In the scent of his son, I found the love of a father ❤

We often talk about the love of a mother by quoting instances from the Qur’an or phases of her difficult life. Yet there’s something so beautiful about the love of a father as well, and so gently and simply yet straightforwardly mentioned in the Qur’an in the story of Yusuf AS.
I coudn’t stop my tears when I read this verse –

وَلَمَّا فَصَلَتِ الْعِيرُ قَالَ أَبُوهُمْ إِنِّي لَأَجِدُ رِيحَ يُوسُفَ ۖ لَوْلَا أَن تُفَنِّدُونِ

And when the caravan departed [from Egypt], their father said, “Indeed, I find the smell of Joseph [and would say that he was alive] if you did not think me weakened in mind.” [Surah Yusuf, verse 94]

I find it to be a super emotional verse that depicts the love of a father who went blind grieving for his beloved son. The same father who remembers the smell of that same son 40 years later miles away from him just because the other sons return from being in the presence of him!
The father whose love Allah SWT has honored and recorded in the book to be remembered for centuries till today and till the heareafter!

My mother often told me that if she were blindfolded and each of us 5 sisters walked in the corridor outside the room, she’d be able to tell which one is who based on the sound of our footsteps! Imagine remembering the smell of your son, 40 years later when you’re so old, and your son himself has grown up, lived through different places and experiences other than yours! Such was the love of a righteous man for his son, an ‘abd of Allah SWT whom Allah SWT never abandoned; the love of Yaqub AS for Yusuf AS.

Indeed in having a righteous spouse is one of life’s biggest blessings.

I cried when I read this verse because it took me on a journey back with everything my father did and still does for me.

It also made me realise that no matter how far my husband is from his son, he spends every breath in my son’s remembrance.

A father’s love is deep. He may not be as expressive as the mother or women, in talking about it, but when it comes to nurturing the child, he leaves nothing out. His love is manifested in his actions, and in all his efforts in the upbringing of the child.

His presence in itself is significant enough to profoundly influence the child’s *and its mother’s* life.

My father has been my role model for a very long time. He’s taught me things I’d take ages to write here; from being a helper to my mother in all the ‘womanly’ home chores without shying away, to a brother to us 5 girls in all ways steering younger than his actual age; badminton practices to swimming lessons, weekend picnics to afternoon Qur’an lessons, attending PTAs to taking us for our friends parties, carrying me to my bed from the TV room to carrying my heavy school bag upstairs every single day. From being our financial and mental support in college to striving to find the rightest possible spouse for us. From talking over the phone until he’s given us all his wise and practical advices when we’re facing a dilemma to his simple jokes and tete-a-tetes. From making sure he leaves nothing out in taking care of our inlaws expectations to ensuring we have everything at its best for welcoming the new baby’s arrival, even if that meant risking taking too many paid holidays from office. From patiently bearing with my annoying behaviour in this new phase to singing to his grandchild and rocking him to calm him down. And what not daddy, what not? :’)

And so with my husband; Its been only 25 days since he’s become a father and yet I’ve seen fatherhood manifested in his life in so many beautiful ways: from helping UmmAhmed to get some rest while taking care of Ahmed to staying up with me all night so as to give me company in taking care of my child’s needs, from reciting to the baby to calm him down to discussing his recent reflections over the Quranic verses with me hence making my heart feel alive, from burping the baby when I’m too tired to being my one and only strong emotional and mental support at this most vulnerable time. A time where I’m physically, mentally and emotionally weak! From being a silent listener to all my feelings, emotions and stories, to enduring me, and empathizing with me and explaining to me that its all natural to feel all that in this phase, and reassuring everything is going to be alright soon iA. From doing all he can for the comfort and safety of the baby and me, to arranging for all the things he isn’t directly able to cater to..

Its a totally different sort of happiness my heart feels when I see my husband become a father. And in his own words, ‘You really never know what it is to be a father, until you become one. When you hold your child for the first time and recite the adhaan in his ears feeling this connection just between the two, and watching him listen to you attentively and realizing that this is the first of many lessons you’re going to teach him! Adhaan, the call for prayer. The praises of Allah SWT. The tawheed of Allah swt. The secret to success in life. And everything else, in these few phrases’

Realize the love of your father today. Its deep and it has a lot to offer.

This post may not mean much to my readers. Its more of something I’m just feeling right now. Scared while looking at my son and wondering how I’m going to bring him up and not just that but how I’m going to face the remaining sleepless nights, I watch my dad battling his age and taking care of me and my mom and sister and baby and then close my eyes and remember everything my husband did that brought us happiness and then open my eyes again to find this verse about Yaqub AS and the love of a father. :’) ❤

Missing AbuAhmed 😦