Chapter 3

ﻭَﻭَﺻَّﻴْﻨَﺎ ٱﻹِْﻧﺴَٰﻦَ ﺑِﻮَٰﻟِﺪَﻳْﻪِ ﺇِﺣْﺴَٰﻨًﺎ ۖ ﺣَﻤَﻠَﺘْﻪُ ﺃُﻣُّﻪُۥ ﻛُﺮْﻫًﺎ ﻭَﻭَﺿَﻌَﺘْﻪُ ﻛُﺮْﻫًﺎ ۖ ﻭَﺣَﻤْﻠُﻪُۥ ﻭَﻓِﺼَٰﻠُﻪُۥ ﺛَﻠَٰﺜُﻮﻥَ ﺷَﻬْﺮًا ۚ ﺣَﺘَّﻰٰٓ ﺇِﺫَا ﺑَﻠَﻎَ ﺃَﺷُﺪَّﻩُۥ ﻭَﺑَﻠَﻎَ ﺃَﺭْﺑَﻌِﻴﻦَ ﺳَﻨَﺔً ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﺭَﺏِّ ﺃَﻭْﺯِﻋْﻨِﻰٓ ﺃَﻥْ ﺃَﺷْﻜُﺮَ ﻧِﻌْﻤَﺘَﻚَ ٱﻟَّﺘِﻰٓ ﺃَﻧْﻌَﻤْﺖَ ﻋَﻠَﻰَّ ﻭَﻋَﻠَﻰٰ ﻭَٰﻟِﺪَﻯَّ ﻭَﺃَﻥْ ﺃَﻋْﻤَﻞَ ﺻَٰﻠِﺤًﺎ ﺗَﺮْﺿَﻰٰﻩُ ﻭَﺃَﺻْﻠِﺢْ ﻟِﻰ ﻓِﻰ ﺫُﺭِّﻳَّﺘِﻰٓ ۖ ﺇِﻧِّﻰ ﺗُﺒْﺖُ ﺇِﻟَﻴْﻚَ ﻭَﺇِﻧِّﻰ ﻣِﻦَ ٱﻟْﻤُﺴْﻠِﻤِﻴﻦ

"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents: In pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth. The carrying of the (child) to his weaning is (a period of) thirty months. At length, when he reaches the age of full strength and attains forty years, he says, "O my Lord! Grant me that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou has bestowed upon me, and upon both my parents, and that I may work righteousness such as Thou mayest approve; and be gracious to me in my issue. Truly have I turned to Thee and truly do I bow (to Thee) in Islam."

(Aaya 15 , Surah Ahqaaf)

"And from amongst them are those who say , O our Rabb grant us goodness in this world and goodness in the hereafter and save us from the punishment of the fire"

(Suratul Baqara Aaya 201)

This dua includes all the good of the world, and turns away every evil. Goodness in the world includes well being, abundant sustenance, beneficial knowledge, a spacious home, a beautiful wife, righteous deeds, an easy conveyance, good praises and many other things.

As for goodness in the Aakhira, the greatest is entrance into Jannah, also included in this, is safety from the great terror, and fear on the plains of resurrection, easy reckoning and other things .

The greatest thing that a person can have in this world is contentment. A man may be the wealthiest person, but if he has no contentment he will never be happy. Contentment leads to happiness, a life of bliss and peace.

Suhaib was not extremely wealthy, unlike most of  his friends who were well to do.They spent extravagantly, drove the latest cars, squandered money on useless and ferverless activities and had no value for the blessings they were bestowed with.

This didn't bother Suhaib and some of the other boys in their class one bit. They knew very well and were taught by their parents that money was not happiness, wealth was not everything, wealth came and went.

They were taught from a young age, that wealth could be given in charity, it could be used for many good causes, no doubt, but wealth was the reason enmity was created in the hearts of people. Insignificant wealth was the reason families were broken , and not on talking terms. The love of money , mere pieces of paper, that could be burnt to ashes in mere seconds, was so deep rooted in the hearts of people , it had the power of tearing firm family bonds apart.

Luqmaan and Zainab taught their children that the greatest thing a person can have in life, is contentment. A person may have a small house, an old car, and just sufficient wealth to fulfill his needs, but he is content with what he has, he will be the happiest man alive.
A person has the best of wealth , drives the flashiest cars, spends lavishly and lives like a king, but if he has no contentment in his life, he will have no happiness, despite him outwardly seeming to be at peace.

Suhaib and his siblings understood this very well, they were content with what they had and constanlty thanked Allah SWT for His bounties.

The Ahmed family consisted of eight members. They were a united, caring and loving family, who shared a close bond.

