Tag Archives: Family

My sister’s formal…

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Sometimes it takes a special event or occasion to remind you of the special people in your life. I am so proud of my little sister and I can’t believe she’s all grown up and done with school. It’s been an interesting few months with so much happening, so many trials and challenges, you sometimes forget to notice the little things and before you know it, the year is over.

Life happens I guess, it’s been 7 years since my formal, 4 years since I got married, 10 months since my sisters wedding in India and my son is almost 2 years old now… WOW. So much has happened, it’s good to stop and look back sometimes and I find it almost instinctive to reflect on life when you experience certain emotions. Weddings, anniversaries, special events and sometimes sad occasions often force you to stop and reflect on your life. Without these reflections, we could possibly overlook some of the most precious moments of our lives.

Despite some of the trials and challenges over the last few months, we have so much to be grateful for. I pray that we always have happy occasions to remind us of the blessings bestowed upon us and as my parents accompanied my little sister to her formal, I pray that they take my baby sister to hers one day.

Azraa… you make us all proud and we love you!

A blue Tuesday and the day after tomorrow!

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful. 

News channels this morning look like a scene out of a Hollywood blockbuster. Images flashing across the screen remind me of movies like The Day after Tomorrow and 2012. We hear of these severe weather events every year and in some ways it’s become a normal occurrence. It’s a sad fact that we sometimes watch these stories as if they are in fact just movies.

This year it became slightly less movie-like because my sister now lives in Buffalo and had to prepare for some severe weather as a result of the hurricane. While they weren’t in the direct path of the hurricane, the thought of having loved ones anywhere near such a disaster was scary enough. Alhamdulillah everything is ok so far and I pray it stays that way, but it changes the way I feel about it. It’s so easy to pass it off as just another natural disaster but when it becomes personal and emotional, your perception changes all together. 

I pray for every person affected by this weather, I pray for protection from these disasters and I am grateful for the peaceful, blue weather in Brisbane this morning. 

A blue Thursday

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

It’s 11:30 AM on a blue Thursday morning, as I lay in bed with my 21 month old son, I can’t help but remember what blue, rainy mornings were like in the office.

Rainy days on the coast made it difficult to get out of bed and were the cause of many off my ‘sick days’ at work. I used to look out the window and wish I could be at home in bed, maybe watch a movie or 2 or 3 😉

Now that I’m home, these memories make the experience even more enjoyable… If you actually remember them that is. It’s so easy to get stuck into a new routine, you sometimes just forget about your old ones and neglect to appreciate the change.

Make the best of your time and appreciate the little things that happen. By being aware of the things we wish for and sometimes ask for, we can reflect on our circumstances and actually see that our prayers have been answered. Sometimes we’re just too busy to acknowledge the blessings before our eyes.

Had an awesome blue Thursday and I’m grateful for the changes in my routine! Alhamdulillah!

A new routine…

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

Today was the first day of my new routine and my new job as a (part-time) house-husband. The Mrs is doing her 6 week practical experience program for her teaching degree so I’m on babysitting duty from 7 AM to 3 PM everyday.

First day went well, productivity was high, had some good bonding time with my little man and I must admit, the satisfaction and pride I felt at the end of the day made all the poop nappies worthwhile. I am pumped about my new routine and I hope everyday is as good as today.

Despite my initial reluctance in accepting my role as a house-husband for the next 6 weeks, I feel a sense of achievement in my acknowledgement and enthusiasm for this new experience. I’m not sure if it’s a masculinity thing, an ethnic one or perhaps a cultural issue but for some reason, my initial reaction was the fear of being labelled a house-husband. I can’t explain it but my instinct was to justify the situation in the most masculine way possible to avoid anyone assuming I’m some sort of stay-at-home dad.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! I decided not to justify it but to embrace it, break tradition, or culture or whatever it was that resulted in my initial reaction and be the best house-husband (in the most masculine way possible) for the next 6 weeks.

