Unconditional Love

Islam teaches us to have a very high respect to our parent especially our mother.
"A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘OMessenger of God! Who among the people is the most worthy of my good companionship? The Prophet said: Your mother. The man said, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man further asked, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your mother. The man asked again, ‘Then who?' The Prophet said: Then your father. "(Bukhari, Muslim).

Below is an article from eramuslim.com that I tried to translate to english, hope will benefit all. Aaameennn.

About Love, Episode: Eternal Love

 “Mom, what are they, twinkling above...?” my index finger pointed to the sky,

 “They are called stars, son, one of amazing  creatures of Allah,” Mom explained perfectly and wisely.

I knew it, I was slightly more than two years old that time. An age in which I wanted to know about everything and sought for 1000 questiosn from anyone on things I newly seen. And Mom, she’s the most patient person in answering all of the questions. Although I never satisfied, I was pretty sure that time that Mama knew everything.

Since that night, I often stood up behind the house looking up to the sky watching millions of twinkling stars, and Mom was always accompanying me. I remember that Mom was in difficulty trying to find the answer when I asked whether the stars have a name. Smartly, Mom explained that stars are like us, human. If human has a name, then stars also have a name.

 “That star over there, what’s its name, Mom..?

Her forehead corrugated, her brain tried to find an answer. Until finally, “Ooh, that star I know its name, it’s my star since it’s name is exactly this my daughter’s name too...” Her hug was so warm. No one could do it except Mom. That time I thought Mom only carried out her responsibility as a parent to accompany and make me happy.

The following days, when nights came, Mama already knew that before my sleeping time, I would always take her to look up at the sky. Because I was more happy after mom told me that name of the star I had pointed to was my name too. However, in a day mom dissapointed me because she couldn’t accompany me. Mom got sick, said Dad.

I cried, since that night I wasn’t intended to ask Mom not only to accompany me like she had done at the previous nights. I also wanted Mom to bring me the stars home. I want them to be my friends in playing, so I didn’t have to be sad when mom was taking me to ge into the home back

But Mom still couldn’t help me.  She couldn’t sit together with me at the backyard, feeling the touch of  the soft wind, enjoying the peaceful night, and smiling to the moon, whatmore brought me the stars, Until the last night, I was still dissapointed. At the night, I didn’t want to eat, so that my sick Mom had to force herself to sing a love song to accompany me sleeping.  The latter I thought too was a parent’s obligation, singing a song to accompany her son sleeping.

The following day I got cold because at the previous night I didn’t want to eat after had been in the backyard for hours “playing” with stars. Although she was little worried, Mom didn’t got panic. Mom’s warm touch  rubbed special ingredient around my small body. After two days, my cold wasn’t dissapear although Mom had taken me to a doctor.

Mom get panic. My body’s heat got higher and I often talked in my sleep. But in the sleeptalking Mom found out the best medicine to cure me (until this point, I still thought that finding cures, healing one’s children are merely a parent’s obligation)...

.

I didn’t know what Mom had done. After sleeping for hours, I woke up and I got surprised, almost not believing what I saw in the my room’s ceiling. Stars.....mom had made me stars out of metallic papers. There were a lot of them, tens or may be hundreds of them. Some of them were hung, some others scattered around in my bed and the floor. I kissed mom for bringing me home the stars from the sky. And mom was right, I see that each of the stars had a name. One of them, the biggest and most beautiful star, named by Mom  after my name.

***

That mama’s son often looking up to the stars in the past is now an adult. I have lived independently. But I am still my mom’s son. Yesterday, I called mom to tell her that I wasn’t healthy and not going to the office. Some hours later, accompanied by dad and one of my little brothers, Mom came. I am still Mom’s star, she let my head rested on her shoulder. She hugged me. I felt again  the warmness till I slept

At the afternoon, Mom intended to go home. Actually I wanted Mom to stay for some days, but my little brother whispered, “When you called her, actually she was sick too...”

