Within The Soul

actions

2011-10-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

it is not that actions follow conversations.
conversations follow actions.
pointless action will lead to pointless conversations.

we give too much importance to the matters of this worthless pointless world. and too little importance to the matters of the afterlife..too little importance to Allah - Most Merciful who continues to forgive us inspite of our stupidity...
we are all stuck in this zone. this finite world. this life in which death is imminent.
all our actions are concentrated on this and all our conversations follow... all our faculties, abilities, talents, time-precious time..all our emotions...everything... everything.. its like digging a ditch and burying yourself in it..is such a life not worse than death? are we not the living dead...

distant from our Rabb, thankless and so aimless...
forgotten where we came from... heedless about where we are going... too preoccupied with the in between.
a lost Ummah.

conversations

2011-10-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

How much of the general talk among us is wasted chitchat and how we spend most of our lives in senseless weightless pursuits, how our conversations are pointless and random....

is there no getting away? am i an insufferable egoist who is too preoccupied with finding fault ?

Muhammadur Rasoolullaah

2011-09-10T03:39:00.001-07:00

Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a more sublime aim, since this aim was super human; to subvert superstitions which had been imposed between man and his Creator, to render God unto man and man unto God; to restore the rational and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and disfigured gods of idolatry, then existing. Never has a man undertaken a work so far beyond human power with so feeble means, for he Muhammad had in the conception as well as in the execution of such a great design, no other instrument than himself and no other aid except a handful of men living in a corner of the desert. Finally, never has a man accomplished such a huge and lasting revolution in the world, because in less than two centuries after its appearance, Islam, reigned over the whole of Arabia, and conquered, in God's name, Persia, Khorasan, Transoxania, Western India, Syria, Egypt, Abyssinia, all the known continent of Northern Africa, numerous islands of the Mediterranean Sea, Spain and part of Gaul.
If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls. . . his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with words.
Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he?

Alphonse de Lamartine, Histoire de la Turquie (1854), Vol. II, pp. 276-277

Radhiyallahu anhum

2011-04-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Allah has said about the Sahaba ( the gist of which is) 'they are pleased with Us and We are pleased with them'

i have heard from a learned scholar that if u wish to find out whether Allah is pleased with you then ask yourself if you are pleased with your Rabb.

to be happy with your lot. to be content. when a hardship falls upon you then to tell yourself that it is from My Rabb and i will not complain or crib about it. rather i m certain that my Rabb wants only good for me so there is some khair in this for me. when the sahaba found themselves in tribulations and deprivation they always responded with 'Ana raazin' - I am pleased ( with my Rabb).

it is the most difficult thing.
when we are caught in a difficult situation we first look for someone else to blame. this keeps us away from dealing with our problems.
if we learn to say 'ana raazi' in teh face of hardships we find great strength and patience within ourselves to deal with it. Allah wants us to respond positively and when we do so He Himself holds our hands and walks us through teh difficulty with ease.

it is not whether you are able to solve your problem, it is whether you faced it with strong imaan and conviction and trust in Allah's love. the end result does not matter, the process is important.
i m writing this as a reminder for myself. i tend to become negative too easily, may Allah forgive me. Ameen

God is not veiled from you by some reality existing apart from Him, since there is no reality outside of Him: what veils Him from you is but the illusion that there can be a reality apart from Him.” [Ibn ‘Ata-Illah]

2010-12-06T10:23:00.000-08:00

Al Haqq. Allah is Reality. the ONLY reality. This is an amazing realisation. Allah is so immense that the entire universe and everything in it disappears into non-existence in comparison. La Ilaaha Illallaah

There is ONLY one right way to live and that is the Sunnah of Muhammed Sallallaahu Alaihi wasallam. every other way, no matter how much it might appeal to my intelligence is wrong simply because the Sunnah is better than it. in a set of choices the sunnah always wins... because Allah Himself taught it to Muhammed Sallallaahu Alaihi wasallam and no man can think of coming up with something better. Muhammadur Rasoolullaah

TV is NOT real!

2010-11-19T07:18:00.001-08:00

i posted this video once on my old blog...i m posting it again... because it strikes a chord...because TV now has another much more evil face-they call it "reality TV" .... sewriously, if reality TV is popular the end of the world cannot be too far..

excuse a few swearwords in this excellent clip:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18318.htm
OR here
Television is not the truth. Television's a goddamned amusement park! Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, sideshow freaks, lion tamers and football players. We're in the boredom-killing business. So if you want the truth, go to God. Go to your gurus. Go to yourselves! Because that's the only place you're ever gonna find any real truth. But, man, you're never gonna get any truth from us. We'll tell you anything you wanna hear. We lie like hell. We'll tell you that Kojak always gets the killer and that nobody ever gets cancer in Archie Bunker's house. And no matter how much trouble the hero is in, don't worry. Just look at your watch. At the end of the hour he is going to win! We'll tell you any shit you want to hear! We deal in illusions, man. None of it is true! But you people sit there, day after day, night after night. All ages, colors, creeds. We're all you know. You're beginning to believe the illusions we're spinning here. You're beginning to think the tube is reality and your own lives are unreal. You do whatever the tube tells you! You dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube. This is mass madness, you maniacs! In God's name, you people are the real thing! We are the illusion!

2010-10-11T05:53:00.000-07:00

can u erase a lifetime of mistakes and really forgive and forget? can i tell my parents i m not the same insufferable egoistic person anymore and expect them to realign their expectations because i have reformed ( which quite possibly is just a figment of my imagination)? is there a way out?

women in islam

2010-09-23T01:11:00.000-07:00

this is an article i read on my friend's blog. i think its worth a read.

Woman’s Reflection On Leading Prayer, By Yasmin Mogahed

(Friday 25 March 2005)

On March 18, 2005 Amina Wadud led the first female-led Jumuah (Friday) prayer. On that day women took a huge step towards being more like men. But, did we come closer to actualizing our God-given liberation? I don’t think so.

What we so often forget is that God has honored the woman by giving her value in relation to God-not in relation to men. But as western feminism erases God from the scene, there is no standard left-but men. As a result the western feminist is forced to find her value in relation to a man. And in so doing she has accepted a faulty assumption. She has accepted that man is the standard, and thus a woman can never be a full human being until she becomes just like a man-the standard.

When a man cut his hair short, she wanted to cut her hair short.

When a man joined the army, she wanted to join the army. She wanted these things for no other reason than because the “standard” had it.

What she didn’t recognize was that God dignifies both men and women in their distinctiveness–not their sameness. And on March 18, Muslim women made the very same mistake.

For 1400 years there has been a consensus of the scholars that men are to lead prayer. As a Muslim woman, why does this matter? The one who leads prayer is not spiritually superior in any way. Something is not better just because a man does it. And leading prayer is not better, just because it’s leading. Had it been the role of women or had it been more divine, why wouldn’t the Prophet have asked Ayesha or Khadija, or Fatima-the greatest women of all time-to lead? These women were promised heaven-and
yet they never lead prayer.

But now for the first time in 1400 years, we look at a man leading prayer and we think, “That’s not fair.” We think so although God has given no special privilege to the one who leads. The imam is no higher in the eyes of God than the one who prays behind.

On the other hand, only a woman can be a mother. And God has given special privilege to a mother. The Prophet taught us that heaven lies at the feet of mothers. But no matter what a man does he can never be a mother. So why is that not unfair?

When asked who is most deserving of our kind treatment? The Prophet replied ‘your mother’ three times before saying ‘your father’ only once. Isn’t that sexist? No matter what a man does he will never be able to have the status of a mother. And yet even when God honors us with something uniquely feminine, we are too busy trying to find our worth in reference to men, to value it- or even notice. We too have accepted men as the standard; so anything uniquely feminine is, by definition, inferior. Being sensitive is an insult, becoming a mother-a degradation. In the battle between stoic rationality (considered masculine) and self-less compassion (considered feminine), rationality reigns supreme.

As soon as we accept that everything a man has and does is better, all that follows is just a knee jerk reaction: if men have it-we want it too. If men pray in the front rows, we assume this is better, so we want to pray in the front rows too. If men lead prayer, we assume the imam is closer to God, so we want to lead prayer too. Somewhere along the line we’ve accepted the notion that having a position of worldly leadership is some indication of one’s position with God.

A Muslim woman does not need to degrade herself in this way. She has God as a standard. She has God to give her value; she doesn’t need a man. In fact, in our crusade to follow men, we, as women, never even stopped to examine the possibility that what we have is better for us. In some cases we even gave up what was higher only to be like men.

Fifty years ago, society told us that men were superior because they left the home to work in factories. We were mothers. And yet, we were told that it was women’s liberation to abandon the raising of another human being in order to work on a machine. We accepted that working in a factory was superior to raising the foundation of society-just because a man did it.

Then after working, we were expected to be superhuman-the perfect mother, the perfect wife, the perfect homemaker-and have the perfect career. And while there is nothing wrong, by definition, with a woman having a career, we soon came to realize what we had sacrificed by blindly mimicking men. We watched as our children became strangers and soon recognized the privilege
we’d given up.

And so only now-given the choice-women in the West are choosing to stay home to raise their children. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, only 31 percent of mothers with babies, and 18 percent of mothers with two or more children, are working full-time. And of those working mothers, a survey conducted by Parenting Magazine in 2000, found that 93% of them say they would rather be home with their kids, but are compelled to work due to ‘financial obligations’.

These ‘obligations’ are imposed on women by the gender sameness of the modern West, and removed from women by the gender distinctiveness of Islam.

It took women in the West almost a century of experimentation to realize a privilege given to Muslim women 1400 years ago.

Given my privilege as a woman, I only degrade myself by trying to be something I’m not–and in all honesty–don’t want to be: a man. As women, we will never reach true liberation until we stop trying to mimic men, and value the beauty in our own God-given distinctiveness.

If given a choice between stoic justice and compassion, I choose compassion. And if given a choice between worldly leadership and
heaven at my feet-I choose heaven.

roller coaster

2010-09-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

life has come a long way since the time that i started this blog.... most people who knew me then probably won't recognize me now, which btw is a good thing....
a million lives at once

i now have a beautiful daughter...its funny how u can never understand certain feelings without experiencing them yourself. i don't want to write too much about the new momhood here simply bcoz only i can understand what it feels like... at the same time i couldnt not mention it bcoz its so life altering and important and amazing.

i m wondering if people really change or is it just the external circumstances that become different. becoz i still think and feel the same way i used to, i have changed some in the way i react tho. i hope.
i was hopelessly selfish back then, i like to think i m not so much so now. guess i'll need other people's testimonies to prove that.
i m not so amazed at myself now as i used to be.... :P
i have learnt to appreciate other people and to see and value their efforts...
i have learnt not to simplify everything..
i have learnt to keep quite sometimes when i really want to scream my head off... i used to do that earlier, simply blow my lid whenever the need be ...

i have still not learnt to not use 'i' all the time..
still growing up.

i see Allah's hand in shaping my life and His presence is the only real and reliable thing in the world. i hope i m able to teach this to my daughter, with Allah's help. Bcoz, there's nothing i can do without it.

The Fifth Paradise - the Garden of Beauty and Felicity

2010-04-24T20:31:00.000-07:00

Muhammad (salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) travelled for five hundred thousand light-years, after which he arrived at the fifth paradise which is called Jannat al Naeem: “the Garden of Beauty and Felicity.” Its door is made of mixed gold and silver from heaven. Jibraeel knocked at the door and a voice said: “Who is it?” “Jibraeel, bringing Muhammad (salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam).” “Has he been sent for?” “Yes.” “Welcome, Beloved one, to the fifth paradise!” The door opened and Muhammad (salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) saw five beautiful ladies whose radiant light among their servants made them appear like diamonds surrounded by pearls. His heart was moved towards them. He asked Jibraeel: “Who are these ladies?” He answered: “This is Hawwa (Eve), the mother of human beings, this is the Virgin Maryam (Mary), the mother of Isa (Jesus), this is Musa’s (Moses’) mother Yukabid, and this is Assia, the wife of Pharaoh.” The fifth lady looked like a sun among stars. Her light shone over the rest of the inhabitants of that paradise like a gentle breeze passing through the tree-leaves. Jibraeel said: “This is an angel representing your daughter Fatima”

Muhammad (salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) asked: “Jibraeel, what is the secret of this paradise?” Jibraeel said: “Allah created this paradise to reflect the beauty and perfection of women. The light of this paradise is the source of the angelic lights of all women on earth. Women have been created to carry the secret of creation in themselves. Allah has honoured them greatly by making their wombs the repository of His word which represents the Spirit. He looks at the most sacred place and there descends His mercy and blessings. He perfected that place and covered it with three protective layers to shelter it from any damage. The first is a layer of light, the second a layer of love, and the third a layer of beauty. There he fashions and creates human beings after His likeness, as Muhammad (salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wasalam) said: ‘Allah created Adam after His likeness.’ He orders the angels of the womb to perfect His creation by giving the baby life, beauty, health, intelligence, and all kinds of perfect attributes that will make each one distinguished among human beings.”

“Women are not created weaker but more generous than men. They are created more beautiful and less fierce, as beauty hates to hurt and harm others. That is why they seem weak to people, but in reality they are not. Angels are the strongest of created beings, and women are closer to the angelic nature than men, as they are readier than men to carry angelic light. It is the good manners and ethics of spirituality which they carry which makes them less forceful than men. Even physically, however, they are extremely strong. They undergo great upheavals in their body without flinching for the sake of childbirth, and face the direst physical conditions more successfully than men because Allah has enabled them to insure the survival of generations.”

“Allah gave women five angelic qualities which men rarely have. They are the source of peace, as Allah said that He created them “so that you might find rest in them” (30:21). This is the attribute of the first paradise which is named “the Abode of Peace.” They are oasis of constancy in the midst of chaos and change. That is why they give birth as the mother nurtures and shelters the baby more reliably than the father. This is the attribute of the second paradise, which is named ‘the Abode of Constancy.‘ They perpetuate generations. Through their offspring Allah creates angelic prophets and saints who establish His perpetual remembrance on earth as the angels establish it in heaven. This is the attribute of the third paradise which is named ‘the Abode of Eternity.’ They are generous and bountiful. They are described as ‘a fertile land’ in all Scriptures because they give without counting, including life. They sacrifice themselves for the sake of another creation, and this is the attribute of the fourth paradise which is named ‘the Sheltering Garden.‘ Finally, they are the source of Beauty. Through their softness and subtlety, Allah has crowned the earth with the diadem of angelic grace. This is the attribute of the fifth paradise which is named “the Garden of Beauty.”

"Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend..."

2010-04-18T10:14:00.000-07:00

1.
{"Ah! Woe to me! If only I had never taken so-and-so as a friend! He indeed led me a stray from the Reminder after it had come to me!"}

[al -Furqan; 28-29]

2 - The Messenger of Allah said:

"A person is upon the way of his friend. So, let one of you look to whom he keeps as a friend."

['Sahih al-Jami'' (3545) and 'as-Silsilah as-Sahihah' (927)]

3 - 'Abdullah bin Ahmad bin Hambal said:

"My father went out to Tarsus on foot, and he perfored two or three Hajjs on foot, and he was the most patient of people upon being alone."

['Tarjamat al-Imam Ahmad'; p. 18]

4 - Ibn al-Qayyim said:

"Know that the greatest of losses is for you to be preoccupied with one who will bring you nothing but a loss in your time with Allah - the Mighty and Majestic - and being cut off from Him, a wasting your time with the person, a weakening of your energy, and the dispersing of your resolve. So, if you are tested with this - and you must be tested with this - deal with him according to how Allah would wish, and be patient with him as much as possible. Get closer to Allah and His Pleasure by way of this person, and make your getting together with him something to benefit from, not something to incur a loss from. Be with him as if you are a man who is on a road who was stopped by another man, who then asks you to take him on your journey. Make sure that you are the one who gives him a ride, and that he is not the one giving you the ride. If he refuses, and there is nothing to gain from travelling with him, do not stop for him, bid him farewell, and do not even turn back to look at him, as he is a highway robber, regardless of who he really is.

So, save your heart, be wary of how you spend your days and nights, and do not let the Sun set before you arrive at your destination."

['al-Wabil as-Sayyib'; p. 45]

5 - Ibn Jama'ah said:

"So, it is upon the student of knowledge to abandon socialization, as abandoning it is from the most important things that the student of knowledge must do - let alone with members of the opposite gender - especially with those who spend most of their time in play, and spend little of their time in thought, as the nature of individuals can rob you.

The harms of socialization include the passing of life without any benefit, as well as the decline of wealth and religious practice, if this socialization were to occur with the wrong people.

The student of knowledge should not mix except with either those who he can benefit, or can benefit from. And if he is offered the friendship of one who will waste his time with him, will not benefit him, will not benefit from him, and will not assist him in reaching his objective, he should politely end the relationship from the start before it progresses to something deeper, as when something becomes established, it becomes more difficult to change it. There is a phrase that is constantly on the tongues of the Fuqaha': 'Repelling something is easier than removing it.'

So, if he requires someone to befriend, let that person be righteous, religious, pious, wary, intelligent, full of benefit, having little evil, good at complying, rarely conflicting, reminding him if he forgets, cooperating with him when he is reminded, helpful if he is in need, and comforting if he is in distress."

['Tadhkirat as-Sami' wal-Mutakallim'; p. 83]

6 - Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi said:

"Know that not everyone is suitable to be your friend. You must verify that this potential friend has the neccessary characteristics that make friendship with him something to be desired. The one you seek to befriend must have five characteristics:

He must be intelligent, as there is no good in befriending an idiot, as he will only harm you when he wants to benefit you. By intelligent, we mean one who understands things as they are, either on his own, or if they are explained to him;

He must have good manners, and this is a must. One who is simply intelligent might be overcome by anger or desire, and obey his desire. Thus, there would be no benefit in befriending him;

He must not be a fasiq, as such a person would not fear Allah, and whoever does not fear Allah cannot be trusted;

He must not be an innovator, as his abundance of innovation is feared from befriending him;

He should not be eager for the dunya."

['Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin'; p. 126-132]

Trust in Allah

2010-03-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Bismillahir Rahmaan ir Raheem

- -- Some Statements of the Salaf - --
The Messenger of Allah ( Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam ) narrated from his Lord that He Said: “I am as my slave expects Me to be.”
Ibn Hajar ( Rahmatullah ) said: “Meaning, I am able to do whatever he expects I will do.”

an-Nawawi ( Rahmatullah ) said: “The scholars say that expecting the best of Allah is to expect that He will have Mercy on him and relieve him of hardship.”
an-Nawawi also said: “al-Qadi ‘Iyad said that this means He will Forgive him if he seeks
such, will accept his repentance if he repents, will answer him if he supplicates, and will
suffice him if he asks for something. It is also said that it refers to having hope and longing
for relief, and this is more correct.”
Ahmad bin ‘Umar al-Qurtubi ( Rahmatullah ) said:
“It is said that His Saying “I am as my slave expects Me to be” means if one expects an
answer when he supplicates, his repentance to be accepted, something repugnant to be
repelled from him, his deeds to be accepted that are performed with their proper
conditions…And this is supported by his saying: “Call upon Allah while you are certain
that you will be answered.” Likewise, it is incumbent upon the one who repents, seeks
Forgiveness, and does good deeds to exert himself in fulfilling his obligations while he is
certain that Allah will accept his actions and Forgive his sins, as Allah has promised that He
will accept any truthful repentance and righteous deeds. So, whoever performs such a deed
and believes and expects that Allah will not accept it and that it will not benefit him, this is
despair from the Mercy of Allah, and is from greatest of the major sins. Whoever dies upon
this will be delivered to that which he expected.”
Ibn al-Qayyim ( Rahmatullah ) said:

“Most people – in fact, all of them except those protected by Allah – assume other than the
truth, and assume the worst. Most people believe that they are deprived of their rights, have
bad luck, deserve more than what Allah gave them, and it is as if they are saying: ‘My Lord
has wronged me and deprived me of what I deserve,’ and his soul bears witness to this while
his tongue denies it and refuses to openly state this. And whoever digs into his soul and
comes to know its ins and outs will see this in it like fire in a triggered explosion…And if
you dig into anyone’s soul, you will see that he blames fate and would rather have something
else happen to him than what actually did, and that things should be this way or that…So,
dig into your own self: are you protected from this? If you are safe from this, you have been
protected from something great. Otherwise, I do not see that you have been saved.”
He also said:
“The more you have good expectations of your Lord and hope in Him, the more you will
rely on and trust in Him. This is why some explained true reliance and trust to be having
good expectations of Allah. In reality, having good expectations of Him leads to relying on
and trusting in Him, as it is unthinkable that one can trust in someone that he has bad
expectations of or no hope in, and Allah Knows best.”
He also said: “The one who hopes in Allah should always be optimistic, cautious, and
hopeful in Allah’s bounty, expecting the best from Him.”
Sayyid Qutb ( Rahmatullah ) said:
“As for the believers whose hearts are connected to Allah, whose souls are close to Him,
who experience His constant bounty – they do not despair of the Mercy of Allah even if
they are surrounded on all sides by disaster and severe hardship. The believer is in the mercy
of the shade of his faith, the pleasure of his connection to his Lord, and the tranquility of his
confidence in his Guardian even when he is in the throes of hardship and disaster.”
He also said:
“The believing heart assumes the best of its Lord, and always expects the best from Him. It
expects good from Him in times of ease and times of hardship, and it believes that Allah
wants good for him in either situation. The secret of this is that his heart is connected to
Allah, and the flow of good from Allah is never cut off. So, whenever the heart is connected
to Him, it touches upon this fundamental reality and experiences it in a direct and sweet
way.”

“Whenever a crisis comes your way, utilize your good expectations of Allah in order to repel
it. This will bring you closer to relief.”
Sa’id bin Jubayr ( Rahmatullah ) would supplicate: “O Allah, I ask you to grant me true reliance on You and good expectations of You.”
‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud ( Radhiyallahu Anhu) said:
“By the One besides Who none is worthy of worship, the believer is not given anything
good better than his good expectations of Allah, and by the One besides Who none is
worthy of worship, no servant of Allah expects good of Him except that Allah gives him
what he expected, since all good is in His Hand.”
Sufyan ath-Thawri ( Rahmatullah ) would say: “I do not want to be judged by my father, as my Lord is better to me than my father.”
‘Ammar bin Yusuf ( Rahmatullah ) said: “I saw Hasan bin Salih in a dream, and I said: “I was hoping to meet you! What can you inform us of?” He replied: “I give you the glad tidings that I see nothing better than to have good expectations of Allah.”

2010-02-22T21:33:00.001-08:00

here's a great sight for reading the Qur'an with translations.. you just have to hover the pointer over the aayat and it translates it for you... the best thing about it is that you can easily read the arabic text simultaneously with the translations without breaking the flow.
http://tanzil.info/

2010-01-04T10:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=7719

Ilm

2010-01-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

it is a Hadith that ' It is fardh ( obligatory) for every man and woman to gain knowledge.

an important question we don't ask.... what is Knowledge? We think it means to know that two and two make four and that the earth is round. To us, scientists and grammarians and philosophers and mathematicians are people of knowledge.
but thats not knowledge,. at best, it is information.

knowledge or Ilm is that knowldege which leads you to Allah. Everything that adds to your understanding of your relationship with Him and your place in His creation and the meaning of life, the universe and everything.

everything else is dust.

pride falls

2009-12-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

the trap of false pride is the easiest to get caught in, it is a devious trick, the nafs wants to be proud and there are a hundred ways of falling into it without even conscious thought.

if i think i m not proud, it means i am. because pride is simply the state of being pleased and satisfied with one's self.

if i think so-n-so has such-n-such bad quality it means that i m sure that i don't . this too is pride, because i think i m above that evil and as a result i will not be fearful of falling into it and i will not ask for Allah's help against it either.

if i can see the good things about myself.

if i am pleased when someone praises me, even if it is someone from my family- it leads to pride.

if i think i m better than other people in any way. in other words, if i don't think that everyone else is better than me.

if i do not look at my heart and recognize the darkness within it. if, when i stand in front of Allah in prayer and the thought of my black heart does not make me weep. ( the fact that i have written this does not mean that i am able to practice even an iota of it in my life. may Allah help be act more than i speak )

i m writing this because i m the biggest victim of pride, it ruined me and my faith and i can only pray to Allah to protect me against it in the future, because its still there...its like a shadow that refuses to leave... everytime i turn its still sitting there and grinning at me. u spend a lifetime feeding it and then when u realise its going to kill u u want to shoo it off but it won't go. May Allah Ta'ala save me from my pride.

limits

2009-12-11T23:03:00.000-08:00

each one of us, concsciously or not sets limits for ourselves - in all matters - this is how much i will work , how much i will eat, how much i will go out - similarly we put limits on our mind - this is my limit - this is how good i will be in thought and action, this is my limit, this is how much evil i will think, this is how much my heart will be free to wish and desire- this is how much my tongue will be free in its speech - to speak ill or be unmindful of what it is saying and what affect its words are having on people.
we all have/ do not have limits : 'do not transgress the limits'
Allah has set our limits for us, in all matters, and we are to respect them because we are His creation and he knows what specs we work best with. the Qur'an is just the spec sheet for the human machine .
and it behaves in unfavorable fashion if these specifications are not met.

its really that simple

Were they created by nothing or did they create themselves? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? No, they have no firm belief."?[The Qur'aan

2009-12-11T22:30:00.000-08:00

Is there A God? Consider this: An archaeologist digs deep into the desert sand and finds a piece of an old clay pot. After his investigations, this archaeologist can tell us - from this little old piece of dusty clay - so much about the civilization that existed thousands of years ago that produced it. He can tell us about the types of ovens, temperatures, and dyes that they worked with, the raw materials that they used, and thus assess the level of their artistic skill and technological ability, etc. All this from a small piece of clay lying in the desert. ?Did this archaeologist ever see the civilization that produced this pot? ?How does he know that it ever existed? He knows because he saw that the piece of clay was produced by someone who designed it, and shaped it, and had the intelligence to be able to heat it and produce the pot, and not only that, they also had the ability to color it and make it look beautiful. A Design needs A Designer To the archaeologist the existence and intricacy of the piece of pottery is conclusive proof of the existence, intelligence and ability of the people who made it. Look around you, at the beautiful sunset on a summer evening, at the moon and the stars on a cloudless night, at the water that you drink, at the trees and how they grow from tiny seeds. Think about yourself, your eyes with which you see, your ears with which you hear, your tongues with which you taste and talk, your hands and your feet, your heart and your brain. Consider how these things are so complex in themselves yet work together in such perfect harmony. From the movement of the galaxies to the complexities of the interaction of molecules, from the dynamics of eco-systems to the intricacies of DNA, all lead to the obvious fact of the existence of the great wisdom, knowledge and power that allows our Universe to exist and function. To any perceptive human being the existence and intricacy of creation is conclusive proof of the existence, knowledge and wisdom of the One who creates, organizes and sustains it. Most people naturally recognize the existence of the Creator, and we find reference to the Creator in all cultures and religions. Even the atheists, communists and (disbelieving) scientists cannot avoid this reality, but avoid the term 'creator', for phrases like 'Mother Nature' and 'the amazing way nature has designed...' How strange in the face of this, that many today reject the belief in the existence of the Creator. Perhaps this is due more to fashion and the desire to justify a materialistic attitude to life rather than real observation and comprehension of reality. Can Creation be the Creator? Something stranger still (and perhaps another reason for the trend to deny the Creator), are those who claim that a man, or men, who walked on the earth, breathed air, who had bodies and souls subject to the Laws of the Universe, are the Creator, or manifestations of the Self-Subsistent One. This is of course a complete contradiction in terms. Something cannot be the Creator and created (the creation) at the same time (simultaneously), sustaining on air, food and drink and being self-sufficient, being temporary and eternal. We were created from a drop of despised fluid, in which was a microscopic sperm, which fertilized a microscopic egg and we grew in our mother's womb in stages predetermined, over which we had no control. We came from our mother's womb, urinating and defecating, needing constant attention and care. Without food we will die, without air we will die ... and then such a one is God? Natural instinct tells us there is a God. Indeed any intelligent person would recognize exactly how dependent life, the universe and everything is on its Creator. Our dire need for His help makes itself plain in times of great distress. Imagine yourself in an aeroplane and you know it is going to crash... Or on a ship in the sea, thrown helplessly up and down by towering waves... Who do you turn to for help then? There has been a situation at one time or other in your life when you called upon your Creator alone, forgetting everyone and everything else, hoping, trusting, wishing that the Being you know in your heart and soul that has power and control over all things would help you. The only One you know can save you. O creation of God, contemplate upon these verses: Behold! In the creation of the Heavens and the Earth; In the alternation of the night and day, In the sailing of the ships through the Oceans for the profit of mankind, In the rain which God sends down from the skies, and the life that He therewith to an earth that is dead; In the beasts of all kinds that He scatters through the Earth, In the change of the winds, and the clouds which they trail like their slaves between the sky and the earth - Indeed these are signs for a people that are wise."?[The Qur'aan 2:164] It is He who has made the sun a shining glory and the moon a light of beauty and has measured out their stages, that you might know the number of years and their reckoning. Allah did not create this but in Truth. He explains His signs in detail for people who understand. "?[The Qur'aan 10:5] He has created the heavens and the earth with Truth. Far is He above having the partners that they ascribe to him. He has created mankind from a sperm drop; and behold this (same) man becomes an open disputer! And the cattle, He has created them for you; in them is warmth (warm clothing) and numerous benefits, and of them you eat."?[The Qur'aan 16:3-5] Blessed be He who sent down the Criterion to His servant that it may be an admonition to all creatures. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth; no son has he begotten, nor has He any partner in His dominion; It is He who created all things and gave them their due proportions. Yet they have taken besides Him gods that can create nothing but are themselves created; that have no control of hurt or good to themselves; nor do they control life nor death nor Resurrection."?[The Qur'aan 25:1-3] Were they created by nothing or did they create themselves? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? No, they have no firm belief."?[The Qur'aan 52:36] He it is who enables you to travel through land and sea, until, when you are in the ships and they sail with a favorable wind and you are glad about that. Then comes a stormy wind and the waves come to you from all sides and when you think that you are encircled by them, you call upon God making your faith pure for Him alone saying,?If You deliver us from this we shall truly be grateful.' But when He delivers you, behold! You rebel in the earth wrongfully. O mankind, your rebellion against God is only against your own selves - a brief enjoyment of this worldly life, then in the end unto Us is your return We shall inform you of that which you used to do."?[The Qur'aan 10:22-23]

copied from here: http://shakurlatif.blogspot.com/search/label/Allah

realities

2009-12-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

Taken from al-Ghazali: Meditation and Introspection, The Book of Constructive Virtues, Ihya Ulum-id-din.] Life is nothing but an accumulation of many breaths. So every breath is just a precious diamond which cannot be purchased with anything in the world. It is a priceless jewel which has got no substitute in value. So in movements and talks, and in sorrows and happiness, such a priceless breath should not be spent in vain. To destroy it is to court destruction. An intelligent man cannot lose it. When a man gets up at dawn, he should enter into an agreement with himself just as a tradesman contracts with his partner. At that time, he should address his mind thus: O mind, you have been given no other property as precious as life. When it will end, the principal will end and despondency will come in seeking profit in business. Today is a new day. Allah has given you time, that is, He has delayed your death. He has bestowed upon you innumerable gifts. Think that you are already dead. So don't waste time. Every breath is a precious jewel. Man has got for each day and night twenty-four treasure houses in twenty-four hours. Fill up these then find them filled up with divine sights in the world next. If they are not filled up with good works, they will be filled up with intense darkness wherefrom a bad stench will come out and envelop them all around. Another treasure house will neither give him happiness nor sorrow. That is an hour in which he slept, or was careless, or was engaged in any lawful work of this world. He will feel grieved for its remaining vacant.

Abdullaah bin Mas'ud Be content with what you have, Be satisfied with your dwelling place to accommodate your enterprise, Restrain your tongue, And shed tears of regret regarding past sins you committed knowingly, and those you do not recognize. Ibn al-Jawzee Have you seen anyone that has not been affected by the pitfalls of this world? And have you seen anyone that has not fallen sick? Have you seen any life that has not ended with death? The world beguiles and impedes, it is happiness leading to evil: it ruins those who crave for it and it harms those who benefit from it. Its seeker who laughs it will make cry and those who rejoice with its peace it will destroy. They will regret their slips when they strive to achieve it. They will remain hostage to its fears and apprehensions. They will wish to live just an hour longer...

al-Hasan al-Basree * I have known people and kept company with groups who neither rejoiced when the things of this world came to them, nor grieved when they lost anything in this world. The life of this world was more insignificant to them than dust. One of them might live for a year or for sixty years without ever having a garment that would entirely cover him, and without ever having anything that would come between him and the ground, and without ever having any food that he could ask to be prepared for him in his own home. When night came, they would be on their feet, with their foreheads flat against the earth, tears rolling down their cheeks, secretly calling on Allah to save them on the Day of Judgement. If they did something good, they never stopped being grateful for it, and they were always asking Allah to forgive them for it. By Allah, they were not safe from wrong actions, and were saved only by their constant turning in repentance. May Allah be pleased with them and grant them His mercy..."

* "Do not sit idle, for indeed Death is seeking you!" * When al-Hasan finished his hadith, he would say, "O Allah, you see our hearts full of idolatry, pride, hypocrisy, showing-off, reputation, doubt and uncertainty in your deen. O Turner of hearts, make our hearts firm in Your deen and make our deen Straight Islam!"

* 'Umara ibn Mihran said that al-Hasan was asked, "Why do you not visit the rulers and command them to the correct and forbid them the incorrect?" He replied, "'The believer should not waste himself. Their swords precede our tongues when we speak. They speak thus with their swords." And he made a striking gesture with his hand. * "When a young man is devout, we do not recognise him by his speech. We recognise him by his actions. That is beneficial knowledge."

* It is related that when al-Hasan saw a funeral, he would say, "Praise belongs to Allah who has not made me part of that which is snatched away." He would not relate anything that day. Ibn al-Qayyim * O people who take pleasure in a life that will vanish, falling in love with a faded shadow is sheer stupidity! (Purification of the Soul, p. 147)

* "If you were to see a repenting person, you would see weary eyelids early in the morning asking for forgiveness and listening to Allaah's command: 'Repent to Allaah with a sincere repentance'. You would see that his diet is light and his grief heavy; his body weakened by fasting and his feet tired from prayers. He would be exausted both physically and spiritually" (Taken from: 'Sincere Repentance', page 12)

* "The servitude in repentance is the most noble and beloved form of servitude in the Eyes of Allaah. He loves those who repent and it is because of His love for His creation that He tests them with sins so that He may shower His Blessings and Favours upon them after they repent" (Taken from: 'Sincere Repentance', page 13)

* Love of Allah Found in "Al-Walaa wal-Baraa" of M S al-Qahtani: The love of the Beloved must be unconditionally returned. If you claim love yet oppose the Beloved, then your love is but a pretence. You love the enemies of your Beloved and still seek love in return. You fight the beloved of your Beloved. Is this Love or the following of shaytaan? True devotion is nothing but total submission of body and soul to One Love. We have seen humans claim to submit, yet their loyalties are many. They put their trust here, and their hope there, and their love is without consequence.

