The Track Of The Wind

Prayers to God to change our base inclinations and give us higher aspirations

2012-01-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

(Excerptfrom Masnavi-e-Ma’anavi, book 5, by Maulnana Rumi)

Prayersto God to change our base inclinations and give us higher aspirations.

OThou that changest earth into gold,

Andout of other earth madest the father of mankind,

Thybusiness is changing things and bestowing favors,

Mybusiness is mistakes and forgetfulness and error.

Changemy mistakes and forgetfulness to knowledge;

Iam altogether vile, make me temperate and meek.

OThou that convertest salt earth into bread,

Andbread again into the life of men;

Thouwho madest the erring soul a guide to men,

Andhim that erred from the way a prophet; 10

Thoumakest some earth-born men as heaven,

Andmuitipliest heaven-born saints on earth!

Butwhoso seeks his water of life in worldly joys,

Tohim comes death quicker than to the rest.

Theeyes of the heart which behold the heavens

Seethat the Almighty Alchemist is ever working here.

Mankindare ever being changed, and God's elixir

Joinsthe body's garment without aid of needle.

Onthe day that you entered upon existence,

Youwere first fire, or earth, or air.

Ifyou had continued in that, your original state,

Howcould you have arrived at this dignity of humanity?

Butthrough change your first existence remained not

Inlien thereof God gave you a better existence

Inlike manner He will give you thousands of existences,

Oneafter another, the succeeding ones better than the former.

Regardyour original state, not the mean states,

Forthese mean states remove you from your origin.

Asthese mean states increase, union recedes;

Asthey decrease, the unction of union increases.

Fromknowing means and causes holy bewilderment fails;

Yea,the bewilderment that leads you to God's presence.

Youhave obtained these existences after annihilations;

Wherefore,then, do you shrink from annihilation?

Whatharm have these annihilations done you

Thatyou cling so to present existence, O simpleton?

Sincethe latter of your states were better than the former,

Seekannihilation and adore change of state.

Youhave already seen hundreds of resurrections

Occurevery moment from your origin till now;

Onefrom the inorganic state to the vegetive state,

Fromthe vegetive state to the animal state of trial;

Thenceagain to rationality and good discernment;

Againyou will rise from this world of sense and form.

Ah!O crow, give up this life and live anew!

Inview of God's changes cast away your life!

Choosethe new, give up the old,

Foreach single present year is better than three past.

Thisis followed by a commentary on the saying of the Prophet, "Pity the piousman who falls into sin, and the rich man who falls into poverty, and the wiseman who falls into the company of fools." This is illustrated by ananecdote of a young deer who was placed in the asses stable, and jeered at andmaltreated by them. This suggests.

*NOTES:

1.A Hadis.

2.Cp. Bp. Butler, "On a state of probation as implying trial anddanger" (Analogy, Chap. iv. Pt. 1).

3.Probably referring to Origin.

4.Koran ii. 264.

5.Koran iii. 200.

6.Koran vi. 142: "Eat of their fruit, but be not prodigal, and exceednot."

7.Or, "If there be no supporter, there can be nothing supported."

8.Koran xxxvi. 8.

9.Koran vii. 13.

10.Koran xciii. 7.

3^rdJanuary 2012

Theunderlined are my favorite lines, and are actually profound. Theunderlined+italics ones are those I chose for the new year message.

A post for the New Year - 2012

2012-01-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

Ah! O crow, give up this life and live anew!

In view of God’s changes cast away your life!

Choose the new, give up the old,

For each single present year is better than three past.

- Rumi

(Masnavi-e-Ma'anavi, Book Five)

If I were a this, I'd be that!

2011-11-26T00:45:00.001-08:00

Stumbled upon this really nice something by someone awesome, I need to pass it on.

You need to pass it on as well!

If I were a month, I’d be Moharram!
If I were a day of the week, I’d be Saturday!
If I were a time of day, I’d be the evening!
If I were a planet, I’d be earth!
If I were an animal, I’d be a Koala!
If I were a direction, I’d be East!
If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be cozy rocking chair!
If I were a liquid, I’d be fresh spring water!
If I were a gemstone, I’d be a crimson stone! (don't know if they exist)
If I were a tree, I’d be a Flame of the Forest.
If I were a tool, I’d be a weaving needle!
If I were a flower, I’d be a rose laying in one of the Holy Shrines (or Kaaba *how lovely* or Madinah).
If I were a kind of weather, I’d be spring.
If I were a musical instrument, I’d be a reed flute *Hearken to the reed flute, how it complains* - Rumi.
If I were a colour, I’d be crimson red.
If I were an emotion, I’d be sensitive.
If I were a fruit, I’d be a peach.
If I were a sound, I’d be soothing sound of wind.
If I were an element, I’d be oxygen.
If I were a car, I’d be Toyota Corolla '86.
If I were a food, I’d be Daal roti/Nehari!
If I were a place, I’d be Karachi! *definitely*
If I were a taste, I’d be fresh cooked daal with green chilli! (don't know how to define the taste)
If I were a scent, I’d be something like sandalwood.
If I were an item of clothing, I’d be a big T shirt with a breast pocket!
If I were a body part, I’d be a heart. Nothing else.
If I were a facial expression I’d be YAY!
If I were a song, I’d be a Manqabat, "Bandagi ki laaj jo rakh le woh banda aur hai...".
If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be casual walking shoes, the easy ones.

Also, see the one I read at http://deadlylightshade.blogspot.com/2011/05/oh-what-lovely-tag.html

On People, bloggers, tweeple, et al

2011-11-24T03:15:00.001-08:00

People write. Some rant, some analyse contemporary issues, some just write for the sake of "logging" their day, some seriously write, some write poetry, and mostly people rant. It is like giving an egg. They push their minds to write, just as a chicken would do to lay an egg.

The world is seeing more write-ups than ever. Right now, I have just closed around 10 pages that I was skimming. Blogs. And honestly, it confuses me. There are quite a lot of amazing writers around. Much younger than me, much stronger in imaginations, and such diverse imaginations that leave me thinking in the wild without any clue of where I am from and where I am heading to. Yes, I got it right while typing, going through this plethora of mass-writings, I lose the track of what all this is about (of course after being overwhelmed).

In another news, in fact in all other "news" website, I tend to find lies, but that's not I focus about right now. The people who write, seems to me sometimes that are doing it for fame. It just doesn't "seem", it is a fact. They are doing it for fame and money *Elite showoff*. But I guess they fail then, even in the avenue they want to succeed in.

There is one more area of write-ups. The focused articles. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of any topic. They are good. They do not let me get lost in the wild, in fact the quite take me back home.

Real and fake, are two very helpful adjectives to judge. I think the more real the write-up is, and of course focused, the less bewilderment it creates. According to ME right now, "real" means something that has a meaning, that are not mere rants or words of no value. "Fake" means, again, according to ME right now, is something which has no value, which is just a rant, a random musing.

Moharram 1433

2011-11-21T02:49:00.001-08:00

When the ripples of the bounties [of Allah] come your way then do not repel these waves with a lack of gratitude.
- Imam Ali a.s.

A plethora of teardrops ashore the eyes
Perhaps the season of Hussain's mourning is around...
آنکھوں کے ساحلوں پے ہے اشکوں کا ایک ہجوم
شاید غم حسین کا موسم قریب ہے

Can you see/make a connection of the quote with the stanza?

Value and Vitality in a Literary Tradition: Female Poets and the Urdu Marsiya

2011-11-20T11:54:00.001-08:00

Value and Vitality in a Literary Tradition:Female Poets and the Urdu Marsiyaby Amy BardColumbia University

I came across this paper by apparently a non-Muslim student, but this is not the point of sharing. The reason it struck me was the similarity of the situation the author has pointed about the poets. The paragraph in the 3rd quarter of the paper says:

Even these short sketches reveal a basic pattern of qualities that Majlis-goers and other observers attribute to female Marsiya poets, to their poems, and finally, to female audiences. Traits of piety, endurance of hardship, and humility figure prominently in descriptions of female Marsiya poets. These qualities, also exemplified, of course, by the very heroes and heroines of the Marsiya, are not entirely absent in oral and written anecdotes about famous male Marsiya-writers, but they are hardly stressed as much.

The translations of Marsiya in the poems and the way they are placed are heart wrenching.

Aankhon ke sahilon pe hai ashkon ka ek hujoom | آنکھوں کے ساحلوں پی ہے اشکوں کا اک ہجوم

Shayad Gham-e-Hussain a.s. ka mausam qareeb hai. | شاید غم حسین کا موسم قریب ہے

Read the paper here:

http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/15/19StuBarda.pdf

On Children

2011-11-19T08:17:00.001-08:00

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

- Khalil Gibran

dedicated.

(from http://www.katsandogz.com/onchildren.html)

Rejecting an Empty Philosophy

2011-11-17T23:49:00.001-08:00

Life today (not life as it should be carried on) is an idle cyclical action a movement with no goal! A meaningless pendular action starts with the day only to end at night and night starts only to disappear at dawn. In the mean time, man is busy watching the play of these black and white "rats" who chew the strings of our life until we die.
Life (as we live it) is like a theater. Man watches these aimless nights and days. Indeed, what foolish play is conducted! When you are in need, you hope and struggle to overcome your needs. Yet once you achieve this, you view your past efforts humorously. What a senseless philosophy to live by!

Living on a day to day basis, the person lacks direction. His aim is only to live. What exists is a dead spirit in a living body. However, the Hajj experience alters this unhealthy condition!

Once you decide to perform Hajj and take the necessary steps, you are on the road to the actualization of Hajj. Before going to Hajj you reside in your home calm and reposed. Upon entering the state of mind for Hajj, you arise and move away from your routine environment.

Hajj is the antithesis of aimlessness. It is the rebellion against a damned fate guided by evil forces. The fulfillment of Hajj will enable you to escape from the complex network of puzzles. This revolutionary act will reveal to you the clear horizon and free way to migration to eternity toward the Almighty Allah.

Depart from your home. and visit "Allah's house", or the "house of the people"! You, whoever you are,you are a man, Adam's son, and a representative of Allah on earth!You are a relative of Allah, Allah's trustee, His master of nature and a student of God. Allah taught you the names. He made you from His spirit and endowed you with special qualities. You were praised by Him; His angels even prostrated to you. This earth and everything in it was made available to man. God became your "homemate", with you at all times and watching all of your actions. Are you living up to His expectation?

Prophet (PBUH):

Allah is in the hearts of the believers

Quran XXIX:3

Thus Allah knoweth those who are sincere, and knoweth those who feign.

Quran LVII: 25

And that Allah may know him who helpeth Him and His messenger, though unseen.

Quran XVII: 7

Lo! We have placed all that is in the earth as an ornament thereof that we may try them: which of them is best in conduct.

Quran LXVII: 2

Who hath created life and death that He may try you, which of you is best in conduct; and he is the Mighty, the Forgiving,

With the passage of time and the influence of various forces of the social system which disregard human rights and duties, your character has been changed. The vicissitudes of life have affected you to the degree that you became alienated and neglectful. Originally, with Allah's spirit in your heart, you were supposed to shoulder the responsibility of being Allah's trustee on earth. You were granted time as a means for fulfilling this task but you failed because the gift was used carelessly!

Quran CIII: 2-3

By the declining day, Lo! man is in a state of loss,

This is what is called life! But realistically speaking what has been accomplished? What constructive contributions have you made? What have you gained? So many precious years have been lost, yet who are you?

Oh trustee and vicegerent of Allah on earth, you have turned to money, sex, greed, aggression, and dishonesty. You have regressed to the inferior status that you occupied before almighty Allah blew His spirit into you. Where is the spirit of Allah now? Oh man, rise out of this decadent situation! Divorce yourself from this gradual death.

Leave your surroundings and go to the pure land. There you may face Almighty Allah under the inspiring sky of Mashar. The estrangement which you have experienced will be overcome. At last, you will find yourself!

From Ali Shairati's book "Hajj, The Pilgrimage".
http://www.al-islam.org/hajj/shariati/

Outraged!

2011-11-17T09:44:00.001-08:00

My nephew, Maisum, 7th grade, 13 years, Ladybird Grammar School, was punished violently by his teacher over some misconception he had about him.

I am outraged, massively outraged. I know my nephews, I discuss about them at length with my sisters, and I know their personalities. Maisum is not the type of kid who would do something outrageous, he is fresh at times, but NOT outrageous or out of his mind! In fact, as compared to the recent lot, he is quite mannered! He is sober, yet fun loving and very active.

