Cure for Mobile Phone Addiction & Shopaholics

I didn't have a smartphone till 2012. I used it mainly to access Youtube videos. However, a friend introduced me to facebook and I thought it was a good idea to get connected to friends.

Little did I know that I was going to get somewhat addicted to smartphones. I wasn't actively using facebook. As plain as it sounds, I was only using it to post pictures of my kids.

I was also conducting some social media study related to my job at that time. But things took a turn in 2017. Yes, that was just last year, when I got to know Instagram.

So I was basically letting myself get hooked on random posts and stories, some religious ones, some commercial, some insightful and others are just downright humorous.

Time spent on my mobile increased to the extent that I did not get the proper rest that my body needed.

My mood changed from subtle to irritable.
And my daily tasks were of course affected.

But alhamdulillah. Allah s.w.t. is watching me, and knows I needed help. So He moved me to watch a Youtube video. The message was a hard slap on my face.

{فَاصْبِرْ عَلَىٰ مَا يَقُولُونَ وَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ قَبْلَ طُلُوعِ الشَّمْسِ وَقَبْلَ غُرُوبِهَا ۖ وَمِنْ آنَاءِ اللَّيْلِ فَسَبِّحْ وَأَطْرَافَ النَّهَارِ لَعَلَّكَ تَرْضَىٰ} [طه : 130]
( 130 )   So be patient over what they say and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting; and during periods of the night [exalt Him] and at the ends of the day, that you may be satisfied.

Message for mobile addicts: Be patient and restrain yourself from your gadgets. Praise Allah s.w.t. instead and you will find happiness.

{وَلَا تَمُدَّنَّ عَيْنَيْكَ إِلَىٰ مَا مَتَّعْنَا بِهِ أَزْوَاجًا مِّنْهُمْ زَهْرَةَ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا لِنَفْتِنَهُمْ فِيهِ ۚ وَرِزْقُ رَبِّكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَبْقَىٰ} [طه : 131]
(131 )   And do not extend your eyes toward that by which We have given enjoyment to [some] categories of them, [its being but] the splendor of worldly life by which We test them. And the provision of your Lord is better and more enduring.

Message for shopping addiction:
Don't look at what others have. What Allah s.w.t. is giving you are better than all that.

{وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا ۖ لَا نَسْأَلُكَ رِزْقًا ۖ نَّحْنُ نَرْزُقُكَ ۗ وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ} [طه : 132]
( 132 )   And enjoin prayer upon your family [and people] and be steadfast therein. We ask you not for provision; We provide for you, and the [best] outcome is for [those of] righteousness.

Message for parents who are holding their gadgets more than they hold their children: Our number one duty towards our children is not about providing their material needs, but is to fulfill their spiritual needs. What their souls need. Teach them solah.

SubhanAllah. I was guilty. And He did not punish me. But He broadened my path towards Him.
Forgive me ya Allah for all the wasted opportunities I could have gotten with my children, with my family and above all with You.

My Mommy Teacher Ustazah

Having three curious and active kids at home can really make you forget about what's truly important for the long term. Yes, I have been guilty of just getting them to solat, complete their homework and read the Qur'an without realising that I am responsible for a much greater role.

Teaching them about their Creator, how to gain His love and getting to know more about the most special man in our hearts -Rasulullah s.a.w.

So as an action towards these  goals, I have embarked on a schedule of Islamic mom-to-children lessons which comprise Tawheed, Fiqh, Akhlaq and Seerah.

Going in a sequence of Monday to Friday, one subject per day, and just 30 mins or less.

For Tawheed - the plan is to use a book called Sifat 20 and make it palatable for the kids. Plus some relavant videos from YouTube.

For Fiqh - books from eldest child's madrasah

For Akhlaq - 109 Hadith for Kids, Syamail

For Seerah - Kun Anta's excellent videos with subtitles plus Encyclopedia on Prophet

Moms Keep Fit for Ibadah

Being a stay at home mom in this era of machines can have a negative impact on one's fitness level. I have actually stopped doing any workout since I had my third child, as he seemed to have something against me exercising, and would throw a tantrum each time I started my warm-ups.

