I’ve been reading about Ibn al-Jawzi and as expected I’m in awe of how he dedicated his life to learning and teaching the Quran and hadith. But as I read about his family, it amazed me further to learn that he had three sons, who like their father were also teachers of hadith. Although it seems normal for the children of a great scholar to also become teachers and scholars, what I find interesting is how alongside teaching many students and writing over 300 detailed books, Ibn al-Jawzi brought up his three sons with strong Islamic identities, who also dedicated their lives to Islam. Two of his sons held important roles within the Khilafah of the time and they were sadly killed by the enemies of Islam.
Scholars like Ibn al-Jawzi are great men, who learnt Islam, taught Islam and instilled Islam.
Made me think how sometimes we make a tiny commitment; maybe by reciting extra Quran, or by raising money for charity, or teaching our children manners (I am not belittling these actions), but by doing these things, we can sometimes end up thinking highly of ourselves and think we’ve done our bit, but it doesn’t work like that when it comes to the Deen. Our commitment to Allah isn’t based on one aspect of our life, it isn’t just Islam within our homes, or for our self – it has to be in everything we do. Just like Ibn al-Jawzi was able to study, teach and write, in a way many of us can only dream about doing, he also was a father, a husband. He had a personal life, in which he gave his children Islam, an Islam that lived on, in their actions and in their life choices. SubhanAllah.
This post for me is a reminder to do more. To want more. Not more in the Dunya but want more for the Akhirah and to do that, I must start analysing all that I do for myself, my family, the community and the ummah. Everything will count; my motherhood, my relations, my financial decisions, my desires, my care, my worries, my love – and they must all be for the sake of Allah.
This journey of life is nothing, nothing compared to what awaits us, but it will be everything on the Day. With Allah’s Will and Mercy, we want the best for ourselves and our children and best for the rest of the ummah – so as famously said by a father to his son, there will be no rest until we step into Jannah. Until then, I shouldn’t be lazy, let me not find comfort in the little I do, let me search for the more I can do. Bi’idhnillah.
This is a reflective reminder for myself – updated tonight through an old post I had written.
Gilded Dunya 