Tabligh

A Simple Thought: Wednesday, 1st March ’17

A simple thought from The Community on Friday: The world is made up of nations, nations constitute societies, diverse and far flung, each with their own language, customs and rituals. Societies in turn are built by families, units that are threaded by individuals such as father, mother and children. Their inter relations and their code of conduct both inwards and that outside, will eventually shape up how our world looks like, eventually.

On the eve of the death anniversary of Janabe Fatema (SA), it would be apt to talk about mothers and women in general. If for any reason, this personality is the hub that is Ahlul Bayt (AS), it is because of the design and application of her multi dimensional roles – as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother and as a Muslim herself. Her radiance in the short life span that she had, was both profound and exemplary. Today, we spend our time in her remembrance but much needs to be extracted from her life’s moral stories, if we truly stand a chance of making a difference to the world, not just in cliché but for real.

Mothers have the hardest job of shaping up society through the laborious work of giving the best upbringing to their children, a Muslim woman additionally becomes more modest and has a deeper thirst for knowledge, whereby her purpose is to create a conducive and productive life for her child. In short, she gives up everything else in this pursuit. But is it enough to cast accolades when we have the least will to follow in her footsteps? Is there any meaning to the proclamations of how Islam is the best religion when we are unable to learn more each day on account of our preoccupation, mostly vain talk and social activities of an anti Islamic nature.

Tonight, when imambadas will be thronged with multitudes of men and women, who will shed tears on this loss, who will also observe a day off tomorrow, how many of us will be quietly listening to Majlis? How many of us will take at least one thought home to help us reform? When not working tomorrow, how many of us will restrain from discussions about others and instead reflect on the short time that now remains before death overcomes us? For years, we are commemorating these anniversaries but are we meeting the objectives of such days? And as we while away our lives in nothingness, we have turned a blind eye to the budding youth that is seeking out to other cultures and acquiring their habits. On the day we get the fortune of meeting the lady of light, which face are we going to show her – the face we wear to the mosque, or the one we don for society’s imminent attention? It is said that educating women, will educate societies but when the women repel learning or their lives are spent in things of less consequence, will mere attendance at a majlis, be of use? And hence is there really any hope for the ummah at large?

This initiative is made possible by the kind courtesy of Bande Khuda Sponsors, G1 Security, Meadows Academy, SD Dental Clinic & Ceramic Lab, SokoniAdvertiser and Xpress Rent a Car, and for the ISAALE THAWAAB of Marhum Zahir Chatoo

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About the author

Mohamedarif is a marketing professional and educationalist with a penchant for writing as a hobby since childhood. As he experimented writing about sporting events at first and then current affairs, he quickly developed a skill for observation of his environment and began to write on reform topics, especially in connection with the community. To further feed his pursuit of writing, he founded several newsletters and bulletins at his school and at the Husayni Madrasah in the 1980's, all the time learning from others already in the field not just about writing, but also about pre-press and production processes. He was also the editor-in-chief of the Knowledge Magazine in 1995–1996. A decade later, importing a flurry of ideas into his new home, Nairobi, he first founded a two page community newspaper then became a regular writer of the Friday Faculty before establishing the Community on Friday, a fully fledged Madrasah magazine in 1996. And while his writing at the community continued, he simultaneously started writing for a business weekly, pairing in with his newfound role as a marketing professional. During his time in Nairobi, he wrote several speeches for sitting chairmen and presidents while also giving some himself, developing his concurrent role as a public speaker and trainer.

With changing times and a decrease in advertising sponsorship, as well as a fall in overall readership, Mohamedarif transformed this publication into an electronic blog. Thus was born the Community on Friday in its present format.

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