Our Little Princess

I'm an aunt now! My sister gave birth to a baby girl on 25th June 2011, and both the mother and the child are fine, alhamdulillah. I'm so excited to have a little baby in my own house! I sang her to sleep today... I just love her so much!!! I've always been fond of babies, and motherhood is my biggest dream. This baby is just like my own, so I am really happy now. I hope God gives her a long and happy life. Love you, Princess!

Missing You

This is a small poem I've written on the fourth death anniversary of my dearest friend.


My days are blue
And smiles are few.
I know you can't be near
But I'm missing you dear.


We've shared a special bond
Of you I am very fond
You are alive in me
And my friend you'll always be.


If only you were here
I wouldn't have any fear,
Now that you are gone
I am all alone.


My days are blue
And smiles are few
Though this pain isn't new,
I'm really missing you.


05 July 2009

We The Living

  If there is a book that, I think, could have changed the attitude of Karl Marx himself towards communism, then it is this: We The Living by Ayn Rand. This book would have shown him that "the dictatorship of the proletariat" will never be the Utopia he had envisaged. It shows what the theory of socialism means in practice. It portrays the impact of the Russian Revolution on three human beings who demand the right to live their own lives and pursue their own happiness. It is, in Ayn Rand's words, "not a novel about Soviet Russia, but a story about Man against the State. It is a story about dictatorship, any dictatorship, anywhere, anytime..."
  What drew me to this book are a few of its statements- for instance, Kira's question "He told me why couldn't one aristocrat die- in the face of the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics. And what is the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics in the face of one man?" and parts of Andrei's speech "We came as a solemn army and forbade life to the living. We thought everything that breathed knew how to live... What cause is greater than those who fight for it?"
  There is also the twist in the plot: a virtuous girl (Kira) sells herself to a villain(Andrei) in order to save the hero(Leo), whom she loves. But in the end, Andrei emerges as the hero and Leo, for whom Kira makes the sacrifice becomes the villain. Kira Argounova is a young girl who dreams of building skyscrapers and aluminium bridges. She is in Andrei's words, "the highest of women, a woman like a temple, like a military march, like a god's statue." She falls in love with Leo Kovalensky, the son of a counter revolutionary admiral, at first sight. She leaves her home to live with him, but the couple has to struggle to find proper means for existence. They, like everyone else, are crushed by the socialist state. When Leo gets infected by tuberculosis, Kira has no way to save him but one: being the mistress of her friend Andrei Taganov, the "reddest communist" she knows, who happens to love her. In the end, Leo is arrested by Andrei for running an illegal store, and on seeing Kira's clothes there, realizes that Kira is in love with Leo. This breaks Andrei who gets Leo released and ensures his future safety. But his pain shatters all his ideals about living for the "Collective" and he commits suicide. Leo runs off with another woman and Kira gets killed during her attempt to flee abroad.
  I like a few more things about this book and among that is the way Andrei calls his beloved, his highest reverence, "Kira" and the way Kira cries "Leo". It was a different reading experience, and a very enjoyable one at that.

It's Raining!!

 Yes, it's raining here. And I love it. The smell of fresh soil, the constant pattering of rain drops, the chill in the air, the warmth of the shawl drawn tightly around  myself, the hesitance to get up in the morning, not to mention the great relief from the summer heat... Sometimes it rains so heavily that my ears ache from the noise of rain falling on the sheets in our terrace. Sometimes it rains very softly and gently, and it is at times like these that it rains in my heart too- a rain of memories, dreams, hopes, fears and a few tears.
 It was on a rainy day that my best childhood friend left this world after a losing battle with a fatal disease. So, naturally, rains bring back memories of times spent with her, those lovely years... There are other memories too- those of watching rain falling on the roofs of nearby houses from my dad's house, and particularly, of bathing in the rain once from the terrace of my grandma's house, along with my sisters, mom, aunts and cousins. Then there are the countless dreams that are better not mentioned.
 All in all, I am glad when it rains. Though there are a few sorrows that accompany rains, there is something in rain that makes it a sweet, bearable pain.

Count Your blessings

This is something to ponder... If you woke up this morning with more health than illness... you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.  If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.  If you can attend a meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death... you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.  If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep... you are richer than 75% of this world.  If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.  If your parents are still alive and still married .. you are very rare, especially if you are from the West.  If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all. So, the point is, just count your blessings!! God has given you a lot more than you can ever  thank Him for. Edited from http://www.beautifulislam.net

Repentance

Al-Muzni who is Aboo lbraaheem Isma`eel ibn Yahya said:

I entered upon ash-Shaafi'ee during his illness which resulted in his death, so I said to him: "What is your condition?" He replied: "I am journeying from this world, and departing from my brothers, drinking from the cup of death, and upon Allaah - Exalted is His remembrance - arriving. And no! By Allaah, I do not know if my soul is travelling towards Paradise or the Fire!" Then he started to weep, and he said:

In You, the Creator, I raise my longing, And even if I am, O possessor of kindness and generosity, an evildoer, a criminal,When my heart became constricted and my paths became narrow,
I took my hope in Your pardon and forgiveness as an opening and an escape,
My sins seemed very great to me but when I compared them to Your forgiveness,
I found Your forgiveness to be greater,
You are and still remain the only One who can forgive sins,
You grant and forgive out of Your benevolence and generosity,
Perhaps the One who is the source of all goodness will forgive and overlook my mistakes,
And will hide the sins and burden that I accumulated,
My sins seemed very great to me, so I turned (to You) in humility,
Were it not for my contentment in you, I wouldn't, O my Lord, have seen any comfort at all,
So if You forgive me, You would have forgiven a sinner, A rebellious, oppressive tyrant still sinning,
So my crime is very great, past and present, But Your forgiveness that embraces Your servant is greater and higher,
So whomsoever holds fast to Allaah is truly saved from mankind, And whomsoever's hopes are in Him, will be far removed from any regrets.

From http://www.beautifulislam.net