[~أمة الله~]

4) What books and other resources have you found to be indispensable in:

• Making children memorize the Qur’an;
• Making children understand and learn Arabic;
• Being a visionary parent.

In all honesty, I have not read any specific books which guided me to being a visionary parent. All Tawfeeq and Fadhl are from Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) and making dua. Just have the right kind of intentions and make dua. Allah ‘azza wa jal has the power to do all things.

One book that I did use and found indispensable was Iqraa’. It’s a book that comes in a series of six small books which teaches children how to read the Qur’an. The approach is very non-Arabic and child-friendly and I have since recommended it to all my friends. Through this, my children learn to read the Qur’an from the mushaf from a very early age which automatically gave them a greater independence in memorising the Qur’an and also in learning Arabic when they started Arabic school.

5) Children and their parents are normally occupied the entire day with having to attend school, complete homework, pack lunches, do school runs and other school-related tasks. How can parents bring out their child’s full potential without them and their children feeling more overwhelmed than they already are?

Once you have children and as the family grows, your stamina grows too, believe me. You’ll be able to stretch yourself in a way you never thought possible. This is what diligent and sincere parenting will do for you. Because of my desire to see my children memorise the Qur’an and do well in school, Allah ‘azza wa jal gave me the energy to occupy them, help them and teach them. As a mother, it was the air I breathed, so being tired is a natural state but Alhamdulillah, I never felt overwhelmed. The secret to this is learning the Qur’an. In the course of busily bringing up my eight children, I was also trying to memorise the Qur’an. The book of Allah was the one single source of calmness and strength.

As for the children, it’s important to make them understand why they have to do what we, as parents, make them do.
I always tell my children from the time they were little and working with me in Qur’an or writing that I want them to grow up to be bright and useful to the Ummah. This is the way to worship Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He). As we need to have the correct intentions, so do our children. They’re never too young to understand that life is about doing things to please Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He).
The second thing is to teach them obedience to parents. If your child understands that obeying you is pleasing Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He), then it is easier to get them to cooperate and do everything that they need to do. So once the children see that their day is busy with things that are pleasing to Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) and everything is rewarded, it gives them a true sense of purpose.

So it’s not a question of senseless slave-driving, which some families practice, all in the name of succeeding in studies and getting a good job. Worshipping Allah subḥānahu wa ta'āla (glorified and exalted be He) gives you strength and tawfeeq. The child’s potential will unfold itself, In sha Allah. I believe in this because this was what I found in my own experience.
I never gave my children any ambition when they were little except to memorise the Qur’an and to work hard to serve the ummah

To Be Continue ....