Monthly Archives: October 2010

The Types of Hearts

Narrated by Ibn Bashir: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying: “Both legal and illegal things are evident but in between them there are doubtful (suspicious) things and most of the people have no knowledge about them. So whoever saves himself from these suspicious things saves his religion and his honor. And whoever indulges in these suspicious things is like a shepherd who grazes (his animals) near the pastures of someone else and at any moment he is liable to get in it. (O people!) Beware! Every king has a pasture and the pasture of Allah on the earth is His illegal (forbidden) things. Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body if it becomes good (reformed) the whole body becomes good but if it gets spoilt the whole body gets spoilt and that is the heart.” [Bukhari]

It is clear from this Hadith that the heart is the essence of the whole body.

So what do we mean by a good and bad heart? Are we saying a bad heart is on the brink of a heart attack, clogged and cluttered with cholesterol and a healthy heart is of the one who cares for his health, eating well and exercising so his heart is strong. NO!

This Hadith describes the doubtful matters, the matters that are not clearly forbidden or clearly permissible; the matters that one has no knowledge of. The one who avoids the doubtful matters, is keeping himself clear from what is unlawful. And the one who indulges in these matters, is likely to slip into the unlawful.

Clearly, with the warning that follows this must mean that the dealing in the doubtful and unlawful matters has an effect on the heart. So this is what we mean by the health of the heart.

To further emphasize the importance of the heart, the Hadith transmitted on the authority of Abu Hurairah with some addition: “Verily Allah does not look to your bodies nor to your faces but He looks to your hearts,” and he pointed towards the heart with his fingers.” [Muslim]

So if Allah is going to look to our hearts, wouldn’t you want your heart to be in the perfect condition? How much effort do we put into making our house, our personal presentation beautiful when we are expecting our fellow Muslims to visit? They are only the creations of Allah, surely we must exert much more effort in our presentation to Allah. We are unaware of what moment our souls will be taken from us forever, so we must make sure the house of our heart is spotless at all times.

To be able to do this we must first understand what condition our heart is in. Understand the different types and conditions of the heart.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “The hearts are four types: polished as shiny as the radiating lamp, a sealed heart with a knot tied around its seal, a heart that is turned upside down and a wrapped heart. As for the polished heart, it is the heart of the believer and the lamp is the light of faith. The sealed heart is the heart of the disbeliever. The heart that is turned upside down is the heart of the pure hypocrite, because he had knowledge but denied it. As for the wrapped heart, it is a heart that contains belief and hypocrisy. The example of faith in this heart is the example of the herb that is sustained by pure water. The example of hypocrisy in it is the example of an ulcer that thrives on puss and blood. Whichever of the two substances has the upper hand, it will have the upper hand of that heart.” [Ahmad]

This Hadith describes the types of hearts.

The Healthy Heart

We start first with the heart that is polished as shiny as the radiating lamp. This is the heart of the believer in Allah and His messengers and the radiating lamp is the light of faith.

There are so many references in the Quran describing the healthy, believing heart. Allah says: “The believers are only those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His Verses are recited unto them, they increase their Faith; and they put their trust in their Lord (Alone);” [Noble Quran 8:2]

“…who patiently bear whatever may befall them (of calamities)” [Noble Quran 22:35]

“And those who give charity and also do other good deeds with their hearts full of fear (whether their charities have been accepted or not), because they are sure to return to their Lord (for reckoning).” [Noble Quran 23:60]

“He it is Who sent down (calmness and tranquility) into the hearts of the believers, that they may grow more in Faith along with their (present) Faith…” [Noble Quran 48:4]

This heart is filled with fear, fear for disobeying Allah, fear of whether their good deeds will be accepted, fear of the Punishment of disobedience, fear of not reaching Paradise. And also patience for whatever befalls them, calmness and tranquility, having Faith in their Creator that everything is the Will of Allah.

Allah also says: “And that those who have been given knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord, and that they may believe therein, and their hearts may submit to it with humility.”

“And verily, Allah is the Guide of those who believe, to the Straight Path.” [Noble Quran 22:54]

And this is the best part of a healthy heart, is the gift of understanding the knowledge. These hearts are filled with the knowledge that Allah has sent, it wasn’t lost in the throat, in the chest, it sank into the heart and cleansed it, polished it so it would shine like a radiating lamp, filling the whole body with the desire to please Allah and fearful of displeasing Him.