Man is naturally forgetful and instinctively ungrateful. We always want change, always something different. A few months back I would have killed to have 6 weeks at home with my son. I hated leaving home every morning and weekends were never long enough. I used to fantasize about the things I would do if I worked from home and if I had more control over where I was and where I had to be. Fast forward a few months and the dream became a reality, after quitting the office routine and working from the best place ever for the last 6 months, it was so easy to forget those fantasies.

My little reflection gave me a new perspective on things and I’ve been looking forward to my new routine. Day 1 went well and I look forward to tomorrow Insha Allah. I can’t take credit for a full-time house-husband since my amazing wife still takes care of the cooking, cleaning and all the prep that goes into being a housewife/mother/student/teacher/food blogger 😉

While some dads have to be part-time fathers due to their work requirements, I get to be a full-time father for the next 6 weeks… and that is all the justification I need!

Perhaps this is the inspiration I’ve been seeking… Insha Allah I’ll be able to learn, remind and reflect through my writing again!

Something’s are just not worth missing…

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

I realized today how neglectful I’ve been of some of the little things that have been taking place around me. The past few months have been absolutely hectic and it hasn’t yet subsided but when I reflect on the choices I made and the priorities I set, it might have been easier if I stopped from time to time just to take everything in.

I used to write about efficiency and time management as a Muslim but sometimes it’s easier to write about it than it is to practise it and I seem to have forgotten my own principles. When faced with a new challenge and a shift in responsibilities, I almost instinctively kicked into overdrive focussing on what I had to get done each day and what deadlines had to be met. Every task completed saw a few more added to my list and the cycle continued, I found myself staying up some nights, waking up early, spending hours in the office and at times I even forgot why I was doing certain things. I turned into a robot!

I’m grateful that I can reflect on this after only a few weeks but I’m saddened at the thought of what I may or may not have missed while I was engrossed in myself. Sometimes you just have to stop and … well, stop! Cause something’s are just not worth missing!

I hope I can learn from my own mistakes Insha Allah, seriously need to re-visit some of my old posts for inspiration!

Between Ramadhan’s

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

 

I just spent a few minutes reading my own Ramadhan Reminders from last year and I can’t believe how much has changed. Alhamdulillah I am grateful for everything that I have and I trust in the way things are meant to be, but when you actually take the time to look back and reflect… it’s quite amazing.

Last Ramadhan feels like yesterday, yet so much has changed, so much has happened since then. Really puts things into perspective. I feel humbled by the lack of control yet pleased with the outcome.

When I started writing a few years back I hoped that my writing would firstly serve as a reminder to myself and then to anyone who can benefit from it. Now I know what I meant! Looking back at last years posts has truly served as a reminder and I’m hoping to take some of my own advice.

 

Blessed Ramadhan!

Living in the moment…

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

I got carried away scrolling down my Twitter timeline while sitting at the dinner table last night, I’m sure there was something meaningful I was looking for to share with my wife and sister but I got distracted and made my way through the mostly useless tweets I missed through the day. My wife was quick to remind me that it was dinner time and I immediately put my phone away. When I think about it now, not only is it sad but it was extremely rude. I don’t think we can use technology and social media to justify breaking traditional social protocols.

Facebook and Twitter connect us with family and friends around the world which is amazing but can we really justify a connection through social media at the expense of those sitting right next to us?

I’m a big fan of Facebook and Twitter so I’m not going to advocate against the use of technology and social media but I do think that it’s worth reflecting on how much time we spend using these mediums of socialising while neglecting our immediate social environment.

Next time you’re tweeting about what you ate for dinner or uploading dinner pics to facebook or drawing something for someone across the world to guess… think about the people sitting with you at the dinner table… connect with them first and live in the moment you’re in.

Friday morning…

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

As I took out the trash this morning I was reminded of a little story … The Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) was seen by one of his companions while taking out the trash.  His companion was alarmed and said to the Prophet: Oh Messenger of God, you are taking out the trash!  The Prophet replied: who should I have take out the trash, the mother of the believers?

Following the Sunnah is really not that difficult… Blessed Jumuah!

Reflection: Less racing, more winning!

