This post is a little bit late, but I wanted to share my thoughts about this past Eid last week.

Muslims celebrate two holidays. Eid ul Fitr which celebrates the end of Ramadan which is a month of devotion and fasting. And we celebrate Eid ul Adha which honors the sacrifice that Ibrahim (as) was prepared to make.

How many of us would have been willing to sacrifice a child?

In the Quran, Allah (swt) tests Ibrahim (as) by sending a command to sacrifice his son Ismail (as) in a dream. Ibrahim (as) was torn. He was convinced he had to do it, but look at the beauty of the verse in the Quran. In Surah 37 ayah 102:

And when he was old enough to go about and work with him, (one day) Abraham said to him: “My son, I see in my dream that I am slaughtering you. So consider (and tell me) what you think.”

He said: “Do as you are bidden. You will find me, if Allah so wills, among the steadfast.”

While most parents focus on the obedience part of Ismail (as), I noticed that Ibrahim (as) as a parent treated his son as an adult mA. He tells his son about his dream and doesn’t just order that he obeys Allah (swt)’s command, he asks his son “What do you think?”

As a parent, I find it easy to tell my daughter to do something, but it’s a bit more challenging to sit there and explain why.

But in the Quran, it clearly shows that these two Prophets shared a relationship of mutual admiration and trust.

I can only hope that I can aspire to a certain degree of this, but I do know that this particular Eid will always remind me that parenting is not just about ordering your child to do what’s best, but having a real relationship based on mutual trust and affection iA.

I hope you all had a lovely Eid! And please make dua for all of us. I pray that all the Hajjis making their way back have their accepted iA. Stay tuned for fashion tips for curvy hijabis coming soon iA!