By Aruj Sipra

‘When youre little, there is nothing that brings as much light into your life as standing in the shadow of your father. And, as you grow old, there is nothing that brings as much light into your heart as those memories of standing in the shadow of your father. ‘Susan Gale

Indeed, Fathers are the biggest source of strength for a child. The innocent eyes of a child perceive father as the all-powerful, most knowledge, truly affectionate and the most important person in the family. For daughters, fathers are the first men they admire and fall in love with. While for sons their fathers are the strongest person they know and someone they hope to compete with. Even for the grownups fathers are someone whom they look up to for the most experienced and honest advice that is always in the best of their interest.

In the Quran, appreciation and treatment of parents is described beautifully in Surah Al-Isra in which Allah (swt) says,

“Your Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness lower to them the wing of humility and say: My Lord! Bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.” (Quran 17:23-24)

Children blessed with a loving father should consider themselves fortunate. For, they have someone to take care of their needs and interests and someone to stop them when they are going on a wrong path.

My Father died 14 years back but his memory is still fresh in my mind.Imti (short for Imtiaz) as he was lovingly called by his siblings, was a man of great wisdom and high caliber. He was difficult to understand and hard to come to grip with but at the same time, a lovable person. He went out of his way every single day of his life to make sure his family was well taken care of. Everything he did for us was done out of love, nurture and care. He lived for his family, and I know the sky was the limit when it came to any one of us.

There is a proverb,’ “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” All we need is a sense of direction, or an inspired road map, to help us achieve the very best and the best person to tell us, the father. He has desire of looking his son or daughter at the highest point of success. His will to be a successful father never goes end. He wants to see his children at the peak of achieving new targets. My father had been an extraordinarily talented athlete in his younger days and has a roll of honour (Pole Vault) from Government College where he did his Masters in Psychology. He wanted to see his three children excelling in sports and other fields just like he did. He always believed in us, and any time he saw us be passionate about something, he let us do it. After few trials and errors when we finally succeeded, just like the sun from behind a cloud, his eyes would light up and whole face would shine telling us he is proud of us.

Love is shown by words, actions and the time spent with one another. Showing someone you love them isnt by the material things you give them. It’s the people we love most that we take most for granted! It’s easy to spend less time with your family because they will always be there for you (or so you assume). It’s easy to put off conveying your love to your loved ones because there seems to be no urgency at play. It’s easy to let home relationships slip because you assume there are more pressing things to deal with. But what could possibly be more important than your family? Is there any wisdom in being successful yet alone?

Every one of you who is reading this article have parents that are aging if you are still blessed enough to have them on this earth. No matter how old your parents are the reality is that any of us could lose our parents at any time. Let’s all make an effort to make more time for them, express more love for them, and make sure they feel appreciated while we still have them with us.

I am  proud and have the great privilege of receiving posthumous medal -the highest civilian award (Pride of Performance) awarded by the government of Pakistan in acknowledgment of my father’s life long services rendered in sports Journalism.

What is your most fond memory of your father?

About the Author

Aruj Sipra is the Community Manager at MuslimMoms.ca.  Just as Fathers Day was approaching Aruj had to face another tragedy of losing her father in law on the Eve of Ramadan . A wonderful man;  he will be missed terribly . This article is a tribute to him too.