In 1992, I stayed the final two months of my pregnancy at the hospital because the doctor wanted to make sure everything was under control at the last trimester. He was due for a C-section on 2/9/1992, but he was eager to see the world. And so on this day, 28/8/1992, my son Ahmad Ashraf Ilman was born at 12.47 am, a Friday, 28th of Safar, 1413
He opened his eyes the moment his father recited the azan in his ear. Yes he was familiar to his father’s voice. The nurse in the ward gave him a pinch – he was so active in the womb that it was always difficult to keep track of his heartbeat with the device for tracking fetal heartbeat. When he was born, all the Manaf motley crew waited outside the gates of the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital...and when he was born, his father, when asked what name was he to have, shouted out, “Ahmad Tiga Nama”.
Yes, from the very moment I knew he was to be a boy, I was diligently thinking of a meaningful muslim name, a name which he could carry and realise. I wanted him to be the very best in knowledge and who practices the most outstanding moral qualities with his knowledge. And his father , who studied Arabic found this name – ASHRAF ILMAN (NOBLE FOR HIS KNOWLEDGE) and AHMAD to emulate our beloved prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Hence, Ahmad Tiga Nama!
ALHAMDULILLAH, Allah answered our prayers for this son. He was talking quite fluently even before he learned to walk....”big lorry, small lorry”. Every time he dropped his little comfort pillow, I would tell him to pick it up, and soon after that whenever he wanted that pillow, he would ask for his ‘pick-it-up’ which soon became a household word. (his grandma called it Acap’s Kitab, learning the word by ear).
One time, when he was 2, he asked his great grandmother to please retrieve his ball under the bed. The poor old woman, God bless her, struggled to bend down to reach out to the ball under the bed. He looked at her, and handed her the cane. “You don’t have to bend, just fork it out with this cane, Unyang’.
Ashraf loved listening to me reading bedtime stories to him ... of the life of the Holy Prophet and his sahabah. As I read to him almost every night without fail, he would look at the words and ask questions. He never learnt the alphabet. At 3, he complained why it was that Ummi could speak English and he couldn’t. I thought he was ready for school, so off he went to his first kindie – Jack and Jill; enrolled him in the readiness class. And then I got pregnant with his younger brother and had to be admitted, our first separation. The next day he came to visit me with his aunt and the latter told me, “Do you know your son can read?” I was stunned, and showed him the newspaper ... and he started reading slowly but surely.
“How did you learn how to read, Acap?” I asked truly amazed. His answer still rings in my ear.
“Every time you read to me, I look at the words and then I knew what the letters sound like.” Allah has blessed this child and from that moment, it was my top priority in life to make sure my son did not lose this gift by Allah. After that began his exceptional thirst for reading. He read whatever books he could get his hands on. On day he followed me for my maternity check up and he saw the diagram of the female reproductive system. In all simplicity he exclaimed, “I know this – the uterus”. Even I was taken aback at how advanced he was. For that remark he got a pinch from the nurse there; yet again.
To balance his knowledge input, I personally tutored him in Quran recitation. Knowing he has very powerful memory, I encouraged him to memorise the simpler surahs. It was easy for him, provided he was not tired. At six, he requested to learn more of the Quran, so we sent him to a private Islamic school. Upon registration, he was given the set of books written in Jawi. Later in the evening, he looked worried and I asked him why.
“I cant read these, I don’t know the alphabets.” So I tried my best to show what the jawi alphabets sounded like. By 9 pm, I had to put his younger brother to bed, so I told him to prepare for bed too. He told me he would do it in a while. At 11 pm, I was awaken by a very excited Ashraf.
“Ummi, I know how to read this now,” and proceeded to show me what he has achieved.He was reading the book fairly fluently. From that moment on, I knew my son was a self-assessed learner. Alhamdulillah.
He has surprised me numerous times when he was a child. When I was sick, he took my hand and he was soon busy uttering words which I could not quite make out. When I asked him what he was reading, he answered simply, “Ayat Kursi Ummi.” I paid attention; it was indeed the ayat Kursi...he was hardly 6 at that time. By the time he was 7, he started fasting, and I believe up to this day, he has only missed one day of fasting.
One day when he was 5, he came home from school complaining that his kindie teacher had kissed him. I asked him why.
“We were playing outside the school and my friends started to pick the flowers. It is not nice to pick the flowers from the stem right Ummi, coz you said flowers are important to produce new plants right Ummi? So I told my friends not to hurt the plant and then suddenly the teacher kissed me,” he said looking a bit puzzled.
At another time, when he was 6, he returned from school and told me he would have to quit the kindergarten. Taken by surprise, I asked him why.
“My teacher said those in Express class must not waste time during break. So she said we must walk in the kitchen, just drink while standing and walk out again. I cant do that Ummi. I am a Muslim, and muslims sit down properly when drinking, right?” The next day I went off to the kindie and spoke to Mrs Nadarajah. Ashraf did not have to quit school.
At one point in his young years, I noticed Ashraf was not eating well. He was a chubby child who normally enjoyed his food. Yet I could see the yearning in his eyes when he looked at his brother’s meal. I decided to find out why. His answer?
“My ustaz says that we should eat only when we are hungry and stop before we are full,” he said earnestly. O my poor baby. Once again the very next day I went to his Islamic school to talk to the ustaz. I don’t know what the ustaz told him, but soon he was eating normally again, Alhamdulillah.
Alhamdulillah, I believe he has grown up to be a good, trustworthy Muslim young man, playing his role as a leader wherever he goes, as I have prayed for him every day. He is a man, and therefore he must know how to be a leader. Alhamdulillah, I believe he is carrying his name well, for I can see he is well liked and respected by his friends, teachers and relatives. And he is still doing well in his studies. Alhamdulillah, he has grown to be an obedient son, and now, I am learning a lot about Islam from him, for which I am so grateful for.
Alhamdulillah, I see also the stubborn streak in him (wondering where he might have inherited it from [tongue in cheek]); for this stubborn streak, although at times riles me up, but has put him in good stead against those who antagonise him. Alhamdulillah, his insatiable love and zeal for knowledge has made him one who appreciates learning, and puts him at an advantage in his studies. Ashraf learns for the love of knowledge I know, not solely for the sake of exams. Alhamdulillah, he is closely attached to his faith in Allah, and that he sets a good example to his younger brother. Alhamdulillah, he is a good son, for I know he is studying to get a place in the medical faculty because it is his Ummi’s wish to see him become a doctor.
Ashraf is not a handsome boy, he is dark and stern looking (wondering yet again who has taken after); he does not know much how to socialise and he is sometimes emotional. He can be quite forgetful, misplacing things and never remembers to hang his towel. He has only just learnt how to fold and wash his own clothes. He is hardly a sportsman.
Yet for as long as he is true to his faith, for as long as he strives to be the best, for as long as he remembers his duties to God, to his parents and family, to his studies, inshaallah I can live with his weaknesses too.
And today, he celebrates his 18th birthday. Happy Birthday my beloved son, AHMAD ASHRAF ILMAN – the one made noble for his knowledge. THANK YOU FOR BEING IN MY LIFE..THANK YOU FOR BEING MY SON. I AM TRULY BLESSED. YOU HAVE MADE ME THE RICHER IN LIFE AND I PRAY ...THE HEREAFTER TOO.
I LOVE YOU ALWAYS AND FOREVER ASHRAF ...YOU HAVE MY BLESSINGS!
No comments:
Post a Comment