Khalifah Method: A Post from 2005 February 9, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Adam and Daniel, Dr Muhammad al'Mahdi, Khalifah Method, Khalifah Parenting.Tags: logic and sense, parenting
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This was an an email I shared with parents on UmmikuSayang group in 2005 about my experience applying Khalifah Method.
Assalmualaikum. I would like to share my experience of using Khalifah Method of Parenting. I’m a mum of two boys, 4 and 5 1/2 years old and have gone through Dr. Spock, Miriam Stoppard, Penelope Leach to name a few parenting experts but have never been successful using their techniques. When I came across Khalifah Method in middle of 2004, I immediately tried it at home. I sat watching cartoons with my son and a violent cartoon came on. I told my son that it’s not good to watch violent cartoons and we changed the channel. Two days later, my son came to me and asked to change the channel because ‘that violent cartoon was on’. My son, was at that time 4 1/2 yrs old. I was amazed that he could make the distinction (between good and wrong) and also remember it.
Now, 10 months later, I’m proud to see my boys know about Allah and His Creations (Adam is an expert on creation of the universe!), they accompany me during solat and my 5+ year old son even asked me to wake him up for fajr prayers, Alhamdulillah. They don’t fight or are rude to each other as before, they remember to mention Allah’s Name before starting something and understand about good and evil and about Allah and Shaitan.
Daniel (4) once said,” Shaitan has little power but Allah has All the powers and He gave us some powers to fight Shaitan”. It really helps when we remind our kids of the honor that Allah bestowed on Man by being His Khalifah. A little background information about my family-my husband is Irish currently working in Dublin and most of our and the boys’ friends are non-Muslims. My knowledge of Islam was not much, but I’m learning a lot now. So, Khalifah Method was very helpful for me to introduce Islam to my boys in fun but effective way, too. I hope this is helpful to you and may Allah reward you for your efforts to place Islam in your children’s hearts.
A Great Yearning… February 9, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Beautiful Islam, Human Development, Life.Tags: Al Quran, Du'a, Hadith, khalifah potential
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BismilLah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
I was researching verses from Al Quran when an overwhelming yearning came over me and immediately I made a du’a:
Oh Allah! Make me a memorizer of Al Quran! Ameen
I cannot described entirely how I feel toward Al Quran except I sometimes imagine myself as a thirsty traveler in the desert yearning for water and every ayat I learn or read from Al Quran is but a drop of water for me; it keeps me alive but does not quench my thirst.
I know deep inside that the only way this thirst can be quenched is when I memorize every ayat in Al Quran. Just thinking about the possibility that it could happen brings tears to my eyes because I want it so badly. But every evidence points to this being an impossible dream. Everyone tells me that to be a memorizer, one must begin when one is very young, one must find a good teacher, one has to eat certain foods, have certain habits etc…
I do not believe this is a fact. I look to the times of the Prophet Muhammad salla Allah alayhi and his Companions. Many memorized Al Quran when they were old. They lived like we live and ate like we eat today (though perhaps with less junk food…). A command by Allah subhana wa ta’ala on such an important tenet of being a muslim i.e. to learn Al Quran must surely be accompanied by guidance and ease. Surah Al Baqarah, verse 286,’ On no soul doth God place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns…’
It becomes my choice, my free will to want to memorize Al Quran and I will have to do what is necessary to achieve this goal. In Al Quran, Allah subhana wa ‘tala said, in Surah Al Najm, verse 39,’ That man can have nothing but what he strives for’ and a good example of the Prophet Muhammad salla Allah alayhi wasalam can be found in this hadith:
One day Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) noticed a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it and he asked the Bedouin, “Why don’t you tie down your camel?” The Bedouin answered, “I put my trust in Allah.” The Prophet then said, “Tie your camel first, then put your trust in Allah” [At-Tirmidhi].
May Allah subhana wa ta’ala ease for me, my path and my effort to memorize His Glorious Words. Ameen.
A Cat and Three Myths February 8, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Human Development, Life.Tags: worldview
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BismilLah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
I have a history of attracting stray cats. I don’t deliberately look to bring home stray cats but I often find myself in situations where the only options left to me were;
- rescue the stray cat/kitten
- walk away knowing I could’ve done something to save the cat/kitten
Of course, I always go for option 1. And they were always rescues. Kitten very sick/ cat half-eaten by a dog/ kitten in a drain (2, maybe 3 of those…)/ kitten almost getting run over by a car/ kitten run over by a car and dying/kittens in my car engine (after having spent have the morning travelling from Ampang to Subang and back again!).
