Part 1

about good books about Islam and encourages other women to buy them. * She tries hard to participate in and benefit from as many Islamic lectures as she can, often writing down a short summary of the lecture she attends. This way, she is able to use the summary she writes for her own benefit and the benefit of her sisters in Islam. Once, she went to an Islamic lecture in the evening, which she was eagerly awaiting, but she found her neighbor holding her son at the entrance to the hall where the lecture was to be held. Her neighbor complained that they would not let her in because she brought her young son with her, and therefore, was unable to benefit from the lecture. She said to her neighbor, "All thanks to Allah, I frequently attend Islamic lectures, but you might not get the same chances as I do. Why don't you leave yow son with me and go to hear the lecture feeling at ease." She took her neighbor's son and sat with him, while her neighbor attended the lecture that she waited patiently for.

The Seed of the House * She said to herself that there is none more dearer to her than her husband, therefore, she decided not to let him fall prey to the devil, or being lured to immoral behavior by indecent magazines. She tried hard to correct this deficiency in her husband and observed patience for six months, all the while invoking Allah to help her. She succeeded after months of hard work, during which she heard tough words from her husband. She shed many tears because of the pain caused by his harsh words, but AlHih helped her succeed in winning him back. He said to her one day afterwards, "What can I do to reward you for your

patience?" She cried and said, "I ask Allah to gather us both in the Gardens of Paradise." He said to her, "Allah willing, you will gain a reward for every good thing I did because of you, and my reward will not decrease. The Messenger of Allah ;i said: A }

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.«~ ~I:T :y .!.m ~ ~ ~ ~ C~T ~ "Whoever calls to guidance, will gain a reward similar to the rewards of those who accept his call, and their rewards will not suffer any decrease. And whoever calls to an evil, will earn as much evil burden as the evil burdens of those who follow his call, without decreasing from their own burden." (Muslim) * She endured ill treatment from her husband, seeking Allah's reward for her patience and avoiding exposing his secret to anyone. She did not allow herself to tell anyone about what goes on in her house, preferring instead to practice patience and accepting with a good heart, what Allah gave her. She did not complain to the creation, but rather hurri~d to perform prayer to Allah whenever she felt sad and depressed. Allah willing, He will reward her for her patience and endurance and will relieve her grievance. * She married a miser who is also wicked and deviant. Later on, he divorced her. Afterwards, he did not support her financially, nor took care of their children, even though they were still very young. He thought that what he did was clever, unaware that one day he will stand for reckoning before Allah. She thought that what touched her is a trial and a test; she said to herself that her children are

26 gave her. She sometimes hears, from her female friends, words of praise for her children's father because they think that he spends on them. However, she knows that she is the one who takes care of them for Allah's sake.

The Seed of feeling Pride in Islam * People are weak, especially when they fall ill and need to visit doctors. She is a doctor who takes care of female patients, but she is also dedicated to the Da 'wah to Allah using kind words and soft advice. With a smile on her face, she sows the seeds of trust in Allah and reminds her patient that what has touched her would never have missed her and what has missed her, would never have touched her. She also gives away books to her patients and buys tape recorders for those among them who cannot read. She also fulfills the duty of Da 'wah among her fellow doctors and always advises them of the significance of wearing Hijdb (Islamic dress) and avoiding mingling with men. She advises them not to say soft words to men, so that those among them, who have a disease in their heart, would not think evil of them. She advises them to use the hospital as a center to conduct Da 'wah saying, "For some of the female patients, it is the first time they read the books and hear the lectures we give them. It is a chance that we should take· and never waste, for when the patients leave here, they will not return, Allah willing. The hospital is a good place for Da 'wah, especially since those who come here feel humble and despair because of their illness. So, where are those who will fulfill the job of Da 'wah here?'' * The doctor asks the mother while examining her young

27 son, "Does he have hearing problems?" His mother said, "We did not notice that." The doctor asked again, "Have you seen him get closer to the TV when he is watching it, to hear it better?" The mother said with a sure voice, "No, because we do not have aTV!" * She enjoins righteousness and forbids evil among women, whenever she meets them, whether in the market, at the hospital, at school or any other meetings and gatherings. Whenever she witnesses an evil, she rushes to forbid it, and whenever she witnesses an act of righteousness, she rushes to praise and encourage it.