The Dead Heart

Then we have two other types described in the previous Hadith “…a sealed heart and a heart that is turned upside down…”

These are the dead hearts. These are the hearts of the disbelievers, the ones who rejected the signs of Allah and who brought upon themselves the wrath of Allah.

The sealed heart is the heart that never believed. As described in the interpretation of the meaning of the Quran:

“Allah has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearings, and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment.” [Noble Quran 2:7]

Again it is most beautifully described in the Quran:

“Or the state of the disbeliever is like the darkness in a vast deep sea” [Noble Quran 24:40]

The other type of dead heart, is the upside down heart, the heart of the hypocrite. The one who has had knowledge and rejected it. For him is the lowest, most horrific abode in the Hellfire.

In the Interpretation of the meaning of the Quran, Allah says: “And We shall turn their hearts and their eyes away (from guidance), as they refused to believe therein for the first time, and We shall leave them in their trespass to wander blindly.” [Noble Quran 6:110]

They are arrogant in their thoughts:

“The Hypocrites – they think they are over-reaching Allah, but He will over- reach them: When they stand up to pray, they stand without earnestness, to be seen of men, but little do they hold Allah in remembrance;” [Noble Quran 4:142]

They oppose the laws of Islam:

“The Hypocrites, men and women, (have an understanding) with each other: They enjoin evil, and forbid what is just, and are closed with their hands. They have forgotten Allah. so He hath forgotten them. Verily the Hypocrites are rebellious and perverse.” [Noble Quran 9:67]

And they are insulting towards the beloved Prophet of Allah, as Allah explains: “And behold! The Hypocrites and those in whose hearts is a disease (even) say: “(Allah) and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusion!” [Noble Quran 33:12]

Certainly this shows the lowest nature of these hearts.

The Sick Heart

Now we examine the nature of the sick heart.

It is true that words of the Prophet (peace be upon him) come clear and sweet, as only he can explain the sick heart and leave no doubt to its meaning:

“…As for the wrapped heart, it is a heart that contains belief and hypocrisy. The example of faith in this heart is the example of the herb that is sustained by pure water. The example of hypocrisy in it is the example of an ulcer that thrives on puss and blood. Whichever of the two substances has the upper hand, it will have the upper hand of that heart.”

This is the heart of the believer in Allah, and the Last Day, but they are wavering in their faith. Their desires pull them away from their Creator and they are focused on the delights of the Dunya with little regard for the ultimate delights that could await them in the Hereafter. They are drowning in sinful behavior and slow to repent.

Their hearts have been described by the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) “…and the other (heart) black and dust-colored like a vessel which is upset, not recognizing what is good or rejecting what is abominable, but being impregnated with passion.” [Muslim]

We all, as believing Servants of Allah have times where we fall into this category, where our focus is diverted from the Hereafter and we become lost in the trials and delights of this short life we are currently living. It is a time when belief is weakened and fear of Allah is reduced.

Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “There is (at times) some sort of shade upon my heart, and I seek forgiveness from Allah a hundred times a day.” [Muslim]

Surely, on hearing this we must ask ourselves, the heart of the Prophet (peace be upon him) must be the healthiest of all hearts, he has been labeled the best of all Mankind, so if his heart feels a shade upon it and feels that he needs to seek forgiveness 100 times a day, we must ask…what must we do to have a healthy heart?

Repent sincerely, with full hope of Allah’s Mercy and Forgiveness, and strive in His cause to better ourselves and the deeds that we do.


 

Hearts

In the name of Allah Most Gracious Most Merciful

 I. Allah’s servants were created with none of them having any prior wealth or knowledge:

It is part of Allah’s justice and mercy and knowledge and wisdom that He created His slaves equal at the time of their creation. At their dates of birth, they were born equal in everything: abilities, powers, resources and potentials. He made clear to them the path of good and encouraged them to follow as well as He made clear to them the path of evil and warned them against. Allah created His slaves with none of them having any prior knowledge, any prior wealth, or any prior power. Only, He created the tools for them to acquire knowledge. Allah says:

16/78 (Allâh has brought you out from the wombs of Your mothers while You know nothing).

II. Functions and Duties of organs as created by Allah:

Allah says:

 16/78 (Allâh has brought You out from the wombs of Your mothers while You know nothing and He gave You hearing, sight, and hearts that You might give thanks (to Allâh).

