to live as if you'll die tomorrow is a great opportunity, a great blessing
Friday 24 June 2011
Thursday 23 June 2011
Random Thoughts
why do we think so much before giving away dresses, shoes n other stuff?
if u havent worn it for the past 3 months, high chances are, you wont be wearing it for the next 3 too.so give it away!
akhirat mai sunnah ka sikka chalay ga, na beauty ka na power ka. just like rupee will be nothing but a piece of paper in europe, similarly, only deeds done according to sunnah, with the neeyat of sunnah will hold any worth in the hereafter
when our stomach is upset, even the most scrumptious of meals fail to tempt us
similarly, when our souls are upset, even the most sacred of ibaadat seem like a burden.
so if we are not feeling the will to pray, we need to worry about the health of our souls
i have a war within....one says, let it(prayer time)go, no big deal
other says, Allah has blessed you so much, u dont even hav 2 mins to spare and say thanks
one says, indulge in backbiting, ure only saying whats the truth
other says, its forbidden, what else is backbiting but to voice someones flaws that she really possesses
one says, observe pardah, other says what about all the hairstyles you can experiment with and show off to others
one says, okay observe pardah, but why do it in presence of that father-like uncle, or brother-like cousin
other says, then that would be your own criterion not that of Allah's although you may try to fool yourself into thinking your're doing a great sacrifice for your religion but it would be merely your understanding of rights and wrongs and that is how religions get polluted....when we give space to our own opinions
it is a constant war, sad part is, i know my enemy, i know who whispers evil thoughts into my mind, yet at times, i surrender to its whispers.....and i let it play with me like a puppet......how strong am i if i cant resist the strikes of the devil inspite of all my knowledge......i then realize how truly weak i am....i, myself, am nothing.....if it were not for Allah, i wouldnt have been able to offer a single prayer in my life. He gave me the taufeeq to bow before Him otherwise i wouldve been lost in darkness all my life. who am i to take pride in any good deed that i may have ever done. it was He all along who held my hand and took me that far. i, by myself am nothing and the sooner i realize it, the better. all that pride and arrogance of IM SOMEBODY or IM SUPERIOR will vanish into thin air for man is more helpless than his wildest imagination. in a matter of seconds, Allah can show him his true potential. i have to be thankful to Him for any good deeds that i have ever done in my life and beg for His assistance in the times ahead for i,myself am nothing if left in the hands of my nafs. my claims are nothing if Allah wills otherwise!
we claim to be close to Allah yet all we do and say negates it.
someone once pointed out a very valid point. if we see a friend taking a wrong decision, if immediately go to guide or advise her of the consequences of her wrong decision.if she doesnt budge, we try a few more times and then back off, saying, let her do it then, its her life, her will, we've done our part by warning her. and if we see a stranger going for a blunder, we hardly bother
the prophet(SAW)bore countless injuries, wounds and hardships in trying to bring people to the right path. he couldve also attempted a few times and backed off but he didnt. he continued with his efforts to save as many people from hellfire as he could, without caring for his own welfare. and then theres us, if we try to advise someone and that person doesnt pay heed, we make it a matter of honour and dignity, swearing not to lay eyes on that person again, hurt that we went to do him good and instead, he refused to lend an ear to our suggestion. how humble and amazing was the prophet(SAW) that he did not care of how his message or advice to come to islam was taken, what he had to suffer for voicing his (SAW) message,he just continued on his(SAW) path, not giving up although he had nothing to lose or gain from it, it was for the peoples own welfare but he put everything aside, and just had people's welfare at heart, suffered mockery and even injury but didnt give up.....even parents dont bother after sometime if kids dont pay heed to their words.................
if the prophet(SAW) found out what we have made of islam and ourselves today, of what kind of a muslim i am, despite knowing all his(SAW)efforts, teachings and sacrifices, how would he(SAW)feel?this single question, if remembered at the start of everyday, then one would care not to take one step beyond sunnah for fear of causing any displeasure to the beloved prophet(SAW)
isnt that the criterion for a good muslim. u cant be a muslim unless the prophet(SAW) becomes more beloved to u than your parents, family, wealth ,everything!
