The Nursery Rhymes Epidemic: Young Muslim Minds Are at Stake

It’s not just adult Muslims who are addicted to their screens. Young children have started experiencing this problem too, with equally, if not far more, devastating effects. And one of the biggest culprits behind this epidemic is the kids’ animated YouTube channel Cocomelon:

“Cocomelon is so hyperstimulating that it actually acts as a drug, as a stimulant. The brain gets a hit of dopamine from screen-time and it seems that the stronger the ‘drug’ aka the level of stimulation a show delivers, the stronger the ‘hit.’

Stay-At-Home Moms: Ignore All the Noise

By: Umm Khalid (Muslimskeptic.com)

If you are a stay-at-home mom and you are struggling with feelings of worthlessness or insignificance, I completely understand you.

If you feel like you are all alone, stuck at home with the kids, constantly changing diapers; cooking meals which are only half-eaten; always cleaning up messes all over the house; and nursing the baby, you are not alone.

You probably feel like the world is passing you by, while you stay home, barefooted in your pajamas and tending to toddlers, whereas others are out there in “the real world” going to prestigious jobs, earning money and “contributing to society,” and that makes you feel very small.

Swift Entry into Jannah​

Sayyiduna Abu Umaamah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “The one who recites Aayatul Kursi after every fardh salaah, nothing will prevent him from entering Jannah besides passing away.” (As Sunanul Kubra - Nasai #9848)

The recitation of Aayatul Kursi is extremely easy as it will take perhaps only half a minute and can thus be recited comfortably after every salaah. The benefit of reciting Aayatul Kursi after every salaah is that after passing away, the reciter will be admitted into Jannah extremely swiftly.

The ‘Undo’ Button

Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddeeq (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that he heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mention, “There is no slave (of Allah Ta‘ala) who commits any sin (whether major or minor), and thereafter performs wudhu, stands and performs two rakaats of salaah, and then repents to Allah Ta‘ala, except that Allah Ta‘ala will forgive him.” (Sunan Abu Dawood #1521)

In the ‘olden days’, when the typewriter was in vogue, if a person made a typing mistake, there was no way to undo it. Hence, to correct the mistake, the entire document would have to be retyped. Thereafter, correction fluid (Tipp-ex) was invented, making life much easier for typists around the world. Finally, the time came when word processing shifted to computers. Now, it is easier than ever to ‘undo’ a mistake by simply pressing the ‘undo’ button.

Hajj from Home

We all have the burning desire in our hearts to present ourselves at the doorstep of the Ka’bah and fulfill the blessed rites of hajj. Some are fortunate enough to perform hajj once in a lifetime, some twice in a lifetime, and there are the select few who are extremely fortunate as they perform hajj annually.

However, Allah Ta‘ala, in His infinite kindness, has made it such that even those who cannot journey to Makkah Mukarramah to perform hajj are able to acquire the reward of hajj. Furthermore, they can do it from the comfort of their own homes!

Powerful Prescription

Sayyidah Ummu Sulaim (radhiyallahu ‘anha) once came to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and requested, “O Rasul of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)! Teach me some words to recite through which I will make du‘aa to Allah Ta‘ala.” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) answered, “Recite Subhaanallah ten times, Alhamdulillah ten times and Allahu Akbar ten times. Thereafter, ask your needs of Allah Ta‘ala, for He will say, ‘I have done so! I have done so! (I have fulfilled your needs)’” (Musnad Ahmad #12207)

The prescription given to Sayyidah Ummu Sulaim (radhiyallahu ‘anha) by Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is one that is both easy to recite and extremely powerful. We all have needs, and every person is totally dependent on Allah Ta‘ala alone for the fulfillment of his needs. Hence, before supplicating to Allah Ta‘ala and presenting our needs to Him, let us strive to recite the zikr prescribed above. It will take only a few moments, but the effect of the du‘aa that is answered will be long lasting.

Islamic Considerations Regarding the Education of Women

Here is a list of problems that come with educating women for the purposes of gender equality and female empowerment/social advancement. (These problems do not arise when the purpose of education is to teach religion or become better mothers.)