So the story goes like that for a long time.. until the moment I discovered that I may have inherited a blood clotting disorder that my mother has.

That woke me up from my complacency and set me back on my routine three times a week.

I started with Tabata but recently switched to Zehra Allibhai because I love the low-impact but high-intensity crunches.

It was delirious to know that I now can't even complete a single push-up. So that is a big warning sign that my core has dwindled in strength over these 5 years.

O Allah, please help me to maintain good health and keep fit, so that I can do more to earn Your pleasure.

The Story of Universe

https://youtu.be/3rHXrA80NH4

Who Finished My Milk?

The youngest of the family, Mr A, has developed the habit of nursing before bed time, since he was little. Now a bright and tall handsome 3 year old, he still has the habit, except that it is now way beyond the recommended weaning age of 2 years as according to the Qur'an.

Past few months especially, I had been persuading him to stop, by saying he's now big enough to drink bottled milk. He thought about it for a while yet insisted on nursing.

Last night, I told him that there's no more milk left. He tried to nurse and then said crossly, "Mommy, who finished my milk?"

I was a bit tickled and surprised at the way he had phrased the question. But I figured it's a good chance to explain the fact that Allah s.w.t. has decided that he is a big boy now and he does not need mommy's milk.

I asked if he wanted me to make him a drink and he nodded. It was such a relief to finally be able to convince him to wean off. He did cuddle up for comfort but I guess he will grow out of it soon.

That's Mr A. Determined and alert.

Earlier that day, my dad had just sent me a video of him on a motorised bike. Mr A proved to be exceptionally  precise in maneuvring it, especially when he avoided a boy who was walking right in his path.

Ask him what his ambition is. And the reply is a rocket driver.

He wants control. Definitely.

May Allah s.w.t. grant for him all the du'as that will give benefit to the universe and make his admission to Jannah easy for him inshaAllah.

Barakah = No Stress

It's the new economy where everything from food to education is just getting less and less affordable. Everyone is scrambling to secure a good future for their children. Even if it means missing their solah, Even if it means lying to their customers, colleagues or bosses. Even if it means neglecting their children's spiritual development.
 Na'udhubillahi mindhalik.

At the end of the day, all these will boil down to emotional stress, far from contentment. There is simply NO barakah.
What is it about surviving this slow economy that should really matter?

Let's recall the du'a of Prophet Ibrahim a.s. as he left his beloved wife and child in the middle of the lifeless valley. The one du'a he emphasised is so that his children perform their solah regularly. Quran 14:37

Why wasn't safety at the top of the du'a list? Or rizq?

Because he knew that when a person does solah, Allah s.w.t. will take care of all his/her other needs. When you are not with your child, Allah s.w.t. will take care of that child. Like how Allah s.w.t. took care of Prophet Ismail a.s. on the barren land. When our children are in school or hanging out with their friends, the only thing that is between Allah's protection and the devil's whisperings is solah. SubhanAllah.

May Allah s.w.t. bless us with children who dutifuly perform their solah, and remember Him wherever they are, in our presence or in our absence.

InshaAllah Ameen.

Fill Our Hearts

Today is the first day of school. A new school year. My firstborn, looking a little weary as she couldn't sleep much last night (perhaps too excited), managed to set off early for school.

I watched her through the window. DH accompanied her before he went to work. As a mother, that protective feeling drove me to keep watching till she safely got on the bus. But unlike usual days, today a different kind of du'a runs through my system. Usually I would just du'a for her safety and so that she would gain beneficial 'ilm. However, the du'a today goes like this..."Ya Allah, fill her heart with Iman and Taqwa. Let her live with the Akhlaq of Rasulullah s.a.w. whose Akhlaq is the Qur'an..."

That du'a applies to me too. I can't be an effective mother if I can't practise good akhlaq. No matter how advanced a person's knowledge is...I am only comfortable with people who are humble and honest. May Allah s.w.t. erase all the filth from our hearts and fill it with His Light....Ameen....

If Our Prophet s.a.w Is Still With Us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTdoy40MsHA&feature=youtube_gdata_player