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Assalamualaikum Warahmatullah !
I hope you all have had a lovely day so far. I have just completed my morning Arabic classes as well as our classes on spiritual development from the book of Imam Ghazali (ra). After class, I took my little ones to school and we had the most fun drive down Berry Hertzog together. We started by taking turns reciting the dua for leaving home, with them measuring to see if we were still in the driveway or really all the way out before we could actually begin the dua! Abbad and Arwa Hannah take turns “teaching” me the dua and I repeat it after them.
Then we read the dua for parents in exaggerated whispers so that it’s a “secret” gift for Mama and I can’t hear it! Amidst the duas we get a high-pitched shriek – mama there’s a bus! Look mama there’s another one! Immediately we begin to discuss the type of bus and the color and the name in Arabic – and this leads to Arwa asking us to sing my version of the wheels of the bus which has Apas, Moulanas, and little children who love to learn! To say they are crazy about buses is an understatement.
This six-minute daily car ride has been my time to teach my little ones duas and wonder a little bit at the creation of Allah Ta’ala. The Subhaanallahs that flow out their mouths and the wonder at the little things took a different direction when we made it all about Allah Ta’ala.
Learning about Allah Ta’ala is often reduced to a classroom or given to teachers as a duty. But the true connection to duas and the word of the Qur’an is in the little moments. Creating a deep love and understanding of who Allah is – is only found in the everyday. In the nurturing of little hearts as they learn. I am often asked but where do you find the time!? The reality is as we live – we attach Allah to each moment which creates a deep imprint on our memories and our attachment to Allah Ta’ala.
Yesterday, I set up the sand pit with sand and water and made a proper mud bath.construction vehicles and had the most fun making mud pies. My husband walked in, to little mischievous faces covered in mud and having the most fun! Laughing with glee, they used their spades and dug with their hands. I spoke to them about how amazing is Allah that He made the mud the home for so many insects. We spoke about the way Allah Ta’ala allows the water to mix with the sand, the way He hardens it, and the way the water makes it firm with the permission of Allah. We spoke about how the sand and mud might make us dirty but it also gave us lovely fruit and plants only if Allah allows it. The conversation took many turns and their fascination grew. Allah is amazing, Abbad decided, and I said yes that is exactly why we always praise Him, that’s why we make Salaah for Him and that’s why we respect Allah.
I watched their little eyes try to swallow all of this information and left them to play for a bit. I sat on the swing near them reciting my afternoon azkaar, and contemplated slowly on the exact words that we keep teaching our kids. It is so easy to teach the little one’s faith and belief, but we sometimes forget that this faith and attachment to Allah are the cravings of all our souls, young or old, learned or not.
The name of Allah Ta’ala Al Quddus fluttered across my lips as I recited my azkaar and evening duas. Why is it that we praise Allah- we do so to express wonder, to express amazement, and to marvel at such a Rabb who epitomizes perfection!
وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ) [البقرة:
;And we praise Your praise and sanctify You) [Al-Baqarah: 30]؛
The root of sanctification is purification, that is, we purify you from shortcomings and all evil. We describe you in a way that befits your glory and majesty of height and greatness, we attribute you to what is one of your attributes, and we remove you from religion and what the people of disbelief have added to you that disgraces You... We purify ourselves for your obedience and worship by reminding ourelves of Your Greatness...
We say: “Glory be to Allah”, and perhaps the greatest evidence of the sanctification of Allah -Almighty-, and it means:
We recognize You to be AlmightyAllah
We raise your rank in our hearts and minds oh Allah Allah
Al-Qurtubi says in the words of Allah -Almighty-: (Glory be to Allah) [Al-Anbiya: 22]: “He exalted himself, and commanded the servants to exalt Him” (Tafsir Al-Qurtubi), and Allah -Almighty- singled himself out with this word, so it is not permissible and not correct to call anyone else -Almighty-.
The Holy Qur’an has repeatedly commanded us to praise Allah:
(Praise the name of your Most High Lord) [Al-A’la: 1],
Prophet Muhammad (may Allah peace and blessings be upon him) was ordered by Allah Ta’ala to remind him of it, saying: (Say this is my way, I pray to Allah on the insight of me and those who follow me, and glory be to Allah) [Yusuf: 108], and there is nothing in the universe except when he praises Allah -Almighty-: (The seven heavens and the earth and those among them praise him, and there is nothing but praise for him, but do not understand their praise) [Al-Isra’a: 44].
As the time of Maghrib came closer and I rushed them in, filled a lovely hot bath and for the two muddy urchins, I marveled at the many joys in our lives that should push the name of Allah from our hearts and spill out from our tounges in total gratitude.
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