Luqmaan , the caring and loving father, he had a jolly personality.
A smile was always etched on his face, but once his limits were crossed, his jolly personality and bright smile would be replaced with an enraged expression, that nobody would dare mess with. A whole new side of him would be witnessed, when his temper flared.

Zainab, the affectionate, yet strict mother. Zainab was more stern compared to her husband and she disciplined her children well. When the children didn't get their way with their mother, they would run to their father, knowing he would give in due to his softer nature.

Both Luqmaan and Zainab grew up in homes where deen was their first priority, and they wished to grow their children up with the same mindset, making sure they understood, as well as loved their deen.

Zahra was twenty and the eldest daughter. She was the apple of her parents eyes, well behaved,modest and  well mannered. From all the children, she had the most beautiful character. She was hard working, both in her studies and at home.
She always served her parents, earning abundant rewards and supplications. Zahra's dream was to become a teacher and teach those children who came from underprivileged homes.

Although their parents never said it aloud, it was clear that they loved her the most. As for their siblings, they always adored and looked up to their eldest sister.

She lived up to her name , Zahra
(a flower). She was like a beautiful, fragrant flower. Those that looked at her would become pleased, those who accompanied her would enjoy and appreciate her fragrant personality.   Those that developed jealousy towards her, hated her and tried to crush her,  were also secretly awed by her sweet and forgiving nature.

When a flower is crushed, it still gives off its sweet scent. Zahra lived up to this quote. When others hurt her, she would still treat them in a better way. She never retaliated evil with harshness, she always retaliated bad attitude with good manners and kindness. She was a beautiful, fragrant and unique flower, a flower that stood out from the rest and caught everyones attention.

Suhaib, eighteen and the second child. He was well mannered, and an obedient son. He was well known for his modesty and shy nature. He was the kind of boy that every girl would dream of, bashful, modest, firm on his deen and kind hearted . He could be described with many other praiseworthy qualities.

There were some of his habits that his mother became infuriated with, and that was his laziness and carelessness, when it came  to lending a helping hand around the house and tidying up his untidy room, he was "absolutely freaking lazy ! " as his mother often said. He carelessly left important stuff scattered around the house, and when he needed it, he was much too lazy to move a muscle, he would rather order his younger siblings to compete in a treasure hunt, bribing them with Krispy Kreme or Wakaberry and being the food lovers they were , they obediently obliged.
Oh what they could do for food !

Excluding some of his habits that annoyed his mother, he was an admirable son and she thanked Allah SWT  immensely for this, for in the present generation, the upbringing of pious, well mannered kids, was a difficult task.

Taeeba was seventeen. She was the fussy and moody little sister. Compared to the rest of her siblings, she was more stern , straight forward and a serious kind of girl , who barely smiled. Despite being seventeen, she was very mature for her age.
She was not rude or abrupt , she  just never expressed her feelings openly. She was an introvert, who had very few friends. With those few frinds she didn't share a very close bond either. She loved her solitude and prefered being engrossed in a book, rather  than spending time with people.

Muaz was fourteen. He was the crazy sibling , the clown of the house .
He loved attention. With Muaz present, there was never a dull day. He was very much like his father, always smiling  and joking.
He was outspoken and confident,
but also had a bad temper, that very seldomly bacame evident.

Suhail was twelve. He was very similar to Suhaib, like Suhaib he was also shy and withdrawn in public.
He was also very soft natured and sensitive, only his close family witnessed his slightly crazy side .

Tasneem was eight. She was the last child. Even though she was way past the age of a toddler, she was treated like a baby. Being the baby sister of the house had it's perks. She was showered with love and affection by both her parents as well as her siblings. No one even attempted to upset her, for they knew well , they would have to deal with three over protective brothers , and face the  wrath of two sisters. She was spoilt the most, but not to the extent which made her stubborn and demanding.

This was the Ahmed family, a family that lived in unity. A family that supported each other in times of need, a family that comforted each other in times of grief, a family that encouraged each other towards good , a family where love and compassion was found. The main reason for their compassion, peace and harmony was due to the importance of deen being embeded into their hearts.

Home Taleem was practiced upon with punctuality. Their parents understood the importance of educating their children , it was their protection from evil, even before the evils could afflict them. The way a vaccination is done before a disease can afflict a person. Taleem(Islmaic values) is a vaccination before spiritual aliments can afflict a person.

Suhaib rubbed his grumbling stomach, hoping his mother had already prepared lunch. Instead he found Zahra in the kitchen, chopping vegetables while humming a Nazm, totally unaware that Suhaib had entered the kithen.

Suhaib slowly crept towards her and poked her rib.

She yelped. Surprised by his sudden presence, she cut her finger instead of the mushroom.