A tear dropped from my eye. I didn’t know what to say. That time. I realized one thing. All those mom had done for me are not obligations. They are called love, an eternal love. A love that I can’t never pay break. And Mom is a real star to me. (Bayu Gawtama)

check related article " How to Become a Good Parent in This Era "

How to Become a Good Parent in This Era

A picture is worth a thousand words. I think in some way this is also comply to our children. Most of the time an example is more valuable than our words to them. If we want our children to be good, then first and foremost we have to be good first. Below is a great article that I translated from Eramuslim.com, hope you all can benefit from it. Aaamiiinn...

Teach your kids fall in love to the mosque, and then Paradise will come to you!

eramuslim - Certainly, every parents dreams their children to be soleh/solehah (Pious): regularly read Al-Quran, obey their parents and consistence in worship, especially salat. In addition, when their kids are prefer to go to mosque for salat al-jama'ah (congregational prayers), their parent must be proud and happy. On the other hand, is that dreams already aligned to their activity treated to their children? This question should be answers honestly by every parent.

One of Islamic principles is emphasize on attitude of consistency. That is to say that, a Muslim should have a correlation between what they believe in their heart to their statement and their behavior. Where in Ash-Shaff verse 2, Allah 'Azza wa Jalla (Glorious and Exalted), remind us; "O ye who believe! Why say ye that which ye do not?. Grievously odious is it in the sight of Allah that ye say that which ye do not."

If this message attach to our children education, then the parents should be a pioneer in kindness on their family. Where, our attitude and behavior will be a reference figure to all our family members. It should strange that, if a father asked his children to go to mosque for salat al-jama'ah but he is calmly sitting and watching a television. Then, it has becomes a requirement to the head of family (read: father) to owned a leadership credibility that should be references figured by every parts of family member.

In other words, parent should have a moral credibility and works on righteousness. What we mean by moral credibility is, parent should be able demonstrated an example of goods moral, such as: honesty in words, low-tempered, gentle, easy to forgive, and Islamic-dressed.

Additionally, moral credibility is demonstrated highly by a mu'min (believer) during their activity, wether in their office and/or at their home. They should do frequent good deeds in form of ibadah mahdhah (dealings between God and man or such religious rites) and ghoiru mahdhoh (dealings between men), for example, a husband who conveniently helping his wife activity when he has opportunity. Another sample of moral credibility are paying attention and handy to any problems of their house and also its environment clean & tidiness. Additionally, the head of household certainly should be able a figure of a servant of it master, Allah SWT, loyal in His order. It should be better that way; a head of household is a main precedent in maintaining Islamic deeds for all family members.

In the context of salat, parent should be able to be a pioneer in creating atmosphere of salat in their family. Ask the children to be inured to go to the mosque; even when they are still in a childhood which usually is not being able orderly in salat. But it should be perform frequently and continuously. We should not be a-weary to give a good figure and ask them to go to mosque, particularly for salat. If we continuously ask our children to the mosque, one times they will be familiar going to the mosque and established salat al-jama'ah, orderly, independently,  Insya Allah (God willing).

Now, the problem is, how can we make our children easy to going and falling in love to the mosque? Before we are continue farther, we should be read below hadith:

Narated by Jabir ibn Samurah ra: “I prayed along with Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) the first prayer. He then went to his family and I also went along with him when he met some children (on the way). He began to pat the cheeks of each one of them. He also patted my cheek and I experienced a coolness or a fragrance of his hand as if it had been brought out from the scent bag of a perfumer.”     (Sahih Muslim Hadith)

The hadith explained that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) welcomed warmly and kindness to the children who comes for salat al-jama'ah in the mosque. Jabir ibn Samurah is one of a Companions child who treated tenderly by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Moreover, Jabir fells softly to the wipe of cold and scented Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) hands.

The hadith above explained us, how The Companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) enthusiasm trained their kids to be falling in love to the mosque, by familiarization to do salat al-jama'ah in the mosque imam/lead by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). By providing those practical exercises, the children will delight in do Islamic deeds.