* According to Abdallaah bin Bakr bin Habeeb al-Sahmee: We were told by a man in the mosque of al-Junaabidh that `Umar bin `Abd al-`Azeez delivered a sermon to the people in Khunaasirah in which he said: "O people, you were not created in vain, nor will you be left to yourselves [See 75:36]. Rather, you will return to a place in which Allaah will descend in order to judge among you and distinguish between you. Destitute and lost are those who forsake the all- encompassing mercy of Allaah, and they will be excluded from Paradise, the borders of which are as wide as the heavens and the earth. Don't you know that protection, tomorrow, will be limited to those who feared Allaah [today], and to those who sold something ephemeral for something permanent, something small for something great, and fear for protection? Don't you realize that you are the descendants of those who have perished, that those who remain will take their place after you, and that this will continue until you are all returned to Allaah? Every day you dispatch to Allaah, at all times of the day, someone who has died, his term having come to an end. You bury him in a crack in the earth and then leave him without a pillow or a bed. He has parted from his loved ones, severed his connections with the living, and taken up residence in the earth, whereupon he comes face to face with the accounting. He is mortgaged to his deeds: He needs his accomplishments, but not the material things he left on earth. Therefore, fear Allaah before death descends and its appointed times expire. I swear by Allaah that I say those words to you knowing that I myself have committed more sins than any of you; I therefore ask Allaah for forgiveness and I repent. Whenever we learn that one of you needs something, I try to satisfy his need to the extent that I am able. Whenever I can provide satisfaction to one of you out of my possessions, I seek to treat him as my equal and my relative, so that my life and his life are of equal value. I swear by Allaah that had I wanted something else, namely, affluence, then it would have been easy for me to utter the word, aware as I am of the means for obtaining this. But Allaah has issued in an eloquent Book and a just example (sunnah) by means of which He guides us to obedience and proscribes disobedience." He lifted up the edge of his robe and began to cry and sob, causing the people around him to break into tears. Then he stepped down. That was the last sermon he gave before he died, may Allaah have mercy on him. For variant versions of this sermon, see Ibn `Abd al-Hakam, Seerah 43-45, 132-33; Ibn Katheer, Bidaayah, IX, 199; This translation was taken from The History of al-Tabaree, Vol XXIV, by D.S.Powers.

* ‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Azeez (rahimahullaah) used to say, “None can reach the station of taqwaa until he possesses neither action nor words that can be exposed to his embarrassment either in this world or the Hereafter.” He was once asked, “When does the worshipper reach the peak of taqwaa?” He replied, “If he put all his thoughts and desires in his heart on a plate and then wandered around in the market, he should not feel ashamed of anything there.”

"Then which of the Blessings of your Lord will you deny?" Imam Ash-Shaafi`ee From "Three Forgotten Prayers" by `Adnaan Aali `Uroor 1997 Published By Call to Islam Da`wah Center, London E17 UK Al-Muzni who is Aboo lbraaheem Isma`eel ibn Yahya said: "I entered upon ash-Shaafi'ee during his illness which resulted in his death, so I said to him: 'What is your condition?' He replied: "I am journeying from this world, and departing from my brothers, drinking from the cup of death, and upon Allaah - Exalted is His remembrance - arriving. And no! By Allaah, I do not know if my soul is traveling towards Paradise or the Fire!" Then he started to weep, and he said: 'In You, the Creator, I raise my longing, And even if I am, O possessor of kindness and generosity, an evildoer, a criminal, When my heart became constricted and my paths became narrow, I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an opening and an escape, My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared them to Your forgiveness, I found Your forgiveness to be greater, You are and still remain the only One who can forgive sins, You grant and forgive out of Your benevolence and generosity, Perhaps the One who is the source of all goodness will forgive and overlook my mistakes, And will hide the sins and burden that I accumulated, My sins seemed very great to me, so I turned (to You) in humility, Were it not for my contentment in you, I wouldn't, O my Lord, have seen any comfort at all, So if You forgive me, You would have forgiven a sinner, A rebellious, oppressive tyrant still sinning, So my crime is very great, past and present, But Your forgiveness that embraces Your servant is greater and higher, So whomsoever holds fast to Allaah is truly saved from mankind, And whosever's hopes are in Him, will be far removed from any regrets.'
In translating these lines of poetry I have exercised a certain degree of freedom in order to preserve the emotive content as well as making it readable in the English language. [Translator Note]

we always have the stars...

2009-12-09T02:10:00.000-08:00

http://www.halaltube.com/understanding-allahs-law-and-order

2009-12-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

this is a response to a comment on the prev post.

yes, comparative religion and logical arguments are a way of Dawah to the non muslims but i think that the best way to do dawah is to be real muslims ourselves....because action sends out louder messages than just words and arguments and Islam spread in the initial days due to the inspiring way of life of the Prophet Sallallaahu alaihi wasallam and the Companions...

for example: i could explain all the logical arguments to my non muslim friend but when its time for namaz i don't show up..what message am i sending? that Allah is the true God but its ok, u can ignore Him when He calls? or i could watch movies and listen to music and do all the things that Allah doesn't like and then tell people that Allah is the Almighty and we should fear him? if i m not practising islam and Allah's presence is not felt by me how is the other person ever going to believe it?

its simple really, go to the mosque and see the crowds on friday. and compare it to the emptiness of fajr jamat. and really, if the same crowds filled up the mosque both in jum'ah and fajr would we even have to call people to islam or would our own lives inspire them to look at it as it is in all its beauty?

and most importantly the giving of hidayat is in the hands of Allah. The Prophet Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam used to call people to islam in the day and then ask for Allah's help in the night in tahajjud. its not our effort that changes anything, it is only Allah's will. how many nights or even a few moments in the day do we spend asking from Allah and supplicating to Him?

The Prophet Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam spent entire nights in prayer shedding tears for our jannah and we don't even spend five minutes a day crying for our own Akhirah, when are we going to pray for other people? May Allah forgive us.

p.s: this is my opinion which could be grossly incorrect . i m no Alim . May Allah forgive me for my ignorant opinions.

2009-11-25T06:07:00.000-08:00

All that is there between the earth and the sky and all that is there in the depths of the earth and in the seven skies- all of it- is not worth one tiny jot compared to one moment of real remembrance of Allah and the certainty that He is right here.

some more drops of wisdom

2009-11-17T23:13:00.000-08:00

Decrease in one's speech brings wisdom, decrease in one's food brings health, decrease in one's sleep brings worship, and decrease in one's meeting with common folk brings safety. [Umar bin Khattab (Radhiyallahu anhu) - The second Caliph of Islam]

God made the illusion look real and the real an illusion. He concealed the sea and made the foam visible, the wind invisible, and the dust manifest. you see the dust whirling, but how can the dust rise by itself? you see the foam, but not the ocean. invoke Him with deeds, not words; for deeds are real and will save you in the infinite-life. -Rumi, "Mathnawi"

A sign of your love of Allah is your love of His remembrance. Intention is the measure for rendering actions true, so that, where intention is sound, action is sound, and where it is corrupt, then action is corrupt.- Imam an-Nawawi

I have three treasures. Guard and keep them: The first is deep love, The second is frugality, And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the world. Because of deep love, one is courageous. Because of frugality, one is generous. Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world. Whoever (truly) knows his Lord loves Him, and whoever (truly) knows the world does without it." - al-Hasan al-Basri

If someone gave you a beautiful, expensive new hat, wouldn’t you be grateful for the generous gift? But shouldn’t you be even more grateful for the One Who gave you the head to put that hat on. [Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak]

People asked: "What is most beneficial for a man?"Ibn Mubaarak: "Perfect intelligence."People: "If he lacks perfect intelligence?"Ibn Mubaarak: "Beautiful manners."People: "If he lacks beautiful manners?"Ibn Mubaarak: "Seeking advice from a kind brother."People: "If he has no such brother?"Ibn Mubaarak: "Then silence."People: "If he is unable to remain silent?"Ibn Mubaarak: "Then death is best for him."

Yûnus ibn Yazîd said: I asked Rabî‘ah ibn Abu ‘Abdur-Rahmân: “What is the ultimate of patience?” He said: “To be outwardly the same at the time of affliction as one was the day before it struck.” (This does not mean that a person does not or should not feel pain or anguish; patience in this instance means that one refrains from panicking and complaining.)

The superiority of amassing knowledge over wealth is that the Pharaoh's vast wealth caused him to say, "Truly I'm deserving of your worship." Whereas the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) vast knowledge caused him to say, "Truly we have not worshipped You as You deserve to be worshipped. [Ali radi Allah anhu]

'When the mind is ready, a teacher appears' [Zen Proverb]

Know that you have three friends. The first of them is your wealth,which you shall lose at the time of death. The second of them is your family, who shall leave you once you are in your grave. The third ofthem are your actions, which shall never depart from you. So befriendthat which will accompany you in your grave, and be intimate with it.The intelligent one is he who knows Allah, His commands and His prohibitions." [Ibn 'Ata' Allah (Taj al-'arus al-hawi li tahdhib al-nufus, 32).]

drops of wisdom

2009-11-17T22:59:00.000-08:00

Do not try to run away from trials and tribulations, but endure them with patience. They cannot be avioded, and there is nothing for it but to endure them with patience, How can you expect the whole of this world, and all that has been created therein, to undergo change and transformation just to suit your convenience? The Prophets are the best of all creatures, yet they have always had to suffer afflication and so it is for their followers, those who tread in their footsteps as they walk along their highway, emulating their example.- Muhyuddin Abdul Qadir Jilani

The eye of a small person makes small things look large. And the eye of a great person makes great calamities look small. [Mutanabbih]

People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.

“God is not veiled from you by some reality existing apart from Him, since there is no reality outside of Him: what veils Him from you is but the illusion that there can be a reality apart from Him.” [Ibn ‘Ata-Illah]

The truest and highest stage of worship is to see God face to face, and to receive his guidance from his own mouth. Those who attain this highest stage, choose for themselves whatever God chooses for them. Their entire characters are transformed by God. They are God’s friends; so they no longer discriminate between people, but regard all people as friends. Wherever they go, they go from God; wherever they arrive, they arrive at God. Whatever they do, they do for God; whatever service they perform, they perform it in God. The self has been truly annihilated.-Junayd, “Tawhid”

Innumerable changes of moods are yours, and they are uncontrolled by you. If you knew their origin, you would be able to dominate them. If you cannot localize your own changes, how can you localize that which formed you? - Rumi [Fihi Ma Fihi]

“If you are looking for a friend who is faultless, you will be friendless.” [ Jalaluddin Rumi]

All of the religion is behavior and character, what increases you in (good) behavior, increases you in your religion. [Ibn al Qayyim]

“You leave the best of worship: humility.” - A’isha (May Allah be pleased with her)

“Whoever makes his one worry God Then God will take care of the rest of his worries.” [from the first poem in his diwan] Imam Shafi’s

Al-Hasan al-Basri said: People are all the same in health and ease, but when hardship befalls them, true distinction is shown.

Knowldedge of this world will take you maybe as far as the moon. Knowledege of Deen will take you to the ‘Arsh of Allah. [Moulana Ahmad Laat]

Aisha (radhiallaahu `anha): A man came to her and asked ‘When will I know that I am pious?’ She said, ‘When you realise that you are a sinner.’ He said, ‘And when will I know I am a sinner?’ She replied, ‘When you think you are pious.’

Do not ask someone to meet a need that God can meet. How can such a person give you what He does not? How can one who is unable to meet one’s own needs meet those of another? Ibn `Ata’ Allah al-Iskandari

Why should I grieve because of a thorn? Once it had made laughter known to me. Whatever you lost through the stroke of destiny, know it was to save you from adversity. One small affliction keeps off greater afflictions; one small loss prevents greater losses. -Rumi

Indeed the whole world is imagination.Only He is the real in Reality.Whoever understands this knows the secrets of the spiritual path. - Ibn ‘Arabi, “Masters of the Path”

When the angel of death came to take the soul of Abraham the latter said, “Have you ever seen a friend take his friend’s life?” God answered him, “Have you ever seen a friend unwilling to see his friend?” Then Abraham said, “O Azrael! take my soul!”

It is reported that the Messenger ( peace be upon him) of God said: "God is beautiful and He loves beauty". It is God who made the world and brought it into existence. The entire universe is therefore supremely beautiful. There is nothing ugly in it. On the contrary, in it God has brought together all perfection and all beauty. Futuhat al-Makkiyya

The movement which is the existence of the universe is the movement of love. Ibn 'Arabi, Fusûs al-Hikam

It is He who is revealed in every face, sought in every sign, gazed upon by every eye, worshipped in every object of worship, and pursued in the unseen and the visible. Not a single one of His creatures can fail to find Him in its primordial and original nature. Ibn 'Arabi, Futûhât al-Makkiyya

signs of the people of Allah

2009-11-17T22:35:00.000-08:00

It is related that a devout worshipper by the name of Humam came to Imam ‘Ali, may God ennoble his countenance, and asked him to describe the God conscious people so vividly that he could almost see them.
Imam ‘Ali responded:
“Their speech is truthful; their clothing is moderate; and they walk with utmost humility.
They lower their gaze from everything God has forbidden.
They allow their ears to listen only to that which is beneficial.
Their souls accept exposure to trials and tribulations [in adherence to the truth] as easily as others accept luxurious living.
Were it not for their appointed term, their spirits would not have remained in their bodies the span of a twinkling of the eye due to their intense longing for their Lord.
Because the Creator is magnified in their souls, everything else is viewed as insignificant in their sight.
Their hearts are sober; people are safe from any wickedness from them; their bodies are slim [they don't overindulge their appetites];
their basic needs are few; and their souls are chaste.
They patiently endure the few days they spend in this world knowing that they will be followed by a long, peaceful rest—this is the profitable life-transaction which their Lord has allowed them to enter into.
The world desired them; however, they had no desire for it. It imprisoned them, but they ransomed their souls from it [with their restraint and righteous deeds].
At night, their feet are arranged in ranks as they dutifully recite the Qur’an in slow measured tones. If they come upon a verse that stimulates [in them] longing [for the delightful things which God has promised] they ponder it, craving to attain them. Their souls soar due to the intensity of their longing for those delights. If they come upon a verse that frightens them [with the threat of Allah's dreadful punishment] they hear it reverberating in the depths of their hearts. They imagine that they hear the dreadful sounds of the Hellfire in the innermost recesses of their ears.
You find them kneeling down [before their Lord], begging to be liberated from the Hellfire.
As for their days, they are forbearing, clement scholars.
They are righteous and pious. Fear [of Allah] pierces their hearts like arrows.
One who gazes upon them thinks that they are sick. However, they are far from being sick.
One of the signs [of such a person] is that you observe strength in his religion.
His gentleness is accompanied by sobriety.
His faith is coupled with certainty.
He longs for knowledge.
He acts with forbearance.
He lives moderately, even when blessed with wealth.
He is humble in his worship.
He endures poverty with dignified grace.
He patiently endures trying circumstances.
He seeks his sustenance from the lawful.
He hastens to right guidance.
He is agitated if he perceives greed in himself.
He works righteousness all the while trembling, [fearing that his deeds won't be accepted].
His greatest concern is gratitude.
In the morning preoccupied with the Remembrance of God.
He goes to bed at night overwhelmed, apprehensive. He rises in the morning overjoyed.
His apprehension arises from the awareness of his heedlessness. His joy is caused by the bounties and mercy [God has opened up for him during the coming day].
If his soul presses him with something he despises, he does not concede [to it] and withholds from it what it desires.
The comfort of his eye is that which is permanent [the reward of his righteous deeds].
His abstinence from that which is temporal.
He mixes clemency with knowledge, and speech with action.
He expects death at any moment.
His slips are few [because of his cautiousness and deliberateness in speech and actions].
His heart is content.
He is easy-going.
He is constantly on guard against assaults upon his religion.
His lusts are dead. His anger is suppressed.
People anticipate goodness from him.
They are safe from any wickedness from him.
If he is in the company of the heedless, he is recorded as being mindful [of his Lord].
He overlooks those who oppress him.
He gives to those who deny him.
He joins relations with those who cut him off.
He is far removed from any indecency.
His speech is gentle.
You find nothing bad in him. He is always a source of good.
During calamities, he is composed. In dire straights, he is patient. In times of ease, he is thankful. He does not oppress those he dislikes, nor does he sin for the sake of those he loves.
He admits the truth before his witnessing is sought.
He preserves all he is entrusted with.
He does not hurl abusive names at people. He never harms his neighbor, nor does he find joy in afflictions that befall his enemy.
If he is transgressed against, he perseveres until God takes revenge for him.
He relies on himself while he himself is a source of relief for others [they can rely on him].
He tires himself for the sake of his salvation, not burdening others in any way.
His distance from those he avoids is a form of abstinence, while his drawing near to people is from his gentleness and mercy. Hence, his distance from people does not arise from arrogance and haughtiness, nor is his closeness to them motivated by cunning and treachery.”

Hearing this, Humam dropped dead. Imam ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him said, “This is what I feared would happen to him. Thus is the effect of a penetrating word when it reaches a receptive heart.”- From Nahj al-Balagha Translated by Imam Zaid Shakir

Allahu Akbar

2009-11-11T02:48:00.000-08:00

the deluded self

2009-11-06T04:20:00.000-08:00

feel good about yourself... love who you are, be yourself and let the world deal with you - faults and all...
this is the idea that sells.... what everyone wants to be told... what we are expected to think of when we go out shopping or to the movies or whatever ...feel good about yourself. its not your fault, somebody else's - your parent's/the system/the society or whatever xyz u can think of...but not yours..

THIS thought is the beginning of the end...when we stop taking responsibility ....when we think that we're nice and the rest of the world s bad bad bad...

realisation is the first step for improvement and correction....
from the Islamic perspective , if u are pleased with yourself you are in a horrible state because that is when your downfall begins..
because that is when we begin pointing fingers and we don't have time to look within us ...and if we did ...lo! we're full of the same faults that we hate so much in others - pride, arrogance, anger, hardheartedness, selfishness, greed, jealosy, love for the worldly things, thinking ill of others......the list is endless ..... and i am the worst among us all, may Allah forgive me.
Kindly remember me in your duas for Astaghfaar.

A believer has only two eyes ....one looks at Allah and the other at his own heart and when he does this he does not have eyes to look at other people.

