Gaza

Gaza Gaza Gaza... I have no words to express my grief. The pictures speak it all.

How can little children be terrorists? What danger do babies pose to your bloodthirsty reign? Are you following the footsteps of  Firaun and killing them before they grow big enough to question your misdeeds? And the media portrays Israelis seeking shelter from Hamaz rockets! Really!!! Do any of them show an injured Israeli pet even, let alone children?

And you Arab leaders! You sheikhs of UAE and Saudi Arabia! You filthy hypocrites! Where is your sense of right and wrong now? You were at the forefront to "relieve" Egypt of the "undemocratic" rule of Mursi. What is happening in Gaza isn't just anti-people, it's anti-human! Have you gone blind now? Why don't you do something? What do you have armies for? Go help Gaza! Can't you see children-- children!-- being slaughtered? These could be your kids too! Remember that your comforts aren't eternal. Your palaces too will crumble!

Remember, your indifference will never be forgiven. If you choose to remain silent today, you will have no words when your Lord asks you about them.

Nine

How time flies! Now I'm a mother.

I wouldn't say 'if only you were here'- no, it isn't befitting a Muslim. But at times when I exchange new-mom worries with my friends-- my baby sucks her thumb all the time, has your son started rolling on to his stomach yet, does your little one sleep through the night, does she laugh and play, and so on-- I sometimes wonder how it would have been between us.  I believe it was the thought of the once-potential now-impossible grandchild that made your mother's eyes well up when she came to see my baby. We still miss you.

In sha Allah, I will introduce you to my son from Jannah, when Allah unite us all.

The blood in the streets

The agony of the brothers and sisters dying in Egypt in a revolting massacre of democracy brought to my mind the lines of Pablo Neruda. The time and place may be  different, but the situation the same- perhaps ten times worse.

" And one morning all that was burning,
one morning the bonfires
leapt out of the earth
devouring human beings --
and from then on fire,
gunpowder from then on,
and from then on blood.
Bandits with planes and Moors,bandits with finger-rings and duchesses,
bandits with black friars spattering blessings
came through the sky to kill children
and the blood of children ran through the streets
without fuss, like children's blood.
Jackals that the jackals would despise,
stones that the dry thistle would bite on and spit out,
vipers that the vipers would abominate!

Face to face with you
I have seen the blood
of Spain tower like a tide
to drown you in one wave
of pride and knives!
Treacherous
generals:
see my dead house,
look at broken Spain :
from every house burning metal flows
instead of flowers,
from every socket of Spain
Spain emerges
and from every dead child a rifle with eyes,
and from every crime bullets are born
which will one day find
the bull's eye of your hearts.

And you'll ask: why doesn't his poetry
speak of dreams and leaves
and the great volcanoes of his native land?
Come and see the blood in the streets.
Come and see
The blood in the streets.
Come and see the blood
In the streets!"

-"I'm Explaining a Few Things", Pablo Neruda

The Dream

Alhamdulillah...

Leaving everything to Allah...

Allah knows..

Not a tear falls from your eyes without His knowledge. Not even the tiniest puff of your breath escapes His notice.

So, worry not. Put your trust in Allah. He knows it all..

How true!

إِنَّ مَعَ العُسرِ يُسرًا

He alone...

This Ramadan, befriend the Creator. He alone knows you better than you know yourself.

Ramadan!!

After much anticipation, Ramadan is almost here.. :) There is something about this blessed month that makes one so happy and at peace with oneself and the rest of the world.

A few reminders before Ramadan:

Ramadan is the month of fasting, not feasting.

The shayateen are chained during this month. Make the most of it.

The Holy Qur'an was revealed in Ramadan. Take a resolution to learn more of Qur'an this year.

Ramadan begins with mercy, moves on to forgiveness and ends in protection from hell fire. Use it to the fullest.

Remember, Ramadan comes only once in a year. Who knows if you would be alive next year to ask for Allah's mercy and forgiveness?

Eight years

Eight years ago, it rained so heavily on this day that water had to be drained out of a grave pit before my dearest friend's body was lowered into it.

Lonely?

And when you have Allah, whom else do you need? 

So whenever you feel lonely or sad, remeber this and say, hasbiyallahu wa ni'mal wakeel wa ni'mal maula wa ni'mannaseer- "Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the Best Disposar of affairs. What an Excellent Guardian and Protector He is!" 

Your burdens will be lifted off your shoulders. Your heartburns will be healed. You will feel better. 

You will attain the peace that only faith and unlimited trust in Allah can bring.

So wipe those tears and smile. He is with you.

July 5 Looms Near

Yet another June ends, to be followed by the inevitable July. Why do I fear July so much? 

Because you, my dear Wafa, died on July 5 eight years ago (the use of the word died is deliberate- I had to muster some courage to type that word because I don't know if I  have accepted your death yet, but in the end, that 's what actually happened ). 

Because July brings such an onrush of memories that I wish you were still around, though I know that I can never ever meet you again in this world, which is rather sad.

Because each July takes the moment I saw you for the last time farther back in time, which is dreadful. Forgive me when I say that I am afraid that the voice that I remember as yours might be a mixture of the voices of your sister and cousin- forgive this stupid friend of yours for her poor memory.

