Skip to main content

Helping your Wife/Mother at home

Bismillah irRahman irRahim
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful





It is generally said that we don’t know whats happening in others lives until we step into their shoes. I feel this is very true for our homes as well. In fact a lot of domestic issues will be sorted out if we understand the state of the other person. We need to do this most importantly with our women; we men have no idea what they go through at all!

It was a normal day’s start for me until I heard that the maid is not going to come today, she has taken an off. If you are married and have experienced similar situation, you would know what the home turns into when the maid takes an off at the last moment!!!

After lunch, when I stepped into the kitchen, I saw a huge pile of utensils to be washed. I realised that the utensils from yesterday, today’s breakfast and lunch have piled up! I opened the drawer to see if we have any utensil that we can use for dinner and next day’s breakfast but found that there is none!

My wife is expecting and from her face I could see that she is not in a state to do the utensils. It was at this time that couple of Ahadith came into my mind - 

It was asked `Aisha "What did the Prophet (ﷺ) use to do in his house?" She replied, "He used to keep himself busy serving his family and when it was the time for prayer he would go for it.” (Bukhari)

The Prophet said: "The best of you is the one who is best to his wife, and I am the best of you to my wives.” (Susan Ibn Majah)

Though (by the grace of Allah) I keep on helping my wife in household work, I thought today I have a wonderful opportunity to gain some extra good deeds inshaAllah. So, I told her that I will do the utensils and she can just go and relax! That look on her face, I still remember that 😃

"He who alleviates the suffering of a brother out of the sufferings of the world, Allah would alleviate his suffering from the sufferings of the Day of Resurrection, and he who finds relief for one who is hard-pressed, Allah would make things easy for him in the Hereafter….” (Muslim)

It was only after couple of dishes that I realised what our women go through in the kitchen! Not that I have not washed utensils before, I use to do this daily during my hostel days but I use to wash only my utensils and nobody else’s. Its such a Yuck feeling to wash dishes where someone has left over some food stuff esp if it was liquid (Daal or Salan etc) and it has dried!! Plus washing a lot of dishes will leave you back aching for long and your hands feeling dried for few days!!! Imagine, I did this for just a day and thought it was one tough task; our women do this everyday!!!

That day itself I decided that I need to write about this so that we know what it feels like to do utensils and what can we do to help the one who does utensils. Regardless of who does the utensil at your home, maid, your wife/mother or yourself, if we do the following few really simple things, we would make their life very easy - 

- Don’t carelessly use utensils, use only the required utensils. I have seen homes where people use 10 utensils when they can do with just 3-4. This will reduce the overall work on utensils.
- Take only as much as you can eat. Avoid leaving food in the plate.
- Incase you couldn’t avoid extra food in the plate, keep the food wastage aside at one place in the plate (esp if you are having non-veg) so that its easier to put it in the bin directly with just a push of a spoon. Otherwise, someone will have to dirty his/her hands with your leftover food.
- It will also help if you keep a separate plate/bowl (use and throw type) to keep that food wastage. You can just throw it straight away in the bin after food.
- If you have a maid, understand that she is a human too. Don’t leave a huge pile of utensils for her. Wash few of them to reduce her burden.
- While having food, keep in mind that someone will be doing the dishes and cleaning the table. So, make that job as easy as possible.



Overall I feel, we men should do the work of women in our home every now and then. This will help us understand and respect them much much more inshaAllah. May Allah help us have a good understanding with each other at home and may Allah help us respect and love our women at home… Ameen! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The decision of Hajj: My Journey to Hajj with My Father

<Thanks to my wife for this sketch> Since I can remember, my mother had always expressed her deep desire to embark on the sacred pilgrimage of Hajj. It was a dream she held close to her heart since her childhood, an aspiration she longed to fulfill. Despite traveling outside India to places like Canada, Singapore and Malaysia, she yearned for Hajj to be her first journey beyond the borders of her homeland. However, as the saying goes, "We plan and Allah also plans, and He is the best planner" (Quran 8:30). Allah had different plans for my mother. A few years later, she passed away, and the opportunity to fulfil her lifelong dream of Hajj slipped away. Her departure left a void in our lives, and my father's health began to deteriorate. In 2018, my father suffered a severe heart attack, and the doctors were uncertain if he would survive. By the grace of Allah, he pulled through, defying the odds. As his health remained fragile, the weight of my mother's unfulfille...

Surah Nisa - Day 2 - Orphans and marriage commands

Bismillah hir Rahmanir Rahim In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Today, I studied verse number 2,3 & 4. Here is the english translation of the three verses. 4:2 -  And give unto orphans their property and do not exchange (your) bad things for (their) good ones; and devour not their substance (by adding it) to your substance. Surely, this is a great sin. 4:3 -  And if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly with the orphan-girls, then marry (other) women of your choice, two or three, or four but if you fear that you shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one or (the captives and the slaves) that your right hands possess. That is nearer to prevent you from doing injustice. 4:4 -  And give to the women (whom you marry) their Mahr (obligatory bridal money given by the husband to his wife at the time of marriage) with a good heart, but if they, of their own good pleasure, remit any part of it to you, take it,...

We Maharashtrians

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Specially written for the so called outsiders in Pune Praise be to Allah. I would like to begin with defining the word Maharashtrian. Maharashtrian according to me doesn't mean someone with a specific religious ideology, I define Maharashtrian like I define an Indian so Maharashtrian, I thus define as someone who is born & brought-up in Maharashtra. Once this is clear let us go ahead. I have been in Pune for almost a year now, and been a Maharashtrian as well as a practicing Muslim I feel it’s mandatory to clarify all the following allegations made against we Maharashtrians. 1. Maharashtrians don't speak any other language than Marathi India is a vast country with diverse cultures, there are more than 100 languages spoken here. I am proud to be a citizen of India. Now being a vast country with so many languages spoken, for the purpose of efficient administration our states are divided o...