All I Ever Really Needed to Know by Robert Fulgham

All I Ever Really Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Robert Fulgham

Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in Kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school. These are the things I learned..

Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.

Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Lost generation

I am part of a lost generation
and I refuse to believe that
I can change the world
I realize this may be a shock but
“Happiness comes from within.”
is a lie, and
“Money will make me happy.”
So in 30 years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
This is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
30 years from now, I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.

And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it .

(Now read it in reverse, line by line.) - By Jonathan Reed

Studying the sunnah & some stuff we've been upto

As mentioned in the previous post, I've started to give the boys a page of ahaadeeth to copy each day (we used to do this before, using the Box of Manners from Learning Roots - I showed them a card and then gave them a narration relating to the picture, to read and then copy into their notebooks).
I wanted to post them here, together with the translation into English. But I've encountered some problems with this. When looking for narrations to print for the boys, I use the authentic collections (at the moment I'm only using Bukhari and Muslim) in Arabic, where every narration is numbered, of course. Finding the corresponding narrations translated into English is a headache! The numbers don't correlate, and many of the translations are inaccurate or mixed up!
Has anyone else encountered this?

I've found a great site, where you can download thousands of books for Arabic and Islamic studies, mashaa Allah (may Allah reward those behind the site immensely, ameen), there are books in English too, and a few other languages:
Maktabat Meshkat al-Islamiyah

DD age 23 months (born in Ramadan two years ago) peeling an onion for ummie, asking for a knife, because she "needs it" - !
Ramadan Is Special book and a leaf outline for a "Ramadan tree"

We've painted a tree, to stick leaves to, several sisters have done something similar, but when I did a search on the deed tree, I found it's a christian tradition, and I got quite put off... then I remembered the ayat:

[أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلاً كَلِمَةً طَيِّبَةً كَشَجَرةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ أَصْلُهَا ثَابِتٌ وَفَرْعُهَا فِى السَّمَآءِ - تُؤْتِى أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍ بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهَا وَيَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَذَكَّرُونَ - وَمَثلُ كَلِمَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ خَبِيثَةٍ اجْتُثَّتْ مِن فَوْقِ الاٌّرْضِ مَا لَهَا مِن قَرَارٍ ]

(24. See you not how Allah sets forth a parable A goodly word as a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the sky.) (25. Giving its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord, and Allah sets forth parables for mankind in order that they may remember.) (26. And the parable of an evil word is that of an evil tree uprooted from the surface of earth, having no stability.)

But according to tafsir, it's a palm tree, so our tree has been standing, without leaves for twenty days... alhamdu lillah... I think I'll cut those leaves out tonight, inshaa Allah, then we can write a good deed on each leaf. Inshaa Allah, I think I'll do it this way, instead of sticking leaves for actual deeds done, so we don't fall into showing off, etc.

This will have to do for now, I've got guests for iftar, and the boys are back to making trouble, ya Allah! give me patience and make us and our children amongst the muttaqun and saalihun, ameen.

Last two day's ahaadeeth

Al-Hassan ibn Sabbaah narrated to us from Muhammed ibn Saabiq, who narrated from Malik ibn Mighwal, who said, I heard al-Waleed ibn al-'Aizaar recall Abu 'Amr Ash-shaybaaniy, say: 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (rAa) said, I asked Allah's Messenger (sAas), "O Allah's Messenger! What is the best deed?" he replied, "To perform the Salaat (prayers) at the (beginning of their) stated fixed times." I asked, "What is next in goodness?" He replied, "To be good and dutiful to your parents." I further asked, "What is next in goodness?" He replied, "To participate in jihad in Allah's cause." I did not ask Allah's Messenger (sAas) anymore and I if had asked him more, He would have told me more (Sahih Bukhari 4/2782)

حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ صَبَّاحٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ سَابِقٍ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكُ بْنُ مِغْوَلٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الْوَلِيدَ بْنَ الْعَيْزَارِ ذَكَرَ عَنْ أَبِي عَمْرٍو الشَّيْبَانِيِّ قَالَ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَيُّ الْعَمَل أَفْضَلُ قَالَ الصَّلَاةُ عَلَى مِيقَاتِهَا قُلْتُ ثُمَّ أَيٌّ قَالَ ثُمَّ بِرُّ الْوَالِدَيْنِ قُلْتُ ثُمَّ أَيٌّ قَالَ الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَسَكَتُّ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَلَوْ اسْتَزَدْتُهُ لَزَادَنِي

----Narrated Abu Hurayrah (rAa): The Prophet (sAas) said, "Whoever does not give up lying speech - false statements (i.e. telling lies) and acting on those (lies) and evil actions, then Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting." (Sahih Bukhari 3/1903)

حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ بْنُ أَبِي إِيَاسٍ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي ذِئْبٍ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدٌ الْمَقْبُرِيُّ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَنْ لَمْ يَدَعْ قَوْلَ الزُّورِ وَالْعَمَلَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ لِلَّهِ حَاجَةٌ فِي أَنْ يَدَعَ طَعَامَهُ وَشَرَابَهُ

I just printed the hadith (in Arabic), and made a bunch of lines underneith, and the boys were put to copy it. Next I'll give them three short narrations from the Ramadan is Special book, inshaa Allah.

Why Ramadan Is Special

A sister has kindly shared a cute little Ramadan freebie on her blog, mashaa Allah:

a fan book about Why Ramadan Is Special

The quotes in Arabic:

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَى وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُواْ الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُواْ اللَّهَ عَلَى مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

قال صلى الله عليه وسلم (إذا جاء رمضان فتحت أبواب الجنة وغلقت أبواب النار وصفدت الشياطين ) متفق عليه.

عن واثلة بن الأسقع -رضي الله عنه- قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم:

" أنزلت صحف إبراهيم أول ليلة من رمضان وأنزلت التوراة لست مضين من رمضان وأنزل الإنجيل لثلاث عشرة ليلة خلت من رمضان وأنزل الزبور لثمان عشرة خلت من رمضان وأنزل القرآن لأربع وعشرين خلت من رمضان".

(حديث حسن أخرجه أحمد والطبراني انظر الصحيحة رقم 1575 ) .

إِنَّا أَنزَلْنَـهُ فِي لَيْلَةِ الْقَدْرِ - وَمَآ أَدْرَاكَ مَا لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ - لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ خَيْرٌ مِّنْ أَلْفِ شَهْرٍ - تَنَزَّلُ الْمَلَـئِكَةُ وَالرُّوحُ فِيهَا بِإِذْنِ رَبِّهِم مِّن كُلِّ أَمْرٍ - سَلَـمٌ هِيَ حَتَّى مَطْلَعِ الْفَجْرِ

"صيام شهر رمضان بعشرة أشهر"

في الصحيحين من حديث أبي هريرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: من صام رمضان إيمانا واحتساباً غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه.

عَنْ جَابِرٍ رضي الله عنه قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ( إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عِنْدَ كُلِّ فِطْرٍ عُتَقَاءَ ، وَذَلِكَ فِي كُلِّ لَيْلَةٍ )
رواه أحمد (21698) وابن ماجه (1643