Peace, one and all…

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Selfless compassionate service to others is not an easy thing to do.  The daily business of life and other such matters, intrude, forcing their way into our attention and muddying the waters of our motivations.   Upon reflection, this is one reason why God offers many of us the joyous burden of parenthood.

As a parent, it is my duty to provide for and support my children, to serve them.  In raising our three children, my wife and I must put our own desires and wishes to one side, as we struggle to help them grow towards adulthood.  We must struggle to put our children first; their physical needs must come before ours; their emotional needs must come before ours; their spiritual needs must come before ours.  In short, our children are our masters, and we are both happy that it should be so.

If our children are our masters, then they are also our teachers (which is why I can relate to our worthy brother Yakoub’s description of his son as his Shaykh).  Our children teach us to be patient, to be forgiving, to be merciful.  Our children teach us to focus upon what is most essential.  Our children teach us to be always loving (or as loving as we can be).

These qualities, which we struggle to embody, are also deeply spiritual.  Compassion, mercy, service and selfless love are all essential aspects of a fully human being, and of a healthy relationship with God (the Blessed and Exalted).  This is why I find being a father so profound, and so inspiring.  It is why I am happy to be a servant to my three beautiful children (and to my wife of course, but that’s another story…)

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman