O student: have a successful holiday
O Muslim student: this is for you, O companion of the pen. This is for you O friend of papers and books, for you O noble by his religion. It is for you who say, “I am a Muslim”.
- Categories: Education and the Muslim family - Seeking Knowledge -
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All the praises and thanks be to Allah Who has taught (the writing) by the pen, Who has inspired to wisdom and knowledge. Peace and blessings of Allah be upon the master of the Arabs and non-Arabs and upon his family and companions; the guidance of nations.
O Muslim student: this is for you, O companion of the pen. This is for you O friend of papers and books, for you O noble by his religion. It is for you who say, “I am a Muslim”.
O brother: how much the educators have strived to get you into the universe as that pure human being… the one who knows his message concerning his community. How much have the educators strived to teach you so that you go out from the darkness of ignorance and illiteracy to proudly say, “I am a student.”
O student: you need to know yourself… to know who you are… that people have called you, the student.
And here comes the holiday
O student: the summer holiday is a new stage in your school year. It has its own taste which is found by the students while they spend its days.
However brother, there are certain questions that you should ask yourself while going into this new phase; the summer vacation.
Brother: have you once asked yourself while leaving the gates where you spent the lovely studying days; the days of the illumination of knowledge; leaving them after receiving the results of your school year to spend your vacation: have you asked yourself brother saying, “here comes the vacation; what are you going to do in it?”
Are you going to do something of benefit for you? Or are you going to do something that will be of no benefit?
Ask yourself: are you active in performing actions that are of obedience to your Lord? Or are you lazy when it comes to obeying Allah? Quick to play and lustrous desires?
O student: if you want to spend a really successful vacation, you should first be honest to yourself. You are the most knowing of people about it. No one can know what is inside of you to solve your problems.
You, O brother are the primary reformer of yourself.
You are the one leading it to prayers.
You are the one leading it to religious and science gatherings.
You are the one leading it to performing acts of obedience and everything that pleases Allah Almighty.
You are the one leading it to the places of desires and wasting times in what displeases Allah Almighty.
So brother, you are your own boss. And here begins the true and sincere reforming of yourself.
Time is taken from your life.
Dear student, time is that priceless treasure, that precious gem; it is more valuable than gold and more precious than every precious.
Time is the most precious to be saved
but the easiest you waste
Ibn Mas’ûd, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “I have not regretted anything more than a day where my life is diminished by its sunset and my deeds did not increase.”
Imam Ibn Al-Jawzi, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Man should know the honor and value of his time. He should not waste a moment of it in anything than getting close to Allah. He must present the best of the best of word and deed. His intention for righteousness should always be present without any lack of vigor that the body would be able to function.”
Golden words on the value of time
Al-Hassan Al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “I have known people; the one of them was more miser with his days than with his money.”
Imam Ibn ‘Aqil Al-Hanbali, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “The scholars agree unanimously that the most honorable gain for the wise is the time; it is a profit where opportunities should be exploited; the obligations are plentiful.”
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Wasting time is severer than death. Wasting time takes you away from Allah and the Hereafter while death takes you away from this worldly life and its people.”
Wasting time is severer than death!
Dear student, I think that you are smart and wise; that you have known that time is the most precious and the most valuable of things.
But brother, you have to ask yourself, am I among those who waste their time? Or am I among those who preserve it?
Dear brother, the vacation is a rare opportunity to have second thoughts and to hold yourself responsible; after which comes your reformation and assessment of it.
Brother, I suggest that you have a notebook and entitle it “accountability book” or any other word close to this meaning. You record in this notebook all your comments on yourself; advantages and disadvantages. You may feel ashamed of writing some negative points, however it is not required that you write these negative aspects in details; it is enough to refer to it. This notebook is for your eyes only and that you are the one who will understand what is in it.
Dear brother, the first thing you should ask yourself about is, “rightfully performing the right of Allah”. Are you keen in observing the five daily prayers? If you are: are you among those who perform them in the mosque?
Are you one of those who love to have noble morals?
Are you one of those who invest their time in their own benefit?
Are you one of those who obey their parents and seek to please them and to be dutiful to them?
