1st October International Day of Older Persons

The International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1each year. On December 14, 1990 the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons as recorded in Resolution 45/106. The holiday was observed for the first time on October 1, 1991.
  
WHAT DOES ISLAM SAY ABOUT THE ELDERS?
In Islam every day is the elder persons day. I prefer to say Elder persons instead of Older persons. The rights of parents over their children may be summed up as treating them well in all matters, and behaving with them kindly as Allah says

“And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents”

[al-Ahqaaf 46:15] 

“And We have enjoined on man to be dutiful and kind to his parents”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:8] 

“but behave with them in the world kindly”

[Luqmaan 31:15] 

“be dutiful and kind to parents” means: treat them kindly in all ways, in word and in deed. 

One of the most important acts of worship that the child is asked to do with regard to his parents is to obey them, to do as they ask and to refrain from what they tell him not to do. So if his father tells him to do something, he hastens to do what he is told, and if he tells him not to do something, he hastens to give it up, so long as that does not involve any disobedience towards Allaah and his Messenger, because there is no obedience to any created being if itinvolves disobedience towards the Creator. 

Then he can make du'a for them and pray for forgiveness for them, especially when they grow old and weak and are in need of someone to treat them kindly and take care of their needs. Allaah says: 

“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour.

24. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: ‘My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young’”

[al-Isra’ 17:23-24] 
The Prophet of Islam, said that one if the righteous thing to do after your parents have passed away is to treat your fathers friends in a gracious manner.
It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Dinaar from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar that a man from among the Bedouins met him on the road to Makkah. ‘Abd-Allaah greeted him with salaam, seated him on the donkey that he was riding and gave him a turban that he had been wearing on his head. Ibn Dinar said: We said to him: May Allaah guide you, they are just Bedouins and they would be content with little. ‘Abd-Allaah said: The father of this man was a friend of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab and I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) say: “The best act of kindness is for the son to uphold ties (of friendship) with those who were his father’s friends.” Narrated by Muslim, 2552
According to the above verse, gratitude to God and to parents go hand in hand. Gratitude to God is incomplete without showing gratitude to one's parents. Since being grateful to God is a form of ibadah (worship) which earns heavenly rewards, it can therefore be said that being grateful to one's parents also earns heavenly rewards.

"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or more attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say, "my Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood." (Quran 17: 23-24)

"We have enjoined on man kindness to his parents; in pain did his mother bear him, and in pain did she give him birth." (Quran 46:15)

Thus, God has enjoined on us to show kindness, respect, and humility to our parents.
What I want to stress today is the command of the Creator regarding Parents..... "do not say uff to them" ie do not say even a single word of disrespect.....
Happy Elders Day....
Obed Khan,
Teacher/Trainer/Life Coach
Vowel Education Academy,
Mumbai.
vowelhelpdesk@gmail.com

Unity in Diversity by Obed Khan (1 July, 2018, Kedarnath Auditorium, New...

Unity in Diversity by Obed Khan (1 July, 2018, Kedarnath Auditorium, New Delhi)
Unity in Diversity....what does Islam say? The last and final testament of Almighty God mentions in Chapter no.49, verse 13 that the differences in peoples colour, race, languages, traditions etc are for identifying each other. It should not be a reason to hate each other. Our religions should inspire us to unite as the creation of the one Almighty God who is mentioned in all the major religious scriptures. The realisation that our creator, sustainer and Lord is one should dawn upon us to make us united. Let us unite and make India one of the most peaceful and progressive country in the world.

A message for Teachers from Obed Khan, Vowel Education Academy

5th September, Teacher's Day.....A special day for Teachers.

O Teachers! 
    Every morning you wake-up & you wish & you pray that today you will make that difference  in your students' life.   
     You are passionate, you are empowered, you are dignified...... you have a purpose, you have a vision......... And your mission is to prepare your students for the future & ensure their success.
    Teaching is a noble & honourable profession but not without its rewards & challenges. O noble Teachers....you have to balance the challenging realities and responsibilities of a Teacher, Mentor and Guide.
So be motivated....be focussed...

All the best ...and a Happy Teacher's Day

Obed Khan Teacher / Trainer / Educator
(Vowel Education Academy, Mumbai)

Obed Khan, Teacher / Trainer / Life Coach

vowelhelpdesk@gmail.com / 7977401074

ISLAMIC EDUCATION- The Parent's Role

Islamic Education- The Parent’s Role

       Islamic education should be informative plus transformative. Attention…Parents … You are responsible for the education and upbringing of your child. Both the Qur’an and Sunnah point out that the Parents are responsible for their child’s moral and academic education. 

In Surah At Tahreem, 66:6, Allah instructs “Save yourself and your family from the fire whose fuel are men and stones….”. And from many hadeeths we come to know that the Parents are responsible for their childs upbringing….. “Everyone of you is a shepherd and is responsible for his flock…..”

WHAT IS EDUCATION?

Education is the process of acquisition of knowledge, both theoretical and practical.

WHAT IS ISLAMIC EDUCATION?

Islamic Education is the process of acquisition of Islamic knowledge, both theoretical and practical, from the Qur’an and Sunnah.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION?

       The purpose of Islamic Education is to connect the Abd with his Rabb. In an Islamic School,  the subjects that are taught viz. Islamic Studies, Quranic studies, Hifz etc and even academic subjects like Science, Maths, Social Studies etc should bring the child closer to his Creator. If the Islamic Education does not fulfill this purpose then it is misguidance.

       Unfortunately, there is a gap between what we expect the child to become and what he actually becomes. Many children fall short of the standards that are expected of them as students of an Islamic School. At the end of the day, many children if not all, don’t really like to read the Qur’an or offer Salah, they are too busy following the fashion dictates of the Sport stars and Film stars instead of following the Sunnah.

        The problem lies in the fact that we are confused between Taleem and Tarbiyah. When the children need Tarbiyah, we give them an overdose of Taleem. Taleem is fact based education, knowledge, information that we provide the child. And Tarbiyah is that we train the child to like the knowledge which he gets. Tarbiyah is the process of the development of the child in such a away that he loves to practice what he is taught.

       And this can be done only with the co-operation, active participation and commitment of the Parents. YOU CANNOT OUTSOURCE PARENTING. With the Parents realizing their role we can  make our children excellent and dynamic Muslims who can make a better Ummah in the future. And then eventually, we can create a peaceful and progressive society and Nation.

Obed Khan (Vowel Education Academy)

vowelhelpdesk@gmail.com

Teacher / Trainer / Educator