In fact, we are capable in follows practical method to children education, as demonstrated by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and The Companions, particularly in training our children habit in perform salat al-jama'ah in the mosque. One of the tips is, we should ask them earlier to go together with us to the mosque for salat al-jama'ah. Because this is a great opportunity in educating our children in love to the mosque, during their childhood period. Moreover for the parents who are bustle on their job outside their home.

By all means, this activity should be act continuously, not only once or two times only. Since, it must be different when we can explained to the children how to turn off/on the radio once or two times with practical example only once or two times. But we are on the way on practice our children in applying good-will Allah SWT by habitual practice.

This good-will is unlimited by time, but it should be act consistent and continuously until the end of our life. Ulama/scholar state that; "Teach your kids fall in love to the mosque, and then Janna (Paradise) will come to you” Let's bring our kids to the mosque! (sulthoni)

check related article " Start from the end "

Start From The End

Start from The End

a reflection in the end of year 2012

When you read the title of this article maybe you will think its strange and unusual, but trust me its true and happen in reality. In fact, most of success person do it even its work not only for the person but also for an organization, company, and even country. Why? If you ask me that question, I will answer: “because if you want to achieve a goal, you must be have already consider, choose and decide what the goal is”. Then, no matter you write the goal on a paper or not I believe that you will automatically think about this question on your mind after that: How to achieve that goals?, What resources should I have?,What step I have to choose to go to the goal? Etc.

 Lets make it clear. One day, a taxi driver called by the passenger. The taxi come closer to the person who calling the driver and the conversation both of the driver and passenger happen as follows:

 Driver                    : Hi, thank you for your trust to use our taxi service.

Passenger           : You’re welcome

Driver                    : Ok, please get in to the car.

Passenger           : Ok, thanks.

Driver                    : Then, now, tell me where you want to go?
Passenger           : Hm, actually, I don’t know where?

Driver                    : ???

Now, imagine this situation happen to you (as a taxi driver). What will you say to the passenger? Will you carying the passenger to your taxi? I’m not sure you will doing that. And maybe better for you to leave the passenger if he/she still not tell you where to he want to go.

In case of the success of an individual, organization, company, and country totally depend on the what goal (vision) it have. In other words, many people call it as the power of dream. Like we know, a goal stateand decide in the first step of the journey. And its start from the conceptual ideas on our mind. Then, we realize that ideas into the reality with an action. So, the “Start from the end” sentence is not strange anymore for us, isn’t it?

Now, have you ever take several hours or just a minute in your life to think what is the end of our life journey? Have you ever think about where we will go after life? For all people on earth, this questions should have be the consideration for their life. Because it is the starting point and the thing that will make life meaningful. So that, at least there are three kind of question must people answer as a starting point to plan his/her life. The questions are: Where are we come from? For what we are create on earth? To where we will go after life?

                To answer three question above, I will recite surah from quran:

Qoran surah Al Insan (76 : 1)
“Has there not been over the man a period of time, when he was not a thing worth mentioning?”

 Qoran surah Adh Dhariyat (51 : 56)

“And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)

Qoran surah Al Jathiyah (45 : 15)

“Whosoever does a good deed, it is for his ownself, and whosoever does evil, it is against (his ownself). Then to your Lord you will be made to return.

               

Allah create all the things in heavens and earth must be without a waste objective. Especially in creating of man as the most perfect creation ever create by Allah. Important for us to understand our creation history for the more meaningful and better life and no regret in the end of our life.

Qoran surah Ash Shams (91 : 8)
“Then He showed him what is wrong for him and what is right for him.”

                In the end of the article, lets evaluate our life journey especially the goal we want to achieve. If everything created by Allah and its all will back to Allah, what about us? What kind of ‘amal have we done? Which one heavier, good ‘amal or bad ‘amal? Of course we hope good amal heavier than bad ‘amal. We pray to Allah, may Allah collect us as a muttaqiin and collect us with shalihiin in heaven later. Amin Ya Allah Ya Rabbal ‘Alamiin…

(Dwinto, 14/12/2012)


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