  • Ears are merely devices, which bring sounds from the outside into the heart. Ears cannot identify sounds; it is the heart that identifies them and translates them into meanings.
  • Eyes are merely tools, which bring images from its external visual state into the heart. Eyes cannot understand these images; it is the heart that that identifies facts, takes lessons, draws conclusions, accepts or questions, queries and analyses.
  • Hearts:
  • Hearts are the essence of wisdom and comprehension.
  • Hearts are the place of learning, understanding and making sense.
  • Hearts are like a laboratory of analysis and testing and evaluation.
  • Hearts are the place of forming intention and developing will power.
  • Hearts are the place of endeavor and resolve.
  • Hearts are the focus of losing and winning or success and defeat.

 Hearing and sight are for transferring images and sounds.

Hands and legs are for implementing and doing work.

Hearts are for evaluating matters and making decisions.

All other organs are for obeying and following the heart and going per its will and command.

That is the function and duties of organs as created by Allah.

 III Hearts are very important to physical doctors as well as spiritual ones:

 Hearts are quite important to physical doctors and also are very important to spiritual doctors. If the physical wellbeing of a human being in this life of his is directly associated with the physical wellbeing of his or her heart, then similarly, his or her eternal wellbeing and success is also associated with the heart being free from ailments warned against by the Koran.

 Because hearts are the devices which can identify the paths for guidance, and to study and analyze Allah’s message, and study the universe and the Koran, therefore, the heart is the most dangerous device. It is also a very sensitive and a thin transparent container which can breakdown or malfunction at any moment. The messenger (pbuh) said: {In the body, there is a flesh; if it becomes good then the whole body turns good, and if goes bad then the whole body goes bad. It is the heart}.

Without a heart one would not fathom what one sees or hears. Looking at a funeral for example, all one would see is a group of people carrying a dead person and nothing beyond that. And one may hear a verse in the Koran warning against something and it would mean nothing to him or her. It is just words and sentences with nothing and no consequences. Indeed, two big beautiful eyes are of no value if there is not a sane and sensible heart behind them that can really see.

 IV: Hearts as described in the book of Allah and the sunnah of The Prophet:

 But why do most hearts keep on the task of pumping blood but fail to perform their greater task. That happens because of lack of protection against temptations.

The messenger (pbuh) said: {temptations are offered to the hearts continuously and plentifully one temptation at a time, when a heart accepts a temptation a black dot is dispersed into it. And if a heart denies it or refuses a temptation then a white dot is dispersed into it. That is until all hearts shall return as either of two hearts. Either a black heart which acknowledges no good deed and denies no evil, or a white heart which no temptation will do it any harm for as long as the heavens and the earth last}.

Yes, if the heart is not cleaned and kept shining it can take to sin as a sponge would suck and saturate with water.

Allah has described the failing hearts with many different descriptions such as those that are sick with deeds which are close to being sinful (suspicious deeds), and those hearts which are sick with lust and desires. Or those hearts which cannot resist temptations. And because there are such sick men in society, that women are told against soft and sweet talk to avoid stimulating those who are sick.

 Another type of description which Allah gave is the digressing and wandering or roaming hearts. Other descriptions include the sealed hearts, and the wrapped hearts, and the tough and harsh hearts, and the engulfed or enshrined. Allah will not accept on the day of resurrection an individual with a sick heart. Allah says:

88/89 (On the Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will be of benefit, except Him who brings to Allâh a clean heart) [clean from Shirk (polytheism) and Nifâq (hypocrisy)].

 A heart which is free from lust to disobey Allah’s commands, or a heart which disagrees with His book, and free from slavery to any other than Allah, and free from following any other than His messenger (pbuh). A heart which is sincere in worship to Allah alone at free will, and a heart which loves and depends on Allah, and only fears Allah and returns only to Allah, and has hope into Allah and does the deed purely for Allah. If the heart loves; it only loves for Allah and if it despises it does so for Allah, and if it gives; it gives for Allah, and if it holds back it does so for Allah. It becomes satisfied for Allah and gets upset for Allah. A heart which has very little and yet it shines up like a bulb. Transparent and sensitive and delicate, shy and feels pity and very sensitive to what satisfies or dissatisfies Allah. Very aware of what brings closer to hell fire and what brings away from it.