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

I realized today that I sometimes get carried away with certain obsessions at the expense of things more rewarding and fulfilling in life. It must be a human thing because it feels natural and you often notice it in other people. I guess the wisdom lies in the realization of these obsessions and the ability to recognize and alter the way you do things.

For the past few months I’ve been obsessed with my fitness and as a result, I now hold 2 concurrent gym memberships. I’m sure I’ll make good use of them but in hindsight, it may not have been the brightest idea. Reflecting on my actions I’ve realized that by obsessing over it, my expectations where higher and it became more difficult to achieve what I was set out to achieve.

That’s not what I regret though, what I regret are the things I missed out on.

As my passion for the obsession fizzled, I stopped chasing it so much and have found my priorities re-aligned with the more important things in life. As soon as my focus shifted, my priorities changed, I felt more fulfilled and despite not frequenting the gym as often… I’m fitter than ever … And I have more time for my family!

Alhamdulillah!

…My heart aches for Africa

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In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

My heart aches with every headline, every story and every photo that’s flashed across the screen. This crisis has been covered by the media and has been shared by every concerned individual and group through every possible social platform. Over the last few weeks, the crisis in Africa has flooded my inbox and social media streams. Africa is no stranger to crisis and at first, I must admit, I didn’t pay much attention. We live in a world where we can spend lavishly on ourselves while our neighbours go without food, how then can we relate to a crisis on the other side of the world?

Today, my heart aches for Africa. As my 7 month old son cried for food today, an imaged flashed before me that jolted my senses and sent a rush of emotion through me. I pictured a starving child in Africa. I remembered the images that had been circulating on Facebook and Twitter and I could almost hear their cries of hunger. As I came to terms with the heartbreaking images and thoughts going through my mind, I was grateful to Allah for blessing us and providing for us. Remembering Allah relieved some of the emotion I was experiencing but the reality remained… As we go about our daily lives, children are starving, Africa is suffering yet again.

Our self-centred, materialistic lifestyles have conditioned our minds to overlook such atrocities; we live in a world of suffering and to some extent have become oblivious to human suffering around the world. A sad yet undeniably truth. I find it very difficult to maintain this “out of sight, out of mind” attitude towards such suffering. I was born and raised in Africa; I saw poverty and suffering every morning and every evening. I remember feeling saddened at the sight of little boys walking barefoot on the hot African sand begging for food and money. My parents (may Allah reward them) would feed and clothe these kids to keep them off the streets. As a child there was little I could do, but I felt for them then, and I feel for them now. There are some things in life that will never leave you, we left Africa 10 years ago and I can still remember their faces, I can still remember the poverty, I can still remember the suffering. The crisis in The Horn of Africa has reminded me of my experience and memories of a people whose history has been plagued by disease, hunger and suffering. Today, my heart aches for Africa.

I read an article which told the story of a mother who was travelling on foot with her two children in an attempt to escape the famine in Somalia. A few days in to their journey, her son collapsed from dehydration, after using the last few drops of water to wake him, the mother was faced with the choice of leaving her son to die and journey on, or stay and starve to death with him and his little sister. No mother should have to make that choice, no son should have to experience that and no daughter should have to witness that. As I read the story, I was reminded of an episode of Great Migrations I recently watched. A herd of Wildebeest were migrating during the dry season, a mother wildebeest became separated from the herd as she cared for her weak calf. As the herd moved further and further away, the mother was forced to abandon her calf to re-join the herd in search of water.  It was difficult enough to watch the wildebeest story, I cannot begin to describe the heartache I felt when I read the story about the woman in Somalia.

I don’t have a solution to the crisis but I believe we can all contribute in our own way. Some may volunteer their time and effort while others may contribute financially, however, the least we can do as human beings is care. So long as there is concern for those who are suffering in our hearts, there is hope for them.

As we go on living our lives of comfort, as we eat our food, drink our water and rest in our beds, spare a thought for the people of Africa and be grateful to God for the blessings He has bestowed upon us.

Today, my heart aches for Africa…