Lesson No. 9 - A Father's Advise

A Father's Advise
( A Letter)

Al Maskan,
Ajaf Road , Lahore
Jan 16, 1994.

My dear son,

Let me tell you that you are a part of my body and soul. Whenever I look at you I feel I am looking at my self. Therefore I am committing some pieces of advice to paper and sending them to you since there may be a time in the near future when I will no longer remain with you, for whoever lives must die.
My first and foremost advice to you, my son, is to fear Allah. Be His obedient servant. Carefully guard the rope which connects you with Him for no other connection can be stronger and more durable than this to command greater respect. He who is the Mater of death is death is also the Master of life.

My dear son, so far as your behaviour with other human beings is concerned, let your "self" act as a scale to help you judge its goodness or wickedness. Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you. Whatever you like for yourself, like it for others. Whatever you dislike for yourself, spare others from it. Do not oppress and tyrannise anybody as you as surely do not wish to the oppressed or tyrannised. Be kind and sympathetic to others as you surely want others to treat you kindly and sympathetically. Whatever habits you find hateful in others, abstain from developing those habits. Do not speak about others in the way you do not like others to speak about you.

Remember son, that vanity and conceit will bring you serious harm and will be a constant source of danger to you. Therefore, lead a well-balanced life. Neither be conceited nor suffer from inferiority complex and exert yourself to earn an honest living whenever you achieve the thing you desire, do not feel proud but be humble and bow to Him and realize that your success was due to His mercy and favour.

You must also know that you cannot have every wish of yours granted. You cannot expect to escape death nor the Day of Judgement ; and you are passing yours days of life as others have done before you. Therefore control your desires; cravings and expectations. Be moderate in your demands, earn your livelihood through honest means and be contented with it. Go slow and do not let your desires which will lead you towards disappointment and loss.

Remember, he who controls his desires has self-respect. He does not beg or pray for things and will not always remain unlucky or disappointed. So do not brings down yourself-respect; do not be mean and submissive. Nothing in this world can compensate for the loss of self-respect, nobleness of mind and honour. Wages earned through hard but respectable and honourable labour are better than the wealth which you may gather through sin and wickedness, and poverty is better than the disgrace and humiliation of begging .

Finally, my son, do not make yourself a slave of any body. Allah has created you a free man. Do not sell freedom at any cost or in return for anything. If you can succeed in having no body as your benefactor but Allah, then He will grant you your share. Know it there are two kinds of livelihood; one which you are searching for and the other which is in search of you. It will reach you even if you do not try to obtain it.

I would like to end by saying, do not be like persons on whom advise has no effect and they require punishment to correct them. A sensible and reasonable acquires education and culture through advise, whereas brutes and beasts always accept correction through punishment.
With this I entrust you unto Allah and His protection in both this world and the next one.

Allah Hafiz.
Your affectionate father,
Ibne- Adam

Words

Meanings

.
Durable

like to last for a long time
Oppress

rule cruelly
Abstain

hold oneself back; refrain
Tyrannise

rule cruelly and unjustly
Conceit

too much pride in oneself
Contended

satisfied
Moderate

having reasonably limits
Entrust

trust somebody to complete/ safeguard something

EXERCISES

Q:1 Use any five of the words below in sentences of your own.

Durable

Nothing of this world is durable.
Oppress

Do not oppress others.
Abstain

Abstain from back biting.
Vanity

Allah does not like vanity and conceit.
Conceit

The word conceit means a high opinion of your own qualities or abilities, especially one that is not justified.
Exert

Foreign T.V. channels exerting upon people badly.
Moderate

Islam teaches us to lead a moderate life.
Contended

A contended person has the real peace of mind.
Entrust

I entrust you unto Allah.

Q:2 Punctuate the following passage:

there are two ways of leading a life one is the way of allah and the prophets the other the way of satan the way of allah is to be honest virtuous pious and sympathetic towards mankind and all living creatures the other way is that of a dishonourable schemer who would not hesitate to follow any evil to gain his selfish ends.

Ans: There are two ways of leading a life. One is the way of Allah and the Prophets, the other way of Satan. The way of Allah is to be honest, virtuous, pious and sympathetic towards mankind and all living creatures. The other way is that of a dishonourable schemer who would not hesitate to follow any evil to gain his selfish ends.

