"Life began with waking up and loving my mother’s face" (George Eliot)

Every year, Mother’s Day is celebrated across the world on 10th May to honor and respect mothers. In certain traditional branches of Christianity, the holiday is strongly associated with reverence for the Virgin Mary. In some Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican homes, families have a special shrine on their home altar devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. In many Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, a special prayer service is held in honor of the Theotokos, the Virgin Mary. In Islam, special attention is given to mothers. The Prophet Muhammad said, “Paradise lies beneath the feet of mothers.” Although there is no specific concept of Mother’s Day in Islam, the Quran teaches that children should give priority to loving and respecting their mother. The Holy Quran mentions the status and respect of mothers in many verses, including Surah Al-Isra (17:23), Surah Luqman (31:14), Surah Al-Ahqaf (46:15), and Surah Al-Baqarah (2:233).
In Hindu tradition, Mother’s Day is celebrated as “Mata Tirtha Aunshi” or “Mother Pilgrimage Fortnight,” especially in Nepal and regions with a Hindu population. Mothers are honored with special foods and prayers. The festival is observed on the new moon day in the month of Baisakh (April/May). This celebration predates the modern American-inspired Mother’s Day by several centuries. In Buddhism, the festival of Ullambana is associated with the story of Maudgalyayana and his mother, emphasizing gratitude and respect for parents.
Mothers are the divine gifts that we all must value and must give a special regard to. As a matter of fact both the parents are equally important for an individual’s growth, development, education and life settlement. Father is the person who sacrifices everything for his children, but mother is the person who gives us life, feeds us on her breasts. She sacrifices her day’s work and night’s sleep for her child. She takes a tough toil for the upbringing of her children. She protects us from every sort of tough condition and makes every effort to give us a soothing atmosphere. Even at many times she begs if it is necessary for the health and welfare for a child.
I feel it a quite exotic moment to pay a tribute to my mother who was a simpleton of innocence and purity. Her name was Fatima as if she had been modeled on the real Fatima Binti Mohammad (S.A.W). she has been to born to her parents at Pahloo (Kulgam) , but later on had been adopted by my maternal parents at Shurat (Kulgam). So I was blessed to have two maternal homes that are often called store houses of love and affection. And it is the Shurat village of Kulgam from where she had been adieu as a bride and had reached my native village Khargund-Chowgam( kulgam).
She didn’t know the worldly tactics and could not even do calculations of money. But even then she had a sense of calculations by marking with charcoal on the walls when she used to sell milk to neighbors and villagers. But one thing that I can say with confirmation that is she could take an ultimate care of me and my siblings, four in number. She was a melodious singer and legends go that during the season of paddy plantation there used to be a great demand for her voice and people would invite her to sing only and not to work so that the planters (usually women) could be entertained and the work could go in an enjoyable way. Not only would this but she be offered two days labour for one day only due to her melodious voice. I still remember that during my primary school days I used to go to my village school that was very close to my house. And during the recesses we used to come home for second meal. And I could see that a bowl with the mixture of rice and milk would be ready for me that I relished and went back to school. She used to financially support my father in terms of spinning a wheel that would give four to five hundred rupees per month in 1980s and 1990s.
The most tragic day of my life was 18th December 1990 as she would leave me all alone in this cruel and tyrant world. She suffered from typhoid and in those days medical facilities in our area were not in such a way that they could be relied on. While as in today’s times typhoid is not an acute fatal disease. But it is said that death is definite and everyone has to taste its bitterness. It has been wisely said that if you want to know the value of health ask a sick man , if you want to know the value of wealth ask a poor man, if you want to know the value of a mother , ask the orphan who has lost his mother or father. The moment she died I was not awake and I could only rise from my bed after hearing cries and shouting of my relatives who had come in advance to see this tragic episode. It was almost 12:00 pm when she left for heavenly abode and rest of funeral and burying formalities were completed in the early morning. And the moment her coffin was lifted up I felt as if a destructive storm has raised and has swept away the whole world around me. After her burial in the local graveyard we returned home while reciting prayers and verses of Quran for her blessings. As it is customary in our society to read a Quran for Isaale-Swaaab so I would go to the mosque where the arrangements had been done and recited a Chapter (Para) to pay blessings to her soul.
Afterwards I could have a vision of my mother many a times in my life and one such dream I would like to share here is that when I was going through my tough times she came in my dream and told me that she knows very well who has been creating trouble for me and soothed me with an encouragement to go ahead with patience and consistency which indicates that she cared for me even after her death. So I pay my heartfelt tribute to my mother that she has been the most adorable mother in the world, the most beautiful and the most intelligent one for me. That is I feel it obligatory to pray in the following words.
O’ my beloved mother, May God bless your soul with his choicest blessings and give everlasting peace in highest place in Janna.

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