Halima Bint Abi Thawayb

The Story of the Shade  ✨ 5 min read✨

‘This is one of my children’s favourite stories...’

(adapted with permission from Qalam Podcast; Seerah, Life of The Prophet by Sh Abdul Nasir Jangda Episode 112) 

Narrated by Ibn Ishaq (R.A)

Halima Bint Abi Thawayb, the wet-nurse of Prophet Muhammad (S) recalls that from the very moment she collected the Prophet (S) from his mother, miraculous blessings began to unfold such as; her breast-milk flowing abundantly, their mule suddenly becoming fit and active; the camel producing milk; their land becoming green and their livestock grazing  to their fill, also producing abundant milk.

Halima said, ‘We had come to realise that it was because of this child that we had been blessed. However, asides from us receiving all the blessings there was something unique about this child. This child had a noor (light)to his face, he had this magnetic quality to him. Even as a baby you just wanted to sit around him and just look at him all the time. People would come over and just sit there and want to hold him and not put him down. When he was two years old, he didn’t look or behave like your average two-year-old. He was taller than an average two-year-old, healthier and seemed stronger. He was certainly a lot more intelligent too. There was something special about this child, he seemed emotionally,  intelligently, gifted. He wouldn’t cry, he wouldn’t wail, there was a calming, serene quality that this child had about him. 

So because there was something special about this child, and we believed that he was the source of all this blessing that had come in our life, we had instructed our daughter Shayma to look after and take care of her younger brothers when they were out playing, especially Muhammad (S). 

We explained to Shayma that, ‘Your brothers, Mohammad and Abdullah, they are little kids. They run around, do crazy things..like boys do. We want you to always keep an eye on Muhammad (S) especially, watch out for him. We want you to take care of him when he is in your company. He is your responsibility, we want you to keep an eye on him. Be a good older sister’ 

One day I looked around the house and I couldn’t find any of the children. I walked outside and was aware that the sun was at its peak. This was the time of day that even animals would have run to find shade. They would go and huddle up underneath a tree or sit underneath a shadow that was cast by the wall of any buildings, and there they would sleep. They would rest until the day cooled a little and then they would come back out. 

So if you can imagine, it’s that time of day when even the animals were not out, even they were hiding from the sun. 

I certainly didn’t expect to see my children outside at such a time during the day, but as I looked out towards the horizon I caught sight of Shayma. I could see her sitting outside with Mohammed (S) in the open on the grass, not underneath a tree or next to a wall, they were sitting in the open, directly under the heat of the sun! I was very upset, I had specifically told Shayma to look after her brothers and warned her about not going out during certain times of the day. Furiously, I charged out towards them, shouting out, ‘What are you guys doing out there? Get inside. You know how hot it is. You’re going to get sick, don’t sit underneath the sun like this’. 

As I got closer to them, I noticed that Muhammad (S) was actually laying down on the grass, like kids do, and Shaima was sitting next to him, and both of them were simply chilling. They didn’t seem to be sweltering in the heat as I expected.  I began to scold Shayma telling her that she should know better then to be sitting out in the scorching sun with her poor little brother. ‘You are both going to get sick’ I said.

‘No mum’, replied Sharma, ‘Everything is okay’. 

‘What do you mean everything is okay?!’ I snapped. 

‘I’ve been watching my little brother, and one thing that I noticed was that as he walks around during the daytime outside, he is oblivious to the heat. I was baffled how the heat doesn’t bother him. Until I noticed something, I looked up at the sky above and noticed that there is always a cloud above him, casting a shade over him, protecting him. Everytime he moves the cloud and the shade moves. It’s always there. And so I realised that he just comes out here, into the open and chills because he is not affected by the heat. And I actually come and deliberately sit right next to him, so that I get some of that shade too.’ :)

Subhan’Allah! 

I had already believed that there was something amazing about this child. And this miracle reassured me even more.’ 

May Allah SWT grant us the love, the understanding, the implementation of the seerah within our lives Aameen. 

Jabir Bin Abdullah (RA)

 Jabir Bin Abdullah (RA)

The Story of the Camel  ✨8 min read✨

(adapted with permission from Qalam Podcast; Seerah, Life of The Prophet by Sh Abdul Nasir Jangda Episode 123) 

This a a story of one of many that displays the character, care, kindness, love and generosity of the Messenger (S). If you are not in love with our Prophet (S) yet, you will begin to be after reading this story Insha’Allah. 

Jabir bin Abdullah (RA) was a companion of the Prophet (S) from the Ansar and the eldest child of Abdullah (RA), a senior Ansari and companion of the Prophet (S) who ended up dying as a shaheed in the battle of Uhud. 

Jabir (RA) had seven younger sisters and so when his father, whom he had a very strong relationship with was about to depart for the battle of Uhud he said, ‘Jabir, nothing would please me more then for you to fight by my side at the battle of Uhud, by the side of the Prophet (S), but one of us has to stay back to look after your sisters and that is not going to be me.’ 

