When we travel through time, we find many great men, and what we will always find when doing so, that person typically had a great woman, his mother, at the heart of his greatness.
We often find that the people that shook the world and changed the course of history, by the Permisson of Allah, were able to do so through the phenomenal decisions and character of their mothers.
You will find their motherhood had an extraordinary impact on humanity: Aasiya (May Allah be pleased with her) and Musa (Peace be upon him), Maryam (May Allah be pleased with her) and Isa (Peace be upon him), Fatima (May Allah be pleased with her) on Hassan and Hussain (May Allah be pleased with them). Look at the impact a righteous woman can have on the world!
A good mother is at the foundation of all those with a hunger for greatness.
For example, if we head to Central Asia, and to the house of Ismail, a healthy boy was born. But then he was tried with something that every person would fear – he lost his sight. His mother was obviously distraught. However, she was a pious woman, and thus did not fall into extreme despair. Rather she turned to her Lord, Allah (Azzawajal). She invoked Him, the Lord of the heavens and the earth, and thus Allah, answered her prayers. She brought her son up with great care and attention and concern for the Ummah of Muhammad (Peace be upon him). This boy grew up to become a household name, Imam Bukhari (rahimullah).
Brothers and sisters, why do I use this example? I do so, as we see throughout history, ordinary people achieved extraordinary results through the efforts of their mothers. I have the privilege to know a sister who is firmly focused on achieving greatness and she strives to follows example of our pious predecessors. Aside from homeschooling her three children, being an author, speaker and entrepreneur, she still finds the time to be a major supporter of dawah and humanitarian projects across the globe, mash’Allah! We all need to take note and ask ourselves, do we really want to leave our mark on the universe, for the sake of Allah (Subhanhu wa Ta’ala)?
For those people with a sincere desire to be more productive, consider this:
- Sisters: You have an enormous scope to grow your productivity. Look at the example in history of the great women of Islam. You have some fine examples of true greatness, from the mothers of the believers to all the women that brought forth the great people that allowed the Ummah to flourish. These women, their lives must be studied, and emulated insha’Allah. What you will undoubtedly find in is that they (May Allah be pleased with them) sincerely made dua to Allah (Subhanhu wa Ta’ala) on a daily basis. Build this into your day, insha’Allah. If you’re seeking greatness, ask The Great One. If you’re seeking greatness, and have been blessed with children, invest in them and make them great people, insha’Allah. When Salahuddin’s mother inculcated the desire in him to free Palestine from the Crusaders, she was sincere, and as we know, the rest is history.
- Brothers: Consider the examples of our great women, and realize what is incumbent upon us. How will we use our time? What will we do, knowing that it was the women of this Ummah, that aside from fulfilling their family obligations, they dedicated time to du’a, the night prayer, and serving their communities. So what are we doing? Oh men of this Ummah, are you finding the barakah in your day that our sisters had? If not, increase your productivity, by looking at their lives and imitating some of what they and their pious sons did.
Therefore aspiring productive Muslims, consider the example of the great women of this Ummah (may Allah be pleased with them), and take from the example they set insha’Allah. Know that the tarbiyyah of Maryam was manifest in Esa, know the supplication of Abu Abdullah made Imam Bukhari, and know that many times the roads to greatness lead back to a phenomenal mother.
Continued – Series on Increasing Productivity
About the Author
Azim Kidwai is an aspiring ProductiveMuslim and General Manager of Mercy Mission
