Did you know? (Inspirational Islamic Stories)

The greatest motherhood example of all time

What is motherhood to you?*

_A mother's madarassah_

🔸Growing up, Imam Malik had no interest in ilm. He wanted to be a singer.

He wanted to be a singer because he had a nice voice. His mother talked him out of it, she told him to learn ilm, reminding him that ilm, too can gain fame and will help others too.

She would get him ready like a teacher in a thobe and send him to the teacher to learn.

She told him to learn adab first, and then learn ilm. When he would return home from his classes, she would sit and learn from him what he was taught that day.

Over time, Imam Malik fell in love with his teachers and realised this was his path.

🔸Imam Shafi’i’s mother had a vision for her son, a vision that she fulfilled with no money to her name. She would send her son to teachers, he would come back saying the teachers ignore him because he wasn’t a fee paying student. His mother would respond by telling him to show the most exemplary of manners in his classes, so that no teacher will have any complaints of him.

When he told his mother he had no paper or ink to make notes with, she told him to use his memory – which was the beginning of Imam Shafi’i’s photographic memory.

But she didn’t stop at that, she would go out and find bones and papers that other people would throw out, to give to her son. She would collect drops of ink, wait for a jar to fill and then give him that jar of ink to use. This was the origin of the ilm Imam ash Shafi’i had.

🔸Imam Ahmad’s mother would leave in his clothes little notes of naseeha or Islamic reminders.

She would wake up before fajr, heat water for his wudhu, wake him up and then walk him in pitch darkness to the masjid for fajr salah.

She would then wait for all the classes to finish and tell him to be the last to leave the masjid after all the teachers had left.

🔸‘O my son, if you write only 10 words, ask yourself, are you seeing an increase in your fear of Allah and a growth in your patience with people – if you don’t see these increases, know that your ilm isn’t benefitting you.” – words Sufyan at Thawri’s mother said to him.

*If you’ve read this far, how do you now feel?* *Do you feel like waking up tomorrow, making your gift of motherhood a reason to attain Jannah?* This is what I meant, when I said, I am rethinking my purpose.

Imam Malik’s mother used her wisdom to change her son’s want, knowing what is more benefiting for his dunya and his akhirah.

Imam Shafi’i’s mother didn’t sit at home, feeling sorry for herself being a single widowed mother with no money, she turned her reality to work for her and her son.

Imam Ahmad’s mother sacrificed her sleep so her son could smell the fragrance of fajr salah at the masjid. And the words of Sufyan at Thawri’s mother are words that we all need to reflect on, for our own growth, our own change. It was in these mothers’ madrassahs that unmatched scholars grew.

Seeking Jannah is for every believer. Seeking it through everything we do is something not many of us will master. We can only try. Just like these Super mums did, leaving behind offspring’s who teach us Islam even now, long after they themselves have left the dunya.

And we can’t forget the beauty of dua, it was the dua of Imam Bukhari’s mother that restored his eyesight. 

May Allah raise the ranks of these great scholars and the ranks of their beloved mothers. May we get a glimpse of them and their beautiful abodes in Jannah. Aameen.