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MuslimKids Matter – A New Youth Section
Muslimkidsmatter and to help them find a safe and inspiring place on the net, where they can let their voices be heard, we are starting a kids/youth section. These posts are aimed at youth and kids to read and share their comments. Parents can also read the posts to their children or use them for an Islamic curriculum or to start great discussions. InshaAllah, every first Saturday of the month we will have a kids-related post. We encourage you to submit your posts to info@muslimmatters.org. They can be stories, reflections, or your take on a current affair. After shurah, we will contact you if your post gets chosen for publication- so get writing! JazakAllah to Awais Mohsin and Sana’a Zuberi for designing our fabulous logo.
We would like to start our first monthly kid’s post with Nur Kose’s post How I follow Surah Asr in my daily life. Nur is a 13-year old author of the STAIRS series- MashaAllah.
How I follow Surah Asr in my daily life
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وَالْعَصْر
إِنَّ الإِنسَـنَ لَفِى خُسْر
إِلاَّ الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ وَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِالصَّبْ
By the Time,
Surely all man is drowned in loss,
Except for those who believe, do righteous good deeds, encourage others to the truth, and encourage others to patience and perseverance.
Before I listened to Br. Nouman Ali Khan’s lecture series on Surah Asr, I thought of the Surah only as one of the shortest surahs in Juz Amma, with three short ayahs, that I knew ever since I was little. But now I realize that even though the surah contains just three short ayahs, it holds many lessons that I can use in my daily life. After listening to the tafsir all Ramadan, I was determined to follow those lessons.
Significance of time. First of all, Allah swears by time. That in of itself shows how important time is. ‘الْعَصْر Asr’ literally means ‘time that is running out’. This creates a sense of urgency for us because since time is running out, we don’t have much time to do what Allah wants us to do.
This reminds me of something that happens everyday. My siblings and I wake up, take a glance at the clock, and hurriedly take turns brushing our teeth and making wudu. After we have prayed, we eat breakfast quietly, as quickly as we can, so we are not late for school. For some reason, this is the situation 5 times a week, every week in the month, and almost every month in the year! That’s one of the few times when we actually do think about the time. I remember that during fourth grade, we were late for the bus every single day. Soon, the bus driver stopped coming to wait for us in front of our house because we never came out on time. After that, we lost our chance to get to ride in the bus to school. Allah wants us to use our time wisely before it is too late.
Drowning in loss. Next Allah says, ‘إِنَّ الإِنسَـنَ لَفِى خُسْر Innal insaana lafee khusr – Surely, all man is drowned in loss.’ This part is scary because Allah is saying that ‘ALL man’, everyone is drowned in loss. He didn’t say that just the disbelievers are in loss. He didn’t say that the ‘munafiq‘, the hypocrites, are in loss. But He said that everyone is in loss and that includes you and me.
Then, Allah gives an exception, which is very relieving. The exceptions that Allah gives are ‘those who believe, do righteous deeds, encourage others to the truth, and encourage others to patience and perseverance’. Allah uses the word:’و wa‘ between each of these exceptions, which shows that we need to do each and every one of these conditions to avoid being of those who drowned in loss. If He used the word ‘aw’, which means ‘or’, it would be a different case.
For example, before I start taking a test in school, my teacher says, “answer the multiple-choice questions and the fill-in-the-blank questions.” If she said, “answer the multiple-choice questions or the fill-in-the-blank questions,” then I would know that I can choose which one I want to do. But since she used the word ‘and’, I know that I have to do both unless I want to fail my test, and I definitely don’t want to do that. Similarly, Allah used the word ‘and’ in Surah Asr, so we have to do every single one of those four things or else we’ll be in loss.
The first condition is to believe, ‘الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ alladheena aamanu – those who believe’. We have to completely believe with all our hearts in Allah and that there will be a Day when He will judge everyone and will decide our ultimate destination. This is a key factor in doing the other three things as well, because believing this will encourage us to do them. Like, when I truly believe that my little sister will stop crying if I give her some candy, then I’ll give it to her. But if I don’t believe in it, then I’ll just think that it’s just a waste, so I won’t give it to her. Likewise, knowing that there is a Day of Judgment in which I will be judged for everything that I did here helps me to do good deeds and keep away from bad deeds.
The next three conditions are actions, as you may have noticed. First, we have to do righteous good deeds:
‘وَعَمِلُواْ الصَّـلِحَـتِ wa ‘amilus sawlihaat – and do righteous deeds’. Most Muslims know what they’re supposed to do. My siblings know that they are supposed to pray, listen to their parents, do their homework, and not say bad words.
