Early the next morning
on, I picked up my pen and phoned my colleagues'
children. I asked them what sentence they always
hear from their dad. They all shared almost the
same answer. As soon as their dads arrive home,
they kiss their children with the same question:
"Salam, sweetheart. What's your good
news?" This is the same question my father
keeps asking me till now!
From their point of
view, fathers want all the time to be updated with
their children's news, especially good news.
"Our kids are projecting our old dreams and
new hopes," fathers say.
When we read about the
Prophet's love and care for his daughter Fatimah
(may Allah be pleased with her), about whom he
said "Fatimah is a piece of me, whosoever
tortures her has tortured me, and whoever pleases
her has pleased me" ((Al-Bukhari). It is easy
to understand the special place that children are
meant to have in the lives of fathers.
I took my pen and paper
and went to the fathers, who were working non-stop
before their computers.
The impression I got is
something that I will sure remember! The busy
fathers forgot their computers and started
narrating how their children are so naughty,
remembering funny mishaps.
The following is some
of what the fathers had to say about fatherhood:
* "One of the most
interesting things I can never forget in my life
as a dad is when I had my first child. Like every
baby, she got very painful flatulence that gave us
seemingly endless sleepless nights, with lot of
cries involved. It strengthened in me the feelings
that no matter what we do, we can never compensate
our parents for the agonies they experienced in
raising and taking care of us." — Kamal
Badr, editor in chief.
*"My love and
respect for my father and my mother have
increased. I now realize how they suffered and
bore hardships to raise me. I am really grateful
to them. I wish to raise my kids as good,
practicing Muslims who would work for Islam and
its message. The mission is so hard, but I seek
Allah's help and assistance to guide them to be
good Muslims." — Wa'il Shihab, editor at
Living Shari`ah Zone.
*"Being a father
has changed my life in a way that I did not expect
or imagine before. My daughter showed me how my
parents feel for me. She guided me to rediscover
my parents in a different way. I tried to be so
honest when I chose her name: Zad (Arabic for
"provision"). I think it is true because
I need so much from her at the moment. I want her
to be that person who will be able to make a real
change in this society." — Fathy Abu Hatab,
editor at Euro-Muslims Zone.
*"I could not do
that! It is hard for me to express my real
feelings to my dearest in a few words. Words
themselves have not the ability to reflect my
inner feelings for my father. That man who spent
his life teaching me the meaning of
self-sacrifice. He did and still does all that he
can to bring happiness to his family." —
Mohammad Sayed, designer in IOL Multimedia
Department.
*"As a father, I
have to shoulder the responsibility to raise my
kid the way that pleases Allah Almighty. I love my
3-year-old son, Abdul-Rahman. I always love
playing with him. His innocence is an ocean of
happiness that overflows when he smiles or laughs.
May Allah accept us both." — Hani Ramadan,
editor at Muslims Affairs Zone.
Daddy, Papa, père, Padre…
I reached the end of my
journey in the fathers' world.
"Dad" is a
word we utter every day while talking, chatting,
arguing, or asking for something. Small as it is,
that word has many significant meanings. For me,
"dad" means security, hope, and power.
It always reminds me that I have that person who
guides me even when he is absent. The man who
always cares for me, asking, "Salam
sweetheart, what's your good news?" That is
my father.
Time to share
Get into the picture
and send messages to your father, voicing your
love and expressing your feelings.
We also invite fathers
to send us their experiences with their children:
their problems, critical moments, and happy ones.
These will be published in the second part of this
article: Fathers' Corner.
You can send them to us
at ioleditorial@islamonline.net
"Dad, thanks for
helping me be a real being in this nation. I will
make you happy to say I am your daughter."
Rasha Mohammad, IOL editorial secretary