May Allah make us all stronger in our Imaan. Ameen.

deceptions of this world

2009-10-25T02:57:00.000-07:00

we render different roles at different stages in our lives and for each act we have a different set of people around us..
i have played a wide range of roles ( May Allah forgive me ) and lived and spent time with different kinds of people and looking back at each stage i now realize that the world deceives different people differently - into believing that whatever they are involved with in their lives is sufficient to validate their existence and the need for worshiping Allah in thought and act simply does not occur to us as we're too involved in our duniya.

when we're college students we're occupied with gossip and movies and games and the latest cellphones/playstations and even in looking for bollywood 'love' and then even maybe a bit of studying sometimes ... but where is Allah featuring in this scheme of things?- and its pretty obvious that its not possible for a human being occupied with such frivolity to think of Allah and their own place in His creation. Which is why Allah advices against things that take us away from Him. if only we listened.

after that we begin to live in the real world of jobs and work and finding our place in the economy- and the most intellectual ones among us even begin to think about the meaning of life and why we're here- these are those of us who realize that life is supposed to have depth and meaning but they try to find it in creativity ... they ask the right questions about 'life, the universe and everything' but the answers are all wrong... and we fail to find the truth and the correct answers because we're too caught up in our own egos, our own limitless possibilities...which is the biggest deceit of all because without Allah we have no possibility or ability or any strength or power... but the human mind is too full of itself and so it comes up with answers that deny the very Allah who created it ( May Allah protect us ).

in the third phase ( genarally for most women ) we are caught up in managing an entire household and in doing so we open the door to backbiting and thinking ill of every other woman on the planet, every woman believes that she alone knows how to be a superwife or whatever and i think this category is at maximum loss because the entire job of the housewife is by nature selfless and noble and it is amazing how we still manage to turn it into witchdom, May Allah protect us. So, while constantly working for others and thinking of their comfort and well being we are simultaneously busy in bitching and thinking ill of others ( other women , mostly) and so at the end of the day in the eyes of Allah all our service is worthless because if it was done with purity of intention for Allah alone then there wouldnt be any dissatisfaction or ill-thinking in our hearts.

so basically wherever we are and whatever it is that we occupy ourselves with we manage to make sure we lose out on all counts by neglecting our duties to Allah , neglecting the traits that a muslim must have - all for the sake of our duniya- and the irony is that we are not even happy in whatever we are doing...
and yet the world continues to deceive us.
Allahumma fazna minhum

the living dead..

2009-10-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Prophet of Allah Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam said ( the gist of which is) : ' Those who do Dhikr of Allah are alive and those who don't are ( as if ) dead.'

Every word spoken by my Nabi Sallallaahu Alaihi wasallam's is true.

Look within, into our hearts and you will realise- we have become an ummah of the 'living' dead.
Our heartbeats do not increase when we stand in front of Allah in Salaah, our hearts do not ache when we hear/read stories of the Sahaba and the struggle of Islam, our hearts do not cry for the millions of muslims who neglect prayer, our hearts do not even cry over the oceans of sins we carry with us, our hearts feel no fear when we think of the grave , our hearts do not change when we think of the Day when we will have to stand in front of Allah... we are a dead people who function in a world of money and work and food and clothes and endless junk entertainment... we are dead.

' Mujhe zindagi mein Ya Rabb
sar-e-bandagi at'a kar,
Mere dil ki be-hisi ko
gham a Aashiqi at'a kar '

May Allah make my heart and your heart and the heart of each Ummati alive with His remembrance. Ameen.

knowing and believing

2009-09-03T08:28:00.000-07:00

Ask yourself this question- What will happen after I die?..
because we very often forget our own mortality... our lives were not given to us to catch the latest blockbusters or to find out what XYZ socialite wore for abc's party....our lives were not meant for pursuing ambitious goals to fulfil our lofty dreams, our lives were not given to us to prove that we could make more money than others or that we are smarter, more talented etc etc...

our lifetime is simply the prep leave we get before the exam.
there is a reality beyond our own three dimensional space and time. The Hereafter that Allah tells us of in the Qur'an is REAL . heaven is REAL . Hell is REAL.
Allah is Al-Haqq, which is one of his 99 names. Al- Haqq. Meaning the Truth.

So i may have any number of identities - woman,wife, daughter, sister..... but my identity as a slave of Allah is my basic reality and i can only be a good wife , daughter, sister etc if i am first a good slave of Allah.... and this is the beauty of it.. you cannot please Allah without pleasing His slaves,... So Allah wants that I be good to His slaves if I am seeking His pleasure... you cannot find Allah without fulfilling the rights of His slaves first.

very often our problem is not that we don't have the knowledge of reality but it is that we do not really believe..... who does not know that Allah has warned us of Hellfire?.... but we still commit sins ...because we know... but somewhere we fall short in believing in the reality of it.

sit in a dark room. alone. like you sit in Tashahhud in Namaz... and just present yourself in front of Allah. just sit there till you can really believe that you are sitting in front of Allah and He is looking at your heart right now. because Allah looks at our hearts... he doesn't care for our faces, it is what is inside that He is concerned with.

and then, when you can do that just watch how the years of a lifetime - fall off like dust and you realise you have nothing to offer Allah from an entire lifetime that you can honestly say was for Him...
and then you realise the sheer waste that has been your life..
and then you will realise that Allah in His infinite Mercy has made you sit there and helped you realise ...because it is a gift from Allah to realise your follies and to do Tawbah and repent.

It is as if Allah is shaking you out of your illusions and making you see...really see Truth and Reality.

The Prophet ( peace be upon him ) said ( the gist of which is ) , ' Human beings are asleep. And when they die they will wake up ( to reality).'

Make this your best Ramadhan ever

2009-08-17T03:37:00.000-07:00

2:183 O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint

2:184 (Fasting) for a fixed number of days; but if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number (should be made up) from days later. For those who can do it (with hardship), is a ransom, the feeding of one that is indigent. But he that will give more, of his own free will, it is better for him. And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew.

heres a very useful blog entry from fellow muslimah Jenny's blog

2009-08-14T22:10:00.002-07:00

http://may14muslima.blogspot.com/2009/08/daily-ibadah-chart.html

Daily Ibadah Chart

Here is the daily ibadah chart that I created for a guideline for all of us to follow for our daily acts of worship. Insha'Allah it will be of benefit to us all. Until I can figure out how to upload the excel spreadsheet onto the site this will have to suffice (blogger allows images and videos to be uploaded but I cant figure out documents--- advice is welcomed.) Please copy and paste it into your own word doc. and then print it off so you can regularly check off that which you do and see where you need to improve. May Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) make us among those who are sincere in our acts of worship, doing them for His sake alone, and filling our time with them instead of that which is wasteful. Also, remember the purpose of a chart is accountability and to help establish habits. The Prophet (Sallahu Allahi was Salam) said: "The best deeds are continuous ones, even if little..." Muslim and "The most beloved deeds to Allah are those which are regularly done even if they are little" Bukhari.

DAILY IBADAH CHART

DAILY ACTS OF WORSHIP

Awoke for Fajr on Time, prayed with Sunnah

Made a.m. Dhikr and Recitation based on Sunnah

Read Quran after Fajr

Prayed all Fardh on time (early as possible)

Prayed all 12 Rakah of Sunnah

Made reccomended Dhikr after every prayer

Prayed Fardh in Mosque (Males)

Prayed Salat Ul-Dhuha

Made recommended evening dua

Read Surah Mulk before sleep (in Arabic)

Read 2:285-286 before sleep (in Arabic)

Went to Sleep in a state of Wudu

Recited recommended dhikr/dua before sleep

Prayed Witr Prayer

Made Recommended Dua after Witr

Prayed at least 2 Rakah of Tahajjud Prayer

Maintained state of Wudu throughout day

Went to sleep w/out ill feelings towards Muslims

Made use of times when Dua are accepted

Made Dua for Parents

Made Dua for the Muslim Ummah

Made Dua for the Prophet (PBUH)

Asked for Jannah and Refuge from Jahanam x3

Made Tawbah and Istighfaar 100 times

Fasted Mon and Thurs or 13, 14, 15

Did not waste my time

Attempted to Increase my knowledge

Read at least one page of the Quran

Tried to memorize at least one Ayat

Read one new Hadith and its meaning

Read the Tafsir of one verse of Quran

Did not lie

Did not Backbite or Slander

Commanded good and Forbade Evil

Did an act of Sadaqah

Deed a deed between me and Allah alone

Didn't do anything I wasn't sure was permissible

Reviewed the Surahs I have memorized

Told a non-Muslim about Islam

IBADAH SPECIFIC FOR FRIDAYS

Read Surah Kahf

Prayed Jumah at earliest time and best gathering

Made Ghusl and Wore Best Clothes

Pondered about Khutbah

Made Dua for the Prophet (PBUH)

Used last hour on Friday for Dua

Chart modified from Al Kauthar Checklist and Al Huda Ibadah Chart.

Dr Nazreen Nawaz (Womens Media Representative Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain) responds to Nicolas Sarkozys ban burqa comments

2009-07-13T02:09:00.000-07:00

Realizing our own human status...who we are and to Whom do we belong.

2009-07-10T03:01:00.000-07:00

love has conditions

2009-07-10T02:44:00.001-07:00

http://www.halaltube.com/love-has-conditions

Muhammad ( peace be upon him )

2009-07-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

MJ passed away and the world is short another celebrity... of course he was an amazingly brilliant entertainer/musician.... but is that enough to inspire an entire generation ?
christiano ronaldo was 'unveiled' by real madrid like some kind of hero. thousands of fans showed up to show their admiration. why? he can kick around a ball exceptionally well. thats where all his 'goodness' ends...

the real question here is- is it ok that we dont have any role models who mite actually inspire us to real human greatness?.. instead we have talented artists, cricketers, moviestars .... we dont have icons who can inspire us to be better people... we just have geniuses....it doesnt matter what kind of human beings they are... being good is not something to be admired anymore..its more about how good somebody is at xyz activity...
and thats bad
because then what we have is a bunch of spoilt rotten human beings who have all the adulation and wealth in the world and who are seen as idols for the next gen...

i dont understand what is so great about some guy who is insanely good at one thing and fails miserably in every other aspect of life..and i m not talking specifically abt MJ here. show me one celeb/teen icon who is not this way...
we are people without leaders. without meaningful inspiration.

and its our fault . because really, we do have one icon, the best, the greatest. We dont need any other because everyone else pales in comparison.

Go back to the basics.
The first kalimah- the latter part - 'Muhammad ur Rasoolullaah' - meaning: Muhammad ( peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah.
The Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) was the best human being to ever walk this earth and God declares this to all humanity, till the day of Qayamah by making it mandatory for a person to accept this and believe it in order to be complete in his faith in Him.
there were many great ppl since the beginning and there will be many by the time the world is done, but none, no one absolutely will ever match up to Prophet Muhammad ( peace be upon him ).
a simple reading of his biography ( which are all historically accurate ) will lead any rational mind to the same conclusion.

so humanity does have a hero, a leader, an inspiration, a guidance.
its funny we still find anything admirable about our clueless celebrities and their empty lives.

Quick info about Muhammad ( peace be upon him ) , the Messenger of Allah.

R.I.P

2009-07-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

i m always restless.. i can't change it, stop it, control it ..nothing...
but i believe that because of it i will never fall into the rut of inertia or passivity ...

it is not so great for the people around me and i really don't know what to do about that... i wish i could do something ...i really do...

i don't think it means that i m not at peace ... because i am.. i know that for sure because i have spent a long time when i was NOT in peace and i know the difference....

May Allah make my restlessness a thing of benefit for me in this world and the hereafter. Ameen.

Shock Dead, Everybody's Gone Mad: Reflections on the Death of Michael Jackson By Hamza Yusuf

2009-07-02T01:03:00.001-07:00

On the news
Everybody's dog food
Bang bang
Shock dead
Everybody's gone mad...

From "They Don't Care About Us" by Michael Jackson

As a little boy, Michael Jackson had an extraordinary charisma -- as well as an absolute innocence -- that was disarmingly charming. It captivated millions of Americans and eventually people around the world.

As the years went by, his career took strange turns and his face transformed eerily into a ghastly masque, perhaps to conceal the pain of alienation from his own self and family. He was also rumored to have unsavory predilections that would never have been suggested if one used the rigorous criteria of Islam before hurling an accusation. Despite the rumors, he appeared to have had a genuine concern for children, wanting to provide them with a world that was denied to him as a child due to the abuses he claimed to have suffered.

I was very happy for him last year when he reportedly became a Muslim. He had apparently followed the footsteps of his dignified and intelligent brother, Jermaine, who converted to Islam 20 years ago and found peace. It seemed befitting that Michael sought refuge from a society that thrives on putting people on pedestals and then knocking them down. He was accused of many terrible things, but was guilty of perhaps being far too sensitive for an extremely cruel world. Such is the fate of many artistic people in our culture of nihilistic art, where the dominant outlet for their talents is in singing hollow pop songs or dancing half-naked in front of ogling onlookers who often leave them as quickly as they clung to them for the next latest sensation.

In the manner of Elvis or the Beatles, Michael is unwittingly both a cause and a symptom of America’s national obsession with celebrity, currently on display in the American Idol mania. Celebrity trumps catastrophe every time. Far too few of us make any attempt to understand why jobs are drying up, why mortgages are collapsing, why we spend half-a-trillion dollars to service the interest on the national debt, why our government’s administration, despite being elected on an anti-war platform, is still committed to two unnecessary and unjust wars waged by the earlier administration, wars that continue to involve civilians casualties on an almost daily basis. Instead, we drown in trivia, especially trivia related to celebrity. And the response to Michael’s death is part of the trivial pursuits of American popular culture. The real news about death in America is that twenty Iraq and Afghan war veterans are committing suicide every day. But that does not make the front page nor is it discussed as seriously as the King of Pop’s cardiac arrest.

Nevertheless, Michael’s very public death notice is a powerful reminder that no matter how famous or talented or wealthy one is, death comes knocking, sometimes sooner than later. Michael has now entered a world of extraordinary perception, a world that makes his “Thriller” video seem mundane. It is a world of angels and demons, and questions in the grave, a world where fame is based upon piety and charity. Given Michael’s reported conversion to Islam last year, Muslims count him as one of our own, and we pray that he can finally find the peace he never found in this world and that he is in a place, God willing, of mercy, forgiveness, and solace.

original article at : http://www.zaytuna.org/articleDetails.asp?articleID=125

Reality and Appearance

2009-07-02T00:56:00.000-07:00

'Tis light makes colour visible: at night
Red, greene, and russet vanish from thy sight.
So to thee light by darkness is made known:
Since God hath none, He, seeing all, denies
Himself eternally to mortal eyes.
From the dark jungle as a tiger bright,
Form from the viewless Spirit leaps to light

parameters

2009-07-02T00:25:00.000-07:00

humanity has a set of parameters that the judge people by...

whether a person is black/white, asian/african/european, educated/illeterate, rich/poor, articulate, stylish, cool, funny, interesting, talented, wealthy, good looking, informed etc etc etc.
most of us consciously or unconsciously spend a lot of our time and energy in trying to score in all of these categories... and we judge others by them..

Allah says ( the gist of which is )- 'We do not look at your wealth, your faces, your designations, your talents... We look at your hearts.'

So Allah has only one parameter to judge man by- the heart... nothing else.
that is why Allah chose the black abbyssinian slave Bilal ( Radhiyallaahu Anhu) to be the first muezzin ( person who calls out the Adhaan at prayer time ) in Islam.
Hadhrat Bilal ( radhiyallaahu Anhu ) used to say that if the giving of Imaan (faith) had been in the hands of men then no one would have even considered this black slave for it.

in the 21st century, the world is celebrating because a country has elected a black president..
Islam did away with all discrimination 14 centuries ago ...

so next time u meet someone, before you form an opinion based on his/her wealth, color, race, caste, clothes, intelligence etc etc try n look at the heart. only.

There is no God but God

2009-07-01T02:11:00.000-07:00

'La-ilaaha-illallaah' - There is no God but God...
This is the first part of the kalimah...

when u apply it to life it will mean that
money is not my God,
fame /celebrity is not my God,
my own wishes and dreams are not my God,
my desires, my ideas, my thoughts can never be above my God's will or word,
beauty or the pursuit of it is not my God,
the pursuit of my personal happiness is not my God,

in short, nothing.. no thing or thought or idea or person or relationship has priority over God... nothing is more sacred/important than God..

there is no God but God..

it also means that God does not need a council/cabinet... He is unassisted, unequaled, unparalleled...He is Creator... and everything else that i have ever seen,heard, felt, been informed about ...everything else is creation..

and the Creator is completely other from creation... there is no comparison. ..the idea of a comparison is laughable..

there is no God but God.

the biggest failure of mankind has been the failure to recognize Allah's immensity/greatness.... His infinite perfection... His infinite beauty....

everything beautiful anyone has ever seen.. from the beauty of flowers and butterflies and waterfalls and sunsets and beaches and rain and even just water .... the beauty of colors.. all of it was created by Allah and he didn't need to ever discard a canvas or erase and redo a single line ....
that is Allah... the Creator... and by Allah! There can be none like Him.

there is no God but God.

p.s: Allah is the arabic word for God...only it is much more comprehensive because it does not have a a plural form and neither can it be assigned a gender.
the english language has played around with the word God too much ..so it has gods/godess/demigod etc etc... but all these are completely unacceptable in Islam...
because there is no God but God..

Poor copies out of heaven's originals,
Pale earthly pictures mouldering to decay,
What care although your beauties break and fall,
When that which gave them life endures for aye?

Oh never vex thine heart with idle woes:
All high discourse enchanting the rapt ear,
All gilded landscapes and brave glistering shows
Fade-perish, but it is not as we fear.

Whilst far away the living fountains ply,
each petty brook goes brimful to the main
Since baron nor fountain can for ever die,
Thy fears how foolish, thy lament how vain!