After his father died in the battle of Uhud, young Jabir was devastated and was now solely responsible for his seven younger sisters. One day he went to visit the Prophet (S) and said, ‘Oh Messenger of God, I just need to talk to somebody. I’m overwhelmed, my father had debt to pay and I have seven younger siblings to take care of. One day I’m a a young man, 20 year old, with a dad looking after me and the next day all of a sudden, I have the entire family to take care of.  I’m overwhelmed and still dealing with the grief of losing my father.’ The Prophet (S) was aware of all of this and furthermore knew that Jabir (RA) had also planned on getting married. 

The Prophet (S) continued to console Jabir (RA), to check on him, look after him and had earlier shared good news with him; ‘Your father is in paradise. When he was shaheed and was presented before Allah (SWT) and Allah (SWT) asked him, ‘Is there anything that you want?’ Abdullah (RA) replied, ‘Oh Allah, give me another life and I will go and once again give my life for you.’ From the moment your fathers body fell in the battlefield until we buried your fathers body, that entire time, Allah (SWT) didn’t even allow the sun to hit his body.  Angels were commanded to cover him with their wings, shielding his body from the sunlight.’ 

One day, as narrated by Ibn Ishaq, Jabir (RA) was on a campaign, travelling with the Prophet (S). Jabir had a she-camel that he had brought with him for transportation. He was reported as saying, ‘I was travelling on a camel, but the camel was very frail. When we would stop and the army would start to move again, everyone would pass me by. My camel couldn’t move any faster.’ 

Now the habit of the Prophet (S) being the caretaker of his people was to travel at the back of his army, picking up after people, making sure no one was left behind. He (S) had noticed that everyone was moving forward  but Jabir (RA), Jabir (RA) was slowly falling at the back of the army to a point that the only person left behind Jabir (RA) was the Prophet (S). Jabir (RA) says that he wasn’t aware that he had got so close to the Prophet (S) that all of a sudden, it felt like somebody was tapping his camel on the back and giving it a sound to, ‘Go, go, go’. As I turned over my shoulder to look, it was the Prophet (S) and he was smiling at me and with his stick he was lightly tapping the camel ushering it to, ‘Go, go go’. No sooner had he (S) tapped my camel, it felt that it had kicked into turbo mode and my camel started to fly..I started to pass by everyone. This was indeed a miracle of the Prophet (S). 

Jabir (RA) said that after a while the Prophet (S) caught up with me because he wanted to talk to me, the Prophet (S) said, ‘Jabir, your camel is looking good, nice camel! Will you sell it to me?’ 

I smiled and replied, ‘I’d gift it to you oh messenger of God.’  

‘No, absolutely not,’ said the Prophet (S). ‘You have to sell it to me.’

And so began some playful banter between the Prophet (S) and Jabir (RA). 

So Jabir said, ‘Okay, name your price? What are you willing to offer?’. 

‘I will buy it for one dirham,’ the Prophet (S) replied. 

‘No, Messenger of God,’ I replied jokingly. ‘Now you are just trying to rip me off, you said you wanted to buy my camel and I said I want to give it to you as a gift, you’ve insisted that you want to buy my camel, and now you’re only going to give me one dirham for my camel?’ 

‘Two dirhams?’.

‘No, that’s too cheap,’ I said. 

The Prophet (S) kept on increasing the price until he reached one gram of gold. 

‘Is that okay with you oh Prophet (S)?’ I said playfully. ‘You just wanted to pay me right, I know how to bargain too, so are you okay with this?’.

‘Yes,’ came the reply. ‘That’s fine, I’ve purchased it.’ 

Jabir (RA) said that he just felt this was fun and games. 

As they carried on riding side by side together, the Prophet (S) asked Jabir (RA), ‘Jabir (RA), Did you end up getting married?’

‘Yes, I did get married.’

‘Did you marry a younger woman or an older woman?’ continued the Prophet (S). 

‘No I married an older woman, a woman who was married previously.’  

‘Why didn’t you marry a younger woman, you are still a young man. You have a lot of youthful energy. If you had married someone younger like yourself, that way you could both play together, grow up together and have fun together, that would’ve made sense. ’ 

Jabir (RA) replied, ‘Oh Messenger of God, You know my father was killed at the Battle of Uhud. My father left behind seven daughters. So I didn’t want to add an eighth one that I had to take care of. I married a woman that could help me raise them, a responsible woman that can even take care of me while I take care of the seven of them’. 

‘You have made a very good decision, this is smart,’ replied the Prophet (S). 

Once the companions arrived back in Madinah, before going back to their homes they were advised by the Prophet (S) to visit the masjid first. Pray two rakat and thank Allah (SWT) for bringing you home safe and sound and re-joining you with your loved ones.

After Jabir (RA) had prayed, the Prophet (S) turned to him and said, ‘Your Camel, remember I purchased it from you?’.

Jabir had thought that they were just playing around.

But the Prophet (S) was serious, ‘Remember I purchased it from you?,’ he (S) repeated. 

‘Yes, Oh Messenger of God,’ Jabir (RA) replied. 

‘Well, if you leave it here outside the masjid, I’ll take it.’ 

The Prophet (S) then sent one of his companions to get a gram of gold and give it to Jabir (RA) in exchange for his camel. Jabir (RA) took the gold and made his way home. 