 You would recognize those with these types of hearts by their eyes which fill with tears, and their God fearing senses, clean spoken tongs, plentiful in remembering Allah and reciting the Koran, continually doing prayers and fasting. You would recognize them as they get upset when Allah’s prohibitions are violated, or when a sin is made public. They seek out groups of good; and attentively listen to preaching of good. They get away from places of evil and those who attend such places. Hearts get sick only when the owner of the heart commits sins and does not follow them with repentance.

 When Allah punished the children of Israel he did not punish them through taking away their riches or children. Allah says:

2/7 (Allâh has set a seal on their hearts and on their hearings, (i.e. they are closed from accepting Allâh’s Guidance), and on their eyes there is a covering. Theirs will be a great torment).

 Allah also says:
2/18 (They are deaf, dumb, and blind, so they return not (to the Right Path).
On the day of resurrection, the Koran gives an indication of their minds, Allah says:
{And they say: Had we been want to listen or have sense, we had not been among the dwellers in the flames. So they confess or acknowledge their sins; but far removed (from mercy) are the dwellers in the flames}67: 10-11. Sure they may seem intelligent but they are not brainy.

Allah says:

13/19 (shall He Then who knows that what has been revealed unto You (O Muhammad) from Your Lord is the Truth be like Him who is blind? but it is Only the men of understanding that pay heed).

Raising Muslim Children

2 – Childhood

All Praise be to Allah,

فالصبي أمانة عند والديه و قلبه الطاهر جوهرة خالية من كل نقش أو صورة و بقبل كل ما ينقش فيه و يميل مع ما تجعله فيه. فان عود الخير و نشأ عليه سعد و سعد أبويه في الدنيا و الآخرة و إن عودة الشر و أهمله إهمال البهائم شقي و هللك و كان الوزر في رقبة المربي لأنه ولد على الفطرة  أي الإسلام، لقول الإمام إبن قيم: من أهمل تعليم ولده ما ينفعه ، وتركه سدى؛ فقد أساء إليه غاية الإساءة ، وأكثر الأولاد إنما جاء فسادهم من قبل الآباء وإهمالهم لهم وترك تعليمهم فرائض الدين وسننه، فأضاعوهم صغاراً، فلم ينتفعوا بأنفسهم ، ولم ينفعوا آباءهم كباراً، كما عاتب بعضهم ولده على العقوق، فقال : يا أبت ، إنك عققتني صغيراً فعققتك كبيراً، وأضعتني وليداً فأضعتك شيخاً ..

Parents are entrusted with their children. Children are created with pure hearts, free of every taint and ready to accept any patterns or teachings and will grow up to become what you make him or her. Parents can turn their children good so both will have Paradise, or can make them evil to suffer in this life and the next. You destroy your children when you ignore them. The burden of this sin is on the parents, because children are born on Fitra (born as a Muslims).

Imam Ibn Qaiyam says:

Parents who ignore their children, and do not teach Islam and how to be Muslims, will be misguided young and old, and cannot expect any good from them in their old age.
And the disobedient child will tell his parents: Because you neglected me when I was young, I neglected you when you are an old man. You left me when I was young; I left you at your old age.

وقد ذكر العلماء مفاتيح سبعة لفهم عالم الطفولة حتى لا تعامله كالكبار و لا تعامله كعالم غريب

Scholars mentioned seven keys to understanding childhood to enable us to treat our children as adults, and to be able to relate best to and with them.

FIRST:

وأولى هزه المفاتيح أن يعلم الآباء أن الطفل كيان إنسانى سليم و ليس حالة تربوبة مخروفى ( لأنه مولود على فطرة الإسلام )

A child is a perfect human being created and born with the knowledge of Islam within.

وثانيها: الواجب عند الطفل يتحقق عبر اللدة و ليس عبر الألم فحاول أن تفهم دلك ( الألم قد يلزمة فترة خوفا و لا يربية )

SECOND:

We can only build the sense of responsibility in children through “reward” and NOT through “punishment.” 

Punishment builds fear that works for a short time only but reward motivates and has a life-long positive effect.

وثالثها:
الزمن عند الطفل زمن نفسى وليس زمن اجتماعى ( أي الفترة التى يشعر فيها بالمتعة والسعادة )

THIRD:

Children’s concept of time is psychological rather than social. Children are affected most by time spent in joy or sadness.

FOURTH:

When children are stubborn they are trying to show their independence.

Remember that the child was tied to his mother for 9 months then his cord was cut. And then he was tied to his mother’s milk as a baby, then he stopped breast feeding and moved on. So at every stage the child tries to become independent.

