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Sunday, April 16, 2006

It's official (and a Sunnah): Shared mealtimes mean healthier, happier families

From the independent:

Children and parents are united in their appreciation of the benefits of eating together and value the intimacy that this brings, according to new research.

In the study, based on surveys of more than 900 families, researchers found that parents place greatest importance on eating together, with younger children most likely to agree with them. Teenagers still prove reluctant converts, though, becoming less inclined to prioritise the family meal as they get older, and find the lure of the TV dinner more appealing. Adolescents are not known for making regular appearances at the family dining table, but experts point out that family mealtimes are a necessity and should not be viewed as an occasional bonus, as they help to keep families healthy and harmonious.

The study, by the University of Minnesota, is published in the latest edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. It concludes: "Family meals may be a useful mechanism for enhancing family togetherness and communication and for role modelling behaviours that parents would like their children to emulate."

Guess what the Sunnah is?

The Emissary of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) said, ‘Gather together over your food and you will be blessed in it.’ Anas [ibn Malik] said, ‘The Emissary of God (may God bless him and grant him peace) used not to eat alone.’ And the Emissary of God said, ‘The best food is that over which there are many hands.

6 comments:

Abu Adam said...

This was the way of all the Prophets (alaihis salam)

Daee Ahmad Moait mentioned that Ibrahim alaihis salam (Prophet Abraham Peace be Upon Him) used to always make sure he had guests over when he was eating, and if he didn't, he would run outside trying to find a traveller or anyone who didn't have food and invite them home for his supper.

You can see a bit of Ibrahim (alaihis salam)'s generosity as mentioned in the Quran when the angels visited him he prepared a delicious meal for them, the best of his food, a young cow i believe he slaughtered just for them!

For more details on my source, see www.noora1.com and listen or watch the series called "Lives of Messengers and Prophets" (I believe its CD 6 that talks about Ibrahim)

WAllahu Alem (And God Knows Best!)

Din said...

Thanks for that Abdullah :-). I tried accessing the website. Doesnt fully work for me :-(

Need to read up more on other Prophets ( May Allah be pleased with them). Perhaps I should but the book By Ibn Kathir.

Abu Adam said...

Here is the exact link: http://www.noorallahproductions.com/life_of_messengers.htm

Please note, even though the title might be "lives of messengers and prophets", i would really call it "purification from diseases of the heart by learning from messengers and prophets"

i really benefited from the lessons we can learn from Adam alaihis salam and Shaytan ar-rajeem

Anonymous said...

As-Salamo-Alaikum wa Rahmatulah

I went to Daee Ahmed website and I had some serious problems with his sources. I advise each and everyone of you to be careful as you surf the web for beneficial knowledge. May Allah reward the Daee for all of his efforts and forgive his mistakes BUT no one should speak about Allah and His prophets without knowledge. Check out the Daee sources and you'll realize what I am saying. Who did he study with? Where did he get his knowledge from. He claims that he is not a scholar yet his web site is knowlege based. He should declare to the people who his teachers are. There should be no secrets when it comes to beneficial knowledge. If Daee Ahmed list his teachers and he claims, (Allah knows best), they were many; we'll understand his aqeeda and manhaj. The People of knowledge studied for years and were nurtured by many (REAL not IMIGINARY) scholars/people of knowledge and they made known publicly who their teachers were. They were not afraid of any one except Allah. For example, shaykh-ul-Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah, raheemullah, in "Diseases Of The Hearts and Their Cures", lists his teachers, and they were eleven. Even students who took knowlege from Shaykh-ul-Islam were listed. It is important to know that Shaykh Ul-Islam raheemullah was imprisoned numerous times and ultimately died in prison for what??? For speaking the HAQQ... for defending the religion of Islam. This Scholar was banned from reading and writing while in jail. His Student, Ibn Kathir said, "there were so many people in front of his funeral, behind it, to its right and its left. None but Allah could enumerate them, and then someone shouted, 'this is how the funerals of the Imams of the Sunnah are to be!' At that the people started to cry..." [(Ibn Kathir (14/138)] To summarize: Yes Daee Ahmed will make you feel good, yes,he will make you cry and yes,he will cause you to love The Creator and sacrifice for Him BUT the Shiaa, the Sufi, the Christians, even the Buddist etc. will do the same. Remembe the advise of The prophet, sallalahu Alaihi Wa Salam "And this Ummah will split into seventy-three sects, all of them in the Hellfire but one." (Bukharee). Imam Haneefah (D. 150H) rahimahullaah said "Adhere to the athar (narration) and the tareeqah (way) of the Salaf (Pious Predecessors) and beware of newly invented matters for all of it is innovation." (reported by As-Soyootee in Sawn al Mantaq wal-Kalaam p.32). And we all know that every innovation is misguidance and rejected and will therefore be in the hellfire, may Allah save us all. My advise, please do not take your KNOWLEDGE from the likes of Daee Ahmed. Take your KNOWLEDGE from the top- from the Ulemmah. Know who you are taking your knowlege from. Everyone claims to follow Quran and Sunnah today but ONLY a few follow the advise of the Prophet, Sallahu Alaihi wa Salam. Listen to his, Sallahu Alaihi wa Salam, words, "The Best People are those living in my generation, and those who will follow them and those who will follow the latter and then there will come some people who will bear witness before taking oaths and take oaths before bearing witness", (Imam Bukharee). And now, listen to the words of Allah, "And whoever contradicts and opposes the Messenger after the Right Path has been shown clearly to him, and follows other than the believers' way. We shall keep him in the path he has chosen, and burn him in Hell-what an evil destination." (Surah An-Nisa' Ayah 115). The Prophet Sallahu Alaihi wa Salam said, "whoever traverses a path in search of knowledge, Allah makes easy for him a Path to Paradise. Verily, the Angels lower their wings in contentment for the seeker of knowledge. The inhabitants of the Heavens and the inhabitants of the earth and even the fish in the water seek forgivenss for the scholar. And the excellence of the scholar over the general worshipper is like the excellence (of the brightness) of the moon over (the twinkling of ) the stars. Indeed the scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets. The Prophets do not leave behind Deenars nor dirham as inheritance, rather they leave behind knowlege, and whoever takes from it has taken an abundant treasure." [Sunnah Abu Dawood (3/317 no. 3641 and Sunan at-Tirmidhee(5.48 no 2682)] I beg all of you to take YOUR KNOWLEDGE FROM THE SCHOLARS!!! Do not follow any one blindly. One may talk, look and act "publicly and on the surface" like Ahl Quran was Sunnah but deep within lies, innovation. Be Aware of this. Imam Muhammad Ibn Sireen (d. 110 H) said ,"Indeed this knowledge is the religion so be careful and pay attention to who you take it from." [Muslim no. 114) and in the introduction to Saheeh Muslim (1/15)]. "And remind for indeed the reminder benefits the believers." (Surah Adh-Dhaariyaat, Ayah 55) Jazakum Allah Kheir.

Anonymous said...

Jaza-Allaho Khair for your insights. The statements you quoted had a huge impact on my heart. Yes, you are so right, we must be careful where we take our knowledge from.

Salam alaykom.
Rashid As-Swaidi

Anonymous said...

Jazak Allah Khair for comments but I would like to put a point. Instead of criticising Da'e Ahmad or others, lets focus on the message he has. Do watch the series "Condition of Ummah" and you will know what i am talking about.

Wa Ma taufiki illa billahi