By Galeema Davids
My Dear Son, There are some important words I would like you to keep with you wherever you may go, lessons I’ve learned along the way, words that might add to the quality of your days. Ameen.
1) You only ever have to please one: Your Rabb, your Allah (SWT). Don’t concern yourself with pleasing people, no matter who it is. You will never be able to make everyone pleased with you. Just focus on The One. He (SWT) will take care of the rest.
2) Don’t care too much about what people think of you. Consciously shove their judgments off, even if you have to say out loud to yourself: “I don’t care what people think”.
3) Don’t be too disappointed in people when you cannot depend on them. We all disappoint each other all the time.
4) Don’t rely on people too much, but when you find someone you can lean on through stressful times, appreciate and keep that person close to your heart.
5) Make many, many, many excuses for people when you don’t understand their ways or actions. There are more than two sides to every story.
6) Know where to place your gratitude. Be polite, thank people, but, remember, all praises ultimately belong to Allah (SWT).
7) People will hurt you. All the time. Those very close to you and those not so close to you. Forgive them, again and again and again. Somewhere, someone is forgiving you too, again and again and again.
8) Hide the faults of others and remember Allah’s (SWT) Mercy.
9) Walk with complete Trust in Allah (SWT), finding comfort in your salah that you had completed as soon as the waqt (time) came in, finding comfort in that you followed His (SWT) Laws.
10) Allah (SWT) loves you.
11) Have conversations with Allah (SWT) throughout your day.
12) Remind yourself that you have control over yourself only, your tongue, your hands, your actions. Remind yourself that you cannot control the thoughts, words, actions of anyone else, as much as you want to.
13) Remember to be quiet.
14) Remember to be positive, about everything and everyone.
15) Live like a traveler.
16) Always remember the words of your beloved Prophet (pbuh): “Know that if the nations were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allah had already prescribed against you. What has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that victory comes with patience, relief with affliction, and hardship with ease.”
17) In the end, it all goes back to 1, The One. Your life is simply about pleasing Him.
“If all the people are pleased with you but Allah is not, what have you gained? If Allah is pleased with you but people are not, what have you lost?” (Ahmad ibn Hanbal)
With much love,
Mommy
I am a thirty-year-old, Muslim, South African, stay-at-home, mommy to two curious little boys, Alhamdulilah. In my spare time, I read up on mommy things, children things and I write letters to my sons, among other important things.
It is my hope that, one day, when my children read the letters I have written them, it will help them appreciate their Creator, their Islam, their life and their parents. Ameen. Moreover, writing letters have helped me reflect, gain perspective and keep sane, as I record my sons’ latest magical moments or my latest passive outbursts.
At the end of the day, I’m just a mommy trying to figure things out, finding a new hobby in blogging, learning to multitask, while constantly in a hurry, messing up here and there and everywhere, and trying to remember to always ask Allah, Most Merciful, for a whole lot of patience.
Source:http://aaila.org/issue/january-2017/article/a-letter-to-my-son
