Raising The Fortunate Child

My son - Sayed Anwar Ally

Amidst the confusion of raising the fortunate child,we tend to indulge them in all the material distractions of this world like the latest gadgets from sony playstations, apple ipads, to smart phones. We send them to the most expensive schools, buy them new motor cars and regular overseas holidays are a norm.

Sadly in reality, most parents realise later in life that their now grown-up "Fortunate Child" has become a spoilt, ungrateful, disrespectful and lazy Adult!

In raising children to become responsible adults, it is important that we as parents teach them about the rights of other fellow beings especially those less fortunate. Allah swt says in the noble quran,

"Worship Allah and join none with Him in worship, and do good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, Al-Masakin (the poor), the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who is a stranger, the companion by your side, the wayfarer (you meet), and those (slaves) whom your right hands possess. Verily, Allah does not like such as are proud and boastful (An-Nisa 4:36)

Being a parent guilty of spoiling my only son with all of the above mentioned luxuries, I am pleased that he has just completed his degree, Alhumdulilah and has 3 job prospects of which he has accepted one to start 1st February 2013, Inshaa Allah. I have mixed feelings of a job (parenting) well done, as I feel that I should have been more strict with regards to him being able to recite the quran with understanding.  Allah knows Best!

I have been asked to purchase a ticket/table to a High Tea on Sunday 03 February '13 in aid of Quran studies in Egypt for Hafith Sabeegh Philander, the son of a friend of mine. Allahu Akbar! Here we have a boy whose only desire is to please Allah, subhanallah! For some of us, sending our children anywhere in the world is as easy as a simple EFT or swipe of a Visa Card. It seems as if Allah swt has presented my son and I with an extraordinary opportunity to further practice the verse of (An-Nisa).

I have pledged to assist Hafith Sabeegh not only with the table at the High Tea but also with the equivalent of my son's first salary, to further assist him fulfill his noble dream of studying the quran in Egypt, Inshaa Allah.

AND with that said, may I kindly ask that if any of you reading this blog post is able to assist him financially, no matter how small (R50 in a sealed envelope), please know that you are contributing to the future of Islam for all generations to come. Jazakallah Khairan.

"Upon death, man's deeds will stop except for three deeds; namely: a continuous charitable fund, endowment or goodwill; knowledge left for people to benefit from; and a pious righteous and God-fearing child who continuously prays to Allah, for the souls of his parents" (Muslim)