Kudos to the 'Alimah, Congrats to her mom
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Transcript of Kudos to the 'Alimah, Congrats to her mom
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﷽
A hijab-loving mom in London decides to send her eldest daughter
to a madrasah. It also has school curriculum and requires a huge
fee. A reader comments:
Kudos to the 'Älimah, Congrats to her mom
Congrats to the mom of the would-be scholar!
Kudos to the would-be 'Älimah herself!
From a sinner and aimless wanderer – from a bigot Christian’s
school who wouldn’t let the students go for Jum'ah Saläh, to the
historic precincts of Därul 'Uloom, Deoband, where the mountain
ranges bow down, where the hurricanes come to an abrupt halt. It’s
the poor hamlet before which royal palaces prostrate!
ک اجےت ںیہ اہیں ر
سا ر اہیں د ب اجےت ںیہ، وطافں کہ
ا وہں ےک لحم کھج اجےت ںیہ
ریقفی ےک ا ےگ ش
ا س اکخ
“… we have to conduct ourselves even more carefully as parents
of someone engaged in this kind of study … ” – brought tears to
my sinful eyes! The high opinion you non-scholars have of
scholars! The love and admiration you have for these 'Ulamä and
the faith you people show in their words, I know for sure, would
take you to much higher levels of Paradise than many of us. May
Alläh gather us all there, the sinners among us and the virtuous!
To the would-be 'Älimah,
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Welcome to the beneficial knowledge, far removed from the
useless Macaulayish knowledge (sin theta, cos theta)! Welcome to
a life in the blessed shade of the Qurän and Hadïth! Welcome to
the companionship of Sahäbah and Täbi'ïn, to the courts of Imäm
Abü Hanïfah and Imäm Mälik, to the assemblies of Ibn Taimiyyah
and Shah Waliulläh! Welcome to the learnings Imäm Bukhärï lost
and regained his eye-sight for! Welcome to the knowledge Imäm
Ahmad suffered executioner’s lashes for, till he fell unconscious!
Welcome to the Hadïth 'Umar ibn 'Abdul Azïz taught from the
throne of the greatest empire of the day! Welcome to the Fiqh
Sarakhsï taught from the depth of the well where he had been
imprisoned!
You will be spending this part of your life strolling in the holy
fields of Badr and Uhud. In the streets of Madïnah, you will see
your little sisters singing “The full moon صلى هللا عليه وسلم rises up
over us from the valley of Wadä'.” In the Masjid of Madïnah you
will find an aunt tying a rope between pillars to recline against and
get some rest when tired of standing during her long Tahajjud
prayers. You would also get to see her who complains to the
Prophet against her husband. Down below, the Prophet decides
against her. Up above, Alläh decides in favor of her. The Supreme
Lord from above the seven high skies overrules His own beloved
Prophet صلى هللا عليه وسلمfor Khaulah’s sake!
Till now you have seen the love of just one mother. Now on you
will have eleven mothers fasting in the day, praying in the night,
for herself and for you, the daughter, fourteen centuries and four
thousand miles away! You will find them, the wives of the Chief
of Humanity, living a life of poverty and hardship under him, and
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when given the choice of divorce, the option of a better and more
luxurious life, declining without hesitation, without consultation:
“Shall I seek others’ advice regarding you, Alläh’s Prophet? Never
ever!!”
Perhaps, you would get to see the rich, charming beauty deciding
to marry the poor and ugly Julaibïb going against her parents
because the Prophet had suggested. The parents had other
opinions, but the soft yet firm voice from behind the sacred veil
disagrees, “Are you thinking of rejecting Alläh’s Prophet’s
suggestion? If he has decided Julaibïb for me, I will be with him.”
True, it was a mere suggestion, not a command, but whose
suggestion it was: his, whose every syllable was ratified by Allah!?
No doubt, there would be no sin in going against this, but could
she go against the Prophet, for whose sake millions of souls may
be sacrificed! When you meet this Ansärï lady, do convey to her
our Saläm – the greetings of this invaluable Ummah!
As the red carpet gives way to the feathers of infallible angels
beneath your blessed feet, you will thank your parents for “cutting
back expenses everywhere else they could”. On your holiday visits
to river-banks and lake-sides, when the fish say Saläm to you, and
seek Alläh’s forgiveness for you, your hijäb-loving mom would
feel proud. The earth that shakes and quakes to swallow the mighty
mountains, the sky that pounds rain and hail to destroy the
prosperity of sinners, the ocean that gambols and dances to drown
the alcoholics in Titanic, the high impregnable hills that become
the graveyards of modern super-powers: when these very same
ones start praying for you, how honored would you feel!?
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Muslims love Prophet صلى هللا عليه وسلمand his words. They
perform Saläh and recite the formulas. They read the Book of
Alläh whose eloquence outshines the despicable Shakespeares and
the mediocre Tolstoys far more than the sun outshines the stars.
You too must have done and must be doing each of this. How will
it feel when these very words – sweet but obscure – become alive
all of a sudden.