"Ouch !" she cried, pulling her hand away .

"What happened?"
Suhaib rushed to her side.

She showed him the cut , from which blood was now oozing out.

He gave her a panicked look.

"I'm so sorry Za I didn't mean to cut you !."

He lead her to the chair .

"Sit down I'm going to get the first aid kit.

She giggled.
"I can walk on my own you know " .

Suhaib responded with a weak smile.

He hated hurting his sisters even if it was by mistake, especially not Zahra for they shared a close bond. He rushed out of the kitchen, leaving Zahra stadnding beside the table.

Zahra held the table with her hand that was not cut, suddenly feeling dizzy, that was the reason why Suhaib was concerned. She always felt dizzy when she got cut.

It lasted a few minutes and she was back to normal.

Suhaib rushed in, with the first aid kit. He cleaned up her cut and wrapped a plaster around her finger , continuously apologising.

"My dress ! It's ruined."

He looked at her lilac dress that was stained with the blood dripping from her finger.

He glared at her.
" Here I'm worried about you fainting , and you concerned about this stupid dress !"

"It's a special dress okay !" , she stuck her tongue out at him.

Suhaib's hand stopped midway above the first aid kit. He narrowed his eyes at her .

"Who bought it for you ?" , he asked , in a serious tone.

Zahra smiled at him.

"Someone special", she gave him an innocent smile.

"Who ?"

She covered her face.
" I can't say !"

"Zahra !", he warned.

She broke out into a fit of giggles.
"Bro chill I'm just joking around with you. I bought it myself , it's just my favourite dress. "

He huffed in annoyance then laughed along with her.
" I know if something is special to you it's either from our mother or your lovely Bro, but I just had a doubt ....
it could have been from your fiance. "
He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Shut up !" She smacked his arm.

"You know you are not allowed to speak to him until you are married right?  He can give you gifts, but via your brother!"

Zahra rolled her eyes.
"Suhaib I am older than you , stop acting like my big brother !
Yes I know ! You know I wouldn't talk to him, neither would he."

"I may be younger than you, but that doesn't mean I won't discipline you !"

Zahra mock saluted.
"Yes sir ! Now let me go and change."

"I'm hungry !" Suhaib yelled after her.

"Oh shoot ! " Zahra walked back into the kitchen.

"The lasagne is in the oven , please take it out without burning yourself or dropping it down"

"I'm not that bad ! " he muttered.

"Oh when you done , please wake Ammi up. She had a headache,  I told her to rest, and that  I will wake her up when the food is ready. I hope she got some sleep. "

He took the casserole out of the oven , then headed upstairs to his mother's room.

He knocked lightly. When he heard no reply, he walked in. His mother slept peacefully, the duvet touched her chin, her scarf wrapped around her head.

He walked towards her slowly, not wanting to wake her up, but  she had to eat. She hadn't been looking well for the past few days.

"Ammi !" He pecked her forehead softly.

Her eyes fluttered open , she looked alarmed and shot up from the bed , panicked.

"Huh! What happened ?"
She asked, she held her chest.

Suhaib chuckled, this was her usual behaviour when someone woke her up.

"Nothing Mummy,  calm down.
Lunch is ready".

Zainab's eyes widened.
" Oh my bachi Zahra , I left her all alone in the kitchen. How long have I sleep?"

He shook his head.
"Ammi Zahra is old enough to work on her own. She's going to be a wife in a few months time. In Sha Allah. "

Zainab's eyes turned glassy.
She sniffed.
"My baby is a grown woman now !"

Suhaib laughed. He shook his head and embraced his mother.

"Yes she is. In Sha Allah , she will live happily with your son in law.
Taahir is a good guy and I'm sure once he returns from his trip, he's not going to wait any longer. "

His mother smacked his chest.
"Don't talk nonsense."

Suhaib chuckled and kissed his mother's forehead.

She smiled, uttering a silent supplication of gratitude for her beloved son.

Love and respect for ones parents is of utmost importance and greatly emphasised in Islaam. Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said regarding the mother , something to the effect: "Jannah lies beneath the feet of the mother." Regarding the father ," The pleasure of Allah, lies in the pleasure of the father and the displasure of Allah Ta'allah lies in the displeasure of the father."

Regarding the oldest sibling,
Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم said something to the effect : " The big brother's right over the younger ones is like the right of the father over the son" . The way the father and mother is respcted , the  older siblings should be respected.

Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلم also said something to the effect: " Those who do not show mercy to the younger ones, and does not respect his elders is not from amognst us."

Just like how the Eldest sibling likes to be shown respect, he should show respect and compassion to his younger siblings.

Islam is a beautiful religon,  a religon of love, compassion and respect.