[Lucas Scott-One Tree Hill]
Sooner or later you got to accept and face the reality. The sooner the better! Be brave.
ishrat thukrai mainay apnay aap warna
fitrat ko tha mairi naagavaar phisalna
mairi muflissi per zarra ghum na kerna
jazba-e-imaan ki daulat ko samajhna
kaisay keh doon tum ko umeed rakhna
yoon hii mujh per ayenda aitemaad kerna
yeh lagan hai kaafi saamaan-e-safr apna
bun na jai bojh, tum per ye maira sapna
gar naa mil sakay thikaana dil mazboot rakhna
yaser yeh dard hai shaafee issay yaad rakhna
[Khany]
“What has he lost who has found You,
and what has he found who has lost You? “
- Ibn ‘Ata’Allah -
You-->Allah
Then I left the egalitarianism of the classroom for the cubicle, and everything changed. The realization that the knowledge and skills acquired in school don’t always translate at the office is something that all college graduates, men and women, must face. But for women, I have found, the adjustment tends to be much harder. It was certainly hard for me — I lasted only nine months in my first job out of college.
Inspired by my own rocky entrance into the work world, I decided to interview other young women and discovered that many of them, like me, were facing a steep workplace learning curve. What was it, I wondered, that was making our first career steps so wobbly when we had been so accomplished and self-assured in school?
Through the Prophet's character and behavior true gentleness and mercy can be seen manifest in action
Sectarian bloodbaths in Iraq ... suicide bombers blowing themselves up in parking lots of hotels, taking innocent lives...female madrassah students in Islamabad waving cane sticks at shopkeepers and vendors ... people being turned away from Islam from the harshness of many of those deemed "religious" ...
There is a loss of mercy and gentleness around. Yet we see anger and harshness abound, and one wonders what has gone wrong.Source: Islamica Magazine
=)
Courtesy A friend
Quite possibly, new research suggests.
German researchers are reporting that when people smelled the scent of rotten eggs while sleeping, the nature of their dreams turned decidedly negative, while those who got a whiff of the scent of roses had more positive dreams.
"We were able to stimulate the sleeper with high concentrations of positively and negatively smelling odors and measure if the stimuli were incorporated into the dreams and changed the emotional tone of dreams," said the study's lead author, Dr. Boris Stuck, a professor of otorhinolaryngology at Heidelberg University.
"We found that the sleeper hardly ever dreamed of smelling something. Nevertheless, the emotional tone of the dream did change depending on the stimulation," he said.
Stuck said that previous research had shown that other types of stimulation, such as sound, pressure or vibration, could influence the content and the emotional tone of dreams.
Abu Hurayra, may God be pleased with him, relates that the Prophet, peace upon him, said: “The reward of every action undertaken by the human being is for him—and good deeds will be rewarded from ten up to seven hundred times—God says: ‘Except for fasting, that is for Me and I will determine its reward......"
In the tradition mentioned above, fasting is exempted from the deeds whose reward is multiplied up to seven hundred times. We understand from this that its reward transcends this particular numerical value. Rather, God multiplies its reward many times over what is mentioned in the tradition, with no specific limitation. One reason for this is that fasting is a manifestation of patience and God has said of the person displaying patience: Rather, the patience ones will be given their reward without numerical limitations (40:10)Another version of the tradition we mentioned initially states: “Every action the human being does is a source of expiation for his [misdeeds], except fasting, it is for Me and I will reward him for it.” Among the nicest explanations of this is that given by Sufyan b.’Uyayana, he said: “When the Day of Judgment comes God will take account of His servants and all those he [the servant] has oppressed will be recompensed from the reward of his good deeds until only the reward of fasting remains. At that point God will recompense the remaining oppressed parties [from His bounty] and enter the servant into Paradise on the reward of his fast.” This narration has been recorded by Imam al-Bayhaqi [11], and others.
Based on this meaning we understand that the fast is for God in that no one can take the reward of the fast from the one who has undertaken it. Rather his reward is stored up with God.
In a related issue, it has been said that the reward of all of the religious actions might be a source of atonement for sins [that do not include acts of oppression] until none of that reward remains. It has been related that on the Day of Judgment [a person’s] good deeds will be weighed against [his] bad deeds with the good deeds atoning for the bad ones. If after this process any good remains on that basis its subject doer will enter Paradise. This opinion has been expressed by Sa’id b. Jubayr and others. It also has been related from the Prophet, peace upon him, by Imam Hakim from the narrations of Ibn ‘Abbas, may God be pleased with him and his father.
Based on what has been mentioned [concerning acts of oppression] it is possible to say that the reward of fasting is not removed by this process of atonement for one’s sins, or by anything else. Rather, its reward is held back and then given in full to the servant and based on that he will enter Paradise.
What has happened to your eyes, (the more) you tell them to stop, the more they continue flowing.
What is the matter with your heart, (the more) you tell it to come to its senses, (the more it is distracted).
Does the lover think that his love can be concealed.
While his eyes are shedding tears and his heart is glowing.