The harder parts come next. The next two exceptions have to do with dealing with others. ‘وَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِالْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِالصَّبْر wa tawaasaw bil haq, wa tawaa saw bissabr – and encourage others to the truth, and encourage others to have patience and perseverance’. Here we learn that no one can be a Muslim alone, but instead, we have to be with each other and encourage each other to do good and abstain from doing evil. This is a big problem for me when I am trying to deal with my siblings. Many times one of them is doing something that I know that they are not supposed to be doing. For example, I often try to teach my younger brother about the importance of respecting elders and being kind to those younger than him, but he gets angry at me when I remind him and usually doesn’t listen.
Before, I used to yell at him when he made our sister cry. When I realized that yelling at him just made him want to do it more, I started nicely telling him not to make our sister cry. I realized that I didn’t really know why she was crying or what he did, but I just assumed that the fault was all his. The next time my sister started crying, I would try to get to the bottom of the situation and ask each person involved about it. My brother listened more when I started caring more about being fair and he didn’t complain that I was only getting mad at him. Nowadays, it’s easier to stop my brother and sister from getting into fights with each other. Surah Asr taught me that I always have to get to the truth of the matter and I have to show that I truly care about my brother and then he’ll want to listen.
At times I have another problem: accepting advice. Sometimes, my brother gives me an idea about something and encourages me to do it, but I usually don’t want to do it because he is younger than me. When I listened to Br. Nouman’s lecture, I decided that if the advice is good advice, it doesn’t matter if it is coming from someone younger than me. I should still accept it and be good about it.
The absolutely hardest part for me, though, is what Allah tells me to do in the last condition. He says to ‘encourage each other in patience and perseverance’. Being patient with my siblings is just about the toughest thing anyone can ask me to do. My brother always barges into my room just to annoy me when I am studying for a really hard test or doing my homework. My sister always makes a huge mess in my room and keeps telling me that its my mess and that I have to clean it up. My other sister always moans and groans and jumps on top of me until I give her what she wants. And they all play around with my bookshelves, which are very important to me because I made the bookshelves, carefully placed the books in perfect order, and keep them organized.
Once, my brother came into my room and lay down on my bed. Then, he started to swing his legs in the air just for fun. I kept telling him to stop because he’d knock down my favorite bookshelf that had all my favorite books in it. Just as I was telling him the same thing for the fifth time, I watched as his legs banged against the bookshelf and the books came crashing down.
“Ooops,” he said. I felt like exploding at that moment, but I managed to calm down and not yell at him or start jumping on him. If I hadn’t known anything about the importance of having patience though, I would probably have erupted like a volcano. But, Alhamdulillah, I knew about what Surah Asr teaches, and I mentally forgave my brother and I told him so when he said he was sorry.
Alhamdulillah, Surah Asr has helped me a lot and, inshallah it will continue to help me. Many nights, I try to think about what I did that day. Did I use my time wisely, do good deeds, and encourage my siblings to do good? Did I accept good advice from others and have patience in everything that I did? If my answer is no, I try to work harder on it the next day. I thank Allah for giving me Surah Asr, as it really helps me in my daily life, throughout my day-to-day activities. It shows me how Islam really is a way of life.
To learn more about Surah Asr’s Tafsir, you can listen from www.bayyinah.com/podcast or [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5fvjPDK4ps.[/youtube] This post is mainly from the first ten parts of the tafsir on Youtube.
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Saara
February 5, 2011 at 8:06 AM
Assalamu ‘alaykum:
MashaAllah that was a very beautiful article from Nur and of course, a great reminder from grown-ups and youth alike.
I just have a question – You mentioned that “the posts are aimed at youth and kids.” Does this mean that submissions to the MuslimKidsMatter feature can be written by kids as well as adults?
JazakumuAllahu Khairan.
Ma’salaama
Hena Zuberi
February 8, 2011 at 3:15 PM
Wa’alaykumassalam,
InshaAllah, we would encourage everyone to send in submissions- adults and kids. If we have enough participation and response we will include Muslimkidsmatters as separate section of MuslimMatters with more frequent posts.
umi
February 5, 2011 at 8:26 AM
mashallah, may allah swt protect u and keep on the straight path,ameen.
excellant post!
Inshallah im gona get my son to have a read too and inshallah we will discuss it together.
jazakallahkhairan, for introducing us to surah asr and hopw we canapply this to our lives.
Amad
February 5, 2011 at 8:39 AM
Awesome logo, idea and post!