Not only the violent reaction by the teacher has blew my mind, but it is the whole case that has made my blood boil, every single detail is outrageous!
The teacher accused my nephew of posting something inadequate about him on facebook, and started beating him. He slapped him, so much so that he has got scars on his face, and used steel scale to beat him up on his body which have left marks. After this, he dug the matter and realized it wasn't Maisum's mistake and after all these beatings he said that "You should have told me before!" whereas he wasn't listening to him the whole time.
Moreover, he stopped him from taking the school van to home and dropped him to home in his own car.

Every part of this incident is outrageous, I intend to write the details.
First thing first - a social networking site's matter are NOT supposed to be handled in a school! Who on EARTH is a teacher to investigate what happens on the facebook account of a student?! Secondly - my nephew DID NOT post anything inadequate. As I said, I am aware of the nature of my nephews - I have spent more time with them as compared to usually uncles and aunts spend, and I know Maisum can never post anything inadequate. Moreover, he is "friends" with me on facebook and I do keep an eye on his list of friends and his activities which are transparent to me! Now, without any investigation, the teacher accused him of something he never did, and without confirmation he started the 'violence'. Another point to mention is the fact that anyone can have multiple and fake accounts of a human, anyone can impersonate someone else's profile and can possibly ruin his/her image - which means that the concerned person must verify the identity before taking any action (I don't like using the word "action" as it was "violence", NOT corrective action).
When after he was done beating him, he did his confirmations and realized it wasn't my nephew - so he kind-of apologized (does it really matter? Apology after beating someone unjustly??).
Things don't stop here. Later, he stopped my nephew from taking his school van to home and made him sit in his car and dropped him home by his self. WHY ON EARTH!!! WHY ON EARTH DID HE MAKE HIM SIT IN HIS CAR AND NOT THE SCHOOL VAN WHICH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COMMUTING OF THE KIDS!! This gave me creeps and has infuriated me to an in-explainable degree.
If I was in the country, I would have went up to him, and did exactly what he did to my nephew: Beat him up and then ask what was the reason - but would have never apologized as it WAS HIS mistake.

When my sister called the Principal/VP or whoever runs the branch, she was naturally furious over phone. Later my brother in law called the lady and she asked not to bring your wife (my sister) to school tomorrow to discuss the matter because she is not "understanding" and "getting furious". I swear, if I was in the country, I would have gone straight to the school right then and kicked these horrible humans out of the school. You beat someone's child violently and then make him sit in you car and then ask to calm down????

Previously, this same nephew was accused of 'harassing' some girl in the class and was told that he will be suspended. I know this kid, he doesn't take interest in girls at all, doesn't give any heed to them, let alone, harass someone. Later on it was found that he wasn't guilty at all and that the girl had something running around with another boy who was permanently suspended from the school.

This is horrible. I feel extremely sad for my nephew and extremely outraged. I cannot even imagine the horrendous psychological effect on my nephew after these episodes. This of my nephew is the best among all of my nephew when it comes to studies and working hard - he likes proving himself at every ground, he does all his chores himself, he is quite a gem! And I am outraged because of what has happened today.

We thought only Madrassah with Maulvis are the no-go areas for our kids, but this is horrible - I would never send my kid to a school if I know such things would happen to him!

On the birth of the newest nephew...

2011-11-02T00:24:00.000-07:00

Written for Mohammed's birth, the new born of my sister - born 26th October 2011.
(This was written while on my way to Jeddah for Hajj, 1st - 2nd November, 2011)

ایسا نہ ہوا تھا پہلے کبھی
بھانجا ہو کوئی اور زین نہ ہو

ہے یہ بھی نئی جو بات ہوئی
تم آے اور دن عید سا ہو

صبح کو تھا جگایا یوسف نے
کچھ بہن کے لئے اب د عآ کرو

سجدے میں یہ مانگا خالق سے
اب خلق کی مشقّت ختم بھی ہو

تو خالق سات آسمانوں کا
ایک تارا اور بھی عطا کرو

مانگا جو پنجتن کا صدقہ
کیسے ہو کے پھر وہ عطا نہ ہو

آئی تھی خبر پھر فورن ہی
آے ہیں محمّد، مبارک ہو!

یہ عید کا دن تھا خدا کی دین
جتنی بھی ہو حمد وہ کم ہی ہو

یوں آےہو تم صبح کی نوید
خوب پھولو پھلو اور شاد رہو

تم مولا علی کی شان بنو
بی بی زہرہ کی جان بنو

جواوّل، اوسط، آخر ہے
اس نام کی اب تم لاج رکھو

اب ثمرین و حیدر کے لئے
تم فخر کا ہر پل ذریعہ بنو

(One of the stanza is inspired by Farooq Qaiser aka Uncle Sargam's poem)

Hajj - Imam Zainul Abideen's (a.s.) Conversation with Shibli

2011-10-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

When the Fourth Imam Zainul Abideen (AS) returned from Hajj, Shibli came to meet him. They engaged in the following conversation:

Imam: Did you go for Hajj O Shibli?

Shibli: Yes O son of the Messenger of Allah.

Imam: Did you stop at the Miqaat and put away the sewn clothes and perform the sacred bath?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: When you stopped at Miqaat did you make the intention that you are taking off the clothes of disobedience and putting on the clothes of obedience?

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you had taken off your sewn clothes did you make the intention that you had taken off hypocrisy and entering dubious acts?

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you took the bath did you have the intention that you are washing yourself from all sins and errors?

Shibli: No

Imam: You did not stop at Miqaat, nor did you take off sewn clothes nor did you perform the sacred bath.

Imam: Did you cleanse yourself and put on Ihram and fulfill your covenant of Hajj?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: When you did this did you have the intention that you are cleaning yourself with the nurah of the sincere repentance to Almighty Allah the most high?

Shibli: No

Imam: When you put on the Ihram did you have the intention that you are forbidding yourself everything that Almighty Allah has forbidden?

Shibli: No

Imam: When you fulfilled the covenant of Hajj did you have the intention that you have nullified all other covenants with other than Allah?

Shibli: No

Imam: You did not cleanse yourself nor did you put on the Ihram nor did you fulfill the covenant of hajj.

Imam: Did you enter the Miqaat and pray the two Rakats of the Ihram and did you chant Talbiyah?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: When you entered the Miqaat, did you make the intention of entering as a visitor?

Shibli: No

Imam: When you prayed the two Rakats did you make the intention that you are trying to get closer to Allah (SWT) with the best of acts from the prayers and the biggest of good deeds from the acts of worship?

Shibli: No

Imam: When you chanted the Talbiyah did you have the intention that you were talking to almighty Allah with all obedience and keeping quiet from all disobedience?

Shibli: No

Imam: You did not enter Miqaat nor did you pray nor did you chant the Talbiyah.

Imam: Did you enter the Haram and did you see the Kaaba and did you pray there?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: When you entered the Haram did you have the intention that you were prohibiting on yourself all backbiting of all the Muslims from the Nations of Islam?

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you reached Makka did you make the intention with your heart that you had come to Almighty Allah (SWT)?

Shibli: No

Imam: You have neither entered Haram nor seen the Kaaba nor prayed.

Imam: Did you go round the house and did you touch the Rukn and did you make Saee?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: And when you did the Saee did you have the intention that you were running towards Almighty Allah and did Allah the knower of all secrets know this?

Shibli: No

Imam: You did not go round the house nor did you touch Rukn nor did you make Saee.

Imam: Did you touch the Hajar-e-Aswad and did you stand at the Maqam-e-Ibrahim and did you pray two Rakats on it?

Shibli: Yes

Here the Imam gave a scream as if he was about to leave this world saying Ah! Ah! Whoever touches the black stone it is as if he has shaken hands with Almighty Allah (SWT). So Look O poor chap that you do not destroy the reward of something whose sacredness has been made very great and you do not spoil your Handshake by disobedience and by grasping evil like the sinners.

Then Imam asked: Did you have the intention when you were standing on Maqam-e-Ibrahim that you were are standing on every obedience and that you have put behind you all disobedience?

Shibli: No

Imam: When you prayed two Rakats there did you make the intention that you are praying the prayers of Ibrahim and that you are humiliating Shaitan with your prayers?

Shibli: No

Imam: You did not stand on Maqam-e-Ibrahim nor did you pray two Rakats on it.

Imam: Did you look over the well of Zamzam and did you drink from its water?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: Did you have the intention when you were looking over the well that you looking at obedience to Almighty Allah and closing your eyes from all disobedience?

Shibli: No

Imam: You did not look over it nor did you drink from its water.

Imam: Did you run between Safa and Marwa and did you walk between it repeatedly?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: Did you have the intention that you were between hope and fear?

Shibli: No

Imam: You did not run between Safa and Marwa.

Imam: Did you go out to Mina?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: Did you have the intention that every Muslim was safe from your tongue, your heart and you?

Shibli: No

Imam: You did not go out to Mina.

Imam: Did you stay a short time at Arafa and did you climb Jabal al-Rahma and did you recognize the wadi of Namira and did to supplicate to Almighty Allah near al-Mil and al-Jamaraat?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: Did you conceive by your stay in Arafa the gnosis (Irfan) of Almighty Allah (SWT) and the knowledge of good things and acts; and did you conceive that your book of deeds was in the hands of Allah and that Allah had full knowledge of your secrets and what is in your heart?

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you climbed the Jabal al-Rahma did you have the intention that Almighty Allah may have mercy on all believing men and all believing women and that He will help all Muslim men and women?

Shibli: No

Imam: Did you have the intention at wadi of Namira that you would not enjoin good until you practice it yourself and you would not forbid evil until you leave it yourself?

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you stopped at al-Mil and al-Jamaraat did you have the intention that they were witnessing all your acts of worship and that they were guarding you together with guardian angels by the order of Almighty Allah?

Shibli: No

Imam: Then you did not stay at Arafat nor did you go up the Mountain of Mercy nor did you recognize the wadi of Namirah nor did you supplicate to Almighty Allah.

Imam: Did you pass between the two columns pray two Rakats before crossing; go to Muzdalifah pick up pebbles and cross the Mash'arul Haram?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: When you prayed the two Rakats, did you have the intention that you were praying the prayer of thanksgiving within the ten nights which removes every hardship and facilitates every ease?

Shibli: No

Imam: At the time of passing between the two columns without deviating to the right or the left did you have the intention that you would never deviate from the true religion to the right or the left neither with your heart, tongue nor with your limbs?

Shibli: No

Imam: When you walked through Muzdalifah and picked up the pebbles did you have the intention that you have plucked all acts of disobedience and ignorance and that you had affirmed knowledge and action?

Shibli: No

Imam: Then when you walked in the Mash'arul Haram did you have the intention that you had embossed your heart with the identification of those who have Taqwa and fear of Almighty Allah the Most High?

Shibli: No

Imam: Then you did not pass between the two columns nor did you pray the two Rakats, nor walked into Muzdalifah, nor picked up the pebbles nor walked in the Mash'arul Haram.

Imam: Did you arrive at Mina, throw stones at the Jamarah and did you shave your head and slaughter the sacrifice and did you pray in Masjid al-Kheef and did you return to Makkah and perform the Tawaf of Ifadha (return) to Makkah?

Shibli: Yes

Imam: When you reached Mina and pelted the Jamarah did you have the intention that you have attained your goal and your Lord has fulfilled all your needs?

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you pelted the Jamarah did you have the intention that you had pelted your enemy Iblees and by completing this precious Hajj you had disobeyed him?

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you shaved your head did you have the intention that you had cleansed yourself from all filth and from all the injustice of the children of Adam and that you had purified yourself from sin just like a new born baby.

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you slaughtered your hadiya did you have the intention that you are cutting the artery of greed by holding fast to the reality of piety and that you are following the tradition of Ibrahim (A.S.) when he was prepared to slighter his son, the fruit of his heart, through which he established the Sunna of gaining nearness to Almighty Allah for those who came after him?

Shibli: No

Imam: And when you returned to Makka and did the Tawaaf of Ifadha did you have the intention that you had come back with the Mercy of Almighty Allah to His obedience and that you had clasped His love that you had performed your duty to Him and had gained nearness to him?

Shibli: No

Imam: Then you did not reach Mina nor did you pelt the Jamaraat nor did you shave your head nor did you slaughter the hadiya nor did you pray in the Masjid Al-Kheef nor did you return to Makkah and perform the Tawaaf of Ifadha. Go back because you have not performed Hajj!

Having heard all this Shibli started to cry because of what he had missed in his Hajj and he continued to learn the secrets of Hajj until he could perform the Hajj through knowledge and understanding.

(Special thanks to a dear friend for forwarding this to me...)
Photo courtesy and copyrights: BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/africahaveyoursay/2010/11/your-hajj-stories.shtml)

Culture

2011-10-09T04:58:00.000-07:00

Following are some random points from a talk on Culture. Vast topic, do not try to draw any specific conclusion. I happily accept and welcome any disagreements.

Culture

Beginning quote:

There is no greaterwealth than wisdom, no greater poverty than ignorance; no greater heritagethan culture and no greater support than consultation.