A few days before Eid ul-fitri last year, I was walking to my car from my sister’s house when I clearly heard a kitten meowing in terror. Sigh…Even though it was over 50 metres away, yet I could hear so clearly so I knew it was meant to be for me to rescue it. Alhamdulillah, I found it behind a street light and went to the houses across the street to ask if anyone had lost a kitten. Being so close to Eid, most residents had already left Kuala Lumpur so I drew a blank. I took it home and thus we gained a new member of the family (on top of the rabbit and 10 goldfishes…).
Our kitten, whom we still haven’t confirmed it’s name but call it Gentle or sometimes Meow-Meow, settled nicely into our lives and began to blow apart every pre-conceived notions/ myths we had about cats!
Myth # 1: Cats hate water
Whenever our kitten is quiet or not in sight, the first place I will look is in the bathroom sink. And true enough, there he is, trying his best to get himself wet from the tap! The sink is his favourite hang-out and sometimes, I let the water trickle down so he could drink from it or play with the water. He loves his weekly baths in our big bathtub and once I actually found Adam and Daniel teaching it to swim in the quarter-filled tub! He was fine…
Myth # 2: Cats love live fish
We have an open fish tank with several goldfishes in it and in the beginning, I was worried the kitten would try to eat the fishes. Once he was able to jump up to the shelf housing the fish tank, I began to train him to NOT eat the fishes. I would let him sit next to the tank and let him watch the fishes, even letting him drink the water but whenever the fishes came close to him (you would think they would swim to the other side??), I firmly said no to him and took him down. After while, he got the picture so now, when I come home, I’ve stopped counting my goldfishes to check that they’re all there!
Myth # 3: Cats don’t eat spicy foods
I don’t know if this is really a myth or not but growing up with cats in the house (at one time, my mother kept over 20 cats!), I’ve never seen any of the cats eat spicy foods. Our kitten on the other hand, given a choice between a piece of fried fish and sambal sardines, will choose the sambal sardines EVERY time! My husband was amazed to see the kitten eat pasta with sauce (I made it hot). I’ve eaten dishes where I’m gasping for a glass of water after and our kitten nonchantly eats everything up with barely a quiver of his whiskers…
Though I am writing about our kitten but this post is truly about not being quick to accept everything at it’s face value; sometimes things are not what we expect it to be. I had expected our kitten to be like any other kitten we’ve had or seen but it has really shown us that there is more than meets the eye. This can be said about many other things or people in our lives; someone we thought was aggressive is actually kindhearted. Someone we thought was strong and confident is actually hiding sadness and fear in his life. A child who is shy and stutters can actually be the one to come up with the best ideas in class. Think about it yourself and I’m sure you can come up with your own examples.
I really have to thank my kitten for showing me why it’s better to get to know something first before I make assumptions about what it will turn out to be. He’s helped me gain a better perspective in life. Now, if only I can make it stop chewing my hand all the time…
Surah Al Baqarah, verse 164, ‘ Behold! in the creation of the heavens and the earth; in the alternation of the night and the day; in the sailing of the ships through the ocean for profit of mankind; on the rain which God sends down from the skies; and the life which He gives therewith to an earth that is dead; in the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the earth; in the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth;- (here) indeed are Signs (ayat) for a people that is wise.’
Khalifah Method: Aplikasi Berkesan untuk Ibubapa dan Guru February 7, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Dr Muhammad al'Mahdi, Human Development, Khalifah Method, Khalifah Parenting, Laws of Learning, parenting.Tags: Al Quran, Dzikr, khalifah potential, khalifah responsibilities, Kind Discipline, logic and sense, parenting, Sunnah
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BismilLah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
Saya menerima permintaan untuk berkongsi aplikasi Khalifah Method di dalam membesarkan anak/pelajar dengan berkesan.
Pertama sekali, ingin saya berkongsi pengalaman pertama saya menggunakan Khalifah Method dengan anak saya yang sulung. Ketika itu, dia berumur 4 1/2 tahun dan gemar menonton kartun. Suatu hari, saya duduk bersama dia menonton kartun ‘Mucha Lucha’ (Mexican wrestling) di Cartoon Network. Saya tegur dia sebab kartun itu mengandungi unsur-unsur keganasan lalu mengajak dia menukar ke kartun lain.