And other important questions by which you should hold yourself accountable to go back to righteousness and goodness.
I suggest, O student, that you write a slogan in this notebook that you adopt as a model in your life, and which reminds you of the virtues and of high aspirations. And here are some words I have chosen for you to be that slogan. You can choose others; the wise sayings are multiple, and you can choose what suits you best.
These are the words I have chosen for you:
“I have not regretted anything more than a day where my life is diminished by its sunset and my deeds did not increase.” [Abdulla Ibn Mas’ûd, may Allah be pleased with him]
“The day and night work through you, so you should work on them.” [‘Umar ibn Abdel Aziz, may Allah have mercy on him]
“If you do not occupy yourself with the truth, it will occupy you with falsehood; and if you do not occupy your tongue with remembrances, it will occupy you with dirty, false, evil vain talk, which is inevitable.” [Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him]
I will spend the prime of youth diligently
Seeking loftiness or the reward
Is not loss that nights pass
With no benefit and is calculated from my life
Dear student… have high aspirations.
Brother: How many times have been wasted in uselessness, in other than obeying Allah Almighty! If one holds himself accountable and reminds it, he will realize that he is falling short; that he should reform his way to benefit from his age.
Dear student: regretting wasting time is more apparent in the time of the youth who is in the prime of life, nevertheless, he does not benefit from his youth and vigor! Rather he wastes it in useless matters, which return back to him in harm in this worldly life and the Hereafter.
Al-Hassan Al-Basri, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “When every day dawns it calls, ‘O son of Adam, I am a new day, a witness to your deeds, so take advantage of me because I never return’.”
O brother: you are in the prime of your life, strong, vigorous… but bother have you benefited from this strength and vigor?
Dear student: have you talked to yourself that you should benefit from every day of the vacation passing by you? Not a day to pass by but that you fill it with great accomplishments; to receive a new day with a new spirit that is full of vigor and seeking loftiness.
Then my brother: have it occurred to you that one day you want to be one of those great men you read about them; your righteous ancestors, may Allah be pleased with them?
Contemplate with me, O brother, about this story:
It was said, one day a wise man asked his son, “O son! What is your ultimate goal? Which man of the greatest men you want to be?
The son answered, “O father! I’d like to be like you.”
The father said, “O my son, let the wailers cry over your mind. When I was still growing up, I presumed that I will be like Ali ibn Abu Talib, may Allah be pleased with him. I strived hard to reach the status you see me in at present. There is a mega distance between me and Ali ibn Abu Talib as you are well aware. Does it please you now that you have asked to be like me, to have the distance between us the same as it is between me and Ali?
Dear student: seek loftiness, try gaining virtues, and do not be lazy… make your slogan:
Imitate the noble if you are not like them
imitating the noble is success
Brother: I also suggest that you have a notebook to write down the accomplishments of the vacation. The title would be, “The Accomplishments of the Vacation”. You write down all the things you have accomplished in the vacation so that when you receive the new school year and open the notebook, you will feel that you have benefited from your vacation.
Dear student: let me give you some examples of the accomplishments so you would know that not every accomplishment is called an accomplishment.
For example:
Have you prayed all the prayers in the mosque during the vacation? Write that down, dating it, every day by its date. If you miss a prayer or become late in a certain day, write it down as well; especially the Fajr prayer. Write down how many times you prayed the Fajr prayer in the mosque.
Write down: How many of the prayers have you prayed in the first row? Date that, too.
Write down: How many parts of the Quran have you read? Write this down with dates.
Write down: have you given anything in charity? Write down every day by dates.
Write down: your accomplishment in visiting relatives and checking them.
Write down: visiting your friends, let this visit be for Allah’s sake and hoping to attain His reward.
Write down: your accomplishment in carrying out the interests of family and home.
Write down: How many lectures and seminars have you attended? Write down the titles of the lectures and the names the sheikhs presenting them.
Write down: How many useful scientific thesis and books you have read, writing down the titles. It will be very great if you would have a table in which you write the number of pages you read each day, for example: Today I have read twenty pages and tomorrow, I have read thirty pages; then you are increasing the benefit, if the opposite happens you know that you fell short. The usefulness of this table helps you to determine your points of strength and weakness.