if u havent worn it for the past 3 months, high chances are, you wont be wearing it for the next 3 too.so give it away!
akhirat mai sunnah ka sikka chalay ga, na beauty ka na power ka. just like rupee will be nothing but a piece of paper in europe, similarly, only deeds done according to sunnah, with the neeyat of sunnah will hold any worth in the hereafter
when our stomach is upset, even the most scrumptious of meals fail to tempt us
similarly, when our souls are upset, even the most sacred of ibaadat seem like a burden.
so if we are not feeling the will to pray, we need to worry about the health of our souls
i have a war within....one says, let it(prayer time)go, no big deal
other says, Allah has blessed you so much, u dont even hav 2 mins to spare and say thanks
one says, indulge in backbiting, ure only saying whats the truth
other says, its forbidden, what else is backbiting but to voice someones flaws that she really possesses
one says, observe pardah, other says what about all the hairstyles you can experiment with and show off to others
one says, okay observe pardah, but why do it in presence of that father-like uncle, or brother-like cousin
other says, then that would be your own criterion not that of Allah's although you may try to fool yourself into thinking your're doing a great sacrifice for your religion but it would be merely your understanding of rights and wrongs and that is how religions get polluted....when we give space to our own opinions
it is a constant war, sad part is, i know my enemy, i know who whispers evil thoughts into my mind, yet at times, i surrender to its whispers.....and i let it play with me like a puppet......how strong am i if i cant resist the strikes of the devil inspite of all my knowledge......i then realize how truly weak i am....i, myself, am nothing.....if it were not for Allah, i wouldnt have been able to offer a single prayer in my life. He gave me the taufeeq to bow before Him otherwise i wouldve been lost in darkness all my life. who am i to take pride in any good deed that i may have ever done. it was He all along who held my hand and took me that far. i, by myself am nothing and the sooner i realize it, the better. all that pride and arrogance of IM SOMEBODY or IM SUPERIOR will vanish into thin air for man is more helpless than his wildest imagination. in a matter of seconds, Allah can show him his true potential. i have to be thankful to Him for any good deeds that i have ever done in my life and beg for His assistance in the times ahead for i,myself am nothing if left in the hands of my nafs. my claims are nothing if Allah wills otherwise!
we claim to be close to Allah yet all we do and say negates it.
someone once pointed out a very valid point. if we see a friend taking a wrong decision, if immediately go to guide or advise her of the consequences of her wrong decision.if she doesnt budge, we try a few more times and then back off, saying, let her do it then, its her life, her will, we've done our part by warning her. and if we see a stranger going for a blunder, we hardly bother
the prophet(SAW)bore countless injuries, wounds and hardships in trying to bring people to the right path. he couldve also attempted a few times and backed off but he didnt. he continued with his efforts to save as many people from hellfire as he could, without caring for his own welfare. and then theres us, if we try to advise someone and that person doesnt pay heed, we make it a matter of honour and dignity, swearing not to lay eyes on that person again, hurt that we went to do him good and instead, he refused to lend an ear to our suggestion. how humble and amazing was the prophet(SAW) that he did not care of how his message or advice to come to islam was taken, what he had to suffer for voicing his (SAW) message,he just continued on his(SAW) path, not giving up although he had nothing to lose or gain from it, it was for the peoples own welfare but he put everything aside, and just had people's welfare at heart, suffered mockery and even injury but didnt give up.....even parents dont bother after sometime if kids dont pay heed to their words.................
if the prophet(SAW) found out what we have made of islam and ourselves today, of what kind of a muslim i am, despite knowing all his(SAW)efforts, teachings and sacrifices, how would he(SAW)feel?this single question, if remembered at the start of everyday, then one would care not to take one step beyond sunnah for fear of causing any displeasure to the beloved prophet(SAW)
isnt that the criterion for a good muslim. u cant be a muslim unless the prophet(SAW) becomes more beloved to u than your parents, family, wealth ,everything!
