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The housework comprises of a great deal of work. If
a housewife intends to carry out her job perfectly, she would not have
enough time to do anything else. This is especially true if she has to
take care of a few children as well. But most housewives do find some spare
time.
Everyone spends his spare time in one way or another.
Some women waste their time. They might just walk in the streets or find
another woman to talk to. Most of the time their few hours of talking are
not worth a penny. They would listen to repeated words which only prove
to be time wasting and nerve breaking. Such idle chatting always results
in one's moral degradation. The women who go through life in this way,
are surely losers in this world and the next. How surprising it is that
if anyone should lose some money, he would become very upset, but people
do not give a thought about losing their precious moments of life.
A wise person would make the most out of his precious
hours of life. What valuable achievements one can have!
Idleness is very harmful and is a cause of many mental
disorders and anxieties. An idle person keeps thinking and finds ways of
feeling sad. He would experience many types of worries after which his
mind would become confused. A happy person is one who is busy doing something.
An unlucky person is one who has excess idle time enough to think of the
ups and downs of his life. Being busy is enjoyable, and idleness is a source
of depression.
Is it not a pity that one should waste his precious
life or spend some of its moments without getting anything in return?
Dear madam! you can make the most out of your spare
minutes or hours. You can do scientific tasks. You can buy the related
books and with the help of your husband, increase your knowledge. Any course
is possible; physics, chemistry, Qur'an, philosophy, history, geography,
literature, psychology, etc. You would enjoy it and perhaps you could one
day contribute to your society through your knowledge. You can write articles
or even books after which your name will remain. You can earn money too.
Do not think that this is too ambitious for a housewife.
Do not imagine that all the great women of history have been sitting idle.
They, too, were housewives but the ones who did not waste their spare time.
Mrs Dorothy Carnegie was a housewife who wrote a good
book. She used to do the housework and also helped her husband (Dale Carnegie)
in writing his famous book "How to Make Friends and Influence People".
She writes in her book concerning principles of looking after the husband:
"I have written this book during my child's two-hour sleep. I did a lot
of my reading during the time my hair were getting dried in the hairdressing
saloon."
There are many women who have been writing great books
or have had many achievements in scientific fields.
If you are an enthusiastic person, you could be one
of them.
If your husband is a researcher, then help him in
his field. Is it not a pity for an educated woman to give up all her knowledge?
"Imam Ali (AS) stated: 'There is not any better treasure
other than knowledge'."[133]
"Imam Baqir (AS) stated: 'Whoever spends his day and
night in seeking knowledge, would surely be enjoined by the blessings of
Allah'."[134]
If you are not interested in reading or research then
keep yourself busy with handicraft or artistic hobbies such as dress making,
painting, knitting, flower decorations, etc.
You can learn such arts and practise them. These skills may help you mentally and financially. Islam has also proposed handicraft to women in their spare time. The Prophet (SA) of Allah stated: "Spinning (and weaving) is a good pastime for women."[135]
REFERENCES
[133] Bihar al-Anwar, vol 1 p 165.
[134] Ibid, p 174.
[135]
Ibid, vol 103, p 258.