Once a young man was walking with his friend, he accidentally stepped on a cigarette butt that had just been thrown on the road, he winced in pain. His friend wondered why since he wearing shoes. Apparently, the sole of the shoe was worn and had holes heee … School shoes with holes was what he wore as he did not have enough money to buy new ones.
This is a story about a man who is very important in my life besides my husband…. my late father.
He was humble and he was born from an ordinary family. During his childhood, he was often forced to change schools due to some reason. He also had to help his mother raise their livestock after school. Although his life was tough, his spirit to study was really high. He was able to finish his bachelor degree until he was granted as a Professor. Graduated at the age of 25 immediately resume his master’s study in the USA through a scholarship program and graduated within two years. Thanks to support of my late mother, my father then continued to take his doctoral program in the USA and earned a PhD at a relatively young age, 31, the age that we- as his children- could not beat him!
My father’s simple life always inspired to his children, we never been spoiled with material or extravagant life.
One time we had gone out of the town, not by airplane, but by train, economy class. I remember when we could not get any seats we had to stand or sit on our own luggage until there were passengers who got off the train. Nine hours without air conditioning nor fan, along with vegetable sellers, chicken traders, newspaper sellers, burglars and pickpockets heee …. . “To understand the needy people’s life ” he once said.
We had also visited his hometown and childhood… in a small town, he showed us his former school building (that was still established although in bad condition), houses of his playmates, and told us the fate of his old friends. He once told us that there was one of his school friends who always got champion in the class but when he is an adult he is not too successful. The lesson is each child has his/her own strength and weakness. So for children who do not seem brilliant or not to be the champion in the class, do not be worried or discouraged, he said….hmmmh this advice perhaps meant to entertain me 😆
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Dear Muslimah … my father probably is not a perfect father .. but his love is wonderful for us. We are so grateful to have him who was very concerned about his children’s education, akhlak (moral), and worship. Maghrib prayer in congregation was what we did most frequently. Not only that, one times my sister and I read the Quran next to him and we giggled in the middle of the reading for something was funny. He was cross, he said Al-Quran is the word of Allah, and we have to read it right and proper.
And now, I am a mother…I have children…I know how challenging it is, to educate my children to love their Rab (the Creator).
In the era of all busy with many worldly affairs, how many fathers around us who forget their other tasks in addition to meet his family physical needs such as first home, second home, clothes, food, vehicles, saving, land, and so forth. Every father should also pay attention of his family’s spiritual needs like aqidah (belief), worship, and morals of his wife and his children. All of these will be held accountable in the hereafter later. As stated in the Qur’an: At-Tahrim [66]: 6.
O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from fire whose fuel is people and stones, over which are [appointed] angels, harsh and severe; they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them but do what they are commanded.
Finally, the following paragraphs are very touched for me as a parent to always remember life of the hereafter, QS Hud [11]: 15-16.
Whoever desires the life of this world and its adornments – We fully repay them for their deeds therein, and they therein will not be deprived. Those are the ones for whom there is not in the Hereafter but the Fire. And lost is what they did therein, and worthless is what they used to do.
Wallahu a’lam
May Allah forgive my beloved late father’s sins who was born in September, 78 year ago.
