Paradise in Our Homes - 2
Episode 1
In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. All praises be to Allah and peace and blessings of Allah be upon Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).
This is the second part of our program ‘Paradise in Our Homes’. We are here to dive more in the family issues and assure you that Paradise is really in our homes.
After the first part of the program that was aired in last Ramadan, we had a very positive feedback through www.amrkhaled.net. This feedback encouraged us even more to go on with the second part.
Today’s episode is an introduction that contains some points:
One: Here, we have to say that Paradise in Our Homes- Part 1- was not a mere Ramadan show. Issues pertaining to family are ongoing. They cannot be concluded in just the month of Ramadan.
Two: The reason I am insisting on continuing with family issues is that the familial values/morals are the most precious thing we have. We called many times for the importance of the revival to our nation. Then we found that the infrastructure for this revival is our morals. It is as important to development as the power, communications, electricity, etc. This is how Islam began; it is founded on morals. We are continuing this program because we want everybody to help with the saving of the social values of our societies. We need more programs, songs, TV series, movies, etc to tackle this issue saying, ‘We want to preserve our values’.
Three: Part 2 is meant to backup the youth. Our societies are full of variables and shifting customs. They are hard for the youth to follow. Sometimes, according to these customs we ask the youth to do things that they are unable to do, thus the problems start. Therefore, this program is meant to address both the youth and adults. It is to find a common space between both of them. Therefore, in the coming episodes we will listen, interact, give excuses, accept some of what we call “youth’s faults”, and try to correct them.
Four: We need to tell you what we did in Part 1.
In Part 1, we talked about the ideal family, and how the family should be. We did not talk about the real problems suffered by the families. Therefore, in Part 2, we are going to relate to each problem, we will probe to the proper solution that we will choose from the ones we discussed in Part 1.
Someone might ask, but the problems are too many, which one are you going to start with? The answer is we are going to start with the youth problems. We will be addressing the youth, asking them to interact with us through www.amrkhaled.net, as well as the parents, asking them to listen a bit more to their children.
We have to say that we did not mention all the issues pertaining to the ideal family and how it should be. For example, we talked about the great role of the mother, but we did not talk about the problems of a married woman who has no children. We did not talk about the ideal family regarding the issues of engagement, how a wife could gain her husband’s love, and vice versa, etc. Therefore, we have a long way to go. It would take us maybe years for this issue to be fulfilled.
I, also, have to tell you that we are going to tackle this issue according to the life cycle of the family. It starts with the stage of looking for a spouse, then engagement, marriage, the first year of marriage, first child, parenting, marital life after five years of marriage, children as teenagers and going back again to the first stage of the cycle; looking for a spouse.
I can claim that I am fully aware of the reality of our youth problems. It goes back five years ago, when I was still talking about issues pertaining to faith. I, then, was surprised of the amounts of emails I used to receive asking me about social problems. It is no exaggeration to say that we used to receive about one thousand emails per day, concerned with social problems. People used to open up their hearts and pour their problems to me. This took nearly 90 per cent of my time. The other 10 per cent was the time dedicated for new programs and so. Hence, I gained a large experience.
I, then, knew about the girls who resorted to orfi (unregistered) marriage. I sought the help of professionals in such issues to help those girls. I knew about the youth, whose parents stood in the way of their marriage to the ones they loved because of different reasons. Sometimes it happened that I met some of the people who sent me their problems. I had the chance to know the end of their story, so I acquired more expertise in how to deal with this kind of problem. By mixing my expertise in the dealing with youth, with the professionals’ opinions, we came out with some solutions.
Again, what are we going to start with? We are going to start with the youth problems, such as drugs, illegitimate relations, orfi marriages, boyfriends and girlfriends, looking for a spouse, unemployment, extremism, electronic mania including chatting.
We will be talking about all these issues to reach the change we seek. We want to tell the youth that you have, can, and will change to the better. We will tell the society that they have to give the youth a chance and the time to change.
Here we will be addressing the parents, media, press, universities, clubs, and everybody else to be patient with the youth. The healthy society is the one that expands the space of good whenever it appears. The unhealthy society, on the other hand, is the one that would belittle any glimpse of good.
We do not want to be the kind of a society that the Prophet (SAWS) told us about. One day, a man of the Israelites wanted to give alms. He gave it to a woman he saw. This woman turned to be a prostitute, so the people blamed him for giving alms to a prostitute. On the next day, he went to give alms once more. It happened that the man who took it was a thief. The people then again blamed him for giving his alms to a thief. On the third day he tried to be more careful who he givs the alms to, but he gave it to a rich man. The people mocked and blamed him for giving his money to a rich man. He spent his night feeling so sad for what he did. However, it was revealed to him that, as for the alms you gave to the prostitue, it might keep her from continuing her life as so. As for the alms you gave to the thief, it might make him ashamed of what he is doing and know that sustenance comes form Allah (SWT), and he would not steal again. As for the alms you gave to the rich man, it might encourage him to give the alms form his own money to the needy.
We were also told about at-Tofayl Ibn-Amr, who went to the Prophet (SAWS) complaining to him about his tribe (Daws). Adultry and usury was widely spread in this tribe, so at-Tofayl asked the Prophet (SAWS) to supplicate Allah (SWT) to punish them. The Prophet (SAWS), however, raised his hands and said, “O, Allah, guide Daws and make them embrace Islam.” He then told at-Tofayl to go back to his tribe and be patient with them, and Allah (SWT) will guide them to Islam. At-Tofayl then went back to his tribe, and kept calling them for Islam for ten whole years. After ten years, they embraced Islam, just as the Prophet (SAWS) told at-Tofayl.
Praradise in Our Homes, Part 2 is meant to tell the society that we have to encourage any good no matter how little it is. The healthy society is one which would not reject members that sinned, but take them by the hand and guide them.
Five: In Part 2, I cannot hold the youth totally responsible for the problems they suffer, for there are others who should be held responsible. I myself, as a man of a mission, along with the parents, and the media are the ones who should bear this responsibility.
The last point is that the time span of the program is meant to be no more than half an hour, so we can continue our discussions on www.amrkhaled.net to communicate in an open dialogue. During the next weeks, we will post some specific situations/ problems on the website. Visitors are to choose form the available choices, provided there, how they would act in such situations/problems.
We will prepare for online training courses regarding different issues such as, how to choose your spouse, how to establish your house, etc.
We will post somebody’s problem and ask the youth, who went through the same experience, how he/she should act to solve his/her.
This is the least we can do for our nation, so please help us by your interaction.
Peace be upon you.