What is this fountain, wouldst thou rightly know?
The Soul whence issue all created things.
Doubtless the rivers shall not cease to flow,
Till silenced are the everlasting springs.

Farewell to sorrow, and with quiet mind
Drink long and deep: let others fondly deem
The channel empty they perchance may find,
Or fathom that unfathomable stream.

The moment thou to this low world wast given,
A ladder stood whereby thou might'st aspire;
And first thy steps, which upward still have striven,
From mineral mounted to the plant; then higher

To animal existence; next, the Man,
With knowledge, reason, faith. Oh wondrous goal!
This body, which a crumb of dust began-
How fairly fashioned the consummate whole!

Yet stay not here thy journey: thou shalt grow
An angel bright and home far off in heaven.
Plod on, plunge last in the great Sea, that so
Thy little drop make oceans seven times seven.

'The Son of God!' Nay, leave that word unsaid,
Say: 'God is One, the pure, the single Truth.'
What though thy frame be withered, old, and dead,
If the soul keep her fresh immortal youth?

the right to rant

2009-06-29T13:55:00.000-07:00

i told myself i wouldnt write abt it.. the Fench govt ban on the burqa... there were already too many voices screaming every way.... but well, turns out i can't keep quiet... i'll scream, even in the din of uninformed opinions... because i too have the right to rant.. and rant i should...

basically, every country has the freedom and the right to impose whatevr laws it wants to and ppl who dont feel good abt them can go fly a kite... that is the general rule anyway andi m not here to write abt that perspective anyway

what bothers me is the way the world thinks of the burqa....
and i m surprised how no one EVER asks a muslim woman who practices hijab how she feels about it...
i m one such woman and i m telling u-
it is NOT oppressive... it basically declares that this woman is not on public display... she is not to be turned into an advertisement gimmick, she is not to be exploited for her beauty, she is a real person and she deserves respect...
and for all the women who are flattered when random men call them gorgeous.... it aint worth it... really... how many milligrams of self respect do u possess if u need random strangers on the road to notice u and turn their heads when u pass to make u feel good abt yourself?...oh wow, thats it- that justifies my entire existence, they look when i pass!' !!??!!! .... all that time,money.energy spent so some random stranger gives u a second look .... ugh.. get a life ... u and the men ... seriosly..
isnt this the basic argument most of the time? how can a woman who is always covered feel good about herself? ans: she has a husband who a. loves her. b. is not going to ditch her like used tissue everytime he meets a new hot chick ( chick? ... i could write an entire post on that one word... some other time ) because he has the fear of Allah in his heart and he respects his wife too much.. c. the muslim woman cares more abt what Allah thinks of her than what tom/dick/harry have to say. basically all arguments end there.

right now, the world wants to come togather to save the right to leer and ogle , to save the right to be ogled and stared at... to save the right to spend a lot of money ( the entire fashion industry, from clothes to make-up to accessories to bags to shoes to perfumes to hairstylists to salons to hair products to skincare businesses to restaurants to bars to pubs to discotheques ...the list goes on and on would comepltely fall apart if a majority of the women began to wear the burqa... no wonder they want it out... they'll lose their businesses! the economy would come crashing down! !! )

hmm... this is why i love wrting..it leads u to conclusions... they wont ever accept something that'll break up their entire system inside out... laws are made to make money...or at least continue to keep making it... its all about the money honey..

p.s: i know this issue isnt completely one dimensional... i m simply writing what i feel like right now... theres a lot more that can be said here but i dont feel like a serious write-up right now..

Real human moments

2009-06-26T00:51:00.000-07:00

i want real human moments.I want to see you.I want you to see me.
I don't want fairy tales or red roses...
I don't want to be special ...
I want to be indispensable.
I don't want to be the rainbow in your sky
I want to become your sky...
I don't want to lose myself in you, I want you to find the me in myself ..
I don't want to forget who I am...I want to become everything I can be to u..
I don't want to spend time with you.I want to freeze every moment of togetherness so its never dies...
I want to be free
...and you're the anchor that makes my freedom real.

Every brilliant dream pales against the reality that is u...

p.s: this ones for u, the man i married :)

:)

2009-06-26T00:09:00.000-07:00

its raining again!... i can't think of one single thing that compares to the beauty of rain... the smells, the sounds, the cold, the absolute beauty of it ... it makes me want to sit and watch, to go out there and soak it in , to calmly smile and shout out in joy at the same time... it makes Allah's presence very real...He's sending it, like a perfectly wrapped gift,..adjusting the speed of the water as it comes down... mixing together the smells, the purity, the freshness.... and every bit of mud and earth and every tree and leaf responds with it sown smell and sound and it all comes together exactly as Allah planned and its all right here in front of me...the sheer perfection of it...all for me, only for me from God...

give n take

2009-06-18T09:16:00.000-07:00

its been while since my last time here... wat can i say ..life been busy ;)

can't think of anything specific to write about... im here more bcoz it feels good to be back..maybe something will come out of idly tapping the keyboard ...
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its interesting how u constantly learn and change with time.... i haven't yet met a person from whom i did not learn something new.... some people teach u good stuff..others mess things up...but they all add/delete from your thought processes and idea bases and make you who you are....

to say that everyone i meet influences the way i think sounds really lame if u look at it that way, but well... here comes the part where you review and filter and decide which parts you want to keep...

and sometimes u find someone who gives u a whole new perspective and you are compelled to keep it all bcoz its all good and its all beautiful and brilliant in its clarity...

and then u wonder what u might have given to all those who came across u...
and u wonder what u could possibly give this person...

Surah Ar-Rahman

2009-05-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

In the name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.
1. الرَّحْمَٰنُ
Allah) Most Gracious!
2. عَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ
It is He Who has taught the Qur'an.
3. خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ
He has created man:
4. عَلَّمَهُ الْبَيَانَ
He has taught him speech (and Intelligence)
5. الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ
The sun and the moon follow courses (exactly) computed;
6. وَالنَّجْمُ وَالشَّجَرُ يَسْجُدَانِ
And the herbs and the trees-both (alike) bow in adoration.
7. وَالسَّمَاءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ
And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the balance (of Justice),
8. أَلَّا تَطْغَوْا فِي الْمِيزَانِ
In order that ye may not transgress (due) balance.
9. وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ وَلَا تُخْسِرُوا الْمِيزَانَ
So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance.
10. وَالْأَرْضَ وَضَعَهَا لِلْأَنَامِ
It is He Who has spread out the earth for (His) creatures:
11. فِيهَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَالنَّخْلُ ذَاتُ الْأَكْمَامِ
Therein is fruit and date-palms, producing spathes (enclosing dates):
12. وَالْحَبُّ ذُو الْعَصْفِ وَالرَّيْحَانُ
Also corn with (its) leaves and stalk for fodder and sweet-smelling plants.
13. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
14. خَلَقَ الْإِنْسَانَ مِنْ صَلْصَالٍ كَالْفَخَّارِ
He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery,
15. وَخَلَقَ الْجَانَّ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ
And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke:
16. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
17. رَبُّ الْمَشْرِقَيْنِ وَرَبُّ الْمَغْرِبَيْنِ
(He is) Lord of the two Easts and Lord of the two Wests:
18. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
19. مَرَجَ الْبَحْرَيْنِ يَلْتَقِيَانِ
He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together:
20. بَيْنَهُمَا بَرْزَخٌ لَا يَبْغِيَانِ
Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress:
21. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
22. يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمَا اللُّؤْلُؤُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ
Out of them come Pearls and Coral:
23. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
24. وَلَهُ الْجَوَارِ الْمُنْشَآتُ فِي الْبَحْرِ كَالْأَعْلَامِ
And His are the Ships sailing smoothly through the seas lofty as mountains:
25. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
26. كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ
All that is on earth will perish;
27. وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
But will abide (forever) the Face of thy Lord― full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour.
28. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
29. يَسْأَلُهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ ۚ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ هُوَ فِي شَأْنٍ
Of Him seeks (its needs) every creature in the heavens and on earth: every day in (new) Splendour doth He (shine)!
30. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
31. سَنَفْرُغُ لَكُمْ أَيُّهَ الثَّقَلَانِ
Soon shall We settle your affairs, O both ye worlds!
32. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
33. يَا مَعْشَرَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنْسِ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتُمْ أَنْ تَنْفُذُوا مِنْ أَقْطَارِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ فَانْفُذُوا ۚ لَا تَنْفُذُونَ إِلَّا بِسُلْطَانٍ
O ye assembly of Jinns and men! if it be ye can pass beyond the zones of the heavens and the earth, pass ye! Not without authority shall ye be able to pass!
34. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
35. يُرْسَلُ عَلَيْكُمَا شُوَاظٌ مِنْ نَارٍ وَنُحَاسٌ فَلَا تَنْتَصِرَانِ
On you will be sent (O ye evil ones twain!) a flame of fire (to burn) and a smoke (to choke): no defence will ye have:
36. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
37. فَإِذَا انْشَقَّتِ السَّمَاءُ فَكَانَتْ وَرْدَةً كَالدِّهَانِ
When the sky is rent asunder, and it becomes red like ointment:
38. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
39. فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَا يُسْأَلُ عَنْ ذَنْبِهِ إِنْسٌ وَلَا جَانٌّ
On that Day no question will be asked of man or Jinn as to his sin.
40. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
41. يُعْرَفُ الْمُجْرِمُونَ بِسِيمَاهُمْ فَيُؤْخَذُ بِالنَّوَاصِي وَالْأَقْدَامِ
(For) the sinners will be known by their Marks: and they will be seized by their forelocks and their feet.
42. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
43. هَٰذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ
This is the Hell which the Sinners deny.
44. يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ آنٍ
In its midst and in the midst of boiling hot water will they wander round!
45. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
46. وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ جَنَّتَانِ
But for such as fear the time when they will stand before ( the Judgment Seat of) their Lord, there will be two Gardens―
47. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
48. ذَوَاتَا أَفْنَانٍ
Containing all kinds (of trees and delights)―
49. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
50. فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ تَجْرِيَانِ
In them (each) will be two Springs flowing (free);
51. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
52. فِيهِمَا مِنْ كُلِّ فَاكِهَةٍ زَوْجَانِ
In them will be Fruits of every kind, two and two.
53. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
54. مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَىٰ فُرُشٍ بَطَائِنُهَا مِنْ إِسْتَبْرَقٍ ۚ وَجَنَى الْجَنَّتَيْنِ دَانٍ
They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of reach).
55. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
56. فِيهِنَّ قَاصِرَاتُ الطَّرْفِ لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنْسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ
In them will be (Maidens), chaste, restraining their glances, whom no man or Jinn before them has touched―
57. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
58. كَأَنَّهُنَّ الْيَاقُوتُ وَالْمَرْجَانُ
Like unto rubies and coral.
59. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
60. هَلْ جَزَاءُ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَّا الْإِحْسَانُ
Is there any Reward for Good other than Good?
61. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
62. وَمِنْ دُونِهِمَا جَنَّتَانِ
And besides these two, there are two other Gardens―
63. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
64. مُدْهَامَّتَانِ
Dark green in colour (from plentiful watering).
65. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
66. فِيهِمَا عَيْنَانِ نَضَّاخَتَانِ
In them (each) will be two springs pouring forth water in continuous abundance:
67. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
68. فِيهِمَا فَاكِهَةٌ وَنَخْلٌ وَرُمَّانٌ
In them will be Fruits, and dates and pomegranates:
69. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
70. فِيهِنَّ خَيْرَاتٌ حِسَانٌ
In them will be fair (companions), good, beautiful―
71. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
72. حُورٌ مَقْصُورَاتٌ فِي الْخِيَامِ
Companions restrained (as to their glances), in (goodly) pavilions
73. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favour of your Lord will ye deny?
74. لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنْسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ
Whom no man or Jinn before them has touched―
75. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
76. مُتَّكِئِينَ عَلَىٰ رَفْرَفٍ خُضْرٍ وَعَبْقَرِيٍّ حِسَانٍ
Reclining on green Cushions and rich Carpets of beauty.
77. فَبِأَيِّ آلَاءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ
Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
78. تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ
Blessed be the name of thy Lord, Full of Majesty Bounty, and Honour.

[Al Qur'an, Surah Ar-Rahman]

anger

2009-05-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

Hadhrat Ali (Radhiyallaahu Anhu) narrates that Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, the best people of my Ummah are those who control themselves when in anger. [Majma uz Zawaid, Baihaqi]

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Basar (Radhiyallaahu Anhu) narrates that Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "There is a door of hell from which those people will enter whose anger subsides only after committing a sin." [ Ibne Abid- dhunya]

Hadhrat Ibn Umar ( Radhiyallaahu Anhu ) narrates that Rasulullaah( Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "One who controls his anger inspite of having the power to take revenge, then on the Day of Qayamah Allah will fill his heart with His Pleasure and Favour." [Kanzul 'Aamal]
Hadhrat Abu Zar ( Radhiyallaahu Anhu ) narrates that Rasulullaah ( Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said, "When anyone of you gets angry and he is standing then he should sit down and if by sitting his anger subsides then well and good but if the anger still remains then he should lie down."[Hasnad Ahmad, Jaam e Tirmidhi, Ma'areful Hadith]

Hadhrat Abu Huraira ( Radhiyallaahu Anhu ) narrates that Rasulullaah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said that a strong man is not one who dominates over people and overpowers them but one who controls his own Nafs and overpowers it.
[Maareful Hadees]

On Immortality

2009-04-20T02:47:00.000-07:00

From the Qur'an
Amherst D. Tyssen (1843-1930)
seasons | spring 2007 |35

Who’ll bring the dead to life,
The grave’s dark prison burst?
Why, He that on the dead
Conferred their life at first.
’Tis strange that fleeting souls
Again to-day should wake,
But no less strange that here
They once their sojourn make.
Behold the human form
With strength and skill bedight,
Endowed with mind and will,
With hearing, speech and sight.
’Tis God’s o’erruling power
Has caused with wondrous care
These mortal frames to grow
Of water, earth and air.
Then cannot God preserve
Alive the soul He gave,
And bear it safely through
The crisis of the grave?
Oh, yes, our spirits draw
Their essence from on high,
Of heavenly nature wrought,
Too noble e’er to die.

2009-04-11T08:04:00.000-07:00

And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish His purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion. [ The Qur'an: At-Talaq [65:3] ]

2009-04-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

It is part of the Mercy of Allah that thou dost deal gently with them. Wert thou severe or harsh-hearted they would have broken away from about thee; so pass over (their faults), and ask for (Allah's) forgiveness for them; and consult them in affairs (of moment). Then when thou hast taken a decision, put thy trust in Allah. For Allah loves those who put their trust (in Him). [ The Qur'an: Aal-e-Imran [3:159] ]

If Allah helps you, none can overcome you: if He forsakes you, who is there after that that can help you? In Allah, then, let believers put their trust. [ The Qur'an: Aal-e-Imran [3:160] ]

For, believers are those who, when Allah is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put (all) their trust in their Lord. [The Qur'an: Al-Anfal [8:2] ]

we have a winner!

2009-04-09T13:28:00.000-07:00

hope wins hands down !!!

looking away

2009-04-08T09:11:00.000-07:00

feel like writing today after a really long time...
hope is a funny thing... it makes people brave when they should be terrified...
i m somewhere between the two today. hope and terror.
and hope is also sort of the smartest road to take...
it keeps the terror out.

so i m writing today as a distraction-
there was a time when i defined myself by what i read, wrote, painted, thought... by movies and music and all that crap. and then good sense washed all of that away. i realised that Hesse wasn't all that he was made out to be- he was a gifted writer but i cudnt see the world as he did anymore. the mud had been cleared away for me. i realised that Vedder was indeed a brilliant vocalist and that his lyrics spoke to me but then i realised he too was just a lost junkie with a lot of talent and heart. i realised that all those movies just didnt make sense anymore. the best ones now seemed all wrong. . i was on n ethan hawke marathon when i quit. Quit. thats the perfect word. bcoz it was just a useless addiction. i m still utterly amazed by the talent of the greats of moviedom ( no, i m not talking bollywood masala) but then they're just creating a product i dont need. and now i wish i could just speak to all these great minds and clear away the dust and show them the world as Allah made it , make them see it as i see it...
getting back on track- so how do i define myself ? do the orkut-like categories define a person? movies, books, music, cuisine etc etc??
here's n attempt to do it without the category crutches:
i m contradictions, there's many of 'me' in here.
i m outgoing and friendly but then i m also reserved, i like spending time with lots of friends but i also value my solitude a lot, i enjoy mindless fun and games but i cannot do without the occassional good book/conversation/argument. i love adventures and forest treks but i also enjoy a quiet cup of coffee on a lazy afternoon. i m short tempered but i cool off just as fast. i love animals, sometimes more than ppl i think. if i fight with you a lot it means i think you're smart and fun. i m optimistic even on the worst day of my life but i get worked up about little things. everything gets to me, i do what i can to fix things even if its none of my business. i write bcoz there's just too much in here sometimes and it threatens to explode n most of it is junk.

yeah well, thats it for now, i dont feel like doing this anymore. writing abt myself i mean.
p.s: i had an interesting little experience the other day. i went to this shop whre they had two facing mirrors on opposite walls so u could see your own reflection, each one creating another to infinity.best way to get rid of your narcissism. really. i was sick of my own face in two secs. :P

2009-04-04T08:04:00.000-07:00

The Prophet Sallallaahu-Alaihi-Wasallam said, "Whoever has these 3 qualities of excellent conduct, Allah will be lenient about their reckoning and will send them to Paradise by His Mercy-
Give to those who do not give to you,
be good in your behaviour to those who do not behave well with you,
forgive those who are unfair to you.
When you bring these qualities of conduct within you, then Allah will admit you into Jannah."
[ Targheeb]

2009-03-22T03:38:00.000-07:00

Fair in the eyes of men is the love of things they covet: women and sons; heaped-up hoards of gold and silver; horses branded (for blood and excellence); and (wealth of) cattle and well-tilled land. Such are the possessions of this world's life; but in nearness to Allah is the best of the goals (to return to). ( The Qur'an, Aal-e-Imran [3:14] )

2009-03-22T03:21:00.000-07:00

This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah.
The Qur'an, Surah Al-Baqara [2:2]

2009-03-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Your Lord said: "O son of Adam so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with an earthful of sins and were you then to face Me (in sincere repentance) ascribing no partners to Me, I would bring you an earthful of forgiveness."

