced if the service is to remain poor. Suddenly, breakfast at dawn is the center-point of the criticism.

“Ha! So I’m not insane for asking for breakfast!” you smile with satisfaction, your ego partly satiated.

Rumble… of course, your tummy’s still hungry. Maybe the airport pastry shop still serves those delicious eclairs… what flavor topping should one choose? Chocolate or strawberry?

—————————————————

The story above is actually based on a very real, extremely similar episode, recently witnessed by a reader on this blog, Sammy, on a domestic flight in Pakistan, aboard one of the newer and supposedly better airlines. This just goes to show, new isn’t necessarily the best!

On and the chips served were Lays potato chips… to every passenger, young and old. Fascinatingly low, isn’t it?

Filed under: Experiences, Funny!, Meet the People   |  3 Comments
Tags: airline, in flight, in-flight service, travel