Tuesday 21 June 2011
the great divide
we were on our way to a fun fair when nearing cantt, we saw a pedestrian drop down flat on the road. for a second there, we were too shocked to respond. it was something so movie-like and unreal for us that we couldnt comprehend or perhaps admit to ourselves that the man had actually fainted! i half expected him to get up and start walking again. anyway, all thinking and shock took only a split second and we pulled our car to a halt steps ahead of him. luckily i had brought a water bottle with me and my husband hurried to the still figure lying helplessly on the ground. he sprinkled some water on the man's face who ad apparently fainted but from what i could see through the rear view mirror, there was no movement. i feared what if!!? isnt that how we treat people who come to us telling that they havent eaten for days and we shove them off, calling them liars and dramay baaz, could he be one of them. discarded off by eevyrone he went to for help and now he doesnt need help from any human anymore! could this happen to those who come to us seeking some aid and we refuse to even look their way! the thought sent shivers down my spine!
anyway, with a bit more effort, the man regained his consciousness and drank some water. a bike or two stopped too, to inquire what had happened. we had a pack of nimko which my husband gave to the man, who on a closer look i realized was a boy not more than 20 years of age, alongwith some money. it appeared that a biker had agreed to give the boy a ride.
when my husband came back in the car, he told that the boy said he had come from gujranwala to lahore to look for work, had tried his luck at several places but was rejected. he was out of all cash except for the rs.10 in his pocket. he had had nothing to eat since the day before and was on his way to the railway station when he collapsed from heat, fatigue and hunger.
the story was so disturbing that i kept coming up with my own reasons for it to be untrue. it was my guilt that wasnt letting me accept that in my very own city, a boy was dying from hunger while i had just frozen a dozen things in my freezer, just in case a guest came by!
Later at the event, food was in such abundance that people were throwing away half eaten cans of custards and noodles and i couldnt help comparing the great divide in the two events i had witnessed in the span of a few hours.
i still think if i should feel guilty about that event. if i have any part to play in the uneven and unfair distribution of wealth in our society. Fortunately today we have innumerable justifications for our mercilessness, so we very conveniently hush our conscience and say, o these people, they are all robbers, liars and thieves. they make one story after another to win over our sympathies and then are back again to beg for mercy the very next day.these are not the deserving ones. and thats where our philosophy ends. to work beyond it, finding the people truly worthy of our aid and alms, is not something anyone has the time for. so the truly deserving suffer the consequences of the actions of the fakes, and we walk away from all this with our head held high, our conscience, crystal clear!
it was a wakeup call
anyway, with a bit more effort, the man regained his consciousness and drank some water. a bike or two stopped too, to inquire what had happened. we had a pack of nimko which my husband gave to the man, who on a closer look i realized was a boy not more than 20 years of age, alongwith some money. it appeared that a biker had agreed to give the boy a ride.
when my husband came back in the car, he told that the boy said he had come from gujranwala to lahore to look for work, had tried his luck at several places but was rejected. he was out of all cash except for the rs.10 in his pocket. he had had nothing to eat since the day before and was on his way to the railway station when he collapsed from heat, fatigue and hunger.
the story was so disturbing that i kept coming up with my own reasons for it to be untrue. it was my guilt that wasnt letting me accept that in my very own city, a boy was dying from hunger while i had just frozen a dozen things in my freezer, just in case a guest came by!
Later at the event, food was in such abundance that people were throwing away half eaten cans of custards and noodles and i couldnt help comparing the great divide in the two events i had witnessed in the span of a few hours.
i still think if i should feel guilty about that event. if i have any part to play in the uneven and unfair distribution of wealth in our society. Fortunately today we have innumerable justifications for our mercilessness, so we very conveniently hush our conscience and say, o these people, they are all robbers, liars and thieves. they make one story after another to win over our sympathies and then are back again to beg for mercy the very next day.these are not the deserving ones. and thats where our philosophy ends. to work beyond it, finding the people truly worthy of our aid and alms, is not something anyone has the time for. so the truly deserving suffer the consequences of the actions of the fakes, and we walk away from all this with our head held high, our conscience, crystal clear!
it was a wakeup call
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