Allah (SWT) has said, "Say (O Muhammad!) If the oceans were ink (with words to write) the Words of My Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted, than would the words of My Lord, even if we add (another ocean like it for its aid.)"

Fir`own once asked his architects, "Build me a tower so that I can see Allah, as I do not see him on the earth or in the sky. Allah (SWT) sent down the message to him, "You cannot find Me on the earth or in the sky; look for me in your heart."

2009-03-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

Therfore, remember Me, I will remember you .
(The Qur'an- Surah Al Baqarah: 152 )

Hadhrat Abu Hurairah ( Radhiyallaahu-anhu ) narrates that the Prophet Muhammad( Sallallaahu-Alaihi-Wasallam ) said : Almighty Allah says: I am to My servant as he expects of Me and I am with him when he remembers Me. If he remembers Me in his heart, I remember him to Myself. If he remembers Me in a gathering, I remember him in a better and nobler gathering ( that is of angels ). If he comes closer to Me by one span, I go towards him a cubit's length. If he comes towards Me by a cubit's length, I go towards him an arm's length and if he walks towards Me, I run unto him.
[ Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad ]

2009-03-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hazrat Ibne- 'Abbaas Radhiyallaahu-anhuma narrates : One day I was (riding) behind the Prophet Sallallaahu-Alaihi-Wasallam ; when he said to me: 'O lad! Indeed I will teach you (some) words of wisdom: Guard the Commandments of Allah. He will guard you.Guard the Rights of Allah. You will find Him before you(Allah will help you). If you ask, ask from Allah alone and when you seek help, seek help from Allah alone and believe that if the entire mankind gathered to benefit you by anything they cannot benefit you except by that which Allah has written for you and if they gathered to harm you with anything they cannot harm you accept by that which Allah has written for you.The pens of Destiny have been lifted and the (ink of the) Scrolls has dried.' ~ [ Tirmidhi]

deaf, blind and dumb

2009-03-07T08:57:00.000-08:00

i came across this article 'Can Islam save the economy?'By Nathan Schneider
an excerpt :
'In the midst of a global financial crisis one sector has yet to suffer the fate of the rest. Islamic finance, or Sharia-compliant banking, offers strict moral guidelines for dealing with money. Trading debt and risky speculation are off-limits, as is investment in immoral enterprises like gambling, prostitution, and war profiteering. Transactions should be highly transparent and risk, as well as return, should be shared by all parties. You can’t trap people into owing more than they can pay. Basically, most everything that caused the current mess isn’t allowed. “Given their constraints, they actually don’t hold any conventional debt or conventional mortgages,” explains Samuel Hayes, emeritus professor of investment banking at Harvard. “They don’t have any of these derivatives or outright subprime loans. There’s no doubt that they have weathered this better than the conventional banks.”

i am amazed at how even when ppl's intellect understands what is right and what isn't the hearts do not want to acknowledge it simply bcoz then it'll lose the previleges of immorality and selfish greed. There is a reason why Islam is not just about your personal relationship with God, it is also how u manage your money, how u deal with family, how you treat your neighbour, how u treat the wayfarer even. Islam even gives guidelines for war, because to defend your family, women, children is a duty but there are rules for war too. You may not harm those who are not fighting you, you do not even cut away the fruit trees!
You are answerable to God for every aspect of your life. worship is in living by His guidelines in every moment.

its amazing how such a beautiful noble faith has been twisted around and misunderstood by supposedly brilliant minds. or maybe ppl have deliberately gone deaf blind and dumb so they can go on living with no rules. of course its supposed to be cool to say 'no rules for me! i m free!' and the great part is that somebody else is going to have to live with the consequences of your recklessness. there is a huge difference between 'what i can do' and 'what i should/shouldn't do'. because there's nothing great about doing everything that you can, what is great is to know what not to do.
the most difficult part of the painting is to know when the last stroke is and to not add the color that messes the whole thing up. there are rules even on a blank canvas of endless possibilities. its pretty much the same with everything else.
its no big deal to be completely free and to do everything that u can and feel like , its the lowest station for the human being. but to live by the will of Allah, in every moment and every aspect of life, that is the highest.

'If thou wilt be observant and vigilant, thou wilt see at every moment the response to thy action. Be observant if thou wouldst have a pure heart, for something is born to thee in consequence of every action.' ~Rumi

This World Which Is Made of Our Love for Emptiness

2009-03-06T00:45:00.000-08:00

Praise to the emptiness that blanks out existence. Existence:
This place made from our love for that emptiness!
Yet somehow comes emptiness, this existence goes.
Praise to that happening, over and over!
For years I pulled my own existence out of emptiness.
Then one swoop, one swing of the arm, that work is over.
Free of who I was, free of presence,
free of dangerous fear, hope, free of mountainous wanting.
The here-and-now mountain is a tiny piece of a piece of straw blown off into emptiness.
These words I'm saying so much begin to lose meaning:
Existence, emptiness, mountain, straw:
Words and what they try to say swept out the window, down the slant of the roof.

( Poems by Rumi )
p.s: i used to think i could never appreciate poetry, but now i kno... there is no i... 'i' is whatever Allah wills me to be...

Be Lost in the Call

2009-03-06T00:17:00.000-08:00

Lord, said David, since you do not need us,

why did you create these two worlds?
Reality replied: O prisoner of time,

I was a secret treasure of kindness and generosity,

and I wished this treasure to be known,

so I created a mirror: its shining face,

the heart;its darkened back, the world;

The back would please you if you've never seen the face.
Has anyone ever produced a mirror out of mud and straw?

Yet clean away the mud and straw, and a mirror might be revealed.
Until the juice ferments a while in the cask,it isn't wine.

If you wish your heart to be bright,you must do a little work.
My King addressed the soul of my flesh:You return just as you left.

Where are the traces of my gifts?
We know that alchemy transforms copper into gold.

This Sun doesn't want a crown or robe from God's grace.

He is a hat to a hundred bald men,a covering for men who were naked.
Jesus sat humbly on the back of an ass,

Spirit, find your way, in seeking lowness like a stream.

Reason, tread the path of selflessness into eternity.
Remember God so much that you are forgotten.

Let the caller and the called disappear;

be lost in the Call.

"Love is a Stranger", Kabir HelminskiThreshold Books, 1993

Wander!

2009-03-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Oh, if a tree could wander
and move with foot and wings!
It would not suffer the axe blows
and not the pain of saws!
For would the sun not wander
away in every night ?
How could at every morning
the world be lighted up?
And if the ocean's water
would not rise to the sky,
How would the plants be quickened
by streams and gentle rain?
The drop that left its homeland,
the sea, and then returned ?
It found an oyster waiting
and grew into a pearl.
Did Yusaf not leave his father,
in grief and tears and despair?
Did he not, by such a journey,
gain kingdom and fortune wide?
Did not the Prophet travel
to far Medina, friend?
And there he found a new kingdom
and ruled a hundred lands.
You lack a foot to travel?
Then journey into yourself!
And like a mine of rubies
receive the sunbeams? Sprint!
Out of yourself ? such a journey
will lead you to your self,
It leads to transformation
of dust into pure gold!

Look! This is Love - Poems of Rumi,

Drink from the Truth!

2009-03-05T10:34:00.000-08:00

God has given us a dark wine so potent that,
drinking it, we leave the two worlds.

God has put into the form of hashish a power
to deliver the taster from self-consciousness.

God has made sleep so
that it erases every thought.

God made Majnun love Layla so much that
just her dog would cause confusion in him.

There are thousands of wines
that can take over our minds.

Don't think all ecstacies
are the same!

Jesus was lost in his love for God.
His donkey was drunk with barley.

Drink from the presence of saints,
not from those other jars.

Every object, every being,
is a jar full of delight.

Be a conoisseur,
and taste with caution.

Any wine will get you high.
Judge like a king, and choose the purest,

the ones unadulterated with fear,
or some urgency about "what's needed."

Drink the wine that moves you
as a camel moves when it's been untied,

and is just ambling about.

Mathnawi IV, 2683-96
The Essential Rumi, Coleman Barks

2009-03-03T22:55:00.001-08:00

Let there be no compulsion in religion: truth stands out clear from Error: whoever rejects evil and believes in Allah hath grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold, that never breaks. And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #256)

It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces Towards east or West; but it is righteousness- to believe in Allah and the Last Day, and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask, and for the ransom of slaves; to be steadfast in prayer, and practice regular charity; to fulfil the contracts which ye have made; and to be firm and patient, in pain (or suffering) and adversity, and throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the Allah-fearing.
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #177)

By no means shall ye attain righteousness unless ye give (freely) of that which ye love; and whatever ye give, of a truth Allah knoweth it well.
( سورة آل عمران , Aal-e-Imran, Chapter #3, Verse #92)

From Sahl ibn Aa'd who said that Allâh's Messenger (salAllâhu 'alaihi wa'sallam) said:
"Jibreel came to me and said: O Muhammad! Live as you will for you must certainly die; love whom you will since you must certainly leave him; act as you will since you shall certainly be given due reward for it; know that the believers eminence is his standing in prayer during the night, and his honour is having sufficiency without dependency upon the people."

Reported by al-Haakim (4/324)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2009-03-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

"Had We sent this Qur'an down upon a mountain you would have seen it humbled, rent asunder from the fear of Allah." [Soorah al-Hashr (59):21]

Jubayr bin Mut'im said:
"I heard the Messeger of Allah recite 'at-Tur' in the Maghrib prayer, and when he got to the verses {"Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? No, but they have no firm Belief. Or are with them the treasures of your Lord? Or are they the tyrants with the authority to do as they like?"} [at-Tur; 35-37], my heart wanted to fly from my body out of awe."
['Tafsir Ibn Kathir'; 4/309]

Bishr bin as-Sirri said:
"Verily, each verse is like a date: the more you chew it, the more of its sweetness is released." Abu Sulayman heard this and commented: "True. It is the case with one of you that if he begins one chapter of it, he wants to read it to the end."
['al-Hadith fi 'Ulum al-Qur'an'; p. 70]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ibn 'Abbas narrated:
"al-Walid bin al-Mughirah (a polytheist) came to the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah recited the Qur'an to him, and al-Walid seemed to become affected and softened by it. Abu Jahl came to know of this, so, he came to al-Walid and said: "Don't you see that your people are collecting charity for you?"

He said: "And why is that?"

Abu Jahl replied: "So that they can give it to you, as they see that you went to Muhammad to get some of his food."

al-Walid said: "Quraysh knows that I am of the wealthiest of its sons."

Abu Jahl said: "So, say to Muhammad something that would convince your people that you oppose him."

al-Walid replied: "And what can I possibly say? There is not a single man who is more knowledgable of poetry or prose than I, or even that of the Jinn, and by Allah, what he says bears no resemblance to these things. By Allah, what he says has a sweetness to it, and a charm upon it; the highest part of it is fruitful and the lowest part of it is gushing forth with bounty; it dominates and cannot be dominated, and it crushes all that is under it.""
[Reported by al-Hakim in 'al-Mustadrak' (2/506-507) and at-Tabari in 'Jami' al-Bayan' (29/156), and it is authentic]

defining happiness

2009-02-26T10:58:00.000-08:00

i loved this picture for two reasons: its alive and its happy

i recently passed by a dominoes pizza ad 'happiness is oodles of cheese in your pizza' ... lol... but before that it was supposed to be a new iphone or laptop or cool shoes or a designer outfit or something or the other. well, this one pic sets the record straight. happiness is not what i can buy. it isn't the absence of need or suffering, it isnt abundance.
it is contentment. it is inside. it is very quiet and deep and rooted and dignified and beautiful and soothing. happiness doesnt require loud music to make its presence felt. discontent does that. happiness is not the absence of need, it is the absence of wanting. happiness is not the glamor of celebrity, it prefers anonymity. happiness is not ignoring what you have to get what you want, it is indifferent to both- have and want. the pursuit of happiness is a funny concept bcoz happiness cannot be chased, it is to be chosen. happiness in not in being loved, it is loving irrespective of. happiness is not in hysterical laughter, it is in the slow smile. it is knowing your place in creation. it is not in being ok with who u are, it is in accepting others the way they are. it is not in blaming, it is in taking responsibility,. it is not in taking revenge it is forgiving bcoz only a full heart can forgive. it does not dazzle, it mesmerises.

the world we live in did not teach me that... it has always told me the reverse- find happiness in things, find it in taking, find it in getting, in music and entertainment and a carefree existence. what can i say? its a stupid world.
so i reject it, i reject the demand to join the rat race because i see ppl running to no where. i reject it because Allah has taught me something much better. Alhamdulillaah. He has taught me the real meaning of happiness and the real joy of life. He has given me a faith that has taught me how to live. that inspires me to become better everyday. that doesn't teach me to pat my back all the time because when we do that we stop growing. we stop learning, we become arrogant and thats the point when the discord begins. Allah's Prophet ( peace be upon him ) taught us to forgive, to give, to help, to tolerate and still give, to show mercy and control anger, to love for the sake of Allah.
May Allah help me in learning and practicing it and becoming a better muslim everyday.

blink

2009-02-26T10:38:00.000-08:00

people invented movies so they would have something to talk about.
take away h/b-ollywood and there will be this deafening silence and embarrassed glances and everyone will look around awkwardly with nothing to talk about and discuss and review and dissect and then they'll hopefully realise that other people are real and its ok to talk, to smile , to ask, to tell

blink. and look around. switch it off and turn life back on.

heart and soul

2009-02-19T01:14:00.000-08:00

somebody once said to me- there are two kinds of people-the thinkers and the feelers.
i disagree . i say we're all both. there is no thinker who doesnt feel and definitely no feeler who doesnt think. maybe we sortof switch between the two and sometimes the mind wins and at other times the heart does. but all that is beside the point.
in my very vast experience of twenty five years ( thats a quarter century gone. wow. ) i can safely say that i have never come across anything that equally allows me to be a thinker and feeler ( its sounds funny if u repeat it- thinker feeler thinker feeler... sorry, random thought :P ) i mean...sometimes i am all imagination and heart- like when i m painting and the intellect is not the primary player here, its more instinct than careful thought, other times- like when writing code or solving a math problem its all mind and thought- so when ppl are working they need a break because the heart becomes restless and if u spend all your time with loved ones u sortof need a break then too bcoz now the mind feels like making its presence felt and u feel like doing something interesting. there is nothing that allows me to completely balance the two and achieve perfect harmony, nothing that challenges a person in a total absolute way using up all his capacities and faculties at once except Allah. some people sortof go off track and call it the pursuit of happiness or try to find purpose in work/family/friends/achievments but in every case when u do eventually get there u're still as empty as u were when u began. except if u go to Allah. there, finally a place where u are thinker and feeler in equal parts. because Allah makes more sense than stephen hawking and einstein combined a hundred times over and Allah is Rahmaan and Raheem and so many other things that can fill up all the hearts in the world.

Note: 'Allah ' is the arabic word for God , but the word God is imperfect because it can have a plural form, it can be suffixed to make it female etc etc. but God is One and free from traits like gender etc. and the word Allah is such that it is pure - the One God , who has no beginning and has no end, who has no equal in any quality of His, who's form is not conceivable to the human mind, who is infinite in every aspect.

interesting observations here :-

A Spiritual Witness
Imam al-Tahawi's Gift of Simplicity
Hamza Yusuf

Theology i s a reaction, a creative response to tension in the mind of a believer who is confronted with propositions that challenge not his experiential faith but his intellectual understanding of it. Experience of faith and expression of faith are distinct yet bound in a way that is often lost in discursive theology. Language cannot express the reality of faith, but it can explain what one believes and why. This is, of course, the central purpose of theology. However, it is also a mental activity by nature and often involves paradoxes, in which seemingly insoluble problems, such as free will and predestination, are dialectically entertained in the mind of the theologian, who then attempts to reconcile them, using sacred scripture and intellect—a combination made volatile and dangerous in the absence of a devout piety that would otherwise illuminate both the effort and the outcome. For this reason, true theology is, to a certain degree, the squaring of a circle within an enlightened mind. Indeed, the true theologian, like Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali (d. 505/1111), is one who experiences the content of his theology. The experience, moreover, cannot be reduced to the intellectual because it is essentially rooted in a spiritual witnessing of reality: Say, “This is my way; I invite to God with inner vision; I and whoever follows me. And, glory be to God, I am not a polytheist” (Qur’an 12:108).

reflections

2009-02-15T02:53:00.000-08:00

..yeah yeah, boring title. just didnt feel like thinking up an interesting one. as long as it says what it has to say who cares ( yup, i m totally into the lazy- sunday- afternoon mood)

so i was generally bloghopping and i just started thinking abt the whole idea of blogging/ having an online presence and heres what i conclude ( i wont write everything i thought of. if i did u'd hate me. :P ...which is what this post is going to be all abt anyway)
- we spend evey waking moment working on this facade that we present to the world as' this is really me. this is how interesting/cool/funny/smart/brilliant/creative/talented/kind/concerned i am. none of us, not one single person has the guts to just be themselves, be who they really are around other people.
-we let other's people's opinions become the parameter that we measure ourselves by. so then it basically comes down to who can present the better facade.
-at some point in our lives we pretty much lose track of where the real self ends and the pretense begins.
-we give things too much power. everything little thing has the power to make us happy or miserable bcoz we assume that happy is what happy has.
-'cool' has got to be the most misunderstood , misused, abused concept on the planet. 'cool' is not an acquired quality, its just a funkier word for saying 'worthy' or maybe 'original', cool is who u are inside. but then , nobody really wants to let that out do they? lets all concentrate on the images.
-being 'original' is a fad too. so we're basically herds of 'original' individuals.

although i disagree with ayn rand on almost every concept in her philosophy theres one thing i totally believe in- that ppl have reduced themselves to the point that they need others to convince them of their worth...but others opinions are based on what we project ... so its like we're all these mirrors simply reflecting off each other , and each reflections splits into a thousand more reflections... reflecting fake images to infinity.

why is chaos so appealing?

