Let's increase our Ibadaat in order to increase our Iman.

As Salaamu Alaikum, Ya Akhwaati as you all may know I have renamed the days of the week each day corresponding with some action geared towards getting your home in order. So as it is Wednesday we are on Worship Wednesday this name is more out of default than practice. As worship is something we do everyday. It is the core of our lives, it is the most important factor in being a mom and wife. Our job isn't an easy one, so we have prepared dinner, we cleaned the house, we took care of our appearance, we home schooled the kiddos, we made some schedules, and we came up with some exciting new recipes to add to our menus list. Yes all of that is soooo very important and it is something that I do daily. However how many of us have memorized a new Surah this week, or read a new book on Islam, or made any extra fast, offered any extra salat? It is time to start to make those schedule for increasing our Ibadaat. We have to do this, as full time house wives our husbands afford us the opportunity to be home. Alhumdulilah. They are out of the home on average 50 -60 hours a week some more than this. They are constantly dealing with the Kuffar and dealing with all the fitnah that comes with it. They are the leaders of our families.

Allah says: “Men are the protectors and maintainers of women because of what Allah has preferred one with over the other and because of what they spend to support them from their wealth.” [Sûrah al-Nisâ’: 34]

What does it mean that men are “protectors and maintainers” of women?

To answer this question, let us first look at the Arabic word that we are translating as “protectors and maintainers”. This word is “qawwâmûn” the plural of “qawwâm”.

This word – qawwâm – in turn, is an emphatic form of the word “qayyim”, which means a person who manages the affairs of others. The qayyim of a people is the one who governs their affairs and steers their course. Likewise, the qayyim of a woman is either her husband or her guardian – the one who has to look after her and ensure that her needs are met.

When Allah says: “Men are the qawwâmûn of women…” it means – and Allah knows best – that men are held liable for handling the affairs of women and are responsible for the women under their care. A husband, therefore, has the responsibility of taking care of his wife, protecting her, defending her honor, and fulfilling her needs regarding her religion and her worldly life.Having this knowledge is useful, but it does not mean that they are the only ones responsible for protecting and maintaining our Islam and Iman. We are helpers one to another and at times it can be that your husband is so beat down from the stresses of his life and his day that he needs you to lift him and help him with his role of protecting and maintaining Iman and Knowledge.  So my question is how do we do this, how do we tackle this most important role as well as teaching our children and raising an Ummah that Allah will be pleased with?

It is time to start placing our Islam at the top of the list of priorities. Increase your knowledge of Islam and increase your Ibadaaat to increase your iman and once you do that insha Allah the nur that you possess as a Muslimah will shine onto the rest of your family. So I would like to share a few of the things I do in order to help me increase my Iman. I ask Allah to protect me from riyah and from al ain, I ask that He that he purify my intentions Ameen.

Step one in protecting and increasing my Iman:   Quran, my day begins with the studing of Allah's speech. In the mornings after I pray Fajr (because Fajr comes in earlier now, before the time change it is before Fajr) I study from the Quran everyday taking something new from it. I spend at least an hour memorizing the Quran in the morning and I review what I have taken before throughout my day and during my salat. For me it helps to make a pray schedule for what I am reviewing that week.




Step two: I fast every Monday and Thursday. Because it is nawwafil you must seek permission from your husbands if you plan to do this.

The rights of the husband

Hadrat Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "When the husband calls his wife to his bed and she disobeys, and he spends the night in anger against her, the angels keep cursing her till the morning." (Bukhari and Muslim)
Hadrat Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "A woman should not observe an optional fast when her husband is present at home, except with his permission. She should also not permit anyone to enter his house without his consent". (Bukhari and Muslim, wording is of Bukhari)

Step Three:

After I have studied, I busy myself with teaching others. This helps me to not only gain barakah, it also helps me to solidify what I have learned already. It is an act of Charity.

Step Four:
This is something that I do with my family as a whole unit, it really is beneficial in that it not only increases our knowledge, but it also increases love between us. Because we enjoy each others company and have a sense of camaraderie between us. We have a family game time, where we play Islamic Trivia, Islamic Jeopardy, we have Quran competitions were we are on teams. We as teams take the same surah and are resposnsible for memorizing the tafsir of it as well as memorizing it. We also have tajweed competitions where we each have to reach in a bag and pull out a tajweed rule then we must give an ayaah coresponding to it. It is all done in fun and we benefit at the same time. We do this 5 days a week.

Step Five: This one seems like a small thing, but in reality it is a huge thing and it works. I make sure to keep my wudoo, and I advise my family with the same. Alhumdulilah we are home all day well most of us are. So this is something that is easy to do.
Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says in the ayah of Wudu,“Allah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favor to you that you may be thankful.” (5:6)
The Sunnah of the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam is to constantly be in a state of Wudu. Once a companion entered upon the Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam and greeted him. The Prophet sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam did not return the salutation to him until he performed ablution. He then apologized to the companion saying: I disliked remembering Allah except in the state of purification. (Sunan Abi Dawood, Saheeh)
Preserving wudu is a sign of emaan.
“… and no one preservers their wudu except a Believer.” [Ibn Maajah, Saheeh]

Step Six: This one may also seem small but it is also a major factor in my life and in the lives of my children and husband. "Make sure your husbands attend the masjid for Salat when he is home and is able to. Many of us live within driving distance at least of a Masjid so the men praying in the Masjid should be something of ease for them. It is beneficial as this teaches our children the importance of praying in the Masjid. It also helps the husband to increase his Iman and there by perform his role better as husband and father. He should also be taking the boys to the masjid with him as well.

Bukhari :: Book 1 :: Volume 11 :: Hadith 617
Narrated Abu Huraira:

Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hand my soul is I was about to order for collecting fire-wood (fuel) and then order Someone to pronounce the Adhan for the prayer and then order someone to lead the prayer then I would go from behind and burn the houses of men who did not present themselves for the (compulsory congregational) prayer. By Him, in Whose Hands my soul is, if anyone of them had known that he would get a bone covered with good meat or two (small) pieces of meat present in between two ribs, he would have turned up for the 'Isha' prayer.'

Bukhari :: Book 1 :: Volume 11 :: Hadith 626
Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "No prayer is harder for the hypocrites than the Fajr and the 'Isha' prayers and if they knew the reward for these prayers at their respective times, they would certainly present themselves (in the mosques) even if they had to crawl." The Prophet added, "Certainly I decided to order the Mu'adh-dhin (call-maker) to pronounce Iqama and order a man to lead the prayer and then take a fire flame to burn all those who had not left their houses so far for the prayer along with their houses."

Muslim :: Book 4 : Hadith 1374
Abu Huraira reported: There came to the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) a blind man and said: Messenger of Allah, I have no one to guide me to the mosque. He, therefore, asked. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) permission to say prayer in his house. He (tee Holy Prophet) granted him permission. Then when the man turned away he called him and said: Do you hear the call to prayer? He said: Yes. He (the Holy Prophet then) said: Respond to it.
 

I realize that this was a long post, but it is very important this is the core of all of our lives.Our most important goal is Jannah and to make sure our families are in Jannah as well. Yes cooking, cleaning, organizing, baking, creating, teaching and in gerneral being a Muslim Mommy and Wive is extremely important and honorable. However in order to be the best at our profession we have to be the best in our religion. Again I ask that Allah accept this from me and that he purify my intentions, protect me and my family from the Eye, make me free of riyah and that it benefits us all. Ameen. As always ladies "Enjoy your day"