Because each year, my life takes new turns and I wonder what turns yours would have taken if you haven't left this world for the better. I wonder what you would study and where, when you would get married and to whom, how many children you would have, and what career you would pursue, and so on and on.

Because I keep missing you so much that I can talk a whole day about you and I still won't be able to say everything that I want to say about you.

And because it rains so heavily in July that I am reminded of that sad, sad morning when it rained so heavily that it seemed to me that the whole world was weeping at the loss of its dear child.

:)

NAK Quote

One of my favourite of all Nouman Ali Khan quotes:

Gives you so much of hope, doesn't it? :)

People!

"Human beings...they are going to fail you," says Shashi Deshpande in her book The Dark Holds No Terrors. How very true. Sometimes, people simply disappoint you. They can be so insensitive/irritating/infuriating that you are forced to marvel at your ability to keep your calm. I can hardly stand people who

1. do not keep their word

2. preach what they don't practise

3. give themselves airs

4. take others for granted

5. are incorrigible.

The last are the worst, as they will never know what they really are. I hope I never ever fall into any of these categories!!!

Jannah = Justice

...because in this world,

Some win,
Some lose.
Some rise,
Some fall.
Some soar,
Some stumble.
Some are strong,
Some are weak.
Some are healthy,
Some are sick.
Some live long,
Some die young.
Some find happiness,
Some drown in sorrow.
Some live in huge mansions,
Some sleep under the canopy of the sky.
Some love,
Some are favoured.
Some dream,
Some are denied even a chance to dream.
Some prayers are unanswered,
Some tears unnoticed,
Some dreams crushed...
Jannah is justice
Because in this world,
Life, at times, is a bit too much to bear.

Ya Allah...

I want nothing more... And nothing less.

* I don't know much about the "beloved ones" part but then I couldn't figure out a way to edit it.

Poem on Jannah by Ammar - Kinetic Typography

This poem was written by Ammar Alshukry and produced by Belal Khan in the form of Kinetic Typography.

Close your eyes and imagine this
Eternal bliss,
your every wish,
at your finger tips
and more...

Perched on a throne, near a stream
So serene, and exquisite a scene
You've never seen
Yet you still dream
of more...

Gone is pain, gone is fear
Gone is grief, gone are tears
Idle speech you shall never hear
And the Prophets make up your social sphere
and more...

The martyrs, righteous and truthful too
You are from them, and they from you
They held tightly to what they knew was true
and To join them, you did too
theres more...

Maidens, chaste, who restrain their gaze
Lost in a glance for days and days
Fun and frolic, as a child plays
Where the breath that leaves your lips is praise
of the One who gave you more

Imagine you and your father, with ages the same
Imagine showing off your book with no shame
Imagine nights with the sahabah, with their stories to entertain
Imagine Muhammad (Sal Allahu alayhi wa sallam) knowing your name
What could be there more..

Gardens underneath which rivers flow
A goal so far, and yet so close
A journey worth taking, for those who know
Tell me Do you not wish to go..
for more?

For all the bounties, all the grace
All the sights and the smells and the tastes
Will be forgotten, without a trace
as if frozen in time and space
When you see His Face

What an excellent Master, of a miserable slave
You forgot and He forgave
He gave you guidance, and you still strayed
You asked for mercy, that He gave
and more...and more..and more

Note: I found this AMAZING poem through my dear sis Jinan.. Thank you for sharing it with me, Jinan. I think it will be an amal to share it with those we know, and those who happens to come across my blog by chance.

Gaza

Why does America wish to delay Erdogan's visit to Gaza? Why does it support the Fatah party in this case? Is the US afraid that the Hamas will be empowered with Turkey's help?

And why does the West that celebrates Malala turn a blind eye towards the children of Gaza who resist invasions with stones? Oppression is oppression, no matter whether it comes from the Taliban or the US-backed Israel. 

A lot of things happen in the world. And caught in the woes of our own day-to-day existence, we often forget Gaza and its children. Let us please not forget to pray for them.

the times

It is said- rightfully- that there is a time to sow and a time to reap.
I agree. There is certainly a time for everything. And often, the time chooses what it wants to be rather than us deciding what to make of a time.

There are times when you are afraid you'll burst with joy, and there are times when happiness is but an illusion.

There are times you long for a comforting hand, and times you need to be left alone.

Times when you cherish the past, and times you would rather not walk down the memory lane.

Times when you are so sure of yourself, and times when you don't know why you are the way you are.

Times you can't wait to grow up, and times you weep for the lost childhood.

Times you smile secretly at something, and times you cry silently for an unshareable loss. 

Times you are grateful for the gift of reason, and times you hope if only you could somehow stop thinking...

There are times when you don't know whether to laugh or cry and end up doing both at the same time.

Ruya

Ruya.

There is always Ruya, no matter what. A dream and a vision. Manifestations of wishes and longings beyond fulfillment. Like the rain. And colours. Stars, moon and patches of the sky. Like the wind, music and stretches of sea. Like words- sheer, powerful words. Beautiful words. Ruya.

You are always there, Ruya. You'll always be there. What is life without you?  You are that inevitable, undefinable craving. Ruya.

You will always be there, Ruya. Like a dear little daughter. Like an unborn twin... a long lost friend. A deep yearning in my unconscious. A rain-like Love, so beautifully, beautifully sad. Ruya.