After a while, the Prophet (S) asked his companions, ‘Where is Jabir?’. 

‘He went home,’ came the reply. 

‘Okay, go get him,’ said the Prophet (S). 

When Jabir (RA) arrived back at the masjid, he found the Prophet (S) waiting for him. The Prophet (S) said, ‘Nephew, son, your father was my brother, you forgot your camel here.’  

‘Oh Messenger of God,’ Jabir (RA) replied, ‘I gave you the camel and you gave me the gold, so should I return the gold?’  

‘No, no,’ said the Prophet (S), ‘You take the camel home and you keep the gold.’ 

And this was the Prophets (S) playful way of helping Jabir, because he knew this young man was taking care of his whole family and that he had just got married, ‘You keep the camel and take the gold’ said the Prophet (S). 

And this story is one example of many of our Prophet’s (S) affection, his love, kindness and generosity. And this is why the Sahabah loved him in the way that they did. 

May Allah SWT grant us all the ability to be more like the messenger of Allah (S) and May Allah SWT grant us the love, the understanding, the implementation of the seerah within our lives Aameen. 

A New Born Baby; Encounters With A Revert

First penned in 2007, edited in 2020

Before I came face to face with Sarah at work, I was told that she was keeping a low profile because not everyone knew that she had become Muslim. So on the day that we finally met, I wasn’t too sure whether to meet and greet her openly or in secret!  So quietly I asked Sarah whether it was ok to say, ‘Assalamu Alaykum’, to her in public, to which she ecstatically replied, ‘Oh please do!’, and proceeded to give me a hug and three sunnah kisses! Glad we sorted that one out!

 

Sarah was extremely humorous. When we first met, she looked at me in my hijab and immediately touched her own neck scarf and remarked how that so far, this was as close as she had come to wearing her own hijab, but one day she will make that ultimate move. I personally felt as if her soul was fighting to want to wear the hijab but was succumbed continuously by the shaitan, but hey, a fighting soul is a good soul, right? The mere fact that she had this desire to want to wear the hijab but felt that she was unable to because of what people may say, was certainly a challenge in the right direction. 

Every time I met with Sarah she always brought up the point about wearing hijab. When she spoke of her need to wear hijab, she had tears in her eyes, she wanted to wear the hijab so much but the shaitan was making her feel it’s presumed difficulty. The will was there, I saw it, she just had to make dua and ask Allah (SWT) to help make it easy for her.

 

You know, it felt as if she was nervous of my presence, well, people do get scared of my appearance at times. I’m kinda tall, wear thick black framed glasses and wear hijab. Put it this way, if you’re a minority wearing a hijab within a non Muslim environment then you’re considered to be extreme. So no wonder people were scared of me, plus the fact that my face shows no welcoming warmth to the on lookers, unless I break into a smile…. But hey, I’m not complaining, if this keeps the ‘brothers’ away from me, so be it!

 

One of the first things Sarah and I spoke of was jihad. She mentioned that she wasn’t sure how to prepare herself for jihad and actually didn’t quite understand what it was all about. I explained that the mere fact that she had become Muslim was jihad, the struggle she faced each and every day. I explained for a mother, bringing up children was a form of jihad too. As I began to explain all of this she began to ease a bit. She really did carry a fear that one day she would have to go to fight in the name of Islam, and that this was obligatory for her.

 

Now Sarah was loving the whole new her, ie..new Muslim. For example, she loved the fact that she had to get up at 3am in the morning for fajr….yep you read it right, her exact words were, ‘I bounce out of bed at 3am!’, at which point I sunk low into my chair embarrassed of the fact that I had missed praying fajr on time for the past 2 weeks. I confessed as she looked on at me, mortified, as if to say, ‘Oh, How could you??’

 

She then proceeded to apologise for having not removed her nail varnish. She said she couldn’t bear to live without painted nails! She had worn nail varnish every day of her life and felt so so bear without it.  She said she was even contemplating whether to remove all her make up before meeting me for the very first time. Seriously now, I’m not that bad – maybe it’s the impression I tend to give people – ‘Be afraid, be very afraid!!’ Lol.

 

Sarah and I hit it off almost immediately, She was overly excited about her new found religion and had just so much to say. She was so unsure of many things and was keen to get everything right. One day, she drew close to me and whispered, ‘Listen, I have a serious problem’. I prepared myself for this unimaginable problem, she said, ‘I have a visa card!’ To which I burst out laughing. I just cracked up and started crying tears of joy and sadness. Joy because this sister was Alhamdu’lillah so keen on getting everything right and sadness because there are millions of Muslims out there that don’t give two hoots about using, abusing credit cards and accumulating interest. Sarah wondered whether it would be ok to transfer her card to another provider in order to take up the 0% interest offer and help her pay her debt back ASAP. I advised her that it was her intention that really mattered and to pay back the debt as soon as she could possibly afford to. 

 

I sent Sarah an email once and ended it by saying, ‘And remember me in your duas’. Little did I know, she didn’t know what the word ‘Duas’ had meant. So one day she asked, ‘Is that something to do with prayers by any chance’. I felt silly for expecting her to know the meaning in the first place and explained that it was to do with prayer.