2009-02-04T23:55:00.000-08:00

Voila! Finally, the Waking Life script is here!

http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/w/waking-life-script-transcript-linklater.html

its all only pure reading..people who don't think too much of words might it think it dull but , well, if u only knew!

if u read/watch a lot of 'existentialist' sort of stuff u realise at some point that nobody really knows what they're talking about .whether its Richard Linklater or Nietzse or some other major thought guru of the ancient past. they're just as confounded about the entire existence problem as they ever were. no progress. zero new insights that actually go beyond vagueness to even a slight semblance of surety. nope.
which got me thinking . going back to me ( as always ) i remember deleting all my confused chaotic posts bcoz i dint want to spread teh turmoil. its just so much junk , i thought. so ok, i m totally not a talented writer or great thinker or anything but i can atleast identify when i m writing trash and simply wondering with no purpose or real wisdom and then i clear it away. so when i read such stuff by teh 'supposed' greats i m thinking- they're just expressingtheir own confusion and chaos- in a very artistic, brilliant manner - but chaos it is. it doesnt give anyone answers, it simply lets you think you're full of profundity and high thoughts when you're just tripping over yourself, a lot more gracefully than others thanx to your talent but your're tripping nonethless. and no amount of fancy tinsel can fill up the void within all that noise and mask the hollowness within it.

conclusion. read the Qur'an. thats the only thing that has zero chaos. no embellishments- although it is invariably beautiful because beauty comes from God and His book is full of it - just pure sense and answers and peace.

i think ppl just enjoy chaos too much, it gives them an excuse to live as they wish . no rules, no responsibilty, no accountability. i think humanity just pretends to be confused so it can have fun.

sad.

anger

2009-02-03T00:57:00.000-08:00

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The best of you are those who are slow to anger and swift to cool down...Beware of anger, for it is a live coal on the heart of the descendants of Adam." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1331

The good deed and the evil deed cannot be equal. Repel (the evil) with one which is better (i.e. Allâh ordered the faithful believers to be patient at the time of anger, and to excuse those who treat them badly), then verily! he, between whom and you there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a close friend.--- The Noble Qur'an - Fussilat 41:34

Allah's Apostle said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger."---

Hadith - Sahih Al-Bukhari 8.135, Narrated Abu Huraira, r.a.

be great people !

2009-02-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

http://www.halaltube.com/hamza-yusuf-be-great-people

arundhati roy on the Palestine-Israel conflict

2009-01-21T10:33:00.000-08:00

rachel corrie - who went to Rafah to stop the tanks

2009-01-21T10:07:00.000-08:00

"rachel corrie was the way she was
because she had righteous dreams
her dreams remained untainted-
so unbending they were -
she died for them."

"I haven't seen too many around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming is dead, no one does it anymore. It's not dead it's just that it's been forgotten, removed from our language. Nobody teaches it so nobody knows it exists. The dreamer is banished to obscurity. Well, I'm trying to change all that, and I hope you are too. By dreaming, every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it's ever faced, ever. So whatever you do, don't be bored, this is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting " -from the movie ,Waking Life

some things you just can't ignore

2009-01-20T22:55:00.000-08:00

i try . to ignore the bad and have a good time and not bother about things that do not 'directly' concern me. but even when i m doing that i know its not the thing to do. human beings are not islands. Allah did not create us to be unconcerned and selfish .
so i keep posting and writing in the hope that its atleast a drop in the ocean. because i cannot not.

we are turning into a culture where when other people die, we get up and dust it off and watch movies and listen to music and escape into our illusions and then say that we are resilient. we're not resilient , we're selfish. we just want to have a good time . we dont want to take responsibility. thats why one Barack obama is such a great big deal. coz he is supposed to change the world and the world loves him coz the poor guy is saddled with the collective task that everyone was supposed to do. this is not what Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) taught us. ok, so one person can't change the world but that doesnt mean you become immune. To atleast recognise a bad thing as bad and be concerned about it is the last thread to your own humanity. 'The Most Compassionate' is one of the 99 names of Allah and He likes us to be compassionate to each other too.

i recently saw this powerful documentary- 'Occupation 101'. watch the entire movie here
or on youtube ( its in 11 parts of abt 8min vids each, watch them all to get the whole story ) here
it is a brilliant documentary and it tells the whole story right from the beginning . plz dont just ignore this. the palestinians have been ignored for too long and by too many.

the documentary was made in 2006 by sufyan and abdallah omeish. i think they are originally from the US. they travelled to palestine in 2000 and ended up chronicling the occupation.
the film traces the legal history of the occupation. it also depicts the nature of the occupation, , what it is and how it works. oh, and its not for 'shock and awe' . its real. truth.

here is some information about the guys who made it: Sufyan Omeish quit a secure corporate job in New York to join his brother in making "Occupation 101". For four years, they worked on the film, pausing each time they ran out of funding to perform side jobs to pay the rent. "It was stressful," says Omeish. "We started living month-to-month. Yet when we looked at the footage we knew what we were going through was nowhere near what the Palestinians were going through. That gave us the inspiration to continue."
http://www.occupation101.com/

prudence, courage, temperance, and justice.

2009-01-20T07:10:00.000-08:00

in this inerview HY has expalined what it means to be a muslim with characteristic clarity. A muslim who truly understands Islam never becomes hopeless, is never in despair . the how of it is explained in this interview. i have lived it and i cannot imagine how anyone can live without Allah in their lives. because if you have Allah you have an unlimited resource of strength and wisdom and forbearance.
otherwise ( i hav lived this way for a bit too :( ) u end up like a big kid who just wants and wants and has no humility or wider vision or even a world view. humilty is perhaps the most underrated virtue today. and i cant believe how we're promoting the idea that 'bad is cool', that a cunning and calculative mind is an asset, that ambition is teh highest virtue, that a 'good' life is teh sacred goal taht we are meant to achieve-and taht a good life means a lot of good things and wealth and fun and some more selfishness please.ughh. oh right, we just want to have fun. consequences are for other people. how can an entire society hope to exist for long on the basic premise of irresponsibity and selfishness. and then when markets come crashing down and Satyam turns out all stinking and ppl realise how corporate honchos manipulate markets they act all offended. its this attitude of 'i want' that is responsible for poverty and exploitation in the third world. watch' blood diamond' and tell me if it isn't greed that causes such madness. and greed translates to 'i want' translates to 'i just want to have a good time, i didn't actually kill anybody'.
wake up. seriosly.

Love Even Those Who Revile You
By Hamza Yusuf

An Interview with Shaykh Hamza Yusuf by Nazim Baksh

Q: The convenient response to those who revile your religion is to return the favor. The more virtuous position however is to forgive. Forgiveness as you know, while less in virtue when compared to love, nevertheless, can result in love. Love, by definition, does not require forgiveness. What many Muslims today seem to forget is that ours is a religion of love and our Prophet, peace be upon him, was the Habib, the Beloved. How did love, the defining virtue of our community, come to be replaced by an urge to redress wrongs, to punish instead of to forgive?

A: It is the result of Muslims seeing themselves as victims. Victimization is a defeatist mentality. It’s the mentality of the powerless. The word victim is from the Latin “victima” which carries with it the idea of the one who suffers injury, loss, or death due to a voluntary undertaking. In other words, victims of one’s own actions.

Muslims never really had a mentality of victimization. From a metaphysical perspective, which is always the first and primary perspective of a Muslim, there can be no victims. We believe that all suffering has a redemptive value.

Q: If the tendency among Muslims is to view themselves as victims which appears to me as a fall from grace, what virtue must we then cultivate to dispense with this mental and physical state that we now find ourselves in?

A: The virtue of patience is missing. Patience is the first virtue after tawba or repentance. Early Muslim scholars considered patience as the first maqam or station in the realm of virtues that a person entered into.

Patience in Islam means patience in the midst of adversity. A person should be patient in what has harmed or afflicted him. Patience means that you don’t lose your comportment or your composure. If you look at the life of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, you will never ever find him losing his composure. Patience was a hallmark of his character. He was ‘the unperturbed one’ which is one of the meanings of halim: wa kaana ahlaman-naas. He was the most unperturbed of humanity. Nothing phased him either inwardly or outwardly because he was with Allah in all his states.

Q: Patience is a beautiful virtue … the cry of Prophet Yaqub …. “fa sabran jamil.” Patience, it appears, is not an isolated virtue but rather it is connected to a network of virtues. Should Muslims focus on this virtue at the expense of the other virtues?

A: The traditional virtues of a human being were four and Qadi Ibn Al-Arabi considered them to be the foundational virtues or the ummahatul fadaa’il of all of humanity. They are: prudence, courage, temperance, and justice.

Prudence, or rather practical wisdom, and courage, are defining qualities of the Prophet. He, peace be upon him, said that God loves courage even in the killing of a harmful snake.

Temperance is the ability to control oneself. Incontinence, the hallmark of intemperance, is said to occur when a person is unable to control himself. In modern medicine it is used for someone who can’t control his urine or feces. But not so long ago the word incontinence meant a person who was unable to control his temper, appetite or sexual desire. Temperance is the moral virtue that moderates one’s appetite in accordance with prudence. In early Muslim scholarship on Islamic ethics, justice was considered impossible without the virtues of prudence, courage and temperance.

Generosity as a virtue is derived from courage because a generous person is required to be courageous in the face of poverty. Similarly, humility is a derivative from temperance because the humble person will often restrain the urge to brag and be a show-off because he or she sees their talents and achievements as a gift from Allah and not from themselves. Patience as a virtue is attached to the virtue of courage because the patient person has the courage to endure difficulties. So “hilim” (from which you get “halim”), often translated as for-bearance or meekness if you wish, is frowned upon in our society. Yet it is the virtue we require to stem the powerful emotion of anger. Unrestrained anger often leads to rage and rage can lead to violence in its various shades.

Our predecessors were known for having an incredible degree of patience while an increasing number of us are marked with an extreme degree of anger, resentment, hate, rancor and rage. These are negative emotions which present themselves as roadblocks to living a virtuous life.

A patient human being will endure tribulations, trials, difficulties, hardships, if confronted with them. The patient person will not be depressed or distraught and whatever confronts him will certainly not lead to a loss of comportment.

Allah says in the Qur’an: “Isbiru.” “Have patience and enjoin each other to patience.”

The beauty of patience is that “innallaha ma’assabirin” Allah is with the patient ones. If God is on your side you will always be victorious. Allah says in the Qur’an “Ista”inu bi-sabiri was-salat.”” Isti”aana is a reflexive of the Arabic verb “aana” which is “to help oneself.” Allah is telling us to help ourselves with patience and prayer.

This is amazing because the Prophet, peace be upon him, said “if you take help, take help from God alone.” And so in the Qur’an, Allah says: “ista inu hi-sabiri was-salaat”. This means taking help from patience and prayer because that is the means by which Allah has given you to take help from Him alone.

How is it then that a person sees himself as a victim when all calamities, difficulties and trials, are ultimately tests from Allah. This does nor mean the world is free of aggression and that victims have suddenly vanished. What I”m talking about is a person”s psychology in dealing with hardships.

The sacred law has two perspectives when looking at acts of aggression that are committed by one party against another. When it is viewed by those in authority the imperative is to seek justice. However, from the perspective of the wronged, it is not to seek justice bur instead to forgive.

Forgiveness, “afwa”, pardon, is nor a quality of authority. A court is not set up to forgive. It’s the plaintiff that’s required to forgive if there is going to be any forgiveness at all. Forgiveness will not come from the Qadi or the judge. The court is set up to give justice but Islam cautions us not to go there in the first place because “by the standard which you judge so too shall you be judged.” That’s the point. If you want justice, if you want God, the Supreme Judge of all affairs, to be just to others on your behalf, then you should know that your Lord will use the same standard with you.

Nobody on the “Day of Arafat” will pray: “Oh God, be just with me.” Instead you will hear them crying: “O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, have compassion on me, overlook my wrongs.” Yet, these same people are not willing to forgive, have compassion and mercy on other creatures of God.

Q: Imam Al-Ghazali argued that for these virtues to be effective they had to be in harmony. Otherwise, they said, virtues would quickly degenerate into vices. Do you think that these virtues exist today among Muslims but that they are out of balance? For example, the Arabs in the time of the Prophet had courage, but without justice it was bravado. Prudence without justice is merely shrewdness. Do you think that Muslims are clamoring for justice but have subsumed the virtues of temperance and prudence?

A: Yes. Muslims want courage and justice but they don’t want temperance and prudence. The four virtues relate to the four humors in the body. Physical sickness is related to spiritual sickness and when these four are out of balance, spiritual and moral sickness occurs. So when courage is the sole virtue, you no longer have prudence. You are acting courageously but imprudently and it’s no longer courage but impetuousness. It appears as courage but it is not. A person who is morally incapable of controlling his appetite has incontinence and thus he cannot be prudent nor courageous because part of courage is to constrain oneself when it is appropriate. Imam A1-Ghazali says that courage is a mean between impetuousness and cowardice.

The interesting point to note about the four virtues is that you either take them all or you don’t take them at all. It’s a packaged deal. There is a strong argument among moral ethicists that justice is the result of the first three being in perfect balance.

Q: You have painted a very interesting landscape in terms of Muslim behavior in the contemporary period but we are seeing evidence of resentment among some Muslims today which is very strange indeed. I am wondering how this might be related to a sense of victimization?

A: Of course it is. Look for example at the word injury. It comes from injuria, a Latin word that means unjust. So if I perceive my condition as unjust it is contrary to the message of the Qur’an. Whatever circumstances we find ourselves in we hold ourselves as responsible. It gets tricky to navigate especially when it comes to the oppressor and the oppressed.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, along with the early Muslim community, spent 13 years purifying themselves in Makkah. These were years of oppression and thus serious self-purification accompanied by an ethic of non-violence, forbearance, meekness, and humility. They were then given permission to migrate and to defend themselves. At this point they were not a people out to get vengeance and they were certainly not filled with resentment because they saw everything as coming from God. I’m not talking about being pleased with injustice because that’s prohibited. At the same time we accept the world our Lord has put us into and we see everything as being here purposefully, not without purpose, whether we understand it or not.

The modern Christian fundamentalists always talk about Islam as a religion devoid of love. It’s a very common motif in these religious fundamentalist books that attack Islam. They say “our religion is the religion of love and Islam is the religion of hate, animosity, and resentment.” Unfortunately, many Muslims have adopted it as their religion, but that doesn’t mean resentment has anything to do with Islam.

Love (mahaba) is the highest religious virtue in Islam. Imam Ghazali said that it is the highest maqam or spiritual station. It is so because trust, zhud (doing without), fear, and hope are stations of this world and so long as you are in this world these stations are relevant, but once you die they can no longer serve you. Love is eternal because love is the reason you were created. You were created to adore God. That’s why in Latin the word adore which is used for worship in English is also a word for love, adoration. You were created to worship God, in other words, to love Him because you can’t truly adore something or worship something that you don’t love. If you are worshipping out of fear, like Imam A1-Ghazali says, it’s not the highest level of worship, but its lowest.

Q: A vast number of young Muslims today who have the energy to run Down the road of hate do so thinking that it is a display of their Iman. What do you say to help them understand that hating wrongs has to be balanced with the virtues of mercy, justice, forgiveness, generosity, etc.

A: The challenge is to get your object of hate right and hate it for the right reason. In other words, there are things that we should hate for the sake of God. Oppression is something that you should hate. It’s not haram to hate the oppressor, but don’t hate them to the degree that it prevents you from being just because that is closer to Taqwa (awe of Allah). The higher position is to forgive for the sake of God. God gives you two choices — the high road or the low road — both of them will get you to paradise.

We should strive for the highest. Anger is a useful emotion. God created anger in order that we could act and respond to circumstances that need to be changed. Indignation is a beautiful word. Righteous indignation is a good quality and even though it is misused in modern English it’s actually a good thing. It means to be angry for the right reasons and then it is to be angry to the right degree because Allah says, “Do not let the loathing of a people prevent you from being just.”

This article originally apeared in Q News Magazine (2004)

There are more things ..........

2009-01-19T20:57:00.000-08:00

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. - Hamlet, Act I, scene 5

boink!

2009-01-19T20:40:00.000-08:00

25 greatest calvin n hobbes strips ever! check it out!

Spring's Gift

2009-01-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

Spring's Gift
Hamza Yusuf

I envy the sand that met his feet

I’m jealous of honey he tasted sweet

Of birds that hovered above his head

Of spiders who spun their sacred web

To save him from his enemies

I envy clouds formed from the seas

That gave him cover from the heat

Of a sun whose light could not compete

With his, whose face did shine so bright

That all was clear in blinding night

I envy sightless trees that gazed

Upon his form completely dazed

Not knowing if the sun had risen

But felt themselves in unison

With those who prayed, and fasted too

Simply because he told them to

With truth and kindness, charity

From God who gave such clarity

His mercy comes in one He sent

To mold our hearts more heaven bent

I envy all there at his side

Who watched the turning of the tide

As truth prevailed and falsehood fled

And hope restored life to the dead

Men and Women through him found grace

To seek together God’s noble face

I envy the cup that gave him drink

His thoughts that helped us all to think

To be one thought that passed his mind

Inspiring him to act so kind

For me this world is not one jot

If I could simply be a thought

From him to God throughout the ages

As revelation came in stages

I pity all who think it odd

To hear him say there is one God

Or he was sent by God to men

To hone their spirits’ acumen

It’s pride that blinds us from the sight

That helps good men to see his light

He taught us all to be God’s slaves

And he will be the one who saves

Humanity from sinful pride

Muhammad has God on his side

So on this day be blessed and sing

For he was born to grace our Spring

With lilies, flowers, life’s rebirth

In a dome of green like his on earth

Where Beauty Gathers

2009-01-18T03:03:00.000-08:00

Where Beauty Gathers
M. Emin Alzueta

Fragments of light in a mirror:
beauty is a willow, a song, a river
starry stillness, a courtyard of orange trees,
the ceaseless signs of His calligraphy.

