By Humna Abdulmateen 

“Mom, I got an amazing result! Can I celebrate with a party for my friends please? ” My ten-year-old looked at me pleadingly. Since my children started school, I have taught them that we do not celebrate birthdays. Instead, they can have a party if they do well in school and pass the term with flying colors. Since today was their result day, they were now looking forward to a get-together where they could have a ball with their friends.

This led me back to my childhood when I stood first in my exams and asked my dad for a party. He always celebrated our victories and academic achievements. On the way back from school when I asked him for a celebration, he lovingly told me something that stayed in my mind forever. 

I shared those words of wisdom with my daughter. Her grandfather had told me that Allah the Almighty has guided us in all aspects of life. Our behaviour at the time of both calamity and jubilance. He recited SURAH AN-NASR and told me its meaning. He explained to me why and when it was revealed. 

The story made me awe-struck. This was such an excellent example of tarbiyah. Guiding us towards Allah in a way that made us fall in love with our Lord at such a tender age. He recited the verses of Surah Nasr as follows:

إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللَّهِ وَالْفَتْحُ  وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ
 فِي دِينِ اللَّهِ أَفْوَاجًا  فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ
 وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّابًا

(When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes, Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever accepting of repentance.)

This surah was revealed at the time of the Conquest of Makkah. Muslims had suffered greatly at the hands of the Meccans after the advent of Islam. They had been physically tormented and emotionally abused. They were even boycotted for several years. As a result of which, they suffered a great famine. All these hardships led to their migration to Medinah.

 After the conquest, it was natural for anyone to think about revenge. But at that time, Allah taught them how to handle victory. He (S.W.T) declared in the above verses that whatever they had achieved was entirely because of Allah the Almighty. So, when you are delighted at any given moment, you need to remember your Lord. One should praise Him and repent even more. 

What my father taught me was the lesson of a lifetime. When we encounter something unfortunate, we turn to Allah for help. Whereas, at the time of any celebration, particularly weddings, we tend to forget Him. In fact, we end up displeasing Him in the sheer ecstasy of the moment! Allah has ordered us to remember and praise Him even more at such times.

This also gave me a point to ponder about the true example of Tarbiyah. My dad, so lovingly, taught me lessons of humility and obedience through a story that resonated so much that I was able to narrate it to my offspring. 

He taught me the crucial lesson of thanking Allah and submitting to Him at all times. May Allah bless our parents immensely who have taught us the virtues that we can impart to our future generations. May He guide us to the righteous path always.

Ameen.