Beberapa hari kemudian, ketika saya sedang memasak, anak saya masuk ke dapur membawa remote control lalu meminta saya menukar saluran TV kerana ‘kartun yang ganas itu sedang disiarkan‘. Masha’Allah, saya terkejut dia masih ingat tetapi saya terus ucapkan terima kasih kepada dia kerana memilih untuk tidak menonton kartun itu dan menukar ke rancangan kartun yang lain.
Ketika itulah, saya sedar betapa berkesannya Khalifah Method dalam mendidik anak-anak berfikiran secara logik dan rasional. Mereka diajar menganalisa sesuatu situasi dan membuat pilihan yang tepat dan baik. Ini sebenarnya akan membantu mempertahankan iman, akhlaq dan aqidah mereka daripada pengaruh-pengaruh negatif dan jahat kelak.
Untuk memulakan aplikasi Khalifah Method dengan anak-anak/pelajar, ingatlah dahulu bahawa setiap insan dilahirkan dalam keadaan fitrah (naluri semulajadi untuk inginkan kebaikan/kecemerlangan). Allah subhana wa ta’ala telah menjadikan setiap insan baik ; Allah berfirman dalam Surah At-Tiin, ayat 4 ‘Sesungguhnya Kami telah menciptakan manusia dalam bentuk yang sebaik-baiknya’. Jadikanlah ayat ini sebagai pegangan setiap kali kita berasa tidak puas hati dengan anak/pelajar kita atau kita tidak merasai anak/pelajar itu boleh menjadi baik.
Keberkesanan Khalifah Method dalam mendidik anak-anak berlandaskan formula ini:
Apabila individu atau kumpulan diberi dua (2) perkara, iaitu;
- pandangan alam (tasawwur) yang positif, tepat dan bermotivasi (Islam difahami melalui Al Quran and Sunnah iaitu contoh Nabi Muhammad salla Allah alayhi wasalam)
- pemahaman mendalam mengenai Hukum Pembelajaran (Proses Pembentukan, Pengukuhan Pengaruh Positif, Ganjaran dan Hukuman, Kawal Diri)
maka, individu atau kumpulan itu akan bergerak secara semulajadi (fitrah) ke arah yang baik dan benar.
Ibubapa/ Guru perlu memastikan persekitaran dan orang-orang di sekeliling anak/pelajar itu memberikan pengaruh yang baik kepada anak/pelajar kerana manusia senang belajar daripada apa yang dia selalu lihat atau orang yang dia sukai/kagumi. Ini dikenali sebagai ‘modeling’. Sebelum kita boleh melihat anak/pelajar kita mencapai akhlaq atau perubahan yang kita kehendaki, kita perlulah tonjolkan akhlaq atau perubahan itu dalam diri kita dahulu.
Kemudian, ibubapa/ guru boleh mengajar kepada anak/pelajar peranan dia sebagai khalifah, seperti yang diwahyukan dalam Al Quran, Surah Al Baqarah, ayat 30 ‘Dan ketika Tuhanmu berfirman kepada para malaikat; “Aku hendak menjadikan khalifah di muka bumi” Istilah khalifah ini bermaksud ‘wakil yang dipertanggungjawabkan mentadbir bagi pihak Raja/ Ketua’. Selalulah menggunakan istilah ‘kholifah’ ini apabila berkomunikasi dengan anak/pelajar. Jadikan sebagai tabiat menyebut ‘kholifah’ apabila bercakap dengan anak/pelajar. (kholifah:saya menulis mengikut sebutan dalam Al Quran)
Jadi manusia telah diberi tanggungjawab oleh Allah subhana wa ta’ala untuk mentadbir dunia ini menggunakan kebolehan-kebolehan yang diberi oleh Allah (Surah Al Hijr, ayat 29) tetapi kita harus ingat untuk mentadbir mengikut apa yang telah ditetapkan oleh Allah subhana wa ta’ala di dalam Al Quran dan contoh (Sunnah) RasululLah salla Allah alayhi wasalam.