The Prophet is talking privately to his wife and you are listening
and understanding:
“I know when you are pleased with me and when you are in a
different mood.”
“How exactly, Alläh’s Prophet!”
“When you are pleased, you say, ‘Of course, by Muhammad’s
Lord’. When you are annoyed, your conversation is on the lines of
‘Of course, by Ibrähïm’s Lord!’”
“True, by Alläh, Alläh’s Prophet! I discard nothing but just your
name.” Even then, he and his being, his teaching and his preaching
remain dearer to Mom 'Äishah than her own heart and soul.
At Ji'irränah, the Prophet صلى هللا عليه وسلمis talking to the Ansär
privately. He has already ensured that no one else is present in the
assembly. There has been a talk among some young Ansär that
when it comes to battle-field, we are sent to the frontline, when it
comes to distribution of Ghanïmah, we are relegated to the rear.
The speaker’s loyalty has been questioned. Ten years back, Abul
Haitham Ansärï had asked in the Makkan valley of 'Aqabah, “Will
it be, Alläh’s Prophet, that when Isläm becomes powerful, you will
abandon us and return to Makkah?” The truest lips that ever spoke
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on earth had smiled, “Your blood is my blood. You are mine, I am
yours!” This commitment was in doubt.
As the Prophet recounts the never-seen-before and never-to-
happen-again blessings the Ansär had enjoyed because of him, the
Ansär’s beards get wet with tears. “Don’t you feel favored that
other people are returning home with goats and sheep, with gold
and silver, (with pound and dollar); and you with the Prophet of
Alläh!?” Makkah whose Masjid Haräm gives you the reward of a
hundred thousand Salähs won’t get the Prophet, you will. But shh..
It’s a top-secret, confidential conversation. Outsiders are not
allowed.
You are privy to it, the very sweet and lovely words, the moving
and stirring words, the words originating from the heart, impacting
upon the heart.
As you get liberated from Darwin’s superstition to the Qurän’s
information, as you get freed from the blinkered approach of what-
we-see-is-what-exists to the certain knowledge of what Alläh has
kept in store for you, as you spend some of your nights imitating
'Abdulläh ibn 'Amr, completing the Qurän in three days, crying
where the Sahäbah cried, enjoying where the Prophet felt
delighted, you will know what you have gained; what void you
started from, what summit you have landed upon!
=================
In response to happymuslimah:
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Little Lady and Big School: Reasons for Choosing Islamic Scholarship
I have been worrying and praying about Little Lady’s secondary
education for the last few years. As she was my firstborn I had no
experience of how the system worked or whether the local school or
an Islamic school would be best for her.
There is massive competition for the one local grammar school and
she did not get in, following the secondary school application process
she got a place in the local state school that I had attended.
We had tried to find a place in an Islamic school a year earlier, but all
of those that offered an Islamic education that included the Alimah
(Islamic scholars) programme were full and sent out applications to
include her in their waiting list.
We decided to let her start in the local school as there didn’t seem to
be any other options. The local state school has come a long way from
when I studied there. At that time it had a bad reputation and not the
best results for GCSE. I remember that being good at your studies was
not something to be proud of amongst students but something to be
masked, with even teachers occasionally joining in at making fun of
the bright children.
I was one of the smallest kids in my year and had to learn to make up
for this by being extra loud, rude and by swearing a lot. I made it to
the end of high school with good grades and to the end of sixth form
with reasonable grades but knowing I could have done a lot better. It
left me with a legacy of for many years thinking how much better I
could have done as an adult if I had better schooling as a child and
with a foul mouth, both of which took many years to overcome.
So you can imagine I had my worries when that was the only option
for us. A visit to the school and talking to friends and neighbours who
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had children studying there assuaged some of my worries. The school
has a new strict head teacher and has had millions of pounds of
investment in new buildings and equipment. It has expanded to a
primary and nursery school and the sixth formers look like they are
dressed for the office.
Little Lady loved it there and made friends straight away. She became
a school council representative and volunteered for everything. Best
of all they had a massive library full of every book she had ever been
looking for.
I still had my worries. For instance probably over half of the children
in the school are Muslim and many of the girls wear hijab. This
doesn’t stop them from listening to music, swearing and generally
assuming a very cocky attitude. This just isn’t part of the beautiful
character I want to develop for my children and I feared that Little
Lady would pick up bad habits. As she is so strong willed I could also
imagine a situation in a few years where we would not be able to rein
her in and discourage bad habits.
It was hard to explain my reservations to my husband, but once he
was picking and dropping her from school for a few weeks he could
see the behaviour of some children for himself – giving adults dirty
looks, swearing, shouting, chatting or fighting with people of the
opposite sex - all things normal teenagers do, but things that I don’t
believe are part of the correct upbringing of a Muslim teenager who
we hope one day becomes a good Muslim.
One option I was considering was putting her in one of the after
school alimah courses that have started locally recently which would
cover her Quran studies also. This would have been tough with
picking her up from school and then dropping and picking her up
from a second place whilst juggling the boys school run and Quran
studies also, especially as I don’t drive. It seemed to be our only
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option.
