JAM PRESERVES AND TARBIYA: MOLDING US INTO OUR BEST VERSION
Murabbaa means jam-preserves in Arabic.
Interestingly, the words Rabb and tarbiyah also share the same root.
A Rabb is a lord, sustainer, and master - responsible for the upbringing, nurturing, and development of a thing. Tarbiyah is the action of growing or developing someone, usually done from parent to child or teacher to student.
A jam preserve-maker takes a whole fruit and puts it through several intense processes - boiling it, mashing it, canning it - in order to mold it into the final sweet product that we spread over toast. The fruit goes through a lot, but in the end, it comes out (arguably) better than it was before.
As the Rabb of all creation, Allah provides for each and every one of us and sustains us. But as a Rabb, he also gives us tarbiya, putting us through certain trials and tribulations in our lives as a means of molding, developing, improving and ultimately strengthening us.
Think of one of the lowest times in your life... now think, did that trial teach you something, bring you closer to your Rabb, mold you into the person you are today? I know I can safely say Yes.
Amazing is the tarbiyah of our Rabb...