 

She also picked up the word, ‘Insha’Allah’ from me and every time she would repeat it, she would take it a step further though and raise her hands in the sky, pause a second and say a slow heartfelt, ‘Inshaaaaaa Allah’ then she’d look at me gleefully as if to say, ‘I got it, I got it!’.

She burst into laughter as she imagined that when conversing later on with her Tunisian husband, she’ll end up repeating insha’Allah after every sentence, only because of not being sure of when to pronounce the word and when not too. I can just imagine the domestics they’ll end up having if pronounced at the wrong time..

‘Make me a cup of tea darling’ he’ll say, ‘Insha’Allah’ Sarah will reply.

‘Iron my shirt honey’

‘Insha’Allah’

‘Have you done the banking dear’

‘Insha’Allah’

‘It’s so hot today, I’m gonna die in this heat’

‘Insha’Allah’. 🙊🙊🙊

 

I once showed her a picture I had taken of the Kaaba and I commented, ‘That’s lovely isn’t it?’ to which she replied, ‘We should say, ‘Subhan’Allah’ right?’. Yep, she put me to shame each and every time :)

 

Sarah’s husband had taught her the basics of prayer. She told me that she was confused by the technique of lifting her index finger up during the tashahhud. She made me laugh, again, when she mentioned that whilst praying tashahhud she was always uncertain at whether to lift her two thumbs up, fonzi style, or was it two fingers. So just to be sure she had been lifting both thumbs up! 

 

When Sarah felt that she did not understand the religion like she was supposed to, when she felt like, she was not ‘getting it right’, her eyes would fill with tears. She was trying so hard to make it work, she was craving for knowledge, and she wanted to pray with sincere devotion to Allah (SWT). 

Alhamdu’Lillah sisters like Sarah are an inspiration for those Muslims that take their religion or their presence in this world for granted. They live off the luxuries of Allah (SWT) and do not even take the time out to reflect on His infinite mercies and thank Him for creating them at the very least. 

 

I invited Sarah to attend one of my Saturday Islamic Studies classes with me. I thought it would be a good idea for her to meet with my teachers and my fellow class mates, a majority of whom were new Muslims.

I hardly recognised her when she arrived. She wore a pair of baggy cotton trousers and a silky top and had a scarf loosely tied around her head, draping backwards. She allowed room for a lock of hair to escape from her scarf and had adorned a long pearl necklace. Yep, she looked like Sinbad!. And me being me, I immediately told her so to which she burst out laughing – ‘I like Sinbad’, she replied with a smile. 

 

Sarah was overwhelmed with the nicety of all the sisters she met with. She couldn’t believe how everyone wanted to talk to her and share their thoughts and feelings. While we were mostly dressed in abayas, in hindsight, I shouldn’t have really commented that she looked like Sinbad, since I felt that broke her confidence slightly.  But she was the star of that moment, and everyone welcomed her.

She had wanted to officially have it declared that she was Muslim, so I decided to take her for a visit to Regents Park Mosque. She had never been to the masjid in London before so this was something she was really looking forward too. I introduced Sarah to the Imam of the Masjid who was very pleased to see her. 

Sarah was lost for words out of nervousness and so the first question she asked the Imam was about....Jihad! 

 

After praying Zuhr at the masjid a sister approached Sarah and told her that she should cover up properly if she was going to pray. Sarah, being already nervous as it was, explained that she was a new Muslim and currently learning the ropes so to speak and would cover up properly in time insha’Allah. 

Sarah later confessed that she found the encounter slightly off putting and had I not been there she would have ran out the masjid and not come back in fear of doing something wrong. A message to all I suppose, if you are going to preach, do it gently, we are supposed to be inviting people to Islam not making them run from it! Sabr everyone, Sabr! Shuwee Shuwee! (Something I picked up whilst on Hajj!)

 

Sarah purchased a book to help her learn Arabic starting from the very basics. She thought the alphabet looked very pretty and couldn’t wait to master the letters.

A day later I met with Sarah to go through the Arabic alphabet and to begin teaching her salah. I had also given her a tape so that she could listen to the pronunciation of each Arabic letter. The tape contained a recording of the alphabet and a few surahs. 

Sarah found the Arabic alphabet confusing. She kept trying to compare it with the English alphabet in order for her to make out some sort of pattern. I told her not to bother with the English alphabet and to just learn the Arabic alphabet via its transliteration. The tape itself she found amusing, she said, ‘One minute the teacher is pronouncing the alphabet and then he breaks into a song!’ With a smile, I explained that that was actually called a Surah, a passage from the Quran. 

I must reiterate, she was a laugh – she called up her husband once and said something along the lines of, ‘Look what I’ve mastered….’Raa’, she roared like a lion. She was referring to the letter ‘Raa’ within the Arabic alphabet.

She also adored the enchanting way in which the teacher recited the surahs and said that she too would like to be just as melodic one day. Sarah enquired whether it was permissible for women to recite the same way as men. I replied yes of course and encouraged her to practice this during her prayers. 

