Scroll To Top

Browsing: Archive for February, 2010

As Salaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Yesterday at school, Sabah must have been thinking about Dhuha. So she coloured a picture and told her teacher that she wanted to give it to Dhuha, who is in another class. With permission, Sabah when to Dhuha’s class and gave her the picture you see. Dhuha was thrilled, Masha’Allah.

Sabah really loves Dhuha. That makes me feel proud to have such wonderful little girls. Plus, she has better crayon control at five than I do at 28 and 11 months. Alhamdulillah. 

As Salaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Last night I dreamt that I was leading a very large group of people in salaah but they were arguing and not following properly and so I was saying the takbir really loudly. My dream ended just after the first ruku when Dhuha woke me up with her crying.

As Salaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Everything comes to an end. Everything will perish. Tall mountains, mighty empires and human lives will vanish as if they had never existed. So, what chance does a silly little blog like mine have?

Today marks the one year anniversary since I started this blog. Time, SubhanaAllah, goes by so quickly. It goes by so quickly that thinking about my life in terms of this blog reminds me how quickly death is coming. If I died now would I be proud of the way I lived my life? I am an inadequate father, a lousy husband and a lazy Muslim. I haven’t had my moment of greatness, when I would swallow my fears and ego and sell my life for a place with the Most High.

A lot of things happened in this year that has passed us by, as you would expect. We got to terms with Dhuha’s disorder and she got a diagnosis and started school. Sabah reached the five year milestone, has learned to read and come out of her shell to become very cheeky. At just four years old, she began taking some responsibility for Dhuha, making sure that she is safe and out of trouble. She is a remarkable little girl. Abdurrahman, our first son was born. I have never seen such a happy and well-behaved baby. MashaAllah, my kids are wonderful and beautiful and I am proud that they are my children.

Our lives aren’t just about the kids though. Zahira has started teaching in a local Islamic school, she learned to drive and most astonishingly she has been able to put up with me for another year. As for me, I can’t really think of anything that I’ve done worthy of listing here and that is a bit sad.

I have enjoyed writing for this blog. Getting to know some of you virtual people. I hope in the next year that I can improve on my writing, get to know more of you virtual people.

Thank you all for joining my Islamic family for this past year and I hope you are looking forward to the next year as much as I am.

O Allah, forgive me.

As Salaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

When a would be robber was over come by convenience store owner Mohammad Sohail, he begged for his life. On his knees and holding his hands in a praying position, he explained that he needed to feed his family. Mohammad gave him forty dollars, a loaf of bread and made him promise never to rob again. When the robber expressed a desire to be Muslim, Mohammad made him recite the Shahadah and welcomed him into Islam with a hand shake.

I would also like to welcome our anonymous brother into the Ummah of Muhammed, salallahu alayhi wa sallam. May Allah increase your Imaan and give you the best of this world and the best of the hereafter. Brother, if I knew you, I would embrace you and kiss your head.

I would also like to congratulate our brother Mohammad, who acted as every Muslim should and purchased something so great with a few dollars and a loaf of bread. What a bargain! May Allah increase your Imaan and give you the best of this world and the best of the hereafter. Every Muslim should embrace you and kiss you.

As Salaam Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,

Last Saturday, I made an appointment to take Dhuha to see a raqi. I was meant to take her at dhuhr time to the masjid and after the jamaat he would spend 15 minutes with her. I had to pray before going because there would be no way to pray and look after her at the same time, which was a bit weird especially since I got there just after the salaah started.

I waited for about 15 minutes after the salaah had finished in the passageway just outside of the prayer hall but I couldn’t see the brother. I started to think that he hadn’t come and was thinking of leaving. I only didn’t because I know the brother is mashaAllah a good man and there’s no way he would abandon an appointment without justification. I kept looking through the glass trying to spot him but I couldn’t. Finally, after speaking with another brother I realised that the raqi was tucked away into a corner of the room just out of sight from the window.

He had been waiting for me patiently but was getting ready to leave himself convinced that I hadn’t come. I explained to him that I couldn’t bring Dhuha into the prayer hall because she would make too much noise and there isn’t any way for me to keep her quite. An explanation that he accepted and after he was sure that I’d prayed, he turned his attention to Dhuha.

I explained to him that Dhuha is autistic but I brought her there because she has been acting out of character ever since she started school a few months ago. My once docile Dudu has moments of trying to intentionally hurt people by biting, slapping and pinching. She is so intense that her face gives an expression of angry intent, which worries me greatly. Other problems are long periods of crying for seemingly no reason, not sleeping at night and appearing distressed at bedtime.

He took her on his lap and began reciting from the Quran. Dhuha seemed quite happy about sitting on this stranger’s lap and appeared to be listening attentively to his recitation. After a minute or two, she started laughing and laughing as if she had just heard the funniest joke. She laughed so hard that I could see all of her teeth at the same time. She continued to laugh right through, mixing it with trying to get off his lap, playing with his beard and stretching her body out. It was a strange spectacle and for a still unknown reason, I started to cry. Perhaps, the setting allowed me the opportunity to express the emotions that I normally bottle up, but I’m really not sure why I cried. At the end, he made du’aa, which caused Dhuha to stop laughing. She stared at him attentively again.

He gave her back to me. I looked at him waiting for him to say something like ‘there’s no problem’ or ‘there’s a problem and she needs more treatment’. He just said, ‘khair’ and gave me the impression that I should make another appointment. I got up and left with Dhuha and he walked over to another person and began speaking to him. That was it. I left feeling quite happy and Dhuha seemed to be happy as well.

Over the last week her behaviour has gotten worse but at least two days can be attributed to bowel problems and it is likely that the whole week of problems are leftovers from those problems. I hope that I will have another opportunity to take Dhuha to see him. 

Ya Allah, ya ar-Rahman, have mercy on me, my family and all the Muslims. Give us the strength and the wisdom to overcome the trials of life in a manner that You are pleased with. Ya Rabbi, we are pleased with what You have given us in blessings and trials and we are pleased with You as our Rabb; be pleased with us and do not call us to account for our shortcomings. All praise and thanks belongs to You, there is no god except You, You are the greatest.