Although mothers are worth celebrating every day, one day each year is dedicated to expressing our gratitude towards them.
Mother’s Day is a global celebration honouring mothers, mother figures, and motherhood and acknowledging everything they do. It’s an opportunity to reciprocate and appreciate the priceless relationship expressed through love, respect, and devotion.
The Origins of Arab Mother’s Day
In Arab culture, Mother’s Day is celebrated on a different day than the rest of the world. Since I’ve lived in the Middle East for the majority of my life, when I moved to Toronto, I realized many countries celebrate this day on a different date, depending on their own cultures and historical traditions.
The Middle East North Africa (MENA) region celebrates Mother’s Day on March 21. According to KUVRD, this day is attached to a long history that dates back to Ancient Egypt. Layan Al-Yassin wrote, “Ancient Egyptians held an annual festival to celebrate Isis, a goddess who represented the perfect idea for motherhood, new life and fertility.”
Indirectly, this had a major influence on the Arab world, connecting the idea of Mother’s Day to cultural norms and traditional values.
“As those traditions faded, the origins of Mother’s Day in the Arab world can be traced back to Egypt in 1943 where it was set in motion by journalist Mustafa Amin,” Al-Yassin writes. “The celebration has since been mirrored by other Arab countries.”
In 1943, Amin mentioned the idea of Mother’s Day in his book Smiling America, although his ideology was neglected. In order to establish the worthiness of the holiday and gain solicitude from society, he connected an anecdotal story to the significance of Mother’s Day. The story had reached many and was spread through word of mouth.
Al-Yassin’s blog post describes Amin’s anecdote as such: “A widowed mother, who devoted her life to raising her son to become a doctor, and when he did years after he got married and started his own life, he showed no gratitude to his mother.”
A decade later, Amin sent an official request to the government, and it was finally accepted by the former president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser.
The Essence of Motherhood in the Arab Culture & Islam
Mothers play a central role in familial and societal connections and are important factors that are valued. Motherhood is inspiring and vulnerable, but sometimes, the struggles and hardships they face are overlooked.
Due to this, Mother’s Day is an essential reminder to appreciate all the mothers around the world for every sacrifice, every form of unconditional love, every second of undivided attention, and, more importantly, for their unconditional support.
For Muslims, Islam teaches us to cherish our mothers above all life. From carrying a child in the womb for nine months to raising the child to become the best version of themselves, mothers are deeply treasured. Through their boundless sacrifices, mothers are recognized for shaping every form of our being, gracefully accepting them as our biggest blessings and gifts from Allah (SWT).
Prophet Muhammedﷺ was asked, “Who is the most deserving of my kindness?” The prophet responded, “Your mother, then your mother, then your mother, then your father, then your nearest, then nearest.”
Repeating “your mother” three times highlights the importance of mothers in our lives and validates the hardships of motherhood.
Spotlighting Mothers in Palestine
This year, celebrating almost anything has been impossible with all the atrocities that are happening in my homeland, Palestine. According to UN Women, as the occupation of Gaza nears half a year, at the current rate, an average of 63 women will continue to be killed, and an estimated 37 mothers are killed every day, “leaving their families devastated and their children with diminished protection.”
Therefore, Mother’s Day in the Arab world and hopefully worldwide should be more than just celebrating our own mothers, but all of the strong women and mothers of Palestine, from their resilience to their strength. From the mothers who have been martyred to the mothers who have been displaced and the mothers who have been widowed, all must be remembered and recognized.
Unfortunately, this has also impacted all the motherless children and fetuses killed in their mother’s wombs, touching the hearts of millions worldwide.
Despite all of the exhausted Palestinian mothers and the little girls who have lost their lives or dreams of becoming a mother, remember that Palestine will forever be our mother. She protects us, holds our greatest and darkest memories, and has always been by our side — it’s essential that we continue to never leave hers.
My Mom
My mom is my absolute best friend and the strongest woman I know. Raising my brother and I all on her own, she has always been the person I look up to the most in this world.
She loves art, and, despite her favourite painting being “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gough, she paints my world with every form of love and compassion.
Nobody can really comprehend a mother’s love. It’s unending and selfless because nothing can take that love away. It’s made of intense dedication, sacrifice and grief.
There is nothing that compares to a mother’s love. When I had no one by my side, she never failed to be there; she will always be my biggest supporter as I am her’s.
I wouldn’t be in this chaotic and unpredictable world without her, but she still managed to make it simpler. I live 10,000 kilometres away from her, but I still need her almost every step of the way, through every laugh, every cry, and every moment of peace.
She was the first person to truly show me what real love looks like and the full extent you go through for those you care for most. As I get older, I only hope to ever be half of what she is and give back to her all that she has given me.