I should write more poetry of my own,
But I’m too lazy.
Reading the amazing talent of others I follow,
Only further berates me.
I think in rhyme, at times,
But rarely is it wrote.
This loneliness of mine,
Ensures that hardly a word is spoke.
Except to myself in the solace of night,
Solace? What solace? Yeah right!
I’d best quit,
While I’m still ahead.
Lest I write so poorly,
That I’d stir the dead.
So I lay me down,
In my empty bed.
Reminded clearly why,
My lover has fled.
Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
~ Kalidas
‘When someone with whose religion and character you are satisfied asks your daughter in marriage, accede to his request. If you do not do so, there will be temptation on Earth and extensive corruption.’
said Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him)
[Tirmidhi, Nasa’i and Ibn Majah transmitted it.]
Hadith – Al-Tirmidhi #3090, Narrated Abu Hurairah, r.a.
(via muhammadkhairyfarhan)
I can think of many families of the most noble of social circles that spit in the face of this Hadith, some of which even have multiple Ulama within their lineage, and who seek titles and social standing over strength of character when choosing partners for their daughters.
Tomorrow is just another Sunday that follows a Saturday, the same way it has since the day I was born. And I believe it’s been happening for a long time before that as well. Whether I call it the 1st of January, or the 29th of February, it will still be the day that follows Saturday and precedes Monday…like it has all my life.
The jaded one in me finds it difficult to attach any significance to this, the same way I find it difficult to attach any significance to a birthday. And it seems the pragmatist in me agrees. We start dying the moment we take our first breath, and we start living the moment we realise that we’re dying. And in between, we take it all for granted and feel like martyrs or victims the moment we’re faced with a challenge.
New Year’s day is up there with Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, and every other stupid capitalistic bullshit event that was ever coined to give us a false sense of comfort that we’re celebrating life through these events when in fact we’re simply celebrating events and forget that life is being neglected in between, because we’re conditioned to limit our celebrations only to those days deemed worthy of celebration, and we take for granted the rest of the moments that occur at times that have not been deemed significant by the great ones.
Fuck occasions. Celebrate life. It’s a whole lot more rewarding, and cheaper!
“Rasulullah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Make things easy! And do not make them complicated! Be cheerful! And do not be repulsive.””
—
Bukhari (via oneislam)
This hadith echoes the thoughts in my head right now. Whenever I find myself delayed in the performance of my dhuhr salaah, I have to fight the tendency to want to debate (in my head) whether I should refer to the Shaf’i or Hanafi madhab to determine whether or not it is still permissible for me to perform dhuhr.
I’ve chosen to follow the Shaf’i view on this. My reason being that I cannot see how it would be possible for two Muslims (a Shaf’i and a Hanafi) to be standing side by side, with one performing Dhuhr and the other performing Asr at exactly the same time, and have both of their salaah accepted as having been read within the prescribed window for that prayer. It’s illogical!
Islam always makes sense to me. Logical sense. This situation defies logic. So for this reason (amongst others) I find it impossible to respect these differences between the madhabs. If the Shaf’i followers believe that they are acting within the bounds of the Sunnah, and the Hanafi followers also believe that they’re acting within these same bounds, then is it not possible that in fact a combination of the two madhabs are in fact within the bounds of the Sunnah anyway?
The more I try to rationalise this, the more entangled I feel! But I refuse to apply a label to myself in the process other than being a Mu’min (a Believer!) and nothing else. Unless something was specifically forbidden, I will make it as easy as possible for me to practise my deen. This world is insane enough as it is, let alone the enormous trials that are placed on anyone that resists hedonism or liberalism. Anyone trying to live a decent, respectable, and modest life, regardless of religious persuasion, is fighting against the massive currents of corruption, immodesty, and vulgarity. Add to this the ridiculous burdens placed on top of Muslims to try to determine which one of the madhabs we’re supposed to follow and the numerous debates and arguments and inconsistencies that go with that, and it’s not difficult to understand why the youth are so rebellious these days.