Tiga (3) tanggungjawab seorang kholifah:
- Sempurnakan diri (Jadikan diri baik)
- Sempurnakan masyarakat (Bantu orang lain jadi baik)
- Sempurnakan dunia fizikal (Jadikan dunia fizikal bersih dan terurus)
Ajarkan anak/pelajar peranan dan tanggungjawab mereka dengan cara yang bermotivasi dan seronok. Seperti contoh, saya bercerita dengan anak-anak saya tentang Siti Hajar yang berlari-lari mencari air kerana anaknya Ismail kehausan. Dari cerita ini, anak-anak saya belajar betapa pentingnya air dan kita tidak boleh membazir air. Suatu petang, anak saya yang berumur lebih kurang 3,4 tahun datang memberitahu saya ada pili (tap) dalam bilik air yang tidak ditutup rapi dan airnya sedang mengalir. Masha’Allah! Kagum saya melihat keprihatinan anak saya bertanggungjawab supaya tidak berlaku pembaziran air di rumah kami.
Apabila kita melihat anak/pelajar melakukan sesuatu yang baik, kita harus terus memberi ganjaran kepada dia. Ganjaran kita boleh berbentuk kata-kata pujian (Alhamdulillah! Baiknya/Bagusnya anak mak…/Thank you, may Allah bless you for…), senyuman bangga, anggukan bangga/ thumb’s up/ Hi-five, pelukan/ ciuman mesra atau sesuatu hadiah seperti stiker, gula-gula. Ganjaran daripada ibubapa/ guru kepada anak/ pelajar di atas perubahan baik yang mereka lakukan itu boleh menjadikan dia ingin selalu melakukan perbuatan baik itu, Insha’Allah. Beri ganjaran juga apabila anak/ pelajar menahan daripada melakukan sesuatu perbuatan yang tidak baik.
Bagi memastikan perubahan positif berlaku untuk jangka masa yang lama, ibubapa/ guru harus meletakkan batasan (boundaries) yang munasabah serta melaksanakan batasan-batasan itu dengan konsisten melalui cara tegas tetapi berhikmah (Kind Discipline) Jika ingin tahu bagaimana cara melaksanakan batasan dengan tegas tetapi berhikmah, ingat sahaja cara RasululLah salla Allah alayhi wasalam! Baginda sentiasa lembut dengan kanak-kanak dan memberi tunjuk ajar dahulu kepada anak itu sebelum memberi apa-apa hukuman. Di sinilah Kawal Diri para ibubapa/ guru memainkan peranan yang penting. Pastikan kita tidak berada dalam keadaan yang marah ketika melaksanakan batasan/ memberi hukuman. Cara Sunnah ialah
- Mengucap A’udzubilLah pada saat kita marah/ naik angin
- Keluar dari bilik/ jauhi orang yang kita marahi
- Minum air
- Duduk jika berdiri ketika marah; baring jika sedang duduk ketika marah
Apabila kita sudah tenang, kembali kepada anak dan terangkan secara logik dan rasional kenapa perbuatannya itu tidak baik, terangkan kesan yang mungkin boleh berlaku disebabkan perbuatannya itu dan cuba dapatkan persetujuan daripada anak/pelajar untuk tidak melakukan perbuatan itu lagi. Percayailah anak/pelajar itu akan melakukan apa yang telah dipersetujuinya tetapi jika dia masih melakukannya, terangkan kepada anak/pelajar itu bahawa ibubapa/ guru mempunyai hak untuk melaksanakan hukuman dan dia harus menerima hukuman itu supaya dia belajar bertanggungjawab ke atas tingkah-lakunya sendiri (Accountable for his own actions).
Sepanjang proses perubahan yang sedang berlaku, cuba jangan anggap anak/pelajar itu tidak boleh berubah. Sabar dan istiqamah membantu dia melihat potensi khalifah dalam diri anak/pelajar itu dan berzikirlah supaya kita sentiasa sabar dan tenang menunggu anak/pelajar kita berubah. Cuba biasakan untuk tidak meletakkan harapan (expectations) yang terlalu tinggi/ tidak munasabah ke atas anak/pelajar kerana sesuatu perubahan harus melalui tahap-tahapnya yang sendiri. Ingat anak/pelajar itu (dan ingat kita juga!) seorang khalifah Allah di muka bumi ini.
Semoga Allah subhana wa ta’ala memberi kesenangan dan tunjuk ajar kepada para ibubapa dan guru melaksanakan Khalifah Method dengan anak-anak serta pelajar, Insha’Allah. Ameen.
Khalifah Way of the Generasi Khalifah (Transforming Generation) February 6, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Human Development, Khalifah Method, Khalifah Way, Life.Tags: school, Act, worldview, khalifah potential
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BismilLah ir-Rahman ir- Rahim
Recently, a participant told me through the training I was conducting, she had learnt to see her standard should be khalifah standard i.e. Khalifah Way and not the ’so-so/ala kadar’ standard she thought she was before.