Write down: How many useful religious tapes you have heard, writing down their titles.
Write down: How many information you have known in the vacation whether from books, thesis, lectures or tapes. Record all this in a notebook so that when the new school year comes, you find your notebook filled with achievements!
Dear brother: may Allah guide you and me to the way of loftiness, may He grant us success both in this worldly life and the Hereafter.
This is a successful vacation
Dear student: no matter how long or short the vacation is, the diligent student can benefit from it and invest it in what will benefit him.
My brother: Do not you like to spend a successful vacation; free of worries and problems?! A vacation where you taste the real vacation!
Dear student: if you like, this is a guide to success I leave between your hands; so try to follow it.
The guide to success
First: you should receive the vacation with a new spirit; determined to succeed in spending a prosperous vacation.
Second: you must believe in yourself, do not be hesitant or fearful.
Third: you must comprehend that you are the future of many people; be worthy of this responsibility.
Fourth: try to acquire the righteous morals and virtues. By your righteous morals you are both a student and a role model. Without morals you are just a student.
Fifth: you must take serious practical steps. Do not say I will start tomorrow or the day after.
Sixth: hasten to join the panels of memorizing the Quran or the summer centers.
Dear student: here are some suggestions while you are in the beginning of your vacation:
Learn the Quran
Brother: Reading the Quran correctly is essential for every Muslim. The Quran is the origin of useful sciences. The Messenger of Allah, prayer and peace of Allah be upon him, has said, “The best among you is he who learn the Quran and teach it.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari]
«خيركم من تعلم القرآن وعلمه»رواه البخاري
So, O brother, be keen to learn and recite the Quran, and memorize what you can during the vacation. I suggest that you may:
- Join the panels of memorizing the Holy Quran.
- Choose a friend or a group of righteous friends to start memorizing in one panel so that you compete with one another.
- Benefit from tapes. I suggest that you choose the sheikh whose reciting you like the most and increase listening to his taped records. This will help you to memorize and perfecting it.
Above all, you must choose the most preferable way for you to memorize which will greatly help you doing that.
Scientific programs
The Muslim student must be familiar with the provisions of his religion; to worship Allah Almighty knowingly. The student can collect a lot of information and benefits in the vacation.
Here’s O brother, the most important points that will help you benefit from the scientific knowledge:
- Attending religious seminars and lectures and using the information presented in them.
- Listening to religious tapes, it is preferable to summarize them. This, my brother, will help you develop your ability to write and will improve your handwriting. It will accustom you to patience in writing, as well as increase your writing structural knowledge.
- Attending scientific workshops that take place in the vacation.
- Writing down information and benefits in a notebook which you can call, “the information notebook”. You can make it, O brother if you exert some effort, a scientific encyclopedia which includes a lot of information and benefits.
- Reading eloquent stories and anecdotes can be very helpful in developing your abilities in writing and spelling. It enables you to successfully continue your educational stages in excellence.
The most eloquent book is the Book of Allah Almighty (the Quran); so, O brother read it a lot.
Finally, I leave you in the care of Allah.
Dear student
How much you will be pleased with yourself when you ripe the fruit of your diligence; success and excellence.
How much your parents will be pleased with you the day when you are that successful excellent student.
How much your community will be pleased with you the day when you present it with the fruit of your diligence, giving and production.
Brother: make the vacation a new stage in your life; as it is a new stage in your school year.
Avoid staying late at night; it consumes your health to affect your success and excellence.
Avoid bad company, you cannot find anything of benefit with them for you.
Avoid everything that brings you close to the wrath and anger of Allah. Your success is due to Allah’s pleasure towards you.
Dear brother: try performing acts of obedience and righteous deeds in the vacation and in your school life and you will find them the best help in doing what you love.
Dear student: make your slogan diligence and vigor. Do not be lethargic. Make your vacation a part of the life of achievement and excellence.
I ask Allah for permanent success for you. May He grant you and me happiness in this worldly life and the Hereafter. All the praise and thanks be to Allah Almighty, and prayers and peace of Allah be upon Muhammad, and upon his family and companions.
Prepared by Ibn Khuzaymah House