Q:3 Pronunciation and spelling:

The sound of (er) is like a long (r). It is often spelled er.
Better - international - longer
Other - poorer - greater
Rather - person - danger
Water - wonderful
Easier - serve
Center - never
Modern - stronger

Sometimes the spelling for (er) is or.

Visitor - Investor - doctor
Creator - benefactor

In certain one syllable words the sound is ear or ar.

Early - learn - earn
Yearn

Q:4 Comprehension:

i) Give the qualities of Allah as done by the writer of the letter.

Ans: Allah is the best companion. He is the Master of Life and Master of Death. He is the creator of everything. He is the Greatest Benefactor. He is the Best Protector.

ii) "Do unto others as you wish others to do unto you". What should one do and what should one not do according to the advice give in the letter?
Ans: According to this statement one should do good to others. One should be kind and sympathetic to others. One should not oppress and tyrannize others. One should not speak ill of others.

iii) What is required by a person who wishes to lead "a well balanced life"?
Ans: A person who wishes to lead a well balanced life should control his desires. He should be contented with his honest earning. He should neither be proud nor suffer from inferiority complex. He should have faith in God.

iv) What does a man lose when he tries to attain his heart's desire?
Ans: A man loses his self respect and honour in an effort to attain his heart's desires.

v) What is the respectful way of earning a livelihood?
Ans: the respectable way of earning a livelihood is through honest means.

vi) What kind of advice has been given by the father to the son?
Ans: The father has given the son advice as to how to live a balanced life full of contentment.

Q:5 Match with the opposites as shown in example:

Durable (1) Excessive (5)
Loathsome (2) Noble (4)
Vile (3) Temporary (1)
Base (4) Worthy (3)
Moderate (5) Lovable (2)

Q:6 Match with the word having the same meaning as shown in example.

Durable (1) Dishonour (5)
Humiliation (2) Disgrace (2)
Cravings (3) Longings (3)
Abstain (4) Avoid (4)
Scandal (5) Lasting (1)

Q:7 Make adverbs from the following words.
e.g. humble - humbly

careful - carefully
free - freely
slow - slowly
honest - honestly

kind - Kindly

serious - seriously

.

Q:8 Use the following idiomatic phrases in sentences of your own:

a) go slow : move or act carefully.
Ans: You will succeed in your aim if you go slow.

b) drive one madly : make one act without carefully thinking.
Ans: Your desires may drive you madly.

c) bring down : lower / destroy.
Ans: Government is trying to bring down prices.

d) gather around : close by us, around us.
Ans: A lot of people gathered around the juggler.

e) sell one's freedom : give up your right for money or gifts or position.
Ans: Most people sell their freedom to obtain undue benefits.

Q:9 Write a letter to your father thanking him for teaching you so many good things and values of life. (Take help from the letter you have just studied). Show how your good habits have helped you in life and how you have been able to gain respect among friends.

Ans:
P653, Tariq Abad,
Faisalabad city,
26th May 2009

My dear Father,

Thank you very much for the letter in which you gave me some pieces of advice a successful and respectable life.

You have advised me to remain obedient to Allah; kind to His creatures, abstain from bad habits; speak kindly to others; avoid being proud and conceited; control my desires and demands; to earn an honest living and to safeguard my self respect and freedom.

I think, it is the best advice a father could give to his son. You will be glad to know that I have started acting upon your advice with commitment. It has brought a change in my life. It has given me peace of mind and helped me in gaining respect of my friends.

Thanking you once again.

With respect to mother.

Your loving son,
Ali Akbar Anjum

Q:10 Creative writing

What are the duties of parents and teachers towards their children and students? Write in 100 to 150 words.

Ans: The duties of parents and teachers towards their children and students are manifold:

(a) the parents should provide them with necessities of life. They should keep an eye on their behaviour. They should advise them how to lead a better life. They should arrange for their education.

(b) The teacher should not only give them worldly knowledge but also guide them in religious and moral affairs. They should guide the students how to prepare for the life after death.

(C) The parents and teachers should advise them to say their prayers regularly. They should give them Quranic education so that they succeed in this world and on the Day of Judgement.

IDIOMS enter