- Imam Ali a.s.

Definition of culture:

- 164 definitions of Culture, according to Western sources only, so itis hard to define Culture in one definition.

- Three basic senses:

o Excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities, also known as highculture

o An integrated pattern of humanknowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolicthought and social learning

o The set of shared attitudes, values,goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group

- As beauty has a virtually external aspect, such as the refreshingappearances of a flower, moonlight, a river fall, or beautiful handwriting, sodoes culture, like observable examples of morals, works of art, andarchitectural characteristics representing various external acquisitions andideals.

- “The proper quality or deserved methods used for those of man’s physical orspiritual needs based on human logical thoughts and emotions arisen fromreasonable evolutionary lifestyles.”

A random question:

Question: Culture isusually ‘evolved’. Evolution can have creativity. Also, man’s evolutionaryneeds are those of “perfection” (Kamal/کمال ). So, can we be creative in setting up new forms of culture? Oradding new values/norms to it?

Keeping in view, somethings are bound to change (Heraclitus: “Nothing endures but change”), some don’t(coreprinciples, maybe, for example; Justice).

Centuries passed; and a new one began; the moon isthe same, but the water flowing by is not.

How to? (Withreference to above question)

I personally believehuman race is innately creative. So, if culture can be a creative entity, we need to tear the curtains meddling our hearts, and start inferring.

As Rumi says, apparently irrelevantthough – but speaks my mind:

“Your task is not toseek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourselfthat you have built against it.”

Culture and Religion:

چیست دین بر خواستن از روی خاک

تا کھ آگھ گردد از خود جان پاک

What is religion? Rising from the earth, toachieve self- awareness of the soul.

- Iqbal

Another randomquestion: Is Islamic Culture Compatible with Western Culture?

In brief, Islamic cultureis based upon a “logical mode of life”, which originates from the commonalitiesamong divine religions (actually, all from Abraham's religion); undoubtedly,any culture -Western or Eastern -able to adjust itself to these common basicscan have a profound role alongside Islamic cultures in reviving the prosperityof human societies.

Couple of importantpoints:

- Disharmonious Cultural elements in real facts may demolish all of HumanCulture/specific Culture

- Moral Corruption is the main reason for the deterioration of WesternCulture

Some interesting termsregarding Culture:

Counterculture - a sociological term used to describe the valuesand norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter tothose of the social mainstream of the day (post-Vietnam war hippies culture of 60's etc).

Creative Culture - brings imagination; diversity, curiosity,experimenting and idea sharing into daily activities.

Urban culture – Mostly driven by economics.

Sources:

Pioneer Culture to theRescue of Mankind - An Introduction to Islamic Culture

by Allamah Muhammad TaqiJa'fari

http://www.al-islam.org/pioneerculture/title.htm

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture)

Zain

6^th October 2011.

You've got to find what you love.

2011-10-06T02:53:00.001-07:00

I woke up in the morning and being it a weekend, grabbed my tablet to see news (yes, I specifically want to mention the tablet for some reason) and saw the news for Steve Jobs's demise. A revolutionary. And what came to my mind first is that I read this on a device that he placed into the hands of all of us. It could have been someone else, but for us, It was him
Rest in peace, Steve Jobs. 1955 - 2011.

What joy can there be in carefully counting it out?

2011-09-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

کیا لطف جو گن گن کے تیرا نام لیا
What novelty if calls to your name were counted?

Listening to something right now, reminded me of a Qawwali by Sabri brothers, and I couldn't move on without recalling the original words, and here goes - two deep stanzas - one that I heard right now, and one that I had to recall:

O Tasbeeh Baati Phair Na Baahu
Is Tasbeeh Da Ki Parhna Hu
O Jehna Apne Naal Hisaab Ne Karda
Uhde Naal Hisaab Ki Karda Hu
- Bullhe Shah

Wa'izon ne muft ka ilzaam liya
Tasbeeh ke daano se abas kaam liya
Yeh naam tou woh hai, jisay an ginti layn
Kya lutf jo gin gin ke tera naam liya?!
- Sabri brothers (probably their own creation)

The puritan preachers are their own enemies
Their prayer-beads are used for showing off
O lord, your name deserves to be taken countlessly/HIS name is simply uncountable
What joy can there be in carefully counting it out?

http://folkpunjab.com/abida-parveen/ek-nukte-wich-gal-mukdi-e/
http://www.paklinks.com/gs/intikhaab/301286-ik-nuqte-vich-gal-mukdi-eh.html

Also see: http://folkpunjab.com/abida-parveen/assan-ishq-namaz-jadoon-neeti-ae-2/
(From qawwalis by Abida Parveen, Tere Ishq Nachaya and Chhaap Tilak by Sabri brothers, 1986)

Namak, Hari mirch, Laal mirch, Chutni and what not...

2011-09-11T03:28:00.000-07:00

Karachi is facing a lot of rain from a couple of days. Love it. But not being there makes me miss it. And with friends like the one below, you can never run out of Namak, Hari mirch, Laal mirch, Chutni and what not for your "zakhm" (wound).

12:19 PM Faisal: zain

baarish dekhni hai :P

me: nahi

bye

Faisal: lush wali?

me: :P

Faisal: :D

plz

me: chal be chal

Faisal: :D

alaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad

soch hai beta tumhari

soch lo

me: take photos

Faisal: u r gonna miss something :P

12:20 PM sorry

me: and send them!

i am at office babes

Faisal: it is only available live

hehehe

get los then

lost

me: ok lemme try skype

if it works

Faisal: loser!

me: skype fails

and going for lunch

brb

12:21 PM Faisal: bye

i m going

to take a bath in rain :D

lovely man

maza he alag hai

me: abhi zinda huun tou jee lenay do!

ji lenay do!!

Faisal: alaaaaaaaaaaaaad

aur phir

me: bhari barsaat mayn pi lenay do!!!

Faisal: nahanay key baad

sookhay mein bacha bacha

sutta

oh ho ho

me: chai pakoray chutni ke saath

alaaaad!

Faisal: pakoray ban rahya hain :D

12:22 PM aur chaye bhi

me: !@$%%@#^

Faisal: :D

aaj khana late hoga

Faisal: good good

chal tu jaa

mein zara roof per jaon

*sight seeing* :D

oh ho ho

me: okay

Faisal: aur chaye pakoray key baad sutta

me: fine Get Lost

Faisal: na na

You think you are alive?

2011-09-07T10:39:00.000-07:00

You think you are alive

because you breathe air? Shame on you,

that you are alive in such a limited way.

Don't be without Love, so you won't feel dead.

Die in Love and stay alive forever.

- Rumi

Tender Words

2011-09-06T08:10:00.000-07:00

Tender words we spoke

to one another

are sealed

in the secret vaults of heaven.

One day like rain,

they will fall to earth

and grow green

all over the world.

- Rumi

The Mohali Effect

2011-08-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

March 30, 2011 - did a magic to the Pakistanis. The Mohali Effect. People gathering, praying, sharing their excitement online and offline, loving Lala (Afridi), everyone was super excited. There was a powerful sting of unity that ran accross every Pakistani till the news of the Mother of All Matches came - Pakistan vs India Semifinal on 30th March 2011.

The world of Pakistan was hit by a frenzy. It was as if some sleeping lazy youth was ignited with the strongest of will for their country. It was strong. It was out of the world. Then came the day, and Pakistan lost, but the effect was humongous. We were bright, we were not down, we felt strong even after the defeat, we were not depressed - as usually happens.

We still loved Pakistan. Every bit of it.

The experience has left us with an effect, which is hard to let go of. It wasn't about winning or losing, it was the sheer love for the country's cricket team that made us United: yes, Unity, something we feel is never possible in Pakistan. It was unconventional - no match for it.

On 14th August 2011, Pakistan just broke the record of most people singing National Anthem at Karachi (yet to be officially announced). This, I feel, was another form of that Mohali effect. Youth gathering, making an event possible. Making a world record.

http://www.thenewstribe.com/2011/07/19/pakistan-set-to-achieve-another-world-record/

http://www.thenewstribe.com/2011/08/04/indian-world-record-removed-on-pakistani-request/

And here goes, The Anthem:

The potential, thus, is exuberant. I have hopes in Pakistan.

Long live Pakistan.

Thanks to Abid Beli http://twitter.com/abidbeli for organizing this.

That amazing video of the anthem by Ali Khurshid: http://twitter.com/alikhurshid

The post Mohali match lovely compilation at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbP3D78-e2A

Who says the eternal being does not exist?

2011-08-11T01:27:00.000-07:00

Who says the eternal being does not exist?

Who says the sun has gone out?

Someone who climbs up on the roof,

and closes his eyes tight, and says,

I don't see anything.

- Rumi

from UNSEEN RAIN by John Moyne and Coleman Barks

The month of fasting has come

2011-08-05T07:37:00.000-07:00

The month of fasting has come,

The emperor’s banner has arrived,

Withhold your hand from food,

The spirit’s table has arrived.

The soul has escaped from separation and bound nature’s hands;

The heart of error is defeated.

Fasting is as our sacrifice,

It is the life out of soul; let us sacrifice all our body,

Since the soul has arrived as guest.

Fortitude is as a sweet cloud, wisdom rains from it,

Because it was in such a month of fortitude

That the Koran arrived.

When the carnal soul is in need,

The spirit goes into ascension;

When the gate of the prison is broken, the soul reaches the Beloved.

The heart has rent the curtain of darkness and winged up to the sky;

The heart, being of the angels, has again arrived.

The Cow was goodly,

Moses son of Imran appeared;

Through him the dead became living when it was sacrificed.

Quickly clutch the rope out of this body’s well;

At the top of the well of water cry, "Joseph of Canaan has arrived."

When Jesus escaped from the donkey his prayers became accepted;

Wash your hands, for the Table has arrived from heaven.

Wash your hands and your mouth, neither eat nor speak;

Seek that speech and that morsel which has come to the silent ones.

- Rumi

Rumi’s Ghazal No. 892 from the Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi, translated by A.J. Arberry, "Mystical Poems of Rumi," 1968

http://sologak1.blogspot.com/2009/09/rumis-ramadan-poem-month-of-fasting-has.html

In Persian: http://www.moridemolana.com/Ghzal_501_1000.htm

Come, come again, whoever you are, come!

2011-08-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

Come, Come again!

Whatever you are…

Whether you are disbeliever,

idolater or fireworshipper.

You have broken your vows

of repentance a hundred times

this is not the gate of despair,

this is the gate of hope.

Come, come again…

- Poet unknown

(Inscribed at Rumi's grave, Konya, Turkey)

Comment: This is one of the most frequently quoted poems attributed to Rumi, but is not authenticated as his (and it is also not in the earliest manuscripts of the quatrains attributed to him). It is found in the same form in the quatrains of Bâbâ Afzaluddîn Kâshânî (died 1274-- Rumi died 1273) and is related to a similar quatrain attributed to Abu Sa`îd ibn Abi 'l-Khayr, died 1048 (see "Nobody, Son of Nobody: Poems of Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir," renditions by Vraje Abramian, 2001, p. 4, c). It is one among the most frequently quoted poems by Turkish Mevlevis (the "Whirling Dervishes") themselves (who have long assumed it to be a Rumi poem), from a Turkish translation of the original Persian.

http://www.dar-al-masnavi.org/corrections_popular.html#84.

Nevit Ergin (translated from Golpinarli's Turkish translation), "Crazy As We Are," 1992, p. 1.

-----------

Variant translations:

taken from: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rumi

Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving — it doesn't matter,
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times,
Come, come again, come.

As quoted in Sunbeams : A Book of Quotations (1990) by Sy Safransky, p. 67
Variant translations:
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, idolator, worshipper of fire, come even though you have broken your vows a thousand times,
Come, and come yet again. Ours is not a caravan of despair.
- As quoted in Muslim Narratives and the Discourse of English (2004) by Amin Malak, p. 151
Come, come, whoever you are.
Wanderer, worshipper, lover of living, it doesn't matter
Ours is not a caravan of despair.
Come even if you have broken your vow a thousand times,
Come, yet again, come, come.
- As quoted in Rumi and His Sufi Path of Love (2007) by M Fatih Citlak and Huseyin Bingul, p. 81
Come, come again, whoever you are, come!
Heathen, fire worshipper or idolatrous, come!
Come even if you broke your penitence a hundred times,
Ours is the portal of hope, come as you are.

As quoted in Turkey: A Primary Source Cultural Guide (2004) by Martha Kneib

There's hidden sweetness in the stomach's emptiness

2011-08-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

There's hidden sweetness in the stomach's emptiness.

We are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundbox

is stuffed full of anything, no music.

If the brain and belly are burning clean

with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire.