FIFTH:

Children use the space around them to discover the unknown rather than our concept of using space for certain things. Childhood is the period when children try to learn new things and to discover the world around them.

SIXTH:

The needs of children are legal and innocent, but sometimes they might express their need incorrectly so it seems something other than what they really mean. We must not punish them because of their failure to express themselves.

SEVENTH:

Any strange or irritating behaviors from children could be explained by their failure to satisfy their social needs. Children are eager to satisfy their social and psychological desires. So they need to be educated more to feel comfortable.

بخصوص اللعب والمذاكرة فلا غناء لأحدهما عن الآخر فبعد الجهد و القراءة والتحصيل تتفتح حياة الطفل ببعض اللعب الجميل, فإن منع الطفل من اللعب وأرهق بالتعليم للتخلص من التعليم لأن اللعب هو المتنفس المشروع للطاقة المائلة عند الطفل ، وصدق رسول الله ( ص) حينما قال لعبد الله بن عمرو بن العاص إن لله عليك حقا و إن لبدنك عليك حقا.

Having fun and Studying:

Learning and fun always go hand in hand. Children need to play after reading and studying to ventilate and open their minds and release their energy.

Preventing our children from playing, And forcing them to only study will tire their mind and body, and they will try to find ways to stop studying.

وصدق رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم عندما قال لعبد الله بن عبد العاص إن لله عليك حقا و إن لبدنك عليك حقا و إن لأهلك عليك حقا

Prophet Mohammad (PBUM) said to عبدالله بن عمرو بن العاص:

The same way you have a duty towards Allah, you have a duty towards your own body, and a duty towards your own family.

و كان ( ص) يسأل عمير بن ابي و قاص الدي كان عنده طائر صغير يلعب به و لما مرض حزن علية الطفل وكان (ص) يقول له يا عمير ماذا فعل النغيز (الطائر الصغير)

Prophet Mohammad used to play with Omair-ibn-Aby Waqas who had a little bird called “Al-nuqair”. The little bird became sick and the Prophet (PBUM) said: O’ Omair, what happened to Alnuqair?: to amuse him and ease his grief for the loss of his little bird.

 

لا تفضح الطفل و لا تجرحه إن لم تعلمه شيئا

دخل الضيف فسارع الطفل الى خطف الحلوى ولم يسلم عليه رغم انه خاله, مد الولد رجليه وجلس تكشر الأم عن أنيابها وضعت الشراب فذهب لأكبر كوب وأخده وضعت المائدة فلطخ يديه في الطعام والحلوى والأم تلا حقه من مكان لآخر و في النهاية وخاله ينصرف نادت الأم يا سعد تعال سلم على خالك فسلم و يديه ملطخة بالحلوى والطعام هنا وبعد الخروج تنهال الأم عليه ضربا

Do not embarrass or harm your children, especially if you have not taught them anything.
If do not teach your children right, they will misbehave. Teach your children good manners and do not punish them, and they will honor you before family and visitors.

أعلم يا من تربي طفلك أن التشاجر بين الأولاد له أسباب منها الغيرة و الشعور بالنقص و اضطهاد الكبار وانشغال الأبوين عن الأطفال ومحاولة الذكور في البيت للسيطرة على البنات و أحيانا لامتلاك بعض اللعب لا يملكها الآخر و احذر من مشكلة إخوة يوسف لما تميز بحب كان جزاؤه أن يلقى في البئر لولا القتل

When raising children, we must be aware that fighting between siblings happens all the time for many reasons such as jealousy, feeling of inferiority, persecution of the elder, parents negligence of their children’s needs and concerns, boys trying to control the girls, and unequal ownership of toys, games, and clothes.

Be aware of having the problem of Prophet Yusuf’s brothers when parents distinguish love and give more to one child. That treatment will make the child hated by his siblings. So when we raise our children, we must be fair between siblings.

Prophet Mohammad saw a man kiss only one of his two kids, The Prophet said: why do you not treat your children equally?

فلا بد أن تعدل كما تحب أن يعدل ولدك في البر و اللطف بك. امدح الولد الصالح و قل لهم أنا على ثقة أنكم جميعا ستكونون كذلك وأزرع الحب بين الأولاد وأربطهم ببعضهم ، و بين لهم أهمية الأخ و الأخت وانظر إلى هذا الرجل الحكيم الذي نظر  إلى ولده الصغير وهو يضرب أخاه المولود في العهد على وجهه. فوضع الأب بعض اللعب بجوار المولود ، وكلما اقترب الصغير منه أخد الأب لعبة أو حلوى بجواره وقال له: هذه من أخيك المولود ليفرح بها و يتعلق بأخيه

Parents must treat each child equally and fairly, just like you would like your children to treat you with kindness and obedience.

