Mardhiyah

I want my former freedom
To write what I want, where I want

Mardhiyah
I am desperate for you to love me
To help me
To pull me away from my miseries

Mardhiyah
but you are not me
and I am not you

You have never walked the dark alleys
a stench
a pain
I carry hidden and sleeping
until you
you opened it last night

Mardhiyah
I wish it was as easy as an answer from you
Am I desperate, Mardhiyah, tell me?

I don't hate you
I am ungrateful

I need to look at those beneath me

Mardhiyah
My ghosts
They quieted down

And now I hear their voices again....................

Coping

I know I’m waiting

Waiting for something

Something to happen to me

But this waiting comes with

Trials and challenges

Nothing in life is free

I wish that somehow

You’d tell me out aloud

That on that day I’ll be ok

But we’ll never know cause

That’s not the way it works

Help me find my way

My Lord show me right from wrong

Give me light make me strong

I know the road is long

Make me strong

Sometimes it just gets too much

I feel that I’ve lost touch

I know the road is long

Make me strong

I know I’m waiting

Yearning for something

Something known only to me

This waiting comes with

Trials and challenges

Life is one mystery

I wish that somehow

You’d tell me out aloud

That on that day you’ll forgive me

But we’ll never know cause

That’s not the way it works

I beg for your mercy

My Lord show me right from wrong

Give me light make me strong

I know the road is long

Make me strong

Sometimes it just gets too much

I feel that I’ve lost touch

I know the road is long

Make me strong

Coping 2

Kertas putih salju
Ku coretkan kedukaanku
Hitam dan kelabu
Adalah warna dalam hidupku

Kejutkanlah aku kawan
Aku sedang bermimpi
Kejutkanlah aku
Yang sengsara dalam mimpi

Gementar kakiku
Meniti titian usang
Berdegup jantungku
Apakah dapat ku ke seberang

Sambutlah tanganku kawan
Aku takut tenggelam
Sambutlah tanganku kawan
Jurangnya sangat dalam

Jurangnya sangat mengerikan
Ramai yang telah kecundang
Dia sedang menunggu
Untuk memimpimku
Di seberang sana
Adanya cahaya

Coping

The earth is hard,
Soil is cracked,
bleached and blistered.
Trees bend, withered and weary.
Ground gasps, dusty and dry.

Allah hears and the rain comes
wetting and washing the world,
Flushing and flooding the clay,
Spilling and splashing,
Life returns.

Allahu Akbar! (Allah is great!)

We are the cracked earth,
The thirsty, dirty spirit of man.
If we gasp, we will be heard.
Forgiveness falls like rain on our hands.

Allah hears and the rain comes
Wetting and washing the world,
Flushing and flooding the clay,
Spilling and splashing,
Life returns.

Allahu Akbar! (Allah is great!)

Coping Mechanism

Morning light through the bedroom window.
Slow motion dust specks swirling in the sun.
I close my eyes,
and I'm floating along.
Sun - did you warm the face of the
Prophet
the way you warm mine and make
this room glow?
Dust - were you brushed from the
beard of the Prophet,
Returning from Jihad, so long ago?
Allahumma Salli `alaa Muhammad
Yaa Rabba-l `aalamiin
Allahumma Salli `alaa Muhammad
Sallallaahu `alaihi wa salam
Rain pouring down upon my garden,
rhythm for the wind that sings his song.
I close my eyes and I'm drumming along.
Rhythm of rain - were you once a river,
that purified the Prophet before his prayers?
Wind - were you a breath form the
lips of the Prophet
carrying wisdom to thirsty ears?
Allahumma Salli `alaa Muhammad
Yaa Rabba-l `aalamiin
Allahumma Salli `alaa Muhammad
Sallallaahu `alaihi wa salam
Sharp, clear crescent, light in the blue night.
Slipping in silence through a star scattered sky.
I close my eyes
and I know that I belong.
Were you the same moon that lit
the way of the Prophet,
slipping through the desert on his Hijrah?
Stars did you map the way to Madinah,
for the blessed Messenger of Allah?
Allahumma Salli `alaa Muhammad
Yaa Rabba-l `aalamiin
Allahumma Salli `alaa Muhammad
Sallallaahu `alaihi wa salam
I close my eyes,
and I'm floating along.
I close my eyes and I'm drumming a song.
I close my eyes and I know that I belong.