As the first few weeks of term progressed, my husband got more
concerned about the way students at LL’s school behaved and the
influence this would have on her. So one day on the way to look for a
new double pram for Darling and Baby, he suggested we pick up
forms for the two nearest girls Islamic schools. One had no spaces
and did not offer the alimah course but did provide a very positive
environment and is run by a masjid that my husband has strong links
with. The other school was attended by a cousin of mine and a few of
my friends’ daughters and I have heard mixed reviews of. We filled
the form for this one and submitted straight away and LL was called
back for a test the following week. She did well on the test and was
called back for an interview. The head teacher listened to her
recitation of Quran and asked her about why she was interested in the
school. They offered her a place for the following Monday and also
allowed her to join the alimah programme (they have three strands:
Islamic studies, alimah course and hifz programme where the whole
Quran is memorised).
We were over the moon but I was also worried about how the
transition would affect her. She would have to leave behind the
friends she made and the hours are longer with a 7:30am start due to
alimah studies in the morning,
Following her first half term there she has settled in well and is
catching up quickly with what she missed (Memrise has really helped
with Arabic and French). Her Quran teacher was brilliant and
supplemented Quran studies with Islamic knowledge and memorising
prayers and reading Islamic books, so this meant that much of what
was covered in the first half term that she missed she already knew.
Her Dad had also been helping her learn Urdu which has the same
script as Arabic and this helped her with learning Arabic too.
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There are some things she misses: having the latest IT equipment,
swimming pools and a greater emphasis on sport, the library she
loved so much, switching from Spanish (which she loved) to French
(which I like) and also missing out on certain lessons (such as Drama)
to accommodate for others (Arabic). I have agreed that we can work
on subject areas which she liked that are not covered in her current
curriculum and she sees the value of the Islamic environment and
studies Alhamdulillah.
The cost of her education means that we will have to cut back
everywhere else that we can and it will also mean that we have to
conduct ourselves even more carefully as the parents of someone
engaged in this kind of study – it has certainly made me think about
what kind of qualities should be present in the mother of a scholar
and has made me face up to where I lack in these.
Some might question why we would only put one child in private
education and possibly not the rest. As my oldest child I believe that
she will have a significant influence on the others, particularly on my
two youngest girls who will be of an age to benefit from what she
learns by the time she finishes high school and sixth form (the alimah
course is seven years and the girls are 9 and 11 years younger than
her). I also believe that I was still learning to parent with my oldest
children, I made all of my mistakes with them and now that they are
older those mistakes (shouting, screaming, being very impatient etc)
are staring me in the face in the shape of their behaviour. I feel like
Allah (SWT) has given me the chance to do things better with my
younger children, but that doesn’t excuse the fact that I feel as if I
messed up with my older children and I would do anything I can to
put that right. So rather than worry and feel miserable, I want to give
them a positive environment and keep trying to put right the things I
could have done better in any way that I can.
I am so very grateful to Allah (SWT) for this opportunity for my
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daughter, after 3-4 years or worrying and two years solid of praying
for her education and correct upbringing (tarbiyah) in every salah, I
feel as if my prayer has been answered insh’Allah. Now it’s Little
Man’s turn. I have left it a little late for training for the eleven plus
exam that has to be passed for entry into the local boys grammar
school. The exam isn’t until next September, but the competition is
intense. So we will start planning and thinking for him, but in the
meantime I am going to have to resort to the only measure I can
really rely on and which has gotten me results: praying for him in
every sujood until Allah (SWT) creates the best path for him and
trusting that Allah (SWT) always does what is best for us at the right
time.
Huzaifa (RA) said that, whenever the Prophet (Sallallahu `alaihi
wasallam) happened to face any difficulty, he would at once resort
to salat. (Ahmad, Abu Dawud)
Anas ibn Malik (RA) narrated that Allah's Messenger (Sallallahu
`alaihi wasallam) said: “One who goes out to search for knowledge
is (devoted) to the cause of Allah till he returns.” (Tirmidhi 220)
‘Abdullah ibn Abbas (RA) narrated that Allah's Messenger
(Sallallahu `alaihi wasallam) said, “Acquiring knowledge in
company for an hour in the night is better than spending the whole
night in prayer.” (Tirmidhi 256)
Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that... the Prophet (Sallallahu `alaihi
wasallam) said, “... He who treads the path in search of knowledge,
Allah will make that path easy, leading to Paradise for him and
those persons who assemble in one of the houses of Allah (mosques),
recite the Book of Allah and learn and teach the Qur’an (among
themselves). There will descend upon them tranquillity, mercy will
cover them, the angels will surround them and Allah will mention
them in the presence of those near Him.” (Muslim 6518)
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The superiority of the learned man over the devout is like that of the
moon, on the night when it is full, over the rest of the stars. The
learned are the heirs of the Prophets, and the Prophets leave neither
dinar nor dirham, leaving only knowledge, and he who takes it takes
an abundant portion.’” (Abu Daud 3634)