 

Praise the good son or daughter and say to your children: “I know you will all be like this, and become the best people”

Unite between siblings and engrave love between them.

There is an example of a wise man who saw his young song hitting his baby brother. The man put some toys next to the baby and every time the young son came closer the man took a toy or a candy and said to him,  “this is from your baby brother”   to increase the bond between his children.

لا تنحاز إلى ولد أو للآخر لأن هذا يبعد عنك و لدك و يبغضك . ساعد الكبير أن يعطف على أخوته و الصغير يحترم الكبير ، لا تسرع بالعقاب لأن أحدهم قد يشمت بالآخرين حين يعاقبون ، لا تقارن واحدا بالآخر فتقول له كان أفضل منك حينما كان فى سنك

Do not prefer one child over another in judgment, because this takes your child away from you, and makes the child hate you.

Help the older son to be kind to his younger siblings, and the younger child to respect the eldest.

Do not rush into punishment in disputes between children, because some may enjoy watching their siblings punished.

Do not compare one child to another, by saying that your brother was better than you when he was your age.

في الحقيقة: لا بد و أن نعلم الطفل السلوك الإسلامي و الآداب الإسلامية ، آداب الطعام و الشراب و أدأب المشي و آداب الجلوس و آداب النوم و آداب التحية ، و آداب الحديث و كل أنواع التعامل الإسلامي وخاصة الاستئذان ، عودوا أبنائكم الخير فإن تعويد الخير عادة .

We have to teach our children the Islamic ways of behaviors. We have to teach them the Islamic way of eating and drinking, sitting and walking, sleeping and awakening, greeting and talking, and asking for permission. Train your children to do the good, for it will become a habit.

و المشكلة لا بد للآباء و الأمهات من دراسة سورة النور و الحجرات و قراءة قصص الأطفال في عهد الصحابة و عهد السلف ليكون عندهم زاد لأبنائهم ، حتى يصبح للمسلمين مكانا بين الناس ويسودا الدنيا كما سادها القادة المسلمين سنوات عديدة

Parents must study Surat An-Noor and Al-Hujuraat  الحجرات و النور and read stories to their children about the Prophet’s companions, and the great leaders of Islam to motivate them to be like them, to grow up making a great name for Islam between people and leading the world to greatness like we had done before.

فلا بد من إيجاد دافع لطفلك على الإستذكار و الإنتباه ، كأن نغرس فيه حب العلم كعبارة لله و طاعة و لك الأجر و لا تنس أن تجعل له حوافز و جوائز على النجاح ليقودوا الأرض . أذكر له أشخاصا ناجحين ممن يحبهم لا تنس أن يبدأ ببعض الآيات قبل المذاكرة أو دعاء حاول قبل المذاكرة أن تحل له المشاكل و تريح له المكان و لا بد بين الحين و الآخر

We have to implant in them the love for knowledge by teaching them that knowledge is an obedience to Allah and a good deed for them in this life and the Hereafter. We have to motivate our children by rewarding their successes by giving them gifts or making a party to celebrate, so that they can be encouraged to succeed agin.

We can remind them of successful people they love and encourage them to read versus and offer supplications before starting to study or doing any activity.

We have to motivate them and solve their problems, and pave the path of their education and success.

Care for your children and feed them properly, and do not under feed them or feed them too much.

When Um Muawya’s son was a child walking by his mother in Mecca, she was told: “Your son will lead Mekka.” She replied: “I raised him to lead the world.” And indeed he became a man to lead the world.

Even in this American culture we see many similar examples. You all know Arnold, the Terminator! His wife said one of her most important jobs is being a mother. 

In reality, there are very few men raising children on their own. The woman’s traditional job is to be a mother, and children without mothers suffer psychological problems.

The house that lacks a righteous mother is empty. However, in a healthy house filled with love, mercy, and faith, the father is the roof and the mother is the heart, and it is the best place to raise the Muslim leaders of tomorrow.

In the next Khutbah we finish talking about children إن شاء الله, then we move on to raising teens right, and facing their issues.