  

After the visit at the mosque she said she had found the experience quite overwhelming. She was beginning to feel suffocated with all the attention she had managed to attract. Many sisters had gathered round her and were offering congratulations and giving free advice. I explained to her that they all felt such sisterly love for her, and that’s why they felt it was their duty to explain what they think she may not know. 

Even the Imam was reduced to tears when at one point she explained to him that, one day she realised for herself that she really did want to become a Muslim. She had this yearning suddenly develop inside her, it wasn’t because of marriage to her husband, it felt like the right thing to do, the inner peace that she so needed. 

 

When I first met Sarah, I noticed that she was overly excited and wanted to learn everything and anything about Islam there and then. I advised her not to overwhelm herself and take it a step at a time, ‘After all’, I said, ‘Remember, all of your sins have been wiped away, Alhamdu’Lillah, you are just like a new born baby!’  

 

We ask Allah (SWT) that He makes it easy for Sarah every step of the way and accepts all of her good deeds – Ameen.

Raising Modest Kids

I dedicate this blog to my daughters. 

Unlike me they, at a very young age, had to adorn the hijab and face challenges in their life that I hadn’t faced. And me being their mother expected them to get on with it as part and parcel of life, not really appreciating what they as young kids had to go through being Muslim growing up in a western materialistic, Islamophobic world.

To this day I remember when my 10 year old, back in 2005, turned to me one day and said, ‘Mum, I don’t want to wear the hijab anymore, when I go to school tomorrow, I won’t be wearing it’. I scolded her and told her that under no condition was she to leave the house without her hijab or she would face the consequences. I didn’t question her as to why she felt that she couldn’t wear hijab anymore, I didn’t consider her feelings, all I cared about was the religious obligation for her hair to be covered no matter what. 

The next morning I was standing at the top of the stairs as she walked past me, she had her uniform on, but no hijab. 

My heart ached as I watched her defiance unfold before me, would she dare leave the house?  I remained silent. 

As she walked down the stairs towards the front door she glanced up and noticed my tears. She stopped, turned around and stomped back upstairs and charged into her bedroom. A few minutes later she came out of her room, red faced, but wearing her hijab. She gazed quickly at me and with a forlorn look in her eyes bid me farewell, before quietly leaving the house on her way to school. 

I wiped my tears. 

Had I succeeded in making my child understand why she had to wear hijab? No, I don’t think so. 

Had I succeeded in making her wear hijab out of guilt? Perhaps. 

I remember back in the days, when it came to any matter regarding dressing up modestly, I used to issue out a whole load of commands like a broken track record to my little one; ‘No, you can’t wear those trousers, they are too tight. No, you can’t wear that shirt, it doesn’t cover your backside. No, you can’t wear your hijab like that as it doesn’t cover your neck or your chest and you certainly can’t wear that too because it’s see through...,’ it was never ending. 

But one thing I didn’t do, was to explain my reasoning behind such commands in a calm manner, instead, I dictated. I didn’t invite my child to ask me any questions as to why she had to dress in such a manner and neither did I leave room for negotiation. We are Muslim and that’s how we dress. This is our identity. Full Stop! 

And so did that lead to arguments between me and her during her pre-teens? You bet they did! 

I thought I had won the battle of outer modesty but hey, in doing so, I had certainly lost the battle of inner modesty. 

Inner modesty? Understanding the why behind the way Muslimah’s dress so that when they dress in a modest fashion, they dress knowing that this is their identity as a Muslim and they are proud of the way that they look, it’s pleasing to Allah and that’s all that matters. 

But I hadn’t taken into account what my daughter was going through. She was at a western school, surrounded by non-muslim kids. They were allowed to flaunt their hair, wear make-up and wear the tightest of clothes and yes they looked good. My daughter was exposed to bill boards, music, films etc and even though I made sure that she attended a girls only school, there was a boys only school right next door, which certainly didn’t help! 

She was innocent with her wants and needs. Her hormones were raging. She was at an age when friends meant more to her then her parents. And at this time, when she was most vulnerable, she needed me more then ever. I promise you that as I write this blog, 15 years later, I still well up with tears thinking of what I put her through as a parent, her mother, her supposed shoulder to cry on. 

She needed me to keep calm, nurture her, understand the turmoil that she was unknowingly going through, torn between pleasing her friends and adhering to her religion. She needed me as her parent to understand her wants and needs more then ever. 

It was hard for me at first to understand why my daughter didn’t just ‘get it’ when it came to dressing and behaving modestly, after all it was easy for me I thought. But that said, I was 29 years old when I first started to wear wear my handkerchief style hijab! 

Eventually, through lots of duas, Nouman Ali Khan videos, parenting classes and a book that I read called, ‘Blame My Brain’ by Nicola Morgan. I calmed down and began to understand that if I wanted a fruitful, meaningful and spiritual relationship with my child, as a parent, it was necessary for me to give her a helping hand, little by little, one step at a time. 

Allah has blessed me with five daughters Alhamdulillah, with quite a bit of an age gap mind you. So when I was done with bringing up one, it was the turn of the next one and each one of them have brought about their own unfolding drama and unique experiences, all of which I will eventually share with you one day Insha’Allah ~ esp since I’m still going through the process with my youngest being only 8 years old. 