Mashallah this section will highlight future Muslim leaders and influential writers inshallah!
FF!!
Me
February 5, 2011 at 12:56 PM
Jazaki Allahu khairan sister Nur.
Waseelah
February 5, 2011 at 1:04 PM
MashaAllah. A beautiful reminder. JazakAllahu khairan Nur.
Mariam E.
February 5, 2011 at 1:16 PM
MashaAllah, great work! May Allah reward Nur and all those involved in starting this section.
umm hamza
February 6, 2011 at 1:25 AM
A great idea, MashaAllah. We need to engage our youth, for after all they are our future.
Mohammad Abdur Rab
February 6, 2011 at 8:44 AM
Nur
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahe wa barakatuhu. It is a wonderful article to motivate the kids as well as the adult to understand and practise some very fundamental principles of Islam. Insha Allah I shall share your articles with my friends and relatives. May Allah (SWT) give you more inner vision to cultivate and acquire more knowledge of this beautiful religion and spread it to all mankind. My blessings will be always with you.
Nur
February 6, 2011 at 8:51 AM
Jazakum Allahu Khairan everyone for your duas.
Please share any experiences of how kids you know try to follow the lessons of Surah Asr. Also, make dua that I can continue to use Surah Asr in my daily life.
Nur
zaynub
February 8, 2011 at 3:49 PM
HAHAH MAMA
Nur
February 8, 2011 at 5:35 PM
Waalaikumassalam
Ameen to your duas.
To learn my SAT words, I write stories using the words. I have already written 11 stories in a series on my website http://www.nurkose.net. Since I love writing stories, I have fun while learning my words! :)
Nur
Chotomama
February 6, 2011 at 9:50 AM
Salam Nur,
mashAllah, your writing style is very advanced for a 13 year old. Keep up the good work and may Allah (SWT) keep us all on the straight path. Surah Asr is evident in my life as sometimes it feels like regardless of when I wake up, I still don’t have enough time to finish everything I want to in one day. IA we can be more efficient in our time.
Sincerely,
Chotomama
Nur
February 8, 2011 at 5:38 PM
I feel that way, too. Even though I wake up at Fajr time and sleep at 11, I feel like I didn’t do enough useful things to fill up my day!
Rabia Yener
February 6, 2011 at 10:13 AM
Masaallha Nur, being interested in listening surah carefully and teaching yourself and others their lessons will make you a good muslim Inshaallah. As many readers said, this is a great article for kids and as well as for adults. I wish you would find so many different ideas and lights in Quran for your daily life.
Mishi Khalamoni
February 6, 2011 at 3:11 PM
Mashallah Nur. Excellent writing. I m very impressed. I made my students read it too, and told them to use it in their daily lives too. I will do the same Insallah.
Love Khalamoni
Umm 'Umar
February 6, 2011 at 6:13 PM
Masha’Allah! Loved your post Nur! May Allah help us ALL implement the lessons of Surat’l ‘Asr in all walks of life, Ameen! MKM rocks!!! =D
Shaheen Rab
February 6, 2011 at 6:26 PM
Assalamu alaikum Nur
The article is so beautiful and informative mashallah! Your writings will encourage and teach not only the kids but also many adults! I loved your examples very much.
Keep up the good work
Love
Shaheen Rab
Marjan Mujib
February 6, 2011 at 7:16 PM
Assalamu-alaikum Nur,
I was amazed at your writing and your depth of thoughts…Masha’allah! You are truly inspiring not only to the kids but also adults like us. I look forward to listening to the lecture you mentioned here. May Allah help us all in making the best use of our time. I will continue reading your posts iA.
Regards,
Aunik mama
Birmingham, AL
sule yilmaz
February 7, 2011 at 8:04 AM
Masallah Nur, I learned a lot from your article. You’re talented and a good muslim.
Muntazim Mukit
February 7, 2011 at 12:30 PM
Alhamdulillah, it is a very well written article, and you are very wise. I aspire to be more like you.
mahmud
February 7, 2011 at 3:02 PM
Asslamualaikum,
Thank you very much, sister,
It is excellent article. I hope you great future with all success.