Problem 1: It decreases the happiness and life satisfaction of women.

Problem 2: It increases the number of unmarried women because educated women generally prefer to marry even more educated, powerful men. But there is a limited supply of such men. So more women are competing for a smaller pool of men, meaning most of those women will not find a match.

Du‘aa of Seventy Thousand Angels

Often, we have the perception that ‘earning great reward’ from Allah Ta‘ala is something that will require immense effort, energy and action. However, Allah Ta‘ala, out of His infinite mercy, has blessed us with numerous avenues through which we can easily earn immense rewards with a minimum effort. One of these avenues is the sunnah of visiting the sick.

In this regard, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has mentioned, “There is no person who visits someone who is sick in the evening, except that seventy thousand angels come out with him, making du‘aa for his forgiveness until the morning, and he will receive a garden in Jannah. And there is no person who visits someone who is sick in the morning, except that seventy thousand angels come out with him, making du‘aa for his forgiveness until the evening, and he will receive a garden in Jannah.” (Sunan Abi Dawood #3098)

Kick Feminism to the Curb! Contentment in Marriage and Motherhood

I am happy to be a traditional housewife.

I’m content with being a homemaker, a wife who plays a supporting role to my husband’s lead role. I’m busy enough in my position as a stay-at-home, as a mother homeschooling five children, alhamdulillah, that I do not wish for any further responsibilities to be placed upon my shoulders.

I feel completely fulfilled and at peace within my feminine frame, alhamdulillah. Thus, I have no desire to warp my essence or defy my fitrah (natural innate disposition) by trying to assume a masculine frame; or by competing with my husband; or by becoming independent of him.

Hayaa within the Home

When many of us think back and remember our grandmothers or even great-grandmothers, the picture that comes to mind is of an old woman wearing a shapeless, loose, long, flowing garment that also covered her arms and part of her neck. These standard and generic ‘nanima outfits’ were certainly not stylish, but they definitely represented the treasure which many Muslims of today have lost – hayaa, shame and modesty.

By and large, the old women hailing from that era had not received an advanced education (if any formal education at all), and even their Deeni knowledge was rudimentary due to the scarcity of maktab madrasahs. However, most of them possessed the core values of Islam in their lives, such as generosity, selflessness, humility, and most importantly – hayaa.

Every woman wants to be beautiful, really beautiful.

No amount of makeup or cosmetic procedures will make you as beautiful as haya’ will make you.

Haya’ makes a woman stunningly beautiful.

Haya’, الحياء: that elusive internal and external quality of modesty, humility, bashfulness, shyness. Refraining from indecency and immorality out of an instinctive self-preservation.

Haya’ is for both men and women, but its absence in especially women is jarring and disturbing.

An average-looking woman with haya’ is absolutely beautiful.

A physically pretty woman without haya’ is ugly.

The Arab saying goes,

جمال بلا حياء وردة بلا عطر.

“Beauty without haya’ is a rose without fragrance.”

Porndemic

Every parent wants their child to prosper in life. Accordingly, every parent will try their level best to equip their child with the qualities that will assist him/her to thrive and be successful. The parents will try to feed them healthy foods, and if there is a nutrition deficiency, they will supplement the diet with multivitamins. They will try to give them a good education, and if the child is not scoring the desired marks, they will send them for additional tuition. They will passionately protect them from all dangers and will try to strengthen their bodies so that they will one day be able to defend themselves.

While all these qualities, such as education, health, etc. are undoubtedly important, they are not the main qualities required for the prosperity of the child. Rather, the two main qualities required for the child to prosper in this life and in the afterlife, have been described by Wahb bin Munabbih (rahimahullah). He once said, “When a young child possesses two qualities, there will be hope for him to be rightly-guided (i.e. in this world and the next) – (the two qualities are) hayaa (shame) and fear (of Allah Ta‘ala).” (Hilyatul Awliyaa vol. 3, pg. 181)