We’ve created a legacy of Islam that is prone to ridicule, and we fool ourselves by arrogantly believing that we’re standing out because we’re the strangers that Rasulullah (SAW) referred to. I doubt that we are. I think that the moment we align with a group that considers itself to be of those strangers, we cease to be strangers and therefore cannot ever be certain of our status. Yet we persist in our divisions, and our sects and our folly with words and interpretations and man-endowed titles of scholarly supremacy!
Just the thought of it all is horribly disheartening.
Gratitude is not simply a state of mind, but rather a state of being. Appreciating someone but restraining yourself from openly expressing it, verbally or otherwise, is of no use to them, and only sows the seeds of selfishness in your own heart. True appreciation would result in a willingness to acknowledge the impact that someone else’s efforts or contribution has on your life. Anything less cannot be appreciation. If we are willing to consume, then we must also be willing to contribute as well. Otherwise we introduce an imbalance in our lives that can never lead to healthy relationships. Don’t let your fear of allowing significant others into your personal space result in the destruction of beauty in your life.
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
John F. Kennedy
What is it that stops us from affirming others while they’re alive, as opposed to waiting for their demise before singing their praises? Perhaps we’re afraid of being held accountable for our kind thoughts which denies us that ever convenient exit of ‘I knew it’ or ‘I told you so’ or ‘I should’ve known better’? Or maybe we lack the belief in our own virtues and would rather not have people peering so closely that they may see in us what we despise about ourselves?
Maybe it’s just that we’re so afraid of being hurt, that we’ll do anything to prevent others from getting too close, so that we don’t ever give them a view of how much they mean to us? That would give them far too much power to hurt or manipulate us. So instead, we create our defenses and do it so well that we end up believing that how we present ourselves to others is all we have to offer.
Heaven forbid we should live a romantic life. It is possible you know. To live a romantic life and still remain functional and practical about all life’s challenges. But it’s easier to fit in with the jaded crowds than to be true to ourselves, because the risk of failure is too great a source for potential embarrassment. POTENTIAL embarrassment. But the reality of the joy that we’ll experience if we lived romantically now will forever escape us because of our fear of embracing what we desire, lest it be stripped away from us in an untimely fashion.
So we set ourselves up for heartache and failure, all the while pretending to be comforted by our superficial success in worldly endeavours, ensuring that not another living soul will ever see the romantic fool in us for fear of being mocked or ridiculed for that which is closest to our hearts. So fear drives us to suppress the romance, and embellish the facade so that it becomes the reality of our existence, when in fact it’s the reality of our deception. Sad, isn’t it?
While reading through the below quotes, I couldn’t help but wonder how many people would ponder on it, and perhaps even apply some of it, if they weren’t aware of the source? The last one is my favourite! [Cynically Jaded]
There is a reason why the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a respected and admired man. He spoke wisdom and spread the message of Allah. Here are some of my favourite quotes;
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #1
“Feed the hungry and visit a sick person, and free the captive, if he be unjustly confined. Assist any person oppressed, whether Muslim or non-Muslim.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #2
“Poverty is my pride.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #3
To spend more time in learning is better than spending more time praying the support of religion is abstinence. It is better to teach knowledge one hour in the night than to pray all night.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #4
“Those who earn an honest living are the beloved of God.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #5
“Heaven lieth at the feet of mothers.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #6
“The rights of women are sacred. See that women are maintained in the rights assigned to them.”.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #7
“He who believeth in one God and the Hereafter, let him speak what is good or remain silent.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #8
“The best richness is the richness of the soul.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #9
“The ink of the scholar is more holy than the blood of the martyr.”
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Quotes, #10
“It is better to sit alone than in company with the bad; and it is better still to sit with the good than alone. It is better to speak to a seeker of knowledge than to remain silent; but silence is better than idle words.”