Birthday?

By Mahdi Haliru

Today is a great day; It's 11th June, and It's my birthday. Amuzing it might be to some people - I DON'T CELEBRATE BIRTHDAYS! Well err... lets see why.

Birthday is an occassion where a person show appreciation, thankfulness, gratitude, recognition of excellence, remembers and/or celebrates the anniversary of their birth.

See eeh... Forget the long english. It simply mean a day out of the year will be a day to celebrate my BIRTH. But i was wondering what i did that was so great?! It was actually my mother that was facing the problems on that very day - so if any person here is entitled to any sort of celebration here will be my mom!

A man during the lifetime of Rasulullah (SAW) carried his mother on his back and went Tawaaf - circumbulating round the Ka'abah 7 times. He then came to Rasulullah (SAW) and asked:

"Have i fulfill my mother's rights on me?"

Rasulullah replied:

"No you have'nt - not even one birth pain."

Apart from giving me the precious gift of life, Umma also gave me tresured lessons that can guide me along my journeys even when she is no longer with me. When we (I and my brother) were about to leave home for the university in 2012, her words to us were "Be who you are; I'm watching over you." And she kept repeating these words everytime we get set to travel after spending holidays at home.

I later realised the extent of these words. I realised i'm now living in a new world;

a new environment,

a new home,

a new society,

with new people. Where no one will tell you the right thing to do;

no one will tell you to pray,

no one will tell you to read the Qur'an,

no one will give you food to eat,

no one will wake you up to go to school,

no one will tell you to read your books. The ability to make wise choices or descisions is at your own flexibility. So everytime I see my colleague-students misbehaving, i say Alhamdulillah for my mother. She has taught me a lot! the only thing she never did i guess is teaching me how to live without her.

Marian Wright Edelman once said: "To all mothers who are struggling with Teen-agers. I say, just be patient, even though it looks like you can do everything right for a number of years. Parents become more popular again when kids reach 20." I sometimes take Umma for granted. Just like the Hausa saying: you take for granted who you often see around you. "Ido wa ka raina? wanda na saba gani." To know the significance of having a mother around you... go ask the motherless.

Umma is exceptional! She was and still an overprotective mother ever since i was an Infant.

On this great day, i say a very big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you Umma!

Allah ya kara lafiya da kwanaki masu albarka ... Ameen!