This kholifah way or higher standard is part and parcel of being kholifah of Allah (Note: if you notice I write khalifah as ‘kholifah’ now, it is because I am writing it as how it sounds in Arabic in Al Quran) In Japan, this standard is known is ‘kaizen‘ or continous and gradual improvements and this what had made Toyota rise from the ruins of World War II to become the world’s number one automaker today.
A kholifah always strives to improve himself. In other words, always does what he can to perfect himself. He knows he cannot be perfect because only ALLAH subhana wa ta’ala is Perfect but just imagine the level he will have reached if he just aims for perfection! Excellence in it’s absolute form, Insha’Allah…
The Khalifah Way
So, as a kholifah, my mind is always aware (peka) to my surroundings, externally and internally, on how I can improve it. If I’m in a room and there’s litter on the floor, I, as a kholifah, will pick it up and throw it in the bin. If I feel depressed, as a kholifah, I need to go take wudu’, recite Al Fatihah or any surah/make dzikr, listen to nasheed or Al Quran/ drink water/ hug my sons etc. I’ll do what I need to do to lift myself up from that depression. What I cannot do as a kholifah is sigh and say to myself, ‘Why is this happening to me..?’ and whine or complain about it.
Allah subhana wa ta’ala gave me Free Will to choose how to react to the influences and events that occur in my life and I have to always remember He Made me His khalifah (Surah Al Baqarah, verse 30) and He Made me excellent (Surah At-Tiin, verse 4) so I will have failed Him and the amanah He placed upon me if I do not challenge and push myself to achieve the Khalifah Way in all that I think, do, say and in my actions.
The Khalifah Way- Self Control
ALLAH subhana wa ta’ala knows best.
Man in the Mirror February 3, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Beautiful Islam, Dr Muhammad al'Mahdi, Human Development, Khalifah Method, Life.Tags: Act, khalifah potential, Prophet Muhammad, worldview
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Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
Micheal Jackson got it right when he sang
I’m Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I’m Asking Him To Change His
Ways
And No Message Could’ve
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make That . . .
Change!
We really are mirrors onto one another. A friend of mine said to me that I am a role model to others but the truth is, I am only projecting the knowledge and behavior of others who have taught and inspired me…
Driving home from Kelantan, I had chosen to listen to Professor Dr Muhammad al’Mahdi’s ‘Effective Parenting’ audio cd and I was blown by his words! Not because his words were powerful (and they are!) but because I realised that they are the same words that I am using in my own Khalifah Method training programs!
I am literally repeating, word for word, Professor Muhammad al’Mahdi’s words…I started crying then because it was very clear to me just how much he had inspired me and how great his words had impacted my life , so much so, that it is now superimposed on the words I use myself. I never realised it until that night, listening to his cd.
We really are mirror images of others who have inspired or influenced us. That is why it is so very important to ensure that we are only surrounding ourselves and our children with good role models. This is why Islam spread so rapidly- because of the behavior and examples, the influence, the akhlaq of Prophet Muhammad salla ALLAH alayhi wassalam and his Companions.
We CAN correct the evils and wrongs of our world. Let everyone hold up a mirror in their hands and look into it. What do I see? See good. See a khalifah and believe I can make a difference. It starts with me then the person to the right of me, to the left of me, in front of me and behind me…
Allah subhana wa ta’ala knows best.
Note: Correction January 27, 2010
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BismilLAH ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
I apologise; I just realised I incorrectly wrote the du’a in today’s post ‘Increase me in knowledge’. It is actually
“Rabbi zidnii ilma” (O my Lord! advance me in knowledge.) from Surah Ta Ha, verse 114. Abdullah Yusuf Ali’s translation
Please accept my apologies.
My personal thoughts January 27, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Beautiful Islam, Human Development, Life.Tags: khalifah responsibilities, logic and sense, wisdom
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BismilLAH ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
I realised it is important to know the true meaning of the words I use every day in my life. I realised that:
- Iman means Believe
- Muslim means submitting to the Will of ALLAH
Recalling several hadiths:
- “You will not enter Paradise until you believe and you will not believe until you love one another.” This means I cannot call myself a Believer until I have love for every human being. (What have I done for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti..?)
- “Cleanliness is a part of iman.” This means I cannot call myself a Believer until I am clean and my work and living areas are clean.
