Boy, oh boy!

Assalamu alaikum!

Many things have kept me away from this blog. When I started this, I didn't think it would be hard to maintain and update the site, I mean, all I had to do was "talk" about my life. I guess, there was just so much to share that I didn't know where to begin.

But I am back. Until when, I don't know. Maybe only until the baby is asleep. Oh, wait. Baby? Yes, I now have a baby (a son, that is). That makes me a new mother of a one month old baby boy. So is that the reason why I am back in the blogging scene? Yes. I have much to share about motherhood and much time to spare since I am still on maternity leave, Alhamdulillah. To tell you frankly, I have never been away from work this long, and I am actually loving every minute of it, though the demands of a new baby is hardly ever a break. 

Now let me tell you about my son, Ibrahim AbdurRahman Rashid Rosete. That is quite a long name. So in official documents, he is simply Ibrahim Rashid Rosete or "Ibrahim" for short. Even before the little guy was born, we already decided that he had to be named after one of the greatest prophets of Allah, Ibrahim (or Abraham, peace be upon him). We pray that our son will be able to exemplify the same qualities of Ibrahim in his devotion and love for Allah Almighty, and as a mother, I know that I have a big role in fulfilling that mission, insha Allah.

I can look at this all day

A child completes a family. I'd like to think that for every married couple, this would be the main event. When Allah grants a child to two people, that is a miracle that will forever be cherished. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Once you get used to your child's presence and get past the fleeting moment of admiration, you realize that there is a tall order at hand. Allah gave this person to you pure, untarnished and pristine, so what that person becomes is greatly due to its parents.

Luckily, rearing a child according to Islam is not very difficult - or at least I'd like to think, due to the many "tutorials" now available. You just have to be very cautious which lectures you listen to for there is a danger that some information is a deviation from the Sunnah of the prophet. Personally, I like listening to the lectures of Nouman Ali Khan, Mufti Menk and Yusuf Estes, among others, when it comes to family matters. I think that I have no excuse in how to raise my child as a Muslim because there are already set rules on how to do that - all one has to do is turn to the Quran and Hadiths. I don't think any other religion can tell you the correct and morally upright way of bringing up a child that's as clear as day as Islam. I mean, if I remained a Catholic, my child-rearing will all be based on gut feel and for the most part, that will all revolve around this dunya. I thank Allah for changing my path and leading me towards the right direction.

Start them young

Now, where to begin? You start them young. By that, I mean, as early as you are pregnant. In an online lecture I attended called "Fiqh of Pregnancy" by Shaykh Omair Suleiman, he said that while the child is inside your womb, you already teach him Islam. Recite the Quran, pray your 5 daily prayers, increase your knowledge of the deen, so that when the baby is born, you simply continue with it and that child becomes no stranger to the religion. I remember when I was fasting in Ramadhan during my pregnancy, both Muslims and non-Muslims would comment about how it's unhealthy to "starve" myself while in that condition. Yes, I struggled to curb my appetite and felt that I was depriving my son of the nutrition he needed for his full development, but I left it all up to Allah with the intention that my child be one of the strong believers of his generation, who worships none but Allah and loves the prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) like it was his own father. Alhamdulillah, at 7.3 pounds, my son was a very healthy, active baby upon birth, kicking and screaming every chance he could. So who are we to say that something is good or bad for us but Allah?

My husband always says that it takes a village to raise a child. Very true. May this "village" be one with us in our quest to raise pious Muslim children.

“Every one of your (people) is responsible, and everyone is responsible for whatever falls under his responsibility. A man is like a shepherd of his own family, and he is responsible for them” (Bukhari and Muslim).