The fog clears, and new energy makes you

run up the steps in front of you.

Be emptier and cry like reed instruments cry.

Emptier, write secrets with the reed pen.

When you're full of food and drink, Satan sits

where your spirit should, an ugly metal statue

in place of the Kaaba. When you fast,

good habits gather like friends who want to help.

Fasting is Solomon's ring. Don't give it

to some illusion and lose your power,

but even if you have, if you've lost all will and control,

they come back when you fast, like soldiers appearing

out of the ground, pennants flying above them.

A table descends to your tents,

Jesus' table.

Expect to see it, when you fast, this table

spread with other food, better than the broth of cabbages.

- Rumi ~ Ghazal No. 1739 from the Divan-e Shams-e Tabrizi (Diwan-e-Kabeer)

Halat meray mulk ke...

2011-08-02T00:51:00.001-07:00

Main yeh kis key naam likhoon Jo alam guzar rahay hain
Meray shehar jal rahay hain, Meray log mar rahay hain

Koi ghuncha ho kay gul ho, Koi shaakh ho shajar ho
Woh hawa-e-gulistan hain kay sabhi bikhar rahay hain

Kabhi rehmatain thein nazil is hi khitta-e-zameen par
Wohi khitta-e-zameen hai kay aazaab uttar rahay hain

Wohi taroun ke jhurmat jo hawa main jhooltay thay
Woh fiza ko tak rahay hain tu aah bhar rahay hain

Koi aur to nahin hai pas-e-khanjar aazmai
Ham hi qatal ho rahay hain Ham hi qatal ker rahay hain

- Poet unknown

(I remembered the last stanza, upon googling, found the poem at http://unaizanasim.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/halat-meray-mulk-key/)

Silk Worm and The Heart

2011-08-01T15:03:00.001-07:00

I stood before a silk worm one day.

And that night my heart said to me,

“I can do things like that, I can spin skies,

I can be woven into love that can bring warmth to people;

I can be soft against a crying face,

I can be wings that lift, and can travel on my thousand feet throughout the earth, my sack filled with the sacred.”

And I replied to my heart,

“Dear, can you really do all those things?”

And it nodded “Yes” in silence.

So we began and never will

cease.

- Rumi

Rumi's Ramadhan Poem

2011-08-01T10:23:00.000-07:00

Rumi’s Ramadan Poem

O moon-faced Beloved,

the month of Ramadan has arrived

Cover the table

and open the path of praise.

O fickle busybody,

it’s time to change your ways.

Can you see the one who’s selling the halvah

how long will it be the halvah you desire?

Just a glimpse of the halvah-maker

has made you so sweet even honey says,

“I’ll put myself beneath your feet, like soil;

I’ll worship at your shrine.”

Your chick frets within the egg

with all your eating and choking.

Break out of your shell that your wings may grow.

Let yourself fly.

The lips of the Master are parched

from calling the Beloved.

The sound of your call resounds

through the horn of your empty belly.

Let nothing be inside of you.

Be empty: give your lips to the lips of the reed.

When like a reed you fill with His breath,

then you’ll taste sweetness.

Sweetness is hidden in the Breath

that fills the reed.

Be like Mary – by that sweet breath

a child grew within her.

- Rumi

as seen on: http://darvish.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/rumis-ramadan-poem/

I was you...

2011-07-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

I was you...

...and never knew it.

- Rumi

Taken from Rumi's facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mevlana

Post link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150734601065089&set=o.64655903184&type=1&theater

Overheard at TEDGlobal

2011-07-12T03:56:00.000-07:00

I am sitting at this beach office, trying to get a server up so that the team can work on the database instance installed on it. Just had a biscuit in the breakfast. Wearing sweater, although it is 40+ celcius outside and extremely humid, but the chillers inside the building are killing.

That's my outside, pretty average, not really active, not extremely boring, just a routine day. Here goes the inside:

Awab Alvi is at TEDGlobal, Edinburgh, and TED asked to tweet about Optimism and Pessimism on the #askTED hashtag on Twitter, so I just tweeted what came to my mind. Luckily, my quote was read at TEDU at TEDGlobal, Edinburgh, and my name was taken with my country! Wow! That's pretty cool - I am proud of making the name of Pakistan to be heard by the audience at TEDGlobal! *Proud moment!*

Here's the full story:

http://chirpstory.com/li/1969

Here's the screenshot:

Ars Gratia Artis! Cooking for Cooking's Sake!

2011-07-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

from the diary of a bachelor living abroad.

"Good painting is like good cooking; it can be tasted, but not explained."

- Maurice de Vlaminck, French painter (1876 ~ 1958)

I became member of a social network community, focusing on cooking, mainly South Asian dishes. Moving away from Karachi, Pakistan and being self-proclaimed good cook, I started looking at its page, noticing a few interesting dishes on their albums. To agree to what the admins wrote about the community, it was tad addictive.

I even posted a couple of my cookings there which the members laughed at to my misery, never mind.

But lately, I have been feeling humorous about the posts I witness on the community's page. Following is a re-make of the posts that make me feel that way (no real names, any similarity purely coincidental):

Salma: Hi! Can you please tell me how to make instant coffee? I completely forgot how to. Thanks!

Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration for the sake of humor - but below is what I actually just read:

Nilofer: Can you please post the recipe of Khichdi? Thanks!

Post like such, are lovely to add up to the humor:

Pinky: I'm newly wed :) Kindly teach me how to make half fried egg - I always break the yolk! I need to impress my in-laws... please help! xoxo

What actually reverberates in my mind reading them are the golden words of the traditional South Asian mothers:

"Aey Larki! Seekh lo kuchh khana pakana! Shadi ke baad kya hoga is larki ka!!"(Girl! Learn some cooking! What will you do after wedding!)

As a matter of fact, cooking is an art - and every art needs practise and diligence. To the dismay of all the good mothers in South Asia, this art is not being appreciated by some radical faction of our generation (or at least by some of those that I know of). Proving this statistically is cumbersome. When you ask the mothers, they would be found saying, "These kababs are made by my daughter, take some, and you did not take the apple pie! She made it by herself... and oh, I just forgot the Faluda, she's a master at such desserts!"

...And you can clearly see Agha Juice written on the Faluda glass...

What irks me, a potential husband to someone soon maybe, is that being a self-proclaimed cook, it will be tough to settle down with someone who has no love for this art, same goes for all my other brothers out there.

Cooking is an art. And this art needs to be loved, practised more, revived, focused upon and upheld!

Someone has said great words of motivation for this cause:

"If a woman is called to be a cook, she should cook food even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. She should make the dishes so well that all the in-laws and their guests will pause to say (to the Mother-In-Law), 'Where did you find her??' Find such a girl for my son as well!"

Bon apetite - dear fellows - who have wives who cook diligently.

Bon voyage - dear fellows - who don't.

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

Note: For those who smell male-chauvinism in my words: I am not a chauvinist. We all have our responsibilities, and we should do them well, just as Martin Luther King's actual words that I twisted above (original quote in the next line). And the fact remains, women are the home-makers all around the world- not men.

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Sehra for Afaq (Faraz bhai) & Zainab's wedding

2011-07-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Right now attending wedding remotely (via skype), and have written a Sehra for this wedding:

آج آفاق تلے آفاق کے بندھا ہے سہرا

فیض و نسرین نہیں سب ہی کو بھاتا سہرا

ہیں وہ پہلی جو مسلم کی ہیں نور چشم

ہے دعا ہو یہ مسرّت کا سراپا سہرا

نور زہرا و علی آج زمین پر آئیں

پہلی شعبان کی رونق نے سجایا سہرا

صدقہ عبّاس و علی اکبر کے سہروں کا

گویا عصمت کا اور عفت کا ہے مظہر سہرا

بنت زہرا کا رہے سایا تم پر زینب

رہے شاداب آفاق کا ہر پل سہرا

ہے محبّت کی رسم آج جو پوری کی ہے

زین نے پہلا ہے بڑےشوق سے لکھا سہرا

Written on 3rd July 2011. Wedding (barat) held on 3rd July 2011, 1st Shaban in Karachi

English Transliteration:

Aaj afaq talay Afaq ke bandha hai sehra

Faiz-o-Nasreen nahi sab hi ko bhaata sehra

Hain who pehli jo Muslim ki hain Noor-e-Chashm

Hai dua ho yeh musarrat ka sarapa sehra

Noor-e-Zehra-o-Ali (a.s.) aaj zameen par aaeen

Pehli Shabaan ki ronaq ne sajaya sehra

Sadqa Abbas-o-Ali Akbar (a.s.) ke sehron ka

Goya ismat ka aur effat ka hai mazhar sehra

Binte Zehra ka rahay saya tum par Zainab

Rahay shadaab Afaq ka har pal sehra

Hai mohabbat ki rasm aaj jo poori ki hai

Zain ne pehla hai baray shauq se likha sehra

My Kindle is My Library, a space ship!

2011-06-07T23:03:00.000-07:00

I am slowly and smoothly falling in a light shade of love with my Amazon Kindle (currently because of reading Rumi which I have been trying to read since 2004) and the following is what precisely describes how I feel about it for the past couple of days:

(a congratulatory letter, addressed to the children of Troy, Michigan, for the newly-opened public library, in which the benefits of visiting a library were explained in some form)

16 March 1971

Dear Boys and Girls,

Congratulations on the new library, because it isn't just a library. It is a space ship that will take you to the farthest reaches of the Universe, a time machine that will take you to the far past and the far future, a teacher that knows more than any human being, a friend that will amuse you and console you---and most of all, a gateway, to a better and happier and more useful life.

(Signed, 'Isaac Asimov')

Isaac Asimov

http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/05/library-is-many-things.html

Update: Kindle broken on 4th July 2011 by unintentional mishandling. RIP my spaceship! I badly miss.

Bibi Fizza

2011-05-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Zehra s.a. se taqabul tou bari baat hai nadaan
Tareekh mayn tuu hamsar-e-Fizza hee dikha de...

O ignorant, comparison to Zehra s.a. is unfathomable
Just try finding another Fizza in the pages of history...

"Bibi Fizza" ("Amma Fizza", as respectfully called by Bibi Zainab s.a. and others), we hear this name a lot during the mourning period, as she was the one who accompanied the Household of Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.W.) at Karbala and beyond.

It will not be wrong if we say that Bibi Fizza was the effect of the beautiful scent of the Ahlulbait a.s., Prophet's Household. But, just look at this maid-servant of Bibi Fatima s.a., she is more eloquent in her speech than the many pious and trained Muallimah's found - makes one think that even the servants of the Holy Prophet's Household were not mere servants, they were the teachers f the teachers. The following account of a meeting with Bibi Fizza explains the exemplary mastery Bibi Fizza had, and the love for Quran, so much so that she spoke in the language of Quran...

A Meeting with Bibi Fizza

Bibi Fizza had come from Abyssinia to `Arabia as a slave. She was freed by the Holy Prophet (S) and afterwards served Bibi Fátimah (A) as her maid-servant. Bibi Fátimah (A) divided her house work equally between herself and Bibi Fizza and they would take turns to do the chores. She remained faithful to the household of Ahlul Bayt (A) and even accompanied them to Karbala and the prison of Damascus.

`Abdulláh Mubárak has related a very interesting dialogue between himself and Bibi Fizza. He states, "I saw a woman passing through the desert who had fallen behind the caravan and asked her, "Who are you and where are you from?" She replied:

And say, "Salaam" for they shall soon know! (az-Zukhruf, 43:89)

I learned that she expected me to greet her and say "Assalámu `Alaykum" first, before any question. I did as she reminded, and then enquired why she was in the desert. She answered:

And whomsoever Alláh guides, there is none to lead him astray! (az-Zumar, 39:37)

On hearing her reply, I asked her, Are you from mankind or from the jinn?" She replied:

O Children of Adam! be adorned at every time of prostration. (al-A`ráf,7: 31)

I asked her, "Where are you coming from?" She replied:

They are (like those) who are called to from a place far off. (Há Mím 41:44)

I asked her, "Where are you intending to go?" She said:

And (purely) for Alláh is incumbent upon mankind, the Pilgrimage of the House. (Áli Imrán, 3:97)

I asked her how many days she had been travelling. She told me:

And indeed We (Alláh) created the heavens and the earth and what is between them two, in six days. (Qáf, 50:38)

I asked her, "Do you feel hungry?" She replied:

We (Alláh) did not make them such bodies that ate no food. (Al-Anbiya, 21:8)

I gave her food and asked her to hurry up to catch the caravan but she replied:

Alláh does not task any soul beyond its ability. (al-Baqaráh, 2:286)

I suggested that she sit on the camel behind me, but she said:

Had there been gods therein besides Alláh, there would have been disorder in both (the heavens and the earth). (al-Anbiya, 21:22)

On hearing this I realised that, because we were not husband and wife, it was unlawful for both of us to ride the camel. So I got off and mounted her on it. When she sat on the camel, she said:

Glory to Him Who subjected this to us. (az-Zukhruf 43:13)

When we reached the caravan, I asked her, "Do you know anyone among them?" She called out in reply:

O Dáwúd, Verily, We have appointed you a Khalifa in the earth. (Sád, 38:26)

And Muhammad is not but a Messenger. (Áli Imrán, 3:144)

O Yahyá! Hold the book with firmness! (Maryam, 19:12)

O Músá! Verily I am Alláh, the All-Mighty. (an-Naml, 27:9)

I began to call out these four names at which four youths came out of the caravan and ran towards Bibi Fizza. I asked her who they were and she replied:

Wealth and children are the adornment of the world. (al-Kahf, 18:46)

I realised that they were her sons. The woman turned to the youth and said:

O my Father, employ him, verily the best of those who you can employ is the strong man and the trusted one. (al-Qasas, 28:26)

She thus made them understand that I had helped her. Then she told them:

And verily Alláh increases manifold to whosoever He wills. (al-Baqaráh, 2: 261)

The sons understood their mother's hint and paid me well.