- “Let anyone who believes in ALLAH and the Last Day be generous (do good) to his neighbour.” This means I cannot call myself a Believer until I care for my neighbour as I would care for my own family.
- “Part of someone’s being a good Muslim is his leaving alone that which does not concern him.” This means I cannot call myself a good muslim until I do not involve myself with things that doesn’t concern me.
And I cannot call myself a muslim until I submit to the Will of ALLAH. This means I do everything He commands me to do and not do everything He commands me not to do. How will I know what to do and not do? By reading and understanding Al Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad salla ALLAH alayhi wassalam.
ALLAH subhana wa t’ala knows best.
‘Increase me in knowledge’ January 27, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Beautiful Islam, Human Development, Life.Tags: Du'a, khalifah potential, Knowledge
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BismilLAH ir-Rahman ir-Rahim
Yesterday, I was privileged to catch a TV program with Dr Fatma El Zahraa, where the topic was on ILMU (Knowledge). It was very enlightening (I regret not attending any of her classes at Taman TAR mosque), Dr Fatma’s way of talking to her audience was so gentle and welcoming.
In the program, she helped the audience see just how necessary it is to always seek knowledge. She made a reference to an ayat in Al Quran where ALLAH subhana wa ta’ala told us that a person who is ignorant (has the ability to seek knowledge but chooses not to-my definition) is like a person dead. She repeated a simple du’a several times which made me realise that it is a du’a I can recite constantly. It was ‘Rabbi zidnii ilma’ (Oh, ALLAH, increase me in knowledge)- Surah Ta Ha, verse 114.
So, I’m starting my day with this du’a with the hope that I will learn something new that is beneficial to me and the ummah every day, Insha’ALLAH.
Khalifah Method: I’m driven by a sense of urgency… January 26, 2010
Posted by acespiretribe in Adam and Daniel, Beautiful Islam, Dr Muhammad al'Mahdi, Khalifah Method, Khalifah Parenting, Life.Tags: Gentle reminder, gratefulness, khalifah responsibilities, parenting, worldview
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BismilLah ir- Rahman ir-Rahim
The decision to participate in a parenting talk conducted by fellow Khalifah Method trainer, Bro Syed Omar, proved to be a very good one. Even though he spoke about the same things I know about, but hearing and seeing them from a different perspective made that same knowledge, more insightful and powerful.
He reminded me why it is so important for me, as a parent, to implement Khalifah Method in my home; I had tears in my eyes when I realised how close I was to forgetting. All the effort, the sacrifices I’ve made in the past 5 years would have been wasted had I forgotten.
My motivation for implementing Khalifah Method in my two sons is to help them develop TAUHEED in their hearts so that it will become their defence system against the trials and negative influences in their lives. As a parent, I must feel sorry and feel pity for my sons that they have to go through their life journey surrounded by evil and negative influences that could take them away from Islam, A’udzubilLah. I HAVE to equip them with the necessary tools and knowledge and this is done by teaching them that they are khalifah of ALLAH.
AlhamdulilLah, that effort is slowly bearing fruit. A few days ago, I overheard Adam tell Daniel about Frankenstein and I had to interrupt and remind them that the only One Who can brings dead to life is ALLAH. Adam replied, ‘Mummy, I know that. You raised us as khalifah and we know what is right and wrong. We are just talking about it.’
His answer just took my breath away. I can never get over just how powerful Khalifah Method is in instilling TAUHEED, TAQWA and IMAN in children. It is so… effective and successful!
We, muslims, have in our hands, a powerful and effective solution to correct all the wrongs and the evil in our world today. I know that Stephen Covey has introduced the same concept ’servant-leader’ through his 8th Habit book so, soon, people might not realise it originated from muslims. What a pity and a shame if we let that happen through our own complacency and disregard to a sense of urgency to act now.
I learned so much from that talk with Bro Syed Omar. I remembered why I’m driven to share with people about Khalifah Method; because of my sons. I remembered to be grateful to ALLAH subhana wa ta’ala for giving me hidayah that allowed me to escape the darkness of ignorance, into the light of Islam. And I remembered to be thankful that I have two amazing young khalifah, Adam and Daniel, in my life, helping me to see and understand the true nature of reality through their clear and innocent perspectives.
ALHAMDULILLAH. ALHAMDULILLAH. ALHAMDULILLAH. ALLAH IS THE GREATEST.
