Ramadan Blues

The demanding aspects of our full time job as mothers can have a debilitating affect on our spirituality, especially if we have young children who need constant attention and nurturing. We are caught up in the wheel of chores and routines where we seldom find time for ourselves.

Ramadan is when we feel it most. We reminiscence of the days when we had the freedom to worship as we please without being tied down to responsibilities. We develop a sense of regret and remorse and wish we did that extra bit more when we had the opportunity to.  But what we fail to realize is that being a mother can be rewarding – in more than one aspect. By intending our child-rearing and general household duties as a form of ibadah, a form of drawing closer to Allah and gaining His pleasure, we can transform even the most mundane chore into one of tremendous reward.

By raising a God-fearing and righteous child, we are making a lifetime investment, which will benefit us long after we are gone.  By imparting knowledge to them that they implement and practice we are reaping the rewards of the many years of toiling, weeping and pleading to Allah asking Him to make them pious.

 The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “When a person dies, his good deeds come to an end, except for three good deeds: Charity (by which people benefit on an ongoing basis), a righteous child who prays for him and knowledge (by which people get benefits on an ongoing basis).” [Muslim]

 By spending numerous hours at the crack of dawn, helping our child memorize and revise the Quran we are striving to be amongst the best of people.  We become bestowed with the brightest of jewels illuminating light on the day when there is no respite.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The best amongst you is he who learns the Quran and teaches it to others.” [Bukhari]

“He who learns the Qur’an and practices upon it, his parents will be made to wear a crown on the day of Qiyamah, the brilliance of which will excel that of the sun if the same were within your worldly houses. Hence, what do you think about the person who himself acts upon it?” (Abu Dawood)

By being compassionate to our children and caring for our family, we are striving to be the best of women.

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The best women who ride camels are the women of Quraysh. They are the most compassionate towards their children when they are small, and the most careful with regards to their husbands’ wealth.”

So do not be disheartened but instead rejoice, for Allah in his endless Mercy has made it easy for us to pile on our rewards and attain Jannah, insha’Allah.

Nabeela Wahid