PENSIVE LETTER

Ahmad Adedimeji Amobi Writes:

Dear daughter,

I'm writing this letter to you from the briefed heart of mine. A life I live can be called mystery, I couldn't tell. This letter is directed to you alone and your brothers are in exclusion, they can live their life as mine, my mother trained me like that.

The world we live now abhors the intervention of religion in all matters, I wouldn't have written this but I forced it out of the sacred place I kept it. You should know this, I am Muslim, this doesn't 'automsticalize' your being a Muslim, it is not a birth right nor it is an inheritance, it is a command from my and your creature. It was stated in the holy book.

I'm not dead while I wrote this letter but assumed dead, an advise left by a dead father to his daughter must be strictly adhered. I was commanded to tell you some things which if you fail to comply, I may not have a peaceful rest.

You must be a Muslim. You may have friends who practice contrasting religion, you are commanded not to emulate them, emulate your father who emulates the prophet. A scholarly poem once said, "train your children, so they could be your true heirs when you've left the earth". I want you to be a resourceful heir for me.

You must be "knowreligious". The Almighty Allah said in his holy book that, "he elevates the religious among you but elevates higher those that are knowledgeable". He affirmed by saying, "know me before you worship me, and if you don't know me me how would you worship me?". Insinuatingly, what the Almighty was affirming is the importance of being knowledgeable and as well be religious. So, you must be knowreligious.

Morality, your watch word. Without telling you what moral is, you ought to know it as conforming oneself to the quality right behaviours. Qualities of virtuousness are what you know but you'll be reminded of.

Exemplary attitude. You should know that your attitude determines your altitude. An Islamic scholar said, 'your reward shall come from your attitude'. Dear daughter, be charitable, accessible and approachable ( I hope you understand these). The prophet of your dad warns.

Addressable dressing. You should be related with the popular saying that " the manner you dress determines the manner you'll be addressed ". The qoute seems simple and popular, but its application is not circular. Dress according to the way the prophet instructs that " your dressing starts from your head till your toes". I repeat, emulate your father who emulates the prophet.

Your tongue, your saviour. Your tongue, your extinguisher. Were you told of a story of a man who was survived by his tongue? May be your mother forgot to tell you. A man , Laureus Vander, who was captured by the Japanese army at Java during the second world war. Do you know what saved him? His tongue. When he said a phrase in Japanese which could be translated as 'would you please be so kind as to await an honourable moment?'. Just that and he was saved. It wasn't what he said but how presented those honourable words honourably. The prophet warns in one of his traditions that ' Hold your tongue, stay indoors and weep over your tears'. Watch it.

Your husband must be a Muslim!!! Choose what is right for yourself.

Dear daughter, I seem getting tired of writing this letter. But I am not tired. I think I will stop here but before I take my complementary close, know these; be religious, it will tell you everything about Islam including the five obligatory prayers; be generous, old or young, be generous; be respectful, respect is reciprocal, get this into your brain not skull; and lastly I leave will of two things for you and one, "Qur'an and Hadith". The two must me your guardians, they should be the steerers of your life. They steered me. The last thing is words of the wises, they know what you don't. Being wise is a gift from God, we can't all be wise.

The cosmos is big enough to live in when you take it with levity, but seems squeezed when taken with gravity.
A letter from a dearest father to his affectionate daughter.