Happy Father’s Day, Everyday!
Jun 18th, 2011 | By Usman Shaikh | Category: Media Watch, Pakistan, Social, World
Happy father’s day to everyone!!!!!!
“This is the day to express your love for your father, make him feel special on this Sunday. Father’s Day is a day honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society.’’
These clips are not adverts from BBC, SKY or some other western channels, I saw them on a local
Pakistani channels here in the UK and I am sure this is true for all the other various channels that broadcast to millions of Pakistanis back home.
I just asked myself for a logical explanation as to what’s the point? Why is there only one Father’s day and only one Mother’s day celebrated in the Western society? So, in order to find an answer and justify the significance, I let my observation go wild and tried to encompass things which I have learnt being a very close observant of this society.
There is an absolute need to celebrate dedicated days for parents in a society where the bond between parent and child is very delicate and might be non-existent after a certain age and stage; A society where 3 in 5 women aged 75+ live alone. (attached is a graph which shows the percantage of men and women in UK living alone at different ages); where an old parent is a hindrance to fun filled life and where the slogan is ‘Be nice to your children as they are the ones who would decide which old house you’d end up in’ (reads a ‘humorous’ car sticker); where living with your parents is ridiculed by your mates, where an old parent falls on the floor of a lonely haunting house and there is no one to give him a hand to stand up again, until the milk delivery man comes next morning only to find no answer at the door and calls the police and ambulance. A society where mothers abuse and kill their children, youngsters abuse and beat the vulnerable elderly, fathers leave their partners to survive as ‘lone mothers’ who may be as young as mid-teens such dedicated days are indeed reminders of those vague bonds that exist by chance and not by choice. 
The economic system here requires both parents to work to survive, which inevitably makes it difficult for them to spend quality time with their children. Such celebrations are required where children spend most of their time not in the company of their parents but child-minders, friends, mobile phones and internet. It’s a reflection of the society in which one-parent families on the rise. In the same society, morality dips down to the fact that they debate in the parliament on the very ‘need for a father’ to make a family and encourage lesbians to have children using IVF.
Rather than blindly copying (only the) useless traits of the West, let’s celebrate our values. Celebrate each day as mother’s day, a person whose cries at the time of childbirth can never be paid off and she keeps on bearing pains bringing us up and helping us keeping our head up high and reaching our goals; serving whom is more weighty than going to war in the way of Allah, if she is old and dependant. Celebrate everyday as father’s day in whose pleasure lies the pleasure of God and in whose displeasure lies the displeasure of God (according to a Tirmidhi Hadith).
And yes! Let’s be proud of a family system of respect which thankfully has been made an obligation by God upon us; which keeps us close and beautifully tied in the bonds of eternal trust and a package of ‘give and take’ throughout our lives. It is our family system and respect to our elders, religiously engraved on our minds which makes us proud and keeps us going in all the difficult times and has so far prevented us from a nervous breakdown. And it is this quality which non-Muslim parents feel as an obvious positive change in their ‘new converts to Islam’ children.
Does that make your head high enough to celebrate a trait which should be a trend-setter for other nations and not vice versa?
Come on! Let’s celebrate. Make our parents happy every day; the easiest way to please God every day.
“And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour” [al-Isra’ 17:23]
Excellent analysis containing very well advised contents!
The slogan mentioned in the article though in humour ‘Be nice to your children as they are the ones who would decide which old house you’d end up in’ is apparently very crude and senseless!
Constructively,to educate and create realization for knitting the bond stronger between the Child and Parents .The slogan “Today a child,parent tomorrow, do unto your parents ,what you wouldn’t want your child doing unto you ”…
In a nutshell,they should be made to understand the true essence of the old adage”What you sow today,so shall you reap tomorrow…
Best Regards
Excellent article, Usman. Well done
very well said……….actually i want to say something too….but where,to whom should i write?and my english is also not good….still i want to write,actually share my ideas…thank u
This is a very true observation and analysis. However it is a shame & pity that in our society things like this gets more importance. I would like to ask all who read this message to atleast try and revive our roots and values.
Thanks
It’s beautifully written and well researched mashaAllah… simple and understandable…. May All of us respect and honor our prents
Well articulated reality, we need to work more in exposing the dream-heaven of western culture that is haunting our values and life style. I concur with you, Allahuma zid fazid
The picture you have painted is so gloomy that I wonder why the youngsters from “Eastern society or so called Muslim world have and are desperately migrating to the western societies. The point you are missing is the social security system that exists in the West and every single person pays for it to get those services when he gets old. On the other hand in the East the total investment for a married couple is there children they spent their whole life in bringing them up.
This is an exaggeration that there is no family system in the West this is not possible to have stable economies without no social system as it stands on these units.
I agree with you about getting amazed about celebrating western days in our societies.
Very good article, keep it up. May Allah give us ability to serve our Parents and get Jannah through this way. Ameen.
JazakAllah. And keep writing on other issues as well, you can write so don’t waste your talent.
Waiting for next article.
Really nice article. Simple and concise.
While on one side its vital for a human society to respect and take care of parents,on the other side this is also important for parents to give proper time and attention to their children.
And as per my observation, there is no force stronger than the religion(esp Islam) that make one respect their parents.
If one wish to get obedient children… focus on their religious teachings!!
Yes, it doesn’t make any sense. This is for those who do not see their parents round the year and need a special occasion to call them! But again, inferior nations have the habit of imitating dominant civilizations!
Very well written and very well said.
Nice effort
Excellent article and an eye-opener for those who ape Western behavior without bothering to ponder. No wonder they called the Indian (Indo-Pak-Bengali of today) clerks “baboos”, derived from baboons. That shameful baboo mentality still prevails in our society.