TODAY: I Saw What I Have Always Wanted To See

Bismil Laahir Rahmaanir Raheem

Assalaamu alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barkaatuhu my dear brothers and sisters. I pray you are all wallowing in seas of blessings upon blessings. For those going through one struggle or the other, may Allah azza wa jal completely make easy and bearable all your struggles.

I felt wonderful today as I walked passed a certain place. I will tell you about that place in a bit but before that let me tell you a story. Is it even a story? Smiles.

I had my Junior High School education at a Seventh Day Adventist School, McNeilus SDA. From Junior High School One to Three, we never wore ear rings and any kind of jewellery. That is not where my interest is though. On every Friday, we closed very early just like most Islamic schools do.  They close school early so that they could prepare to observe their Sabbath the next day.

We had a very big church in the school where they worship on Saturdays. One key thing you see on Fridays after we close is the church members trooping into the school, most of them men. Some come in their cars and others on foot. They pack their cars at the parking lot and then, what do they do? They clean the whole school and then the church. 

It was very common to see men sweeping the compound, collecting trash and doing all other kinds of cleaning in the school on these days. My father had rented one of his shops to an SDA man and this man, who was a family man and rich, was one of the people you will most often see cleaning up the school and the church to prepare it for their worship the next day.

It was surprising also that most of the people you will see cleaning on these days were men. The females were a handful. Note that I said men and not boys.

Now, that is the end of the story. Smiles. What at all am I driving at? Well, let me tell you another story. 

I live next to a huge Masjid, it is just a not so nice big drain that separates the Masjid and I. Smiles. Well, the Minister for Zongo and Inner City Development promised to fix it. Let's hope he does. Back to what I was saying. This big beautiful Masjid gets cleaned on Fridays too, but early in the morning instead because of Jummua. Who cleans the Masjid? Volunteers. Which volunteers? Women. Yes, it is the women who live in the vicinity of the Masjid who clean it up.

That is very admirable of them and may Allah azza wa jal accept from them their kind gesture to His House. Honestly, I wish I could be joining them do the cleaning but... There is always a but.

That is the end of this story also. Now, don't start contrasting the cleaning of the church with the cleaning of the Masjid just yet. Let me tell you the part two of story number two. 

Once in a while, these women cleaners of the Masjid seem to be nowhere to be found on these Fridays when their services were greatly needed. When such incidences happen, some of the leaders of the Masjid resort to the microphone to call unto the women in the vicinity to come and do the cleaning due to the enormous reward there is to be attained with such an act. They quote aayaat and ahaadith to boost the women to leave off all that they are attending to in their homes to come to clean the Masjid and they always succeed.

These happenings always send me to my world of many thoughts on what should have been and what shouldn't have been. I had just recently come to a conclusion on my thoughts on such matters when I saw an interesting scene as I walked passed the Masjid this morning. Now, you know the place, right? It was the Masjid. 

You can easily guess why I was so interested in the scene I saw. Let me give you a view of it. The Masjid was cleaned and chairs neatly arranged in style. There was a lot of cleaning and organising going on. The beautiful part of the whole thing is that it was men who were doing all of these things. Men! Both young and elderly. I was impressed for sure. The sad thing however is that it was not a Friday and there was not going to be Jummua. It was someone's funeral ceremony.

The question is; 

'If these men could clean and organise this nicely for a funeral, why can't they do same on Fridays too?'

Yes, on Friday mornings as women busily cleaned the Masjid from after Fajr till morning, most of the men in the vicinity either went back to sleep or sat around chatting their time away. But these women mostly have a pile of other works at home they could have been taking care of with that time. 

Back to the church, we all know how these men do not see it as a big deal doing part of the chores at home together with their wives and then they are still able to make time to go and clean up their place of worship. Most of our men on the other hand will leave all household chores to their wives and then even on Friday when they could have at least cleaned their House of worship, they still hold the mentality that it is the work of the women folk.

One day, I was in the office at school when two Junior High School two learners came to invite me to something they were going to do in their class. They said it was going to be in thirty minutes time. I probed them severally for them to tell me what it was but they didn't. So I told them to come get me when they were about to start. They did. Guess what they were going to do? Debate! And the topic? 

'Should boys also do house chores?'

Interesting huh! It seemed, from the way the opponents were almost getting at each other's throat, that they've been arguing about this particular issue for so long. It was an enjoyable event and in the end I concluded that:

'Our girls believe we have been unfair to them in the way we bring our boys up as kings and they, their maids.'

Now, just think deeply about the scenarios above and if you are a man, take a decision for yourself as to whether your help is a necessity or not. If you are a woman, someday, by the permission of Allah azza wa jal, your son is going to be someone's husband and his mentality towards men's involvement in house chores will be shaped by mostly how you and your husband bring him up. It is better to let him know that doing house chores does not and will never make him less of a man. It will rather make him more beloved to his wife and children in future because perhaps most women might not say it but house chores drain them to bits.

Well, let us ponder together. I am completely grateful to you for making time to read it all. May Allah subhaanahu wa ta aalaa continue to put abundant baraka in your life and in all your endeavours. Don't forget me in your dua. Smiles. May the peace, blessings and mercy of Allah azza wa jal be upon the coolness of our eyes, the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad and upon his household and his companions. Thank you and jazaakumullaahu khairan.

Rubaba Mmahajia Rahma Sabtiu-Morla

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