Your Family is Your Garden! Part 1
What is a Garden?
In most dictionaries the meaning of the word ‘garden’ is given as, “a piece of land, usually in a yard next to your house, where you grow flowers and vegetables.” However, if you view a garden from a different perspective then you will realise that it is much, much more than what is explained in these dictionary meanings.
It is a place where you experience the actual serenity, the real tranquillity. Much of your personal peace and happiness comes from the time you spend in your garden. It soothes your soul like nothing else that you do during your entire day.
It is a place where you observe buds blooming into flowers that have captivating beauty, velvety smoothness and exquisite fragrance. Some of these flowers ultimately ripen into the most appetizing fruits or vegetables. It is also the place where you get to see the most attractive and colourful birds, insects and numerous other amazing creations of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
In short, this is the place where you get the opportunity to witness the Jamaal (Beauty), the Grace, the Greatness, the Power, and numerous other Divine Attributes of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
To achieve a fully satisfying harvest from your garden, you have to give your maximum time and energy. You have to work very hard, using the right tools, gardening wisdom and a willing spirit. You need to care for the plants once they’re in the soil, making sure they are well watered and fed, given adequate support and are not growing in competition with weeds and are free from pests and plant diseases.
The Family Garden
Now let us turn to another kind of garden. This garden is the ‘Family’ that you are sharing with Your Spouse!
In this Family Garden, the children that Allah Ta’ala presents to you are like Buds, Flowers and Fruit that ultimately develop into the most beautiful Human Beings!
Compared to the conventional garden that was explained above, this family garden’s attributes are much more superior in Value, in Significance, in Splendour. This family garden holds a very high status in the lives of its gardeners, who are ‘the Husband and his Wife’.
In this garden Allah also endows you with an amazing way to directly communicate with these buds, flowers and fruits.
Working in Harmony
While in almost every customary garden the gardener alone has the sole responsibility to look after it and take full care of it, in the family garden it is the joint responsibility of the married couple to work in harmony with one another.
To obtain the finest results, the couple has to develop cordiality, love and respect for one another! Each one has to give maximum sacrifice of time, emotions, money, sleep, comfort, etc. If you are not willing to deal jointly with your problems and differences, you will never enjoy a bountiful harvest.
Nurturing Your Flowers
In a garden the seeds develop into plants and from these plants we get buds. These buds gradually blossom into very enticing flowers that emit very sweet fragrances. Ultimately, these flowers develop into very tasty fruit or vegetables.
In the same manner, in a human garden the progression is: Infants, Toddlers, Adolescents and finally young Adults.
During all these stages the couple in their roles as parents of the children have to see that they nurture their children in the best possible manner. You should water them with love, care and attention. Nourish them with praise and compliments. In fact, give them a compliment each and every day.
As the couple, you should mutually offer them warmth and cordiality by:
- Giving your maximum support when they need it.
- Playing with them and having fun with them.
- Helping them with their Madrasah and schoolwork.
(Haqqseeker Marhoom, To be continued, Insha Allah)