But my take home for now from a religious perspective would be, it’s a no-brainer that raising modest kids in a western non-muslim society is not as easy as one thinks. Our children are faced with challenges galore, so as a parent the best that we can do is to understand what they are going through, give them love and empathy and take time to explain things to them in a manner that they understand and appreciate. And certainly we must practice what we preach and never forget the power of a parents dua. 

Finally, most importantly, when your child comes of age and you know in your head and heart that you brought them up to the best of your ability and on the deen, then take a chill pill and relax a little. Try not to blame yourself, like I did, for any of their wrong doings because as you would have explained to them when they were young, they are now accountable for themselves. 

“The slaves of the Most Merciful are those people who constantly say: “Our Lord, make our spouses and children the coolness of our eyes - a source of peace, comfort, tranquility, and happiness for us - as a gift from You - and make us, together as a family, leaders of the righteous people.” (Qur’an 25:74)

The Amplify Programme

To say that I would have been okay without the use of Naima B.Robert’s ‘Amplify Programme’, would indeed be an understatement. I was lost and her programme was exactly what I needed.

I had just launched my first children’s book, ‘Tales of Mini Maryam’, and so entered the wonderful world of authorship. 

I was pumped with adrenaline, full of excitement and beaming with

a sense of achievement ready to market my book, but was I ready for what was to come? I’m not referring to Covid, surprise, surprise, although that did slow our marketing campaign down. 

I simply hadn’t a foggiest on what to do next; how to do my bit as an author and get my book out there into the world of the unknown. I had 5000 books to sell, I have family and friends, but certainly not 5000! ;) So the pressure was on. 

My mind was buzzing with questions, being so shy I wondered how on earth to approach people without looking like a beg-friend? What were the tactics of other authors? Which were the best social media platforms to use? What are the no-no’s in author marketing? 

Now one of the best things that I did do when my book was launched, was to tweet Naima B. Robert....just. I didn’t know her personally but I knew of her amazing accomplishments through her books and her heart warming personality and I just wanted to let her know that, ‘OMG, I did it! I’m now an author too, Alhamdu’lillah’. 

And as they say, from there, ‘One thing led to another’. Naima responded to my tweet and said, ‘Masha Allah, sis, the book looks LOVELY!!!, Congrats and mabroooook!’. Yep, a tweet I will keep for life! ;) 

I plucked up the courage and a few days later contacted her again, this time to ask for advice on all the author-related questions that were pounding my head. Although she was unable to give me 1:1, she then introduced me to her Amplify Programme. 

Through working on Naima’s Programme I was able to achieve an increased level of confidence and satisfaction. Her programme made me realise that if I wanted to increase my book’s reach, there were certain things in my life that I would have to do, changes that I had to make, people that I had to speak too. 

And so began my continuing journey to success (Insha’Allah). The 6 weeks training programme took me 8 weeks to complete due to personal circumstances. Alhamdu’lillah I managed to complete most of the tasks set in the author checklist and with great pleasure one by one I ticked off my accomplishments, such as;

Update social media profiles with my author name

Set up blog

Create a lead magnet

Create a Facebook Ad 

Decide on social media platforms

Plan a book launch

The extra resources that came with the programme such as the book launch planner, advice on where to publish any articles and accompanying templates were extremely helpful. Not forgetting the weekly post-recorded Q&A calls with Naima and Alexa Bigwarfe where they dished out a truck load of golden nuggets! Trust me!

Today, I can proudly confirm that I have mastered (not a lot 😉) the dreaded marketing tool, ‘ Mailchimp’, another tool introduced via Amplify. At times I found it very painful, especially trying to work mailchimp on my iPhone/ ipad. Will you believe that what took me 4 hours to work through at home on an iPad took only 40 minutes on a desktop at work!. After simple perseverance and watching a couple of You Tube tutorials on everything mailchimp, I began to target people with my author campaign. I have since managed to attract over 100 subscribers using my lead magnet through Facebook Ads which I paid a mere £20.00 for Alhamdu’lillah. 

The Amplify Programme has taught me that success depends upon the amount of effort that I am willing to put in, success certainly doesn’t happen over night. I owe it to myself, where I have put so much effort into writing a book, seeking out a publisher, working with an illustrator and graphic designer, to continue to give it my all and get my book sold, worldwide Insha’Allah. 

Thank you to my publishers for putting their faith in me and part-funding this course. Thank you always to Naima B.Robert. 

Sidratul Muntaha

It’s raining in London today. 

Mini Maryam enjoys playing in the rain. 

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I guess she gets it from me and I, from my mother (Rahimullah).

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I remember back in 1992 when I was living the life of a princess in Lahore, Pakistan, mum (Rahimullah) would run onto our marble courtyard at the slightest hint of rain and find the most hidden spot away from the sight of our neighbours. There she would stand, looking up at the outpour descending from the heavens, arms outstretched, whispering the dhikr of Allah (SWT), allowing the gentle rain drops to soak through every inch of her body in sheer pleasure and delight. 