Fragments that are traces, secret passageways
which lead us to the atrium of inner beauty:
a face lit up by constant prayer,
an invisible bird that alights on the soul.

There angels dwell, but even in their eyes
visions shatter, their fountain yet distant.
More transparent the water, more constant the music,
the heart hears the breeze of remembrance.

Both worlds are just a golden radiance,
an inexhaustible book of signs and reflections,
but where is the lighthouse to light up our journey,
beauty’s deep wellspring of light?

leaders

2009-01-15T20:03:00.000-08:00

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams

when the art speaks

2009-01-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

great artists are the ones who let their art speak their minds. Art is not about pretty pictures as much as it is a medium of dissent. Some people make statements, some make works of art and Some do both. and it matters. to do whatever you can, to make noise and to yell and to scream and to draw and sketch and color and write and talk and worry and pray- when you see horrible things being done to innocent people, feel. because if u can't feel you're probably dead. R.I.P. Isn't that what the world does? Look away and rest in peace while somebody else's house burns.

"Defenseless populations are always the ones who pay. Look at the conditions in Gaza. More and more it resembles a big concentration camp." -- Vatican Cardinal Renato Martino.

Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff creates artwork that calls on the world to condemn the Israeli holocaust of Gaza.

Carlos Latuff's statement:

I'd like to beg all viewers to spread this image anywhere, as a way to expose Israeli war crimes against Palestinians. Use it on t-shirts, posters, banners. Reproduce it in zines, papers, magazines, and make it visible everywhere. Here is the high-resolution version for printing purposes: [ link ]
Thank you in the name of every suffering Palestinian.

how many?

2009-01-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

These literates, so ignorant.
These developed countries, so bigoted.
These liberals, so intolerant.
These peacekeepers, so barbaric.
This secular world, so religiously biased.
This democracy, such an empire.
This freedom of speech, so strangled.
This peace, so shattered.
These eyes, so wide shut.

numbers

2009-01-06T20:27:00.000-08:00

math is beautiful. it really is. its all pure black and white and its honest and almost the only thing left in the world that still speaks the whole real absolute truth. numbers never deceive. what you see how much you get. i think people can learn from numbers. to be brutally honest about things, to not hide behind vague excuses and fuzzy logic to justify your own inability to be true. to never just always sit on the fence always confused.

and this is why numbers speak louder than words. you cannot play around with them.

'During the last seven years, 14 Israelis have been killed by mostly homemade rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, while more than 5,000 Palestinians were killed by Israel with some of the most advanced US-supplied armaments in the world' - Seumas Milne, The Guardian, 30 December 2008.

preventive war was an invention of hitler - eisenhower

2009-01-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

"Preventive war was an invention of Hitler. Frankly, I would not even listen to anyone seriously that came and talked about such a thing."
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1953

"You cannot simultaneously prevent and prepare for war."
- Albert Einstein

"The first man to raise a fist is the one who has run out of ideas."
-source unknown

"The way to war is a well-paved highway and the way to peace is still a wilderness."
- Paul P. Harris

" This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of peoples normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love."
- Martin Luther King

"I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask,
'Mother, what was war?'"
- Eve Merriam

" Sit up, join up, get on line, get in touch, find out who's raising hell and join them. No use waiting on a bunch of wussy politicians."
- Molly Ivins

"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy."
- James Madison

“In time of war, the loudest patriots are the greatest profiteers.”
- August Bebel, 1870

"Every war when it comes, or before it comes, is represented not as a war but as an act of self-defense against a homicidal maniac."
– George Orwell

"There is no flag large enough to cover the shame

of killing innocent people."
– Howard Zinn

"A state of war only serves as an excuse for domestic tyranny."
– Alexander Solzhenitsyn

"I'm fed up to the ears with old men dreaming up wars

for young men to die in."
– George McGovern

"During times of war, hatred becomes quite respectable,

even though it has to masquerade often

under the guise of patriotism."

- Howard Thurman (theologian)

"Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to
shrink-wrap people's brains and then as ceremonial shrouds

to bury the dead."
- Arundhati Roy

"What does it matter to the dead, the orphans,
and the homeless whether the mad destruction
is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or
the holy name of liberty or democracy?"

- Mohandas K. Gandhi

"Nonviolence doesn't always work-but violence never does"
- Madge Micheels-Cyrus

"It's always the old who lead us to the war,
It's always the young who fall,
Now look at all we've won
With the sabre and the gun,
Tell me is it worth it at all."
- Phil Ochs

"It takes better intelligence to prevent wars than it does to start them." - Kenneth H. Landay

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate.

And I can picture us attacking that world,

because they'd never expect it."
- Jack Handy, Deep Thoughts

"There are no warlike people, just warlike leaders."
- Ralph Bunche

"The belief in the inevitability of war is a self-fulfilling prophecy...

We need an alternative vision, to see the world as one,

as interconnected."
- Dennis J. Kucinich

"Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those

who love war."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"It may well be that the greatest tragedy of this period of social change is not the glaring noisiness of the so-called bad people, but the silence of the so-called good people. "
- Martin Luther King

"The only thing worth globalizing is dissent."
- Arundhati Roy

"I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it."

- President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Being a pacifist between wars is as easy as being a vegetarian between meals."
- Ammon Hennacy

"The only thing that's been a worse flop than the organization of non-violence has been the organization of violence."
- Joan Baez

"The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil."
- Hannah Arendt

"Democracies die behind closed doors."
- Judge Damon J. Keith, Federal Court of Appeals

"I'm not disturbing the peace. I'm disturbing the war."
- Ammon Hennacy

p.s: Pray that world leaders may find a conscience.

p.p.s: Pray for the people in Gaza.

heres a brilliant talk by Sheykh Hamza Yusuf about war and hatred and why Islam can never be reconciled with hatred
http://www.halaltube.com/achieving-balance-in-a-troubled-world-isna-2004

fare thee well

2009-01-01T01:29:00.000-08:00

i used to wonder why i ever started blogging in the first place. i am not the kind of person who keeps a diary or stores old knickknacks out of sentimentality or stuff like that. so blogging shouldn't really have been my thing at all. but when i look back now i can see why. i was lost. and frantically looking for answers. and it helped to sort out the chaos inside my head by putting it in black n white. it was that simple. it was therapy. and all through that time i had the same uneasy feeling - this is not who i remember as being ME and i used to wonder if i had changed too much to ever find myself again.
but you can't find yourself in the past.
like Vedder says-

'Nothing there for you to find,
or was it you you left behind ?'

its like i was all these different people. the kid Me, the junior college Me, the Engg. collg Me, the software engr Me, the artist Me, the writer Me and its amazing how all these different people could be one person. and how i can still identify each one.

a million lives at once.

but the Blogger Me is gone, i don't have anything to say anymore bcoz i have found my answers. Alhamdulillaah. its amusing how you don't need all these false illusions of time/mind/purpose fillers when you are all sorted out inside. and also how u tend to sound boring when there is no chaos left inside you. the entertainment value from my writings is gone. its like movies or magazines or novels. take away the violence and the conflicts and the wanderings and the masala is gone. thats why Picasso did his best work during teh most painful period of his life. brilliant but tortured minds produce great work. not a mind for which Allah has resolved all the conflicts. and now i think i realise why i actually deleted all the posts previosly. they were like the carcass of my confusion. and now its all gone.
and its beautiful

finding serenity

2008-12-25T01:24:00.000-08:00

“Serenity is not freedom from the storm, but peace amid the storm”

funny

2008-12-24T10:04:00.000-08:00

its funny how we create problems simply to keep ourselves occupied....

finding humanity

2008-12-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

why we're different from animals,................ or are we anymore?

rationale

2008-12-16T10:10:00.000-08:00

its interesting how the world wants to reject the idea of God and still believe that life has any meaning and purpose. i mean, i don't get it. if you say you don't believe in God how do you manage to think that your life has any meaning at all? and here's the interesting thing- if u are even marginally religious you are immediately slotted into an anti-intellectual category.
the confusing part is this- how is it intelligent to reject faith and still be all self-important and think that life has any meaning?bcoz if there's no Creator and we're the result of some kind of spontaneous randomness then how does our existence have any meaning or sanctity? then aren't we all completely pointless and dispensable? then whats the big fat deal about morality bcoz then theres no moral code at all coz morals are based on meaning and value and if my existence is random accident just like everybody else's then whatever determines whats good/bad?

ignorance or indifference?

2008-12-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

mumbai seems to suddenly have woken up to teh fact that it has been getting up and going on with life not because of its over-hyped 'never-sqay-die' spirit but because it has no choice.
but we still react to incidents emotionally rather than rationally( i believe that is the way the entire world behaves, why single out mumbai?) . i don't have any rational solutions to the problem either but i do know that an emotional reaction to it might end up making things even worse than they already are.

there was this really good article in the Mumbai Mirror recently about how the youth in colleges react to the situation and why their ignorance is worrisome...
------------------------------------------------------------------
Blah, blah, blah

Which is a bigger terror — ignorance or indifference? I am not sure

By Mayank Shekhar

It’s an irony of popular fiction that Gordon Gekko from Wall Street remains a hero of his times. Oliver Stone had created him as the villain of his film.

“Greed is good,” Gekko said. A boy in the front-row of a college auditorium echoed the same line to end all arguments on his perceived apathy. What’s wrong with being selfish, he asked. Aren't we all? The positive response to him was equivocally unanimous. He didn't make a casual distinction between selfishness and self-preservation. Even stray animals believe in the latter. He is the guy who would extend his luxury home to encroach on a public street and not care, I thought.

Some of his friends, terrified by the 26/11 attacks on the Taj and Oberoi-Trident, suggested iron-man Narendra Modi was the answer to terrorists. The rebuttal wasn't strong. The mass killings of Muslims in Gujarat took place eight years back. The crowd had probably forgotten. Modi still remembers Aurangzeb's rule from over 300 years ago.

Kids in another college (the 'youth', as it were) wished upon themselves a military rule instead of the politicians who govern them presently. Dictatorship meant a stronger state. They either knew nothing about Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan, or didn't care. These are merely countries which roughly neighbour the one they live in. The Emergency in India happened about 15 years before they were born.

Mumbai police was the hero on that discussion. Hemant Karkare, and several others of the city's force, laid down their lives for them. Their deaths were much less in man-to-man combat, and more because they didn't have a choice. They weren't safe themselves.

The uniformed gentleman extorted Rs 200 from me on an empty Lower Parel flyover this week. My car was moving at 70 km per hour. This was the city's gravest civic concern for the policeman. He is a more real face of this city's force. The crowd before me knows this. This wasn't the time. They didn't care.

They'd rather have crazy anti-terror laws. Terrorists should be hanged to death much quicker. Such deterrence is a wonderful way to scare away terrorists, who as it turns out, are willing to die in an attack anyway!

We should then build fortresses around our hotels and airports, which by now, are already in place. Many securitymen check your same airline ticket at different corners. A hotel car now drives you to the entrance of Taj Land’s End. We feel secure. New York, which hasn't seen an attack since 9/11, has the most free-looking hotels and airports to enter and exit from.

So what's the overnight solution? A caring kid in fact suggested we register a no-vote in the next elections. He pointed to an Article 49, which allows us to reject all candidates looking to be elected to power. It's a popular rumour doing the rounds. We should second such a move. Article 49 in the Constitution actually refers to protection of national monuments!

College campuses are the bedrock of intellectualism, free-spiritedness and knowledgeable debate in the First World that India has portions of. Politics is simply a response to injustice. Most here believe it means interest in politicians.

So they've kept quiet forever, even when their bars were made to shut down at 1 am, because voters in Sangli and Latur don't approve of their night-life. They've suddenly woken up now. But how do they suddenly cure themselves of indifference and ignorance? Don't blame them.

They can’t help but parrot lines of their best-known intellectuals, role-models and thought-leaders, who are largely film-actors and socialites. For once in the past week or so, Bombay (which is different from Mumbai) finally spoke, and got rattled up in masses, because they'd watched 60 hours of television to know how unsafe they are. Some of them want censorship on the same media, because they believe 10 terrorists who held an entire city to ransom were sitting and watching news channels!

Some don't wish to pay taxes, so the state should have even lesser resources to secure you. I don't know what sort of terrorism to fear more.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

original article at-
http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/42/200812122008121202020856271176b96/Mayank-Shekhar-Blah-blah-blah

Calvin!

2008-11-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

A Stupid Field!Scientific Progress goes "Boink"?
Denial.
Turn on the Lights!
I notice your oeuvre is monochromatic.
Say I'm the Doctor!

nothing works better than Calvin to cheer me up. and we all need a little cheering up right now.

for today...

2008-11-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

“Taking one life unjustly is as if you have killed all of humanity.”

- Prophet Muhammad( pbuh)

"Toward the latter days of indiscriminate violence, be like the first and better
of the two sons of Adam who said, “If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not
raise mine to kill you; surely I fear God, the Lord of the worlds.”
-from a sound tradition of the Prophet (pbuh)
narrated by Imam Tirmidhi.

submission...

2008-11-26T09:19:00.000-08:00

"As the world turns and seasons change, our lives move inexorably toward their fated ends. Our minutes become hours, our hours days, our days weeks, our weeks years, and our years make up the totality of our lives. In these days of great imbalance, we are in greater need of connecting to the natural order that surrounds us. Each planet knows its course and each tree its cycle: “And the stars and the trees submit in prostration.” The stars ornament the sky, and the trees the earth, and between the two realms resides man who is made up of both terrestrial and celestial elements, spiritual and bodily, willful and appetitive, angelic and bestial, light and dark. Each resides in us, at times compelling us to wrongs, and at others to rights. In these latter days, it appears as if the bestial aspect of our natures is waxing, and the spiritual is waning. Wordsworth reminded us of this when he wrote:

The world is too much with us; late and soon,
Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!

In spite of the insanity of this country’s recent attacks on Iraq that began on March 20th, 2003, the next day the sun crossed the equator on its apparent path North to initiate a new Spring. That evening, I went out and gazed up at old Orion, known to the Iraqis as al-Jabbar, and sure enough, there he was in all his glory, right where I expected him to be. The trees outside my home were blooming, and nature’s order was so palpable, I realized that no matter how disorderly man becomes, God’s order in His Divine creation is there to constantly remind us: “Come back, come back, a thousand times come back.”

Birth, growth, maturity, decay, and death: these are the cycles we see around us, and these are our own reality. We too are part of nature, and it is our task to comply with the laws of nature and nature’s God. This is submission, what we call Islam. It is not a sociological category of creedal belief that determines how we are to be classifed nor a culture or civilization – although those elements are invariably there. It is a state of being.

We were in that state so perfectly when we were children. We knew just what to do at each stage. We knew just what to do in our mothers’ wombs: as each stage progressed, our cells fulflled their destinies becoming the organs and structures they were meant to be. We knew when to leave the womb, and we came into the world effortlessly, latching onto our mothers’ breast. We never overate but knew when we were satiated. We knew when to take our frst steps, to walk, to run, to imagine, to play. We were following the natural order of childhood.

Then, a strange event occurs – not so suddenly but over time. We begin to learn how not to be ourselves but to be what our society expects of us. We lose that state of submission to our true nature, which is servitude to our Lord, Cherisher, and Sustainer; we begin to transgress. We learn to lie; we learn to say the opposite of what we think, feel, or believe. This new state is not arrived at effortlessly but with much pain and sorrow. Our thoughts are troubled, our actions are heavy, and our states laden with cares that are not our own.

“If you truly believed,” said our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “you would go out in the morning likes birds, hungry and return in the evening fed.” Effortless is the bird’s movement towards its predetermined sustenance, and without anxiety it seeks it. The bird is in submission. The trees that provide the bird’s home are in submission. The worm that becomes its dinner is in submission – each fulfilling its function, its purpose; each taking its place in the grand scheme of things. Only man is the odd one out, and we are the ones who suffer..."

( excerpt from an article Titled - Making the Quran the Spring of Our Hearts by Hamza Yusuf)

i found this article beautiful. Anyone who has climbed a mountain or trekked through the woods knows that being close to nature is almost always a spiritual experience.

i think when we choose not to submit to God we end up submitting to everything else in the world. Irrelevant things become too important, our lives begin to revolve around whether or not we were able to make more money we don't really need to buy more of the 'latest, new upgraded!' products they insist you should have if you are of any 'worth'. conversations become centered around movies and games and completely unreal things and we reach a point where meaningful conversations are almost non-existent. so we plug into music and try to find meaning, but the magic of music only lasts for as long as its plugged in. its not real. the only real thing is your soul.Not Kurt Cobain's soul.Not Jim Morrisson's soul. Your soul.

clean slate

2008-11-26T08:59:00.000-08:00

i deleted all the earlier posts on this blog bcoz, well, i don't like accumulating old thoughts.
a lot of things have changed esp. in the way i think, and well, i will try to be - less opinionated, less short-tempered and well, to put it in two words - a better Muslim.

so basically, from now on, this blog will not be my 'venting' space. i'll post things that are useful, or interesting stuff that i might want to share.

worth a read...

2008-11-25T06:16:00.000-08:00

this is a brilliant article titled 'Religion, Violence and the Post Modern World' by Hamza Yusuf

http://www.zaytuna.org/seasonsjournal/article.cfm?article_id=56

download the pdf and read it.its not too long, abt a couple of pages. its worth it.