The Seed of Spending * She was amazed when she realized her extravagance and the wastefulness that she indulges in everyday. She became idle for a while then recited the Hadith which says that 'Aishah ~ ~~ ,.?J eat two meals in a day: ""' , "" "f . ,. , , ,.. . . . . . ,. 0-; , F. , "" ""' ~~ ~. ..!.1J 0 .<:~ 01 ~ • . (( ..!.U y. ::tl,..,-- - ~I 4.-!J\s.\:;ll Y"- ~ /-

"0 Aishah, do you like that your stomach becomes your only busying concern?" (Al-Baihaqi) * Every six months, she has a day during which she asks her female relatives if they have any extra clothes, shoes, sheets, covers or kitchenware that they do not need. She tells them that this is a campaign of ridding themselves of extra burdens on the Day of Judgment, and adds extra space to their rooms and homes. A few days later, she calls on those whom she called before and collects whatever they could spare. She gives what she collected to several poor families. * Some men feel astonished at the vitality of righteous Muslim women whom Allah employs in the service of this

28 Fatimah t...p .:;., ~)·These women seek a higher standard and grade with Allah, for they heard a true promise from the Most Merciful, Most Compassionate for those who give charity in His Cause, and they rush to obey His orders with all their strength. For instance, she buys new clothes and distributes them to her poor neighbors as gifts. Whatever remains, she sends some of it to other neighborhoods and sells some to wealthy women in her area and gives the proceeds for charity. They buy clothes from her and in the meantime help charity projects. * She is dedicated to collecting donations from wealthy people and distributing it to the needy whom they deserve charity. She has a file in which she records everything she collects and how she spent it. She sends a representative to investigate the condition of the needy families, in order to give each family what they need and require.

The Seed of Vitality * My wish, ever since I was a child, was to become a teacher who helps shape future Muslim generations. During my years of learning at girl's college, I prepared myself for this mission. I invoked Allah to extend my life until I could witness the moment I become a teacher. The more I heard about teaching and the fact that teachers have a significant role in raising the young generation in this Ummah, even more than the role parents have in this regard, the more I felt eager for that moment to come. The days passed quickly and I became closely involved in Da 'wah activities and learned more about the role of the teacher as a defender of Islam and its principals. I became more encouraged, yet felt anxious about the requirement~

29 to come and heard words of advice from many people. One sister said to me that now the job of raising Muslim Nation's children laid on our shoulders. I felt more encouragement and when a position finally came, I immediately started fulfilling my duty. I had many ideas about what to do, such as giving Islamic lessons, conducting competitions between the students, a school magazine, and so forth. However, when I conveyed these ideas to other teachers, they said that every new comer has the same dreams and wishes! Some of them said, "If you were married, much of this vitality would not be there. We had similar ideas when we were single, but the responsibility of having a husband, a house and children to take care of does not leave much room for anything else." Hearing these and similar words of discouragement, I felt that if I wanted to keep my vitality intact, I should act in silence and fulfill my duty without enlisting other people's help. I then noticed that one of my fellow teachers, a mother of four, works in silence and voluntarily gives and organizes Islamic lectures and various school activities. She is also a successful teacher who reads the books she teaches, so that she gains knowledge in the material first hand. She is a successful caller to Allah among her friends and relatives through the lectures that she gives at various meetings and occasions outside of the school. She often gives advice to her sisters in Islam and tries to help them acquire their needs. Whenever charity is mentioned, she rushes to donate books, cassettes and money. Her children are also successful at school, because she is a good mother to them, by Allah's help. I asked about her teaching experience and was told that

30 active in the Da 'wah through all these years. I said to other teachers, "She is a proof against you," because she remained like this all these years and her vitality did not decrease. This righteous teacher and Allah knows best, her righteousness is a good example of working Muslim women. In contrast, many Muslim women earn good salaries from their jobs, yet do not care for their jobs and ignore the rights of their families and husbands. Many women do not even think about Da 'wah and what it requires from them, even though their jobs do not stop them from going to the market whenever they wished, claiming that this is a necessity. This means that they have ample time to participate in Da 'wah activities and fulfill other duties instead of frequently spending precious time at the market. I was reassured when I realized that this good sister fulfilled her duty to her job, children, husband and Da 'wah. I had hesitated to marry, because I thought that marriage might prevent me from conducting Da 'wah to Allah and force me to leave my job to take care of my family. Yet in the same time, I felt that the job women do at home is in fact more important and delightful than what they do at work. These words are for my fellow teachers. They should know that good intention and truthfulness with Allah are the reasons behind the success that this fellow teacher earned and her being able to fulfill her duty towards her job, husband, house, children and Da 'wah. We ask AlHlh to grant us sincerity in action and statement and to employ us in the service of His religion and Book and calling humanity to them, Amin.