- Excerpt from the ‘Qasidah Burda’ by Imam Busairi
Drawing from some of the most pivotal points in his life, Steve Jobs, chief executive officer and co-founder of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, urged graduates to pursue their dreams. (Standford University, 2005)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists say they are a step closer to developing materials that could render people and objects invisible.
Researchers have demonstrated for the first time they were able to cloak three-dimensional objects using artificially engineered materials that redirect light around the objects. Previously, they only have been able to cloak very thin two-dimensional objects.
The findings, by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, led by Xiang Zhang, are to be released later this week in the journals Nature and Science.
The new work moves scientists a step closer to hiding people and objects from visible light, which could have broad applications, including military ones.
People can see objects because they scatter the light that strikes them, reflecting some of it back to the eye. Cloaking uses materials, known as metamaterials, to deflect radar, light or other waves around an object, like water flowing around a smooth rock in a stream.
Metamaterials are mixtures of metal and circuit board materials such as ceramic, Teflon or fiber composite. They are designed to bend visible light in a way that ordinary materials don't. Scientists are trying to use them to bend light around objects so they don't create reflections or shadows.
It differs from stealth technology, which does not make an aircraft invisible but reduces the cross-section available to radar, making it hard to track.
The research was funded in part by the U.S. Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation's Nano-Scale Science and Engineering Center.
Source: The Associated Press
Harry Potter certainly had lots of adventures aided by the invisibility cloak. Maybe time is near for our friendly disappearances ;)
1) one's intention must be true;
2) one's goal must be true;
3) the means one takes must be true; and
4) the way one takes the means must be true.
Explaining the Four Keys to Success
1. True Intention
A true intention is for one’s action to be sincerely for the sake of Allah.
Allah Most High says, “They were only ordered to worship Allah, making their religion sincerely His.” [Qur’an, 98.5]
And, “Whoever hopes for the meeting with his Lord, let him do righteous work, and make none sharer of the worship due unto his Lord.” [Qur’an, 18.110]
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Actions are by intentions, and each person shall only have that which they intended.” [Related by Bukhari and Muslim, on the authority of Umar (Allah be pleased with him)]
Imam Ibn al-Mubarak (Allah have mercy on him) said, “How often is a small action made tremendous through its intention, and how often is a tremendous action rendered small through its intention.” [Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam al-Nubala, 8.400;
2. True Goals
Having a true goal entails that one’s goal is something that is pleasing to Allah, in accordance to the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) that has been explained to us in the Shariah.
A’isha (Allah be pleased with her) relates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Anyone who acts in way not in accordance with this affair of ours shall have it rejected.” [Related by Muslim]
3. True Means
Taking true means entails several things:
a) one take the most effective outward means to accomplish one’s goals; and
b) one take the most effective inward means, including complete reliance upon Allah, and ensuring that one’s action is in accordance with the general guidance of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace), and any specific sunnas related to one’s action.
4. True Way of Taking the Means
I extend a special thanks to Sak, Isbah, Monay, Teeba, Khany and Moi for their enthusiastic participation. Thanks to all you readers for generating healthy discussions by sharing your thoughts on the blog posts.
Hopefully, SYRA STAR will keep you engaged for another year. :) Insha'Allah. Any feedbacks, complaint, suggestions to improve the blog are most and always welcome.
To read the comments I enjoyed the most, Click Here.
I have a special title to give away :). Khany has been a keen blog reader since the early days. His diversified, deep, articulate and thought provoking comments all round the year earn him the STAR OF THE YEAR title :)
And let's celebrate the anniversary with a poem from our favorite commentator, Khany himself!
Dua-e-Junoon
Jo na jannay, beyshak na mannay
Jo pehchannay woh batlaye kyon?
Hum ney chaaha iss shiddat sey
Moutti ko seep dil sey lagaai yoon
Iss dard sey aashnaa hum na thay
Yeh dil ka roag lagaain kyon?
Dil na manna iss mantiq ko
Abb karray hai hai kyon!
Yaser tum ko kia millay ga
Chhor dou abb yeh dua-e-junoon
~Khany
Check out the humanistic car! It's fab! Imagine going suit shopping for your car =)
With the recent popularity in music therapy, Mr. Emoto decided to see what effects music has on the structuring of water. He placed distilled water between two speakers for several hours and then photographed the crystals that formed after the water was frozen.
Kawachi Folk Dance
After seeing water react to different environmental conditions, pollution and music, Mr. Emoto and colleagues decided to see how thoughts and words affected the formation of untreated, distilled, water crystals, using words typed onto paper by a word processor and taped on glass bottles overnight. The same procedure was performed using the names of deceased persons. The waters were then frozen and photographed.
Have you ever seen a toddler who’s just learned how to walk? It’s the funniest most amazing sight! I spent quite sometime once, just noticing one such little bug! They start running around in the house as if on a never ending supply of battery. As long as they’re running it’s all okay, but as soon as they slow down, all semblance of balance starts to crumble. One unstable step is followed by another equally unstable one and as soon as they hit the breaks; BAM! They fall on their cute little bums. Hardly a minute