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To this very day, each and every time the rain pours from the skies, wherever I maybe, I too long to run outside, look up and soak up the rain, in pleasure, in memory of my mother (Rahimullah) but even more importantly in rememberance of Allah (SWT) and the mercy that he has blessed us all with time and time again; this blessed water flowing down from a very blessed place, Sidratul Muntaha. 

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Upon discovering only quite recently, from where exactly the rain in our world ORIGINATES from, and how are beloved Prophet Mohammad (SAWS) was brought before it, I immediately shared this new found knowledge with my family. This discovery was not about what we are all familiar with, ‘The Water Cycle’, this was more then that, this was mind blowing. This truest of stories would make any believer seek the pleasure of the purest of water from Sidratul Muntaha. 

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My dearest of friends, as the rain continues to fall in London today, allow me to take you back in time, to the time of our beloved Prophet (SAWS), on the night that he was taken on  a journey by the blessed Angel Gibrail (A.S), the journey known as, ‘Al Isra wal Miraj’. 

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After crossing through the seven heavens with Angel Gibrail (A.S) the Prophet (SAWS) arrived at a place called Sidratul Muntaha. Here he was informed that each and everyone of his Ummah, his people, that would strive to walk down the path that he has laid out for them, their souls will reach this exact point and place. 

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The Prophet (SAWS) witnessed four rivers flowing from Sidratul Muntaha. Two rivers flowing from the top and two that were more hidden, flowing from underneath. 

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(And now for the WOWZERS!)

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Angel Gibrail (AS) told Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) that the rivers that are flowing from the top, these rivers become all the water that Allah sends down upon the Earth, Subhan’Allah, and the two rivers underneath, are the rivers that flow into paradise and becomes all the water that is found in paradise that Allah (SWT) mentions in the Quran; rivers of pure water and milk that will never go sour, wine of paradise that will not intoxicate, rivers of pure unadulterated honey, Alhamdulillah. 

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There is also a spring gushing forth from this point of Sidratul Muntaha. This is the spring of Salsabeel, splitting into two streams one of which is the fountain of Al Kauthar, a blessed gift to Prophet Muhammad (SAWS). 

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Over Al Kauthar there is a canopy, adorned with pearls, rubies and gems. The most exquisite looking green coloured birds are perched up on top of this canopy. There are cups shaped as goblets made of gold and silver that surround the fountain. The water is very pure and clean, extremely white and clear, so much so that you can see through the water to find rubies and emeralds that lay at the bottom of the fountain. 

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The Prophet (SAWS) picked up one of the goblets and scooped up some of the water and drank from it. He (SAWS) said, ‘It’s  taste was sweeter than honey and it had a sweeter fragrance then musk.’ 

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After the Prophet (SAWS) had drank from Al Kauther and enjoyed it so much, Angel Gibrail (A.S) said to him, ‘This is the stream that your Lord has given to you as a gift!’

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He was then told to wash himself in the stream that is the mercy of Allah after which an announcement was made that all his sins had been forgiven; meaning by bathing in this stream any past or future sins that he hypothetically could have committed have now been washed away. 

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The gift of Al Kauthar was given to the Prophet (SAWS) at the passing of one of his children, his young son. Enemies of the Prophet (SAWS) at the time took the death of his son as an opportunity to exploit the tradegy by taunting him and calling him, Al Abtar (to be cut off) i.e having no legacy, no progeny, no son to carry his name. At which point Allah (SWT) sent the surah Al Kauthar down to console the Prophet (SAWS). Don’t listen to them for we are granting you the honour, dignity, the gift of, Al Kauthar.

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The honour and greatest dignity of the Prophet (SAWS) will be that he will have the pleasure to stand at the fountain of Al Kauthar in anticipation of the arrival, one by one of his Ummah. He will scoop up water using the gold and silver goblets and serve it with his own blessed hands, to each and every single soul, Alhamdulillah. 

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We know from the Seerah that our Prophet (SAWS) relishes for such an opportunity. For he (SAWS) has said, ‘If you face any difficulty on the day of judgement, look for me at three places, one of them being at the fountain of Al Kauthar. You will be tired, fatigued and exhausted by the trial you have faced, don’t worry for I’ll be waiting for you at the fountain  of Al Kauthar with a drink of water that will make you forget, any or the most severest of thirsts. It is such a drink of water that you will never feel thirsty ever again.’ 

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This gift of Al Kauthar was bestowed to our Prophet (SAWS) on the night of Al Isra wal Mirage at a very turbulent time in his life, so he could see that great things await him. All of what he was going through was for a reason and a purpose. 

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The enemies of our Prophet (SAWS) had said that he would have no legacy, in fact, today 

the most common name in our world is Muhammad and there are over 2 billion people on the face of this earth, that when the name Muhammad is said they say, ‘Salallahu alayhi wa sallam’ (Peace and blessings be upon him). They pray, they dream, they wish to drink water from the blessed hand of the Prophet (SAWS) at the fountain of Al Kauthar. 

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May Allah (SWT) make us all from amongst them, Aameen. 

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Ever since I shared this story with my children, they are forever looking up at the heavens, during rainy days especially, in awe, in wonder, knowing now that it’s not just about, ‘The Water Cycle’, but a whole lot more. On days when it’s raining and Mini Maryam can see that I’m not feeling too great, she’ll turn to me and meaningfully will say, ‘Mama, let’s go catch some heavenly rain’.