Prophetic Parenting

**Sharing from WhatsApp group**

A friend shared mashaaAllah ,Practical Parenting Advice

Spent a lovely afternoon getting parenting advice from Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (a father of 3 children himself, masha'Allah) at ILM Tree . Some of the nuggets I managed to gather from him:

You're not responsible for your children's actions, only for what you teach them (or don't teach them).

Focus on teaching your children adab and akhlaq (manners and etiquette); parents don't emphasize these enough any more. Have adab with yourself before you set out to teach adab -- that means "pausing". Be willing to pause before reacting.

Adab is the capacity to have the appropriate action, attitude, and response in any given situation.

Oftentimes we do more damage by how we react to our children's mishaps. When we lose our temper with our kids, we're still "teaching" them; we're just not teaching them the appropriate reaction to life's adversities and challenges. Our kids are always learning from us.

Criticizing your children is a bid'ah (a blameworthy innovation); it's not from the Sunnah (way of the Prophet). Don't criticize; don't nag. Nagging your children about everything is a good way to guarantee that they don't listen to you about anything. Nagging never works.

Sometimes the correct response is to not say anything.

If you want to know how to raise teenagers, look at the life of Anas (radiAllahu anhu); he lived in the house of the Prophet (salallaahu alaihi wasallam) from the age of 10 to 20. He broke things and made mistakes, but the Prophet (saw) never focused on whatever Allah had already destined; he never shamed Anas (rA) for his mistakes. He only focused on gentle teaching and gentle reminders. (i.e. "Did you take care of that task I asked you to do?" rather than "Why haven't you done what I asked you to do yet?! How many times do I have to remind you?!")

Children who have not yet attained the age of puberty are not held accountable by Allah (swt) even if they commit murder (God forbid), so who are we to freak out on our kids for "little things" like spilled milk?

When the Prophet (saw) saw another young sahabah (companion) eating greedily from all over a plate, he gently told him, "Say Allah's Name before eating; eat with your right hand; and eat from what is in front of you." He didn't criticize him for his (lack of) manners; he only told him the correct way to eat and then moved on.

We are not police officers or judges when it comes to our children; rather, we should be like shepherds -- we should try to gently guide them in the direction of where we want them to eventually end up.

Complaining about your children to friends is blameworthy; however, consulting with ppl who have wisdom and experience is praiseworthy. Don't talk to just anyone about you r concerns regarding your children.

When asked about getting kids to pray or to wear the hijab, he reminded us that Islam is not about do's and don'ts and a bunch of rules; it's about the heart. We need to teach kids to have hearts that are directed towards pleasing their Lord. They should desire on their own to live lives of taqwa (God-consciousness). We must model taqwa for them by how we live our own lives. Some children may need gentle nudges and reminders to do the right thing.

All virtues are virtuous; anything virtuous should be taught to and emphasized for BOTH genders (like modesty and lowering the gaze and gentleness). Boys should not be shamed for being shy. Shyness is praiseworthy.

Prayer should be a pleasant experience for the kids. He talked about his own children taking turns saying their personal duas aloud after prayer time; sometimes the kids would fall into hugging and wrestling on the prayer mat afterwards.

Teach kids about the Prophet Muhammad's (saw) life.

Remind yourself about what your parents did RIGHT.

Don't become self-satisfied and overly confident in your parenting.

Seek Allah's Pleasure through your own parenting, and facilitate for your children to seek Allah's Pleasure as well.

Aim high in both spiritual and worldly matters. Do dhikr (remembrance of Allah) and call on Allah for Help. Don't just ask that He make your kids into good Muslims; ask Him to make your kids from amongst the best and most virtuous of all Muslims ever. Trust in Him to answer your duas. Nothing is impossible for Allah.

Sensory things and sensory play

http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/sensory-play/developing-and-cultivating-skills-with-a-sensory-table/

http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/sensory-play/developing-and-cultivating-skills-through-sensory-play/

http://www.pbs.org/parents/child-development/sensory-play/developing-and-cultivating-skills-through-sensory-play/sensory-play-early-exploration-through-the-senses/