It’s a beautiful sunny day, Moosa and Fatima, two bubbly and vibrant 5 year old twins, try to draw their parent’s attention to the lovely sandcastles they had been constructing for hours in the garden. Dad is too busy viewing television and replying to emails on his Blackberry mobile while mum has for the last few hours been chatting with her friends and updating her Facebook page. Mum and dad, hardly take notice of their kid’s achievement. Both parents are usually so involved in their work and social environments that they “hardly” get time for their kids. Apart from the first four weeks  spent with mum after birth both Moosa and Fatima have ever since infancy been inhabitants of a day care centre. In the evenings  mum picks them up on her way back home from office. Dad returns usually late in the evening and both parents barely have time to interact with their kids before its time to sleep and wake-up again. A strange phenomenon of children with both parents but are “modern day orphans”.  Due to many parents deep engrossment in the material and social environment, they are unable to spend basic and vital time with their children, thus neglecting them and reducing them to the level of “modern day orphans”. Parents are there, but in reality they are not “there”.

You, as an involved parent, encourage your children to fast during the blessed month of Ramadan every year. But there is another exceptional month of the year in which the first 10 days are more blessed than any of the days of Ramadan – the first 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah! The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allāh be upon him) said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” The people asked, “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah?” He said, “Not even jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out to fight giving himself and his wealth up for the cause, and came back with nothing” [Bukhari].

Wherever you look change is occuring, our Ummah is at a critical turning point. Do you ever think how you can impact this change? There is no need to feel helpless, because you can help the tides turn by first seeking excellence within yourself. From the invasions of Muslim lands and the massacre of innocent lives, to our immediate communities, where we are witnessing our loved ones drift further from the purity of Islam; the ummah is crying for change. The uprisings in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and now Syria have seized the attention of the Ummah worldwide, throwing them into a state of delusional hope; as if by the action of others, the whole Ummah would somehow instantly change their state.