And off we go...:)

(Sidratul Muntaha Story adapted from ‘Seerah, Life of The Prophet’, by Sh. Abdul Nasir Jangda, Qalam Podcast)

End of Home School...

And so ends 6 years of home schooling, well, for one of them that is..

Maryam got dressed all by herself, even watched a YouTube video on how to do up her school tie! Her dad was gutted now that he was being made redundant by his number 3. I remember back in my days the job for helping me knot my uniform tie belonged to either my father or brother. I remember witnessing the sense of responsibility unfold on my fathers face knowing that this was, ‘his job’ and he was proud to be the one to do up his daughters tie. So much for YouTube eh? 

Maryam was very excited and a little anxious at the start of her new journey. Her mind was buzzing with question after question, a few months back she questioned whether she would still be able to meet up with her HomeEd friends and visit places like Kidzania during school days! She questioned whether she could continue with gymnastics and finally achieve level 1 or whether her little sister will be able to cope without her.

As the start of high school drew near, her never-ending questions changed and she began to wonder if she will make friends? What will her teacher be like? How hard will the work be? Will she get a locker? Will she have to wear a face mask? What will school dinners be like? 

When the first day of school finally arrived, I watched in silence as she got herself ready. Admittedly I was the one that ironed her school uniform, I hadn’t done that chore for years so that brought back many painful memories..as I was ironing I remembered the times I used to take my elder two to school; uniform shopping...ongoing! Constantly sewing-in the waist of their uniform trousers, forever late on school runs, paying fees for every school trip, writing notes to teachers...Maleeha will be late for this..., Iman is unable to attend that..it came as a breather once I decided to home school knowing that I wouldn’t have to deal with any of those tasks any longer, that is until now with Maryam wanting to trial school I was about to re-enter the world of ‘school’ once again. 

Over our 6 years of homeschool, Maryam has developed her people skills pretty well. She is a very confident young lady, always willing to help others. She is caring, kind and considerate of others and knows when to admit to mistakes and say sorry. She is my ‘joker’, always able to make me laugh. Admittedly she is very different in her mannerisms compared to my other children and sometimes I wonder whether this is because I was at my highest level of deen when I was due with her and that she was the only child that I had breast-fed for 2 complete years, Woo Hoo! Alhamdulillah! 

As Maryam began to put on her hijab it suddenly dawned on me that she was now a ‘big girl’ and that I was about to let her experience, ‘School’! (cue theme tune to Eastenders). 

The fears of ‘Maryam losing her confidence’ that we had built upon as a family, began to creep in. All bad things ‘school’ began to flood my mind with bullying for sure, at the top of my list. 

However, I reminded myself why I had chosen to send her to school. Maryam has dreams of one day becoming a civil engineer Insha’Allah. Home schooling my elder was a tad easier as she had aspirations of becoming a professional patisserie chef and Alhamdulillah she is now on on the way to achieve just that Insha’Allah. 

My chosen method of ‘home school’ has always been to allow my children to follow their dreams and desires and for me to facilitate it in anyway that I can. So at the age of 4 when Maryam was introduced to a drill by her father there was no stopping her. She would enjoy taking things apart and discovering how to put them all together again. Taking apart a dyson vacum cleaner for example and then putting all its bits back together again is one memory she continues to share with everyone she meets. She is my, ‘Bob the builder’, forever trying to fix things in our house that have almost fallen apart. So these were the tell-tale signs that Maryam had a passion for a tool box and art. Take a look over @alburouge where you will find little Maryam in her element, interviewing architects that she aspires too. 

As my personal circumstances began to change again, with less time on my hands and Maryam’s intense desire to want to learn more, I now felt that perhaps school will be the way to go for now. Where she will be able to gain free access to subjects like design and technology, textiles and ICT. Subjects that I know very little about and can not afford to pay for them outside of school, subjects that Maryam needs access to to help her along the way. 

My nerves were calmed somewhat knowing that I had chosen to send Maryam to a school that had a very good reputation, a school on my doorstep, literally, a school with very good parent/teacher/child support. 

And now the time had come to let go. 

It was hard. 

Yes, I cried. 

I didn’t show her my tears though. I hugged her and gave her that, ‘Mummy talk’, to which she replied, ‘Mummy, your heart is beating so fast!’ Little did she know that I had butterflies in my own tummy and was on the verge of tears. 

I see my journey with Maryam like a kite, soaring through the skies. She will have a little more freedom within new territory but I will never let go. I will hold on tight to her and be there for her, to pull her back in as and when needed. As a parent, getting involved with the school is one way that I will be using to stay in touch, for the sake of both of us, Insha’Allah. 

Before leaving home Maryam prayed two nawafil and read the leaving home dua, just as she was taught when she was younger. This time however, mummy wasn’t going to accompany her to school, Maryam was going to make this grown up journey all by herself. Was she ready? Was she happy? 

Judging by her pictures, I think she was...;) 

My duas are forever with you, my darling Maryam, good luck x