Your brother, Mahmud
Sarwat
February 7, 2011 at 3:08 PM
May Allah reward you for doing this so beautifully. My kids love it, you are a great inspiration for all the kids. MashaAllah keep it up
Sarwat
Shahreen Islam
February 7, 2011 at 8:42 PM
Jazaaki Allah khayran katheeer for sharing this with us. Masha’Allah it is simply SUPERB. Insha’Allah looking forward to reading more articles from you. Forwarding this to all my family. Alhamdulillah.
zaynub
February 8, 2011 at 3:47 PM
Nur you have given me great advice alhumdullilah because i am also the oldest sister and i have the same everyday struggles and i am Hena Zuberi’s daughter jazakillah :D
zaynub
February 8, 2011 at 4:22 PM
After seeing some scholar’s meanings of Surah Asr I’ve seen how much I need to cut my volume down, if my brothers or sister do something bad and say it in a nice kindhearted way and if they would talk back I will try to say ‘yes your’e right’ or I should try saying ‘yeah you’re right’ and staying patient if my sister blames me for making a mess and saying I did so or my brother tries to take my stuff. I also should stop yelling at them and scare them from my room while I am doing homework.
jazakillah :D Zaynub
-edited for grammar
your is a possessive form of you
you’re is a contraction of you are love Mama
Nur
February 8, 2011 at 5:30 PM
Wow, Zaynub, you sound a lot like me! :) I always have the huge problem of trying to control my anger and being patient with my siblings. Over the years, I somehow learned to keep my mouth shut when I’m really angry. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does, and it actually makes me feel better than if I exploded :P
How many siblings do you have? Are they a lot younger than you?
Check out my website at http://www.nurkose.net and you can find some things to read there. I hope you enjoy it!
Nur
Tuba Yildirim
February 8, 2011 at 6:18 PM
Great job Nur, I hope that you will be a good author in some day inshallah…
Pingback: Surah Asr Tafsir Nouman Ali Khan Part 2: All man is drowned in loss
Mohib Islam
February 9, 2011 at 7:41 PM
JazakAllahu Khayran for sharing the article with us. You have beautifully put it together- how you are reflecting the teaching from the Quran in your life, and it is always rewarding. We muslims are so fortunate to get the guidance from the Quran. Allahu Akbar
Keep up the good work.
Mohib
sayeeda zaman,kachi
February 10, 2011 at 5:53 AM
Assalamu alaikum nur, I was very much impressed by reading your article.me you, may Allah give you more islamic knowledge to spread through your articles so that every one could be benefited. love you
Nahida MIlky
February 10, 2011 at 5:59 AM
Masha Allah Excellent Nur, Excellent job. May Allah swt reward you and your family Ameen.
Tasnim Ahmed
February 10, 2011 at 7:08 AM
Loved your post Masha’Allah, very organized and concise. I especially like the examples from your everyday life :)
Looking forward to more posts from you. Keep up the good work.
s.a.milky
February 10, 2011 at 8:03 AM
i am proud of you li’l girl. bless you.
Dr. Milky
Shabbir
February 10, 2011 at 4:14 PM
Great informative article! The writer posses immense thinking skills in this early age. Keep it up!
Nargis
February 10, 2011 at 4:16 PM
Good article! Very informative.
Ahnaf
February 10, 2011 at 4:17 PM
Very good article! Lots of information.
A Mom
February 10, 2011 at 4:46 PM
Nur,
Thank you for such a beautiful and eloquent post. As a mother, my hats off to your parents who have given you Deen and Islam.
You have pointed out such concise points, I know I will use with my own children .
May you always be guided on the right path; there is hope for our children, our future.
A Mom
Tahmina W
February 10, 2011 at 7:46 PM
Very well written, Nur. You are very mature and articulate. Keep up the good work.
Nusrat M
February 11, 2011 at 6:13 PM
Mashallah very well written.Liked the examples of daily life.Well done Nur.We are waiting for more of your writings.May Allah bless you.
Ameen
kazi Rafiquzzaman
February 13, 2011 at 11:56 AM
It is very inspiring ! May Allah bless you. This type of writings always help our new generation to understand Islam better , it is a peaceful religion ,it does not allow anger and violence. well done ,keep up !
Kazi
Pingback: Surah Asr Tafsir Nouman Ali Khan Part 3: Except for those who meet four conditions…
A Muslimah
March 5, 2011 at 6:52 PM
MashAllah la quwwata illa billah!! Nur, I feel humbled after reading your article. There is so much in it to learn from!! Very often we know things and understand some concepts but fail to apply them to our daily life. Your article was a great reminder about how we can make the Quran come alive in our lives!!! SubhanAllah! Jazak Allah khair for sharing your insights with us. May Allah guide you always. Ameen.
Hena Zuberi
March 7, 2011 at 12:24 PM
http://www.google.com/doodle4google/
Are you a doodler sumit your doodles to google and you may be featured! Doodle against Islamopbhobia and continue to send in submissions for Muslimkidsmatter.