I enquired from the them as to who this noble lady was, and they replied, "She is our mother, Fizza, the maid-servant of Lady Fátimah (A), daughter of the Holy Prophet (S). She has conversed in nothing but the Holy Qur'án for the last 20 years."

Taken from http://www.abbas.dircon.co.uk/Fizza.html
Stanza from Manqabat "Ya Rab mera har lafz diya aisa bana de": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0vm8HKrZss&feature=related

Color blindness - figured it out, finally!

2011-05-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

I used to have enough confusions and finally considered myself a color blind, until recently, that is until a few minutes back when I came across the following illustration. Funny how it all makes sense now!

I can happily remove this self-imposed tag of Color Blindness.

How differently boys and girls see colors:

Moin Akhtar - "What have I done? Infact I have became great..."

2011-04-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Watching the clip below right now, I just realized that apart from the female persona played by Moin Akhtar, there were some great dialogues in the PTV Drama 'Rozee', as part of the great Tele Theater series. (Scroll below for the video)

Being too young to comprehend the classic dialogues, I missed the other part of Moin Akhtar in this play. Here, he says about what he does. I can relate this message to so many situations, the politicians, the current media men, etc. But I wont do that. I would not spoil the freshness of this post with the malign existences.

Amazing lines....

"What have I done?
Have I done any theft?
Have I killed someone?
On the contrary I think I have became greater..."

"Look, I am an actor
Today, I fell for the first time, that I am doing a "role",
A play...
A play; whose audience is present everywhere in this city.
Can you believe it? I can feel that this world is a stage!!
When I came here and you couldn't recognize me in this attire; I swear, I felt I am performing in some lucrative Broadway's theater..."

RIP Moin Akhtar.

Sun and Earth - Hafez

2011-04-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Even after all this time
The Sun never says
to the Earth,
"You owe me."

Look what happens
with a love like that,
It lights the
whole sky.

- Hafez

photo credit: +mara (http://www.flickr.com/photos/stickypearls/)
original photo at flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stickypearls/2738613059
under creative commons license

Achanak Arabian Chicken

2011-04-12T06:59:00.000-07:00

Naazreen, (Dear Viewers)

Welcome to the nth episode of "Bhaijan Khana Khilado".

Today, we would give you the recipe of Achanak Arabian Chicken. Following are the ingredients for this marvelous dish:

Ingredients:
2. An Arabic speaking boss who doesn't understand you (neither can you understand him)
3. Some real deep sleep
4. Hectic day at the office
5. Some chicken in the fridge
6. Yoghurt
7. Some left-over random masala from your last proper cooking (Bombay Biryani Masala, Karachi Gosht Masala, Nehari Masala, or any Masala)
8. Bad mood (not really bad, you can make do with some irritated mood as well)
9. A laundry basket full with clothes to wash

Recipe:
1. Face your Arabic speaking boss frequently throughout the day, it will irritate you.
2. Now use this of your Hectic day at the office to get into a Bad mood. As soon as you come home, do a crash landing on your bed.
3. Now, wake up abruptly, and say, "Whoa?!" and have a look at the laundry basket to blow your mood even further...
4. As soon as the ears start getting red due to all this, your dish is half ready. You just have to cook a little bit more now.
5. Now go get yoghurt, splash it into the left over chicken, add anything you can find in the spices box, cut some onions, fry it in oil, add tomatoes (or whatever you want to add) and then add the marinated chicken, add salt to taste.
6. Go and sleep for the next fifteen minutes.
7. Wake up, and Voila! "Achanak Arabian Chicken" is ready!

Enjoy! (the left overs...)

(this post has been made due to the sheer requests from my cooking fans... Sadawaji, Motts, Ammi et al.)

About Anger

2011-04-11T02:36:00.000-07:00

The great researcher Ahmad ibn Muhammad, popularly known as Ibn Maskawayh, in his bookTaharat al-Araq writes something which can be summarized as follows: Anger, in fact, is an inner psychic movement due to which a state of agitation is produced in the heart's blood, arousing a desire for vengeance. When this agitation becomes more violent, it intensifies the fire of anger. A violent commotion in the blood seizes the heart, filling the arteries and the brain with a flurry of dark smoke, on account of which the mind and the intellect lose control and become powerless. At that time, as the Hukama (wise ones) maintain, the inner state of the person resembles a cave where fire has broken out, filling it with flames and suffocating clouds of smoke that leap out of its mouth with intense heat and a fiery howl. When that happens, it becomes extremely difficult to pacify such a person and to extinguish the fire of his rage; whatever is thrown in it to cool it down becomes a part of it, adding to its intensity. It is for this reason that such a man becomes blinded to propriety and deaf to guidance. In such a condition, there is no hope for him.

Anger causes a bodily reaction; the sympathetic nervous system and muscles mobilize for physical attack. Muscles tense and the blood pressure and heart rate skyrocket. Digestive processes stop. Certain brain centers are triggered, which then change the brain chemistry. When angry, the bodily functions change for the worse.

A quote just came up to my mind: "Though you may feel justified at your anger; Beware! It may rise up to destroy us."

Book referenced in the following article (an article on the reality of anger):

http://islamicinsights.com/religion/religion/the-reality-of-anger.html

Textcited! Pakistan vs India Semifinal Frenzy!

2011-03-29T23:41:00.001-07:00

I feel Textcited! The tags of #Pakistan and #India on twitter are amazing to follow right now, i.e., prior to the match... I'll miss Karachi and trg tech's cafeteria the most, the exhilarating environment...

Here's something interesting to share!

Married or not, Must Read

2011-03-07T12:12:00.001-08:00

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outsidethe door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.

My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage.

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

If we are not happy...

2011-03-05T21:29:00.001-08:00

If we are not happy, if we are not peaceful, we cannot share peace and happiness with others, even those we love, those who live under the same roof. If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace. Do we need to make a special effort to enjoy the beauty of the blue sky? Do we have to practice to be able to enjoy it? No, we just enjoy it. Each second, each minute of our lives can be like this. Wherever we are, any time, we have the capacity to enjoy the sunshine, the presence of each other, even the sensation of our breathing. We don't need to go to China to enjoy the blue sky. We don't have to travel into the future to enjoy our breathing. We can be in touch with these things right now. It would be a pity if we are only aware of suffering.

We are so busy we hardly have time to look at the people we love, even in our own household, and to look at ourselves. Society is organized in a way that even when we have some leisure time, we don't know how to use it to get back in touch with ourselves. We have millions of ways to lose this precious time - we turn on the TV or pick up the telephone, or start the car and go somewhere. We are not used to being with ourselves, and we act as if we don't like ourselves and are trying to escape from ourselves.

- Thick Nhat Hanh

(taken from: http://www.ocdrecoverycenters.com/library/if_we_are_not_happy.html)

But I, being poor, have only my dreams

2011-03-05T02:17:00.001-08:00

Had I the heavens' embroidered cloths,

Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,

I would spread the cloths under your feet:

...But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;

Tread softly... because you tread on my dreams.

- William Butler Yeats

Photo credits: Ali Asim Kazmi, taken on March 2011, at UBIT, University of Karachi

3 Idiots: An Inspiration

2011-03-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

When I had to stay a night at Al-Khobar, Saudia Arabia, I was already too tired, much sleep deprived, and wanted to have a real smooth sleep - but the light issue, as always, was something that bothered me. So, within instants, I came up with the idea of making a string from the polyethene wrapped around my suitcase at airport, sticking one end to the light switch, and keeping the other under my pillow to make sure when I am about to sleep and don't feel like walking all the way to switch off the light, I can simply pull the string. Yes, this was an inspiration from 3 Idiots!

Hor Vi Neevan Ho

2011-02-19T12:53:00.001-08:00

Hor vi neevan ho
Bow your head even further down (in humility)

Hor vi neevan ho fakira
Fakir, bow your even head further down (in humility)

Hor vi neevan ho
Bow your head further down (in humility)

Hor vi neevan ho fakira
Fakir, bow your head further down (in humility)

Uccha saroon gharoor mein
There is great pleasure in holding the head high in arrogance

Kaddi naa phall paiye, fakira
But, that pleasure will never be fulfilling

Hor vi neevan ho fakira
Fakir, bow your head further down (in humility)

Paiye gaa deedar sahib da
One day you will be bestowed with His presence

Hor vi neevan ho
Bow your head further down (in humility)

Definite Purpose

2011-02-17T03:59:00.000-08:00

"Until a man selects a definite purpose in life, he dissipates his energies and spreads his thoughts over so many subjects and in so many different directions that they lead not to power, but to indecision and weakness.

With the aid of a small reading glass, you can teach yourself a great lesson on the value of organized effort. Through the use of such a glass, you can focus the sun's rays on a definite spot so strongly that they will burn a hole through a plank. Remove the glass (which represents the definite purpose), and the same rays of sun may shine on that same plank for a million years without burning it."

- from Napoleon Hill's 'The Law of Success', Chapter 1

Ashura 1432H - Th story of a family luckily heard...

2010-12-17T01:09:00.000-08:00

I found this baby boy at the Ashura procession, named Hussain Ali, in his father's lap and I asked his father if I could take his photograph for which he happily agreed. And he then told me the story, that this baby boy was a gift from Karbala. The couple did not have any baby for 16 years, then they went to Karbala, and at Janab-e-Asghar's tomb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_al-Asghar_ibn_Husayn), they prayed to Allah to give them a son, the mother got two clothes given to her by some unknown person, and a few months later they got this baby boy. MashaAllah! The baby was wearing the clothes that they received at Karbala from someone they don't know of.

Ashura 1432H - Sukayna Bint Hussain a.s.

2010-12-17T01:05:00.000-08:00

Sukaina, or commonly known as Sakeena, died inside the prison due to crying. She was the youngest daughter of Imam Hussain a.s... and she was used to sleep on his father's chest...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukayna_bint_Husayn

Ashura 1431H - Alas! Ya Hussain a.s.!

2010-12-17T01:01:00.001-08:00

To cry on Hussain a.s. is not just an emotion-driven action we perform, the tears bear the message of not compromising to any oppressor, even that of the current time. Ya Hussain a.s.!

Ashura 1432H - Ana Majnun-al-Hussain!!!!

2010-12-17T00:56:00.000-08:00

Ana Majnun-al-Hussain a.s.!!
"I am Hussain's lover"

Kaun si cheez hai chalnay mayn rukawat Mairi
Huun Azadar mayn, Yeh raasta Hussain a.s. ka hai

Labbaik Ya Hussain a.s.!!

Ashura 1432H - Al-Musta'id!

2010-12-17T00:48:00.000-08:00

Scouts, the best organizers of the Annual Ashura Procession. Al-Musta'id is the slogan for Scouts, originally in English, the term is "Be Prepared".

See more at: http://azaralizain.blogspot.com/2010/02/al-mustaid-be-prepared.html

And I specifically feel great respect for these senior scouts, they are old, but they are energetic. The legend of Habib Ibn-e-Mazahir continues!

Ashura 1432H - Hasan Zafar in the leading row

2010-12-17T00:42:00.000-08:00

Maulana Hasan Zafar Naqvi in the leading row with the flag (Alam) of Abul Fazlil Abbas Alamdar a.s.

Ashura 1432H - Look whom you scare by bullets, blasts, and power!

2010-12-17T00:38:00.000-08:00

Shor-e-Zanjeer Zani ho jis Qaum ka Tarana-e-Zindagi
ArayAhmaqo,Usay Daratay ho goli ki bocharon se!

Ashura 1432H - Ashura Procession Amidst Tight Security

2010-12-17T00:17:00.000-08:00

The blasts on the procession last year has had its effects, security looks a little better than before.
Below are few glimpses from the front rows:

Ashura 1432H - The Journey Begins

2010-12-17T00:12:00.000-08:00

The journey began with the duty of dropping Ali bhai to University, he was at the Rizvia Society in the morning. The sun rose, it was the sun of Ashura, the same sun which witnessed all the followers, friends and family members of Imam Hussain a.s. for the last time, as they were to be killed by the brutal of Yazid.

LIVE from Ashura Juloos 1432 Hijri, Karachi

2010-12-16T23:56:00.001-08:00

Although there have been real problems finding a proper place to sit and post the photographs I have been taking during this Ashura 1432 Hijri Procession, but here's the news: I am posting LIVE this year again from the Ashura Procession in Karachi, held on 10th Moharram 1432 Hijri, 17th December 2010.

Details to follow!

(Posts from the last year can be found at http://azaralizain.blogspot.com/search/label/Ashura1431Karachi )

Two interesting posts by George Fulton

2010-08-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Nice read.

At least we are not Dubai

http://iaoj.wordpress.com/2010/04/25/at-least-we-are-not-dubai-george-fulton/

Uncomfortably numb

http://tribune.com.pk/story/26064/uncomfortably-numb/

2010-08-24T05:41:00.000-07:00

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain or bitter,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life,
keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Khushk taar o khushk chob o khushk post

2010-08-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Khushk taar o khushk chob o khushk post
Az koja mi ayad in awaaz e dost
Nai ze taar o nai ze chob o nai ze post
Khud bakhud mi ayad in awaaz e dost

Singing strings, vibrant wood, throbbing drums
Whence comes the voice of the Beloved?
Not from strings, not from wood, nor from drum
Of Himself comes the voice of the Beloved

copied from http://www.anothersubcontinent.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php?t8351.html

They'll call me freedom, just like a wavin' flag

2010-05-09T00:21:00.000-07:00

"And then it goes back
And then it goes back
And then it goes back"

Inhibitions; when we control them, when we break free from them, it's only then that we are actually living. An entrepreneur who has a breakthrough technology of transparent braces patented to his name (http://inventors.about.com/od/dstartinventions/a/dentistry_4.htm) actually left his company to start a new company, saved the laid back people in his homeland, and now has introduced 'a something new' to the technological world (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=123826).

The need to break free from our boxes that control us and refrain us from doing what our potential is, is high. We need to crush the intrinsic fear and inhibition that gets stacked to our minds. I love the phrase, Unleash Your Potential.

Reason for the above text: I was browsing my news feed on facebook. It led me to notice the official theme for Fifa World Cup 2010. As always, I got more interested into the lyrics and searched for it, and on some lyrics website the first thing I noticed was InvisAlign's advert. And it compelled me to jot down my above thoughts (or you may call them my feelings).

Likeness of the world

2010-04-28T09:20:00.001-07:00

Surely the likeness of this world is that of a snake:

it is soft to touch, and deadly poisonous.

The ignorant child is distracted by it,

and the one with understanding and intellect is cautious of it.

So turn away from what fascinates you in it, for how little of it stays with you.

- Imam Ali a.s.

Will makes men giants

2010-04-21T06:02:00.001-07:00

Resolve is what makes a man manifest;

not puny resolve, but crude determination;

not errant purpose - but that strong and indefatigable will

which treads down difficulties and danger,

as a boy treads down the heaving frost-lands of winter;

which kindles his eye and brain

with a proud pulse-beat toward the unattainable.

Will makes men giants.

- Donald G. Mitchell

What is your advantage?

2010-04-20T00:21:00.000-07:00

What is your advantage?

A few years ago, I was introduced to someone in a family event. We discussed a lot of things of common interest. He narrated the following interesting event that touched his heart:

I learnt a great lesson from my ten year old daughter, Sarah. She was born with a muscle missing in her foot and wears a brace all the time. She came home one beautiful spring day and told me that she had participated in a sports day in her school – with lots of races and other competitive events. My mind raced as I tried to think of encouragement for my daughter. Things I could say to her so that she does not feel bad about not being able to compete properly. Before I could think of and utter encouraging words, she said "Baba, I won two of the races!" I could not believe my ears! And she continued, "because I had an advantage" I thought to myself, Oh! I knew it. She must have been given a head start - a physical advantage. And again, before I could say anything, she said, "Baba, I didn't get a head start. My advantage was that I had to try a little harder!"

I am sure you would agree that was a great paradigm, was it not? For a ten year old, the advantage was to “try a little harder to get to the finishing line”. Many people compete in the race that this life offers and they want to win it. However, interestingly they never assess their “advantages”. Consequently majority of them leave the race in the middle. They curse others, or the situation, or the events happening around them or if they can not find anything else their fate. Do you think they make a fair assessment?

Wanting to win a race is one thing and trying harder is another. Wanting a victory without hard work and effort is like having a pleasant dream.

Conversely working very hard without knowing what finish line we want to reach is like waking up after a nightmare. Or reaching the top of the ladder to find that the ladder is leaning against the “wrong wall”!

The biographies and autobiographies of great people can help us understand this paradigm in full. They demonstrated the importance of having clear visions, followed by hard work while utilizing the advantages God gave to them.

If they can do it, we can do it too! Let’s discover the advantage we are blessed with and align this advantage with our visions to propel ourselves to achieve our visions.

To your success,

Yameenuddin Ahmed

Senior consultant & Trainer

Timelenders UAE/Pakistan

http://blogs.timelenders.com/?p=8

When I join the forgotten...

2010-04-13T03:00:00.000-07:00

"My Master, and have mercy upon me when my trace is cut off from this world,

my mention is effaced among the creatures,

and I join the forgotten, like the forgotten ones!

My Master, and have mercy upon me at the change of my form and state when

my body decays, my limbs are scattered,

and my joints are dismembered!

O my heedlessness toward what was wanted from me!

My Master, have mercy upon me at my mustering and uprising and on that day, appoint my standing place with Thy friends,

my place of emergence with Thy beloveds, and my dwelling

in Thy neighborhood!

O Lord of the worlds! "

- Imam Zainul Abidin a.s.

A Speech by Ayatullah Baqir Al-Sadr

2010-04-08T03:12:00.000-07:00

A Speech by Ayatullah Baqir Al-Sadr

Syed KДmiL ДbbДs Jafri on Tue Apr 06, 2010 11:54 pm

Ayatullah Baqir-al-Sadr, during the final days of his last Ramadhan, gave a powerful speech to Religious Scholars. This speech is translated in the book "Trends of History in the Qur'an" by the same author. Some excerpts follow (This is not the whole speech, just some parts): "One can either love Allah or love the world. But both the loves cannot be contained in one heart. Let us submit our hearts to test. Let us examine our hearts to see whether the love of Allah or the love of this world prevails over them. If the love of Allah prevails over our hearts, let us make it deeper. If, Allah forbid, the love of this world prevails, let us try to save ourselves from this dreadful malady." "Every love which occupies the centre of the heart of a person is of either of the two kinds. We call the perfect love the double grade love and the love which is not so perfect, the single grade love. To begin with, (single grade) love becomes the basis of man's sentiments, feelings, emotions and desires. After attending to his job or immediate need, man soon returns to his object of love, because love occupies the centre of his thoughts, feelings and sentiments." "In the case of double grade love, man's entire attention is drawn by the object of his love and nothing can divert his attention from it. He is never inattentive to the thought of his beloved." "Both these kinds of love are found in the case of the noble love of Allah. Single grade love appears in the hearts of the pious believers whose hearts are free from the impurities of the base affairs of this world. As soon as they are free from their immediate engagements, they return to the question which is the object of their love." "As for double grade love, it is found in the hearts of the Prophets and Imams. You all know Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib, in the vicinity of whose tomb we live (Najaf). This great man has said "I never saw a thing but I saw Allah before it, after it and along with it". (Qablahu, wa ba'dahu wa ma'ahu)." "In fact, this was because love of Allah occupied his great heart and conscience in such a way that it concealed everything else from him. Even when he saw human beings, he saw Allah. When he looked at Allah's bounties, he remembered Him. This bond with Allah was always present before his eyes, for it was Allah alone whom he truly loved and to whom his hopes and aspirations were directed. He never allowed anyone to divert his attention from Allah". "Love of the world also reaches the stage where man does not see anything but the world before it, after it and along with it. Whatever he does, he does it for some wordly gain. He cannot devote himself to pious deeds for more than a few days. This is double grade love of the world. Imam Sadiq has said, "This world is like sea water. The more one drinks of it, the more one gets thirsty." "It was love of Allah that was the basis of Imam Ali's courage and bravery. His courage was not that of a ferocious beast. It was the courage produced by the faith and love of Allah. He was over 60 when he fought against the Khwarij and in a single engagement killed 4000 of them. He was also at the height of bravery in regard to being patient and not pressing his rightful claim. He kept quiet when he was required by Allah to overlook his right. At that time, he was in the prime of his life. His conscience was aflame with the fire of youth. But Islam had told him to keep quiet and be patient, despite the violation of his rights." "After all what is this world of ours? It is a collection of imaginery and fictional things. Harun-al-Rashid's world was very imposing. We curse him day and night. We say that we are better, more pious and more God-fearing than Harun was. Has the world of Harun-al-Rashid been offered to us and have we rejected it? If not, how can we claim to be more pious than him. The world offered to us is not that of Harun. It is much less limited and comparably insignificant. It is transient and shorter and not as vast and extensive as that of Harun. For the sake of this world, he imprisoned Imam Musa-e-Kazim. Are we sure that if we get that world, we would not throw the Imam into prison? Have we tested ourselves and put this question to ourselves? Has the world of Harun ever been offered to us so that we know we are more pious?" "In our world, there can be no truth except that of Allah's good pleasure. Had the Imam worked for worldly gains, he would have been the most miserable person. Yet when he worked for Allah, he said on his deathbed "By the God of the Ka'aba, I am a successful person". This world is not for the students of theology. A student looking for this world can get neither this world nor the next. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us, as students, to confine our efforts to seeking the next world for this world has no value to us". "We should think any moment as possible for our death. At the time of his death, my father was not as old as I was (1). My brother died at a younger age than I did. I have now completed the span of my lifetime (2)." "We ask Allah to purify our hearts, and to brighten them with faith. May He turn our mind more towards seeking His pleasure and fill or hearts with His love, His fear and belief in Him. May he help us according to the teachings of his book, Ameen." Ayatullah Baqir Sadr.

Sayyid Sadr was 47 to 48 years old when he said this.

Sayyid Sadr was executed, along with his sister Bint-al-Huda, a few months later.

Courtesy: http://shia.forum.st/islamic-personalities-f11/a-speech-by-ayatullah-baqir-al-sadr-t90.htm

Anger and destruction

2010-04-08T02:19:00.001-07:00

Though we may feel justified for being angry: BEWARE! It can rise up to destroy us!

- Anonymous

Food for thoughts

2010-04-03T14:10:00.001-07:00

God has created sustenance, for everyliving creature... Man is food for the worms. - Imam Ali (a.s.)
http://www.vakil.org/2010/02/07/sufi-comcs-food-for-thought/

Reminds me of the great poem by Imam al Naqi (a.s.), the last line being: "Those beautiful worms, are now food for the worms."
http://azaralizain.blogspot.com/2009/07/those-beautiful-forms-are-now-food-for.html

A Prayer

2010-04-03T13:14:00.001-07:00

"O Allah, do not try me by letting me resort to other than You when being compelled, not submit to other than You when being poor and not invoke other than You when being frightened lest I will deserve, by that, Your humiliation and Your turning away from me."

– Imam Ali Zain ul Abideen (a.s.)

http://www.vakil.org/2010/03/29/a-prayer/

Knowledge for?

2010-04-02T14:52:00.000-07:00

"If one obtains knowledge in order to become conceited or to argue with the foolish people or to obtain wealth or to attract people towards himself, then he has certainly made the Fire his abode."

- Imam Mohammad Al Baqar (a.s.) (Al-Kafi)

Zindagi aur Bandagi (Life and Obedience)

2010-04-02T14:38:00.001-07:00

Yeh meri zindagi, bas ik khwaab hai
Yeh meri badagi, haan ik raaz hai

(This life of mine is just a dream
This obedience of mine, is yes, a secret)

- Anonymous

Article: Being An Aunt For A Week

2010-03-26T06:13:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful article that I have read after quite long! I can’t resist to share it.

(source: http://islamicinsights.com/news/community-affairs/being-an-aunt-for-a-week.html)

Being an Aunt for a Week

Monday, 22 March 2010 23:18 Masooma Hydary

I couldn't believe it. The moment had finally arrived. What my sister was carrying in her womb for the past nine months was about to make a transformation from inside her body to the actual reality of the Dunya. A baby, with 10 little fingers, 10 little toes, perfect eyebrows and eyelashes, soft hair, and chubby cheeks was going to co-exist with the rest of us as it made its entrance into our lives, into the existence of this world. Yes, it happens every day. A new baby is born every minute. Yet, why was I stuck and frozen in time, in disbelief, overwhelmed and trying to comprehend the magnificence of this incredible miracle? I couldn't breathe. How can I, a mere human being with basic knowledge and understanding of the world and its reality, witness such an outrageous event? Did anyone else feel this way? Does everyone realize what's happening, that pure tiny little creation of God was making its way into the world. It lived in its home inside the womb for so long, grew from a tiny precious egg into a full form little human? SubhanAllah. How is that we live our lives every day and not reflect enough on creation?Allah is Great!

The most interaction I had with little babies was at the center. I watched aunties as they attempted calming down their crying babies during the majlis so as not to interrupt the speaker. Once in a while, I exchanged a smile with a little Ali, or a little Fatima, or a little nameless infant at the center. However, all of this was a distant observation, a distant relationship with these tiny little beings. I never thought that one day I would myself be holding one, especially during its first initial stage of life – birth.

It was 2:26 AM when we were informed that my nephew took his first breath. I was relieved that everything went well, due to the grace of Allah. I was too tired to think anymore. The nurse, along with my brother-in-law, suddenly passed us by in the waiting room with my little nephew. We followed them into the room. I was overwhelmed with gratitude, amazement, and exhaustion all at the same time. As I am about to exit the room, my brother in law says: "Have you had a chance to hold him yet?" I reply, "No, not yet – but don't worry, that's okay." Secretly, I think to myself, good lord, that baby is so precious and so delicate, I don't want to break it or mess it up so soon. My brother-in-law insists, "No, really, Masooma, go ahead – hold him for a second." I'm about to prepare another excuse and objection when, all of a sudden, my brother-in-law settles his tiny little body onto me, and before I knew it, I was holding the most precious, delicate, and fragile being I have ever witnessed.

Tears. A rush of tears began streaming down my cheekbones. I couldn't control myself. All I could think was: Glory be to the Creator, truly, Glory be to Him who made this tiny creation! SubhanAllah, SubhanAllah. "Are you okay?" Yes, sorry. I returned the bundle of joy back to his parents. My sister sat watching me with amusement. I glanced over at her and said, "I can't believe he's really here," as we exchanged smiles. I am reminded of what Allah says in verses 12-14 of Sura Muminoon of the Holy Qur'an: "Verily We created man from an extract of clay. Then We made him of a sperm, in a firm resting place; Then We made the sperm into a clot, then We made the clot into a lump of flesh, then We made in the lump of flesh bones, then We clothed the bones with flesh; thereafter We caused it to grow into another creation; so blessed be Allah, the best of creators."

During the long wait, my sister was in labor for several hours. We were anxious, worried, confused, excited, with a mix of emotions rushing through our veins. We were expecting the unexpected. Sure, all the gifts from Babies'R'Us registry came already, but I thought to myself: this final call is Allah's. We can prepare and plan however much we can, but the time of birth, the method of birth, the birth itself is all Allah's choice. He measures everything through His brilliance. As humans, we get caught up in planning every act of life – and while our patience was wearing thin in that waiting room, I realized the more we waited, the more we would appreciate this blessing and thanked Allah. Doubts and worries did cross my mind, but the comfort of the Holy Qur'an soothed these concerns. I was reminded how Surah Maryam is constantly mentioned to be recited during pregnancy for a safe delivery. I wonder why that Surah specifically and began reading its translation. I dwelled on these couple of verses where Allah comforts Lady Maryam with the following: "The birth-pangs led her to the trunk of a palm-tree. 'Would that I had died before this,' she said, 'and had been a thing forgotten, lost in oblivion!' Then (a voice) called her from beneath her: 'Do not grieve; verily, your Lord has made a river flow right below you. Shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards yourself – it will drop fresh and ripe dates on you.' O my Lord, do not leave me alone (childless), though You are the best of inheritors."

I was reminded and inspired by the piety, the patience, and the reliance and trust in Allah that Lady Maryam carried. Even during a time when the community targeted her with accusations and rumors dispersed across town, never once did she flinch in her faith. She rested her strength, trust, and reliance completely on Allah. When in trouble, she called on Him and He answered her, He helped her, He assisted her and told Her not to grieve, for He was the Sustainer. This example gave me strength at the intense moments of delivery. If Allah clearly shows us in the Holy Qur'an how powerful it is to do du'a and how He answers the call of a supplicant, then how can we not trust in Him? It was with time – and patience – that we would soon await a healthy baby, insha'Allah. I went back to my sister and saw her in much pain. However, I calmed her and reminded her in my own words what I had read in the Qur'an in Sura Ra'ad, verse 8, where Allah says: "Allah knows what every female bears, and that which the wombs fall short (of completion) and that which they exceed. And everything with Him is measured." My sister, additionally, gave me inspiration. She was so strong. Despite being in so much pain, she kept reciting salawats, she kept whispering prayers and calling upon Allah's help. I realized she did not even need that reminder for her strength was admirable in its own dimension.

What began to be days turned into a week following the birth of my little nephew. He has been nothing but a blessing into our lives. After running a day of errands or remembering my stressful list of things to do, I set my thoughts aside and imagine the smiling face of my nephew. I am eager to reach back home and hold the little gift in my hands, once again. My stress is relieved. My problems are gone. My troubles disappear as I simply glance at his face, a pure, innocent, sinless, and gorgeous creation. I hum into his ears the Salawat, I begin to recite Ayatul Kursi. More importantly, I begin to reflect. I cannot believe that each and every single one of us – the president of every nation, the father of every scientific discovery, the teacher at schools, the engineers at work, the scholars in Qom, the grandmothers and great-grandmothers – was once upon a time 10 tiny little fingers, 10 tiny little toes. We were all babies. We were all helpless. We were all in need of Allah's Mercy, in need of Allah's Sustenance, in need of Allah at every moment, every breath, every circulation of blood flow in our bodies. We needed Him, and we still need Him. And, even more mind-blowing, we were nothing before until He created us. Nothing. Non-existent. No identity, no name, no personality. Yet, because of His Love, His blessings, and His mercy, we grew up to be who we are today. We were showered with love, with kindness, with caution and care and the mercy of parents and family.

Moreover, I began to think that my little nephew will one day be an adult with a certain character, a certain identity, a persona. Now, it was up to his parents, relatives, his surroundings, environment, and teachings to help develop him and guide him and shape him into a personality that will be unique. Yet, I was fearful. He was not even my child, but I realized the great responsibility that lay upon our family in being the teachers, the guides, the ones committed to shaping our nephew into a pious, well-behaved servant of Allah. How can we take upon such a huge task? I silently whisper for Allah's help in the great work that lies ahead of us all. One small slip, lack of guidance, the wrong exposure and the dangers of society could stain the pure innocence of a child. He can grow up to be a humble servant of Allah or, God forbid, one who denies His creator who gave Him everything from day one.

In Sura Aal Imraan, verse 38, we are taught a supplication: "O Lord, bestow on me a goodly offspring from You; verily, You are the hearer of prayer." And Sura Furqan, verse 74, reminds us to pray: "O Our Lord, grant us out of our wives and our offspring that which cheers our eyes, and make us imams of those who safeguard themselves against evil." And it is these verses that remind me the purpose of procreation, that remind me why it is such a blessing to be gifted with a child and the great responsibility that comes with it. If we forget the purpose of creation, the purpose of raising a child in the mix of all the laughter and tears that overwhelm us, then we have forgotten Allah. We are reminded to ask Allah to please make this child one that brings pleasure to our eyes and one who obeys Him and guards against evil. Subhan'Allah, what better du'a! In essence, it reminds us not only of the purpose of this infant but all of humanity – to serve our Creator. I am reminded of this when my sister had officially gone into labor. I researched du'as for a safe delivery and couldn't help but reflect the beauty of their translations. One of them which stood out to me was a verse from Surah Ali Imran (verse 35) that said, "When (Hannah) the wife of Imran said: 'My Lord, verily I have vowed to You that whatever is in my womb to be (exclusively) dedicated (to Your service).'" It was at that moment that I smiled to myself and thought, wow, what a beautiful and amazing experience. How lucky are we to make du'a to Allah to not only let us serve Him with utmost commitment, but allow the existence of a new creation being formed in our wombs be dedicated exclusively to His service. I prayed this for my nephew and remembered how blessed we were.

I am also overwhelmed by the beauty of the du'a that a husband recites: "O my Allah, in Your name I have lawfully taken her (as my wife) and I have appropriated and treated her (as) Your bounty entrusted to me, so if You decide to put a child in her womb, please make (this child) submissive, blessed, intelligent, and do not let Shaytan be one of the two therein, and let him not plant (himself with the child)." It is through this sincere supplication that we can become anything near to producing a pious child and implementing excellent parenting. What boggles me more is that each of us has experienced this. We have all gone through the stages of development, complained with our cries to our mothers who comforted us with their soft voices, who wiped our tears, who changed our diapers, who stayed up in the middle of the night to make sure we were secure. My Allah, I cannot thank You enough for this kindness. I cannot thank You enough for letting me be one so blessed with such a loving family, with a support system, and for not neglecting me for even one second without the proper resources and blessings of a child. Today, I wake up in the morning and I am ever more grateful to see the shining face of my mother. Alhamdulillah, I whisper to myself. I thank Allah for blessing me with parents that took care of me from my infancy.

It had only been two nights since my nephew entered the world. I spent a night near my sister and nephew and can promise that I did not sleep until 4 AM that night, waking up again at 6AM. Yet, I wasn't even the mother. Undertaking the responsibility of motherhood is in my eyes one of the most pious acts a human can ever perform, especially while being constantly thankful and patient toward Allah. I am amazed. I am amazed at my sister's dedication, at her unconditional love, at her sleep cycle that involves little to no sleep. I am overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed at the responsibility of feeding your baby every few hours, of consoling his cries, of changing his diapers, of responding to his every need. I am overwhelmed, but with gratitude and amazement. I now understand why the hadith says that heaven is under a mother's feet. What our mothers have done for us, none of us can repay. Thank you Allah, and thank you to all the mothers, all the grandmothers, and all those who undertook the responsibility of children, for the sleepless nights, the constant care and love, and sometimes with not even one baby, but with three, four, or five.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him) in a du'a calls onto the Creator: "O He who creates life from life, O He who brings out life from life, O He who delivers life from life, deliver (the child from the womb)." The essence of this du'a brings into context that no one suffices us other than the Powerful Creator, the one who holds the keys to every single thing! He is the Mighty who creates one life from another life and brings about existence. From this we can truly understand why Allah is worthy of praise in every moment of our lives.

I have come to learn to love the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon him) even more through the experience of being a Khala. I have found that they have laid for us the foundation for calling to Allah in every measure, in every instance, and every situation. My research has proven that they have blessed us with du'as for increase in breast milk, du'a for Aqiqah, du'a for circumcision, du'a for comfort, and du'as for an obedient child. Moreover, Sahifa Kamila provides us with the eloquence of du'a for children and du'a for parents. The words of Imam Zainul Abideen (peace be upon him) humble us before Allah and remind us of these blessings in the most beautiful and eloquent manner. The Ahlul Bayt have given us the perfect framework and guidelines to call upon Allah's help in every stage and area of life. We, as believers and followers of the Holy Prophet and his Progeny, are more than blessed – we are honored! We have the ability to open the Qur'an and use the narrations of these pure Infallibles to get us through every experience in life. And moreover, to help us reflect on creation, the purpose of life, and be ever more thankful.

May Allah bless every believer to be armed with the weapon of du'a in times of distress, bless us with the miracle of experiencing birth, and encouraging one another to be grateful to Him for this incredible event in our lives, and lastly, to serve not only Allah but also his Proof, the Imam of our time (may Allah hasten his reappearance). I pray we are all able to succeed in our trust in Allah and His plans and continuously strive to remember Him in every event of our lives. The past week has proven to teach me invaluable lessons: contemplation and a new sense of appreciation for the Creator, His creation, the mercy of parents and children, and especially the honor and purpose of existing. Alhamdulillah.

Namaz at the Arbaeen procession

2010-02-05T03:13:00.000-08:00

Aza Ka Farsh Bichchao
Magar Namaz Kay Baad

Arba'een procession with specific entry points with tight security

2010-02-05T00:04:00.001-08:00

The security is strict - as was the case with the Ashura procession. Specific entry points are designated where scouts are searching every person entering the juluus.

Al-Musta'id! (Be Prepared!)

2010-02-04T22:14:00.000-08:00

Lovely to see scouts formation at the Main Arba'een Procession 1431 hijri at Karachi. A true depiction of the scouts slogan "Al-Musta'id" - because they know they are the front boundary to any disturbing intervention to the procession.

Start of Arba'een Procession with Hadi, Qafila bani Asad and the Symbolic Flag of Abul Fazl-il-Abbas!

2010-02-04T21:53:00.001-08:00

Arba'een (arabic: 'Forty', urdu: 'Chaleeswan') marks the forty days of Imam Husain's (a.s.) martyrdom alongwith family and friends at Karbala.

Hadi is a dear friend and a very active member of Anjuman-e-Sajjadia (Ehlian-e-Riyasat Mehmoodabad - Awadh), and they join the main Arba'een procession as a group of Qafila Bani Asad.

Recitation of Ziyarat-e-Arba'een is very important for today.

I didn't give you the gift of life

2010-01-18T03:53:00.001-08:00

A poem from someone who adopted a child:-

I didn't give you the gift of life
but in my heart I know
The love I feel is deep and real
As if it had been so.
For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true
No, I didn't give you
The gift of Life
Life gave me the gift of you. .......................... Anonymous

http://www.pakistanadoption.com/lifeafteradoption.htm

Deja vu

2010-01-16T04:57:00.000-08:00

There are times when you don't have enough vocabulary to explain what's inside. Or maybe there is nothing to explain - causing us to think of lack of vocabulary.

5:50 pm - 16th January 2009. At university of Karachi. Performing a very slow walk. Bas - that's it...

Aminah's Kitchen

2010-01-15T02:54:00.000-08:00

I ordered lunch from Aminah's kitchen today - it was home cooked food. I doubted about the packing, but it was good! The home cooked chapatis were wrapped in fod grade plastic wrapper and the salan, daal and salad was in polyethene bag (food grade - commonly used for milk parcels).

The most important thing is the cost. Two chapatis, enough aalu qeema, enough lobia daal, and salad - in a paper box (neat one!) - all this costed only 90! I recommended it to my fellow colleagues sitting at the cafeteria! :)

they can be contacted on 0300-2665948 or tiffin@razahasan.com

Namaz-e-Wehshat, contact for request

2010-01-10T04:39:00.000-08:00

Standing at Masjid in Ancholi, I just read a notice for people who want Namaz e Wehshat to be recited for their demised ones, they can contact 03008222422 (international number: +923008222422).
*A public service messge*

Faiz on Ashura

2009-12-29T05:13:00.001-08:00

Raat aaee hai Shabbir pey yalgaar-e-bala hai

Sathi na koi Yar na gamkhwar raha hai

Monis hai to Ek dard kee Ghanghore Ghata hai

Mushfaq hai to Ek Dil key Dharakney kee sada hai

Tanhai kee, ghurbat kee, pareshani kee shab hai

Yeh Khana-e-Shabbir kee Wirani kee shab hai

Night has set in, manifold miseries have Shabbir chained,

No friend, no companion and no well-wisher has remained,

The dark clouds of pain and suffering, are but his soother,

And the throb of his wounded heart, is the only comforter,

It’s the night of a lonely being, stranger, stranded and molested,

It’s the night of Shabbir’s house, which is desolate and devastated.

Dushman kee sipah khwaab mein madhosh pari thee

Pal bhar ko kisi kee na idhar Ankh lagi thee

Har ek ghari Aaj qayamat kee ghari thee

Yeh Raat bahut Aal-e-Mohammad pey kadi thee

Reh reh key bukaa Ahl-e-Haram kartey they Aisay

Tham tham key Diya Aakri shab jalta hai jaisay

Fast Asleep, the enemy soldiers were senselessly lying,

But this side, non could even wink in a situation trying,

This day, each and every moment was mortifying,

To the progeny of the Holy Prophet, this night was most terrifying,

The house-folks bewailed so, at times but helplessly,

As if the snuffed-out candle, flickers at the night-end slowly.

Ek ghoshay mein Un Sokhta Samanon key Salaar,

Un Khak basar, Khaknuma Weeron key Sardaar,

Tasna lab-o-Darmanada- o-Majboor- o-Dil-Figaar,

Is shaan sey bhaithay they Shah-e-Lashkar- e-Ahraar,

Masnad thi, na khilaat thi, na khuddam kharey they,,

Haa tan pey jidhar dekhyee, So Zakham Sajay they

In a nook there was, the Commander of the deprived creatures,

The Chief of those uprooted and molested creatures,

Broken-hearted, exhausted, helpless and thirsty,

The Leader was sitting but with great dignity,

Neither was royal cushion, nor robe, nor were the attendants standing,

Multiple wounds were on his body, blood from each was oozing.

http://shiiaism.blogspot.com/2009_03_01_archive.html

Funeral of the Martyrs of the Main Ashura Procession - 1431 Hijri - 29th Dec 2009 - Karachi

2009-12-29T03:21:00.000-08:00

Nauha recited after the Funeral prayer of the Martyrs of the Main Ashura Procession 1431 in Karachi.

And say not of those who are slain in the way of Allah: "They are dead." Nay, they are living, though ye perceive (it) not. (Al-Baqarah ~ 154)

Britto Road - full of Labbaik Ya Hussin a.s.!!

2009-12-29T02:46:00.000-08:00

No chant is better than Labbaik Ya Hussain!

A salute to all the martyr of the Ashura procesion 1431 Hijri at Karachi.

Ready for namaz e janazah

2009-12-29T02:43:00.000-08:00

Ashura 1431 Continues...

2009-12-29T01:00:00.000-08:00

Right now at the funeral for the martyr of Ashura pocession of yesterday at Karachi.

Kullo Yomin Ashura - Kullo Arzin Karbala!
(Every day is Ashura - Every land is Karbala)
Labbaik Ya Hussain a.s.

Wish I had stayed a little longer...

2009-12-28T04:49:00.000-08:00

Labbaik Ya Hussain!
Labbaik Ya Hussain!!

I wish I had stayed a little longer... There occurred a blast which killed at least 30 at the procession today and many injured.

I just contacted a friend who is still at juloos and he says that people have flocked in to continue the procession. This is the spirit of Labbaik Ya Hussain! May Allah curse those who attacked the peaceful procession... May Allah curse the Yazid of time and his party!

Labbaik Ya Hussain a.s.!!!!

Salam e Akhir

2009-12-28T01:39:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving the Main Ashura Procession 1431 now.

"Bachay Tou Aglay Baras, Hum Hain Aur Yeh Gham Hai..
Jo Chal Basay Tou Yeh Apna Salam e Aakhir Hai"

Down with America! Down with Israel!

2009-12-28T01:34:00.000-08:00

As part of the Main procession - Imamia Student Organization holds a protest against the tyrants and opressors of current time - America and Israel.

Right after namaz, the procession resumes.

Labbaik Ya Hussain!!!

2009-12-28T01:08:00.000-08:00

We chant the slogan which still sends shivers to the spine of the Yazid of the day!

LABBAIK YA HUSSAIN A.S.!!

Ziyart-e-Ashura

2009-12-28T00:22:00.000-08:00

Reciting ziarat e ashura on the day of ashura is regarded as one of the greatest deeds...

Flocks of procession participants rushing to Namaz

2009-12-28T00:12:00.000-08:00

After all - Namaz is what the Ahle Bait and Imam Hussain a.s. At Karbala gave their lives for... One of the famous quote from Imam Hussain a.s. On the eve of Ashura is 'I love Namaz' (excerpt/self translated)

Preparation for Namaz

2009-12-27T23:54:00.000-08:00

Preparations and checking for namaz at the Markazi Juloos - mobile wuzu khana.

Hayya Alas Salah!

The strive to reach the first row...

2009-12-27T23:48:00.000-08:00

The procession is so jam packed that right now for me reaching the first row is like a mountain to climb!

Hussain a.s. - the Victor who helps victims become victors!

2009-12-27T23:35:00.000-08:00

I remember Hasan Nasrullah's speech on ashoor day few years back - he explained what Labbaik Ya Hussain a.s. Means - Labbaik Ya Hussain means sacrificing your sons, your brothers, and your children without any grief over the cause of Islam.

Labbaik Ya Husain!

Live Blogging from Main Procession 1431 hijri

2009-12-27T23:15:00.000-08:00

Arriving here at the juloos after majlis ended, I found the juloos reached Saddar - Empress Market. I have travelled through the whole procession, and like every year I feel that I have never seen such a massive population on roads.

More observations to follow - stay tuned, and if you reside in any city where any procession in under progress, go ahead and be a part. Remember this procession is not a ritual - it is the vow against every opressor of the world.

Bas is liye aziz hai yeh zindagi hamain - hum mar kay phir Hussain ko ro na pa'engay

2009-12-26T20:47:00.000-08:00

Sent from my Windows Mobile phone

Reflections Regarding Silence

2009-12-23T23:05:00.001-08:00

For a couple of years, the topic of Silence had been one of my interests, and maybe confusion as well. Recently, the question of ‘to be or not to be’ rose and I was being lazy in finding the answers – and just reading about Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq on Wikipedia, found a quote by him placed on the page as:

“The perfection of intellect is in three (things): humbleness for God, good certainty, and silence except for good.”

So I get the answer. Praise to be Allah – who provides without even asking – and when we ask, it is He who provides much more than we ask for.

Leave Your Houses To Be Physically Present In The Majalis

2009-12-20T23:24:00.001-08:00

No matter how busy you are; exams/business/house related problems/poor health/Terror Threat or others, YOU have NO EXCUSE to sit at home.

Don’t rely on TV/Internet for Majalis, but be PHYSICALLY present in the Majalis. When Bibi Zainab s.a. could perform Aza in the most troublesome of circumstances, NONE OF OUR EXCUSES WOULD WORK!

*LEAVE YOUR HOUSES TO BE PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN THE MAJALIS*

(Reportedly a message from Agha Jawwad Naqvi on 19^th December 2009.)

Moharram 1431

2009-12-15T05:06:00.001-08:00

Aankhon Kay Sahilon Pe Hai Ashkon Ka Aik Hujoom
Shayad Gham-e-Hussain Ka Mosam Qareeb Hai

Courtesy: S. Meesum Raza

From the German Resistance Memorial

2009-12-14T03:06:00.000-08:00

You did not bear the shame

You resisted

Sacrificing your life

For Freedom, Justice and Honor

- From the German Resistance Memorial, Berlin

One

2009-11-30T02:53:00.000-08:00

It’s amazing how one word, at times, encapsulates every intricacy of your life, how one person simply completes you, how one moment defines you, how one mistake destroys you...

"One" is such an amazing quantity. Its always this "one" in the whole wide universe that makes the difference ... rest doesn't matter! How this "one" changes your life altogether ... and come to think of it ... "one" is just a bit more than none!!!

Courtesy: Mohtashim Jangda

http://mohtashimjangda.blogspot.com/2009/11/o-n-e.html

Freedom

2009-11-15T12:38:00.000-08:00

So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active and ardent, and will devote themselves in the name of any number of gods, religious and otherwise, to put shackles upon sleeping men.

Email from 11th Feb 2008

2009-10-20T02:40:00.001-07:00

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, 'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, 'That is the kind of love I want in my life.'

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.

I hope you share this with someone you care about. I just did.

'Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.'

Jiyo tou Aisay!

2009-10-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

Faasla Zuruur Hai
Manzilon Se Duur Hai
Hausla Magar Dikhana Chahiyay!!

Saans Hai Tou Aas Hai
Aas Hai Tou Pyaas Hai
Pyaas Hai Tou Phir Bhujana Chahiyay!!

Jhuki Jhuki Na Ho Nazren, Jhukay Na Sar - Jiyo Tou Aisay!

Sehma Sehma Sa Ho Dil Na Ho Koee Dar - Jiyo Tou Aisay!

Aaey Jo Ghum Tou Muskurao!
Muskura Kay Galay Lagao!
Aagay Aagay Barhtay Jaana Saath Sab Chalayn!

Jiyo Tou Aisay!
Jiyo Tou Aisay!

Khud Pe Gar Yaqeen Ho
Zindagi Haseen Ho
Dil Ko Apnay Yeh Bata Do Aaj Hi!
Waqt Ka Usuul Hai
Rokna Fuzuul Hai
Mushkilon Ko Yeh Bata Do Aaj Hi
Kaanton Bhari Rehguzar Na Chhootay Magar - Jiyo Tou Aisay!
Chahay Andheray Hon Rukay Na Kabhi Safar - Jiyo Tou Aisay!
Aa'ey Jo Ghum Tou Muskurao - Muskura Kay Galay Lagao
Aagay Aagay Barhtay Jaana Saath Sab Chalayn!

Jiyo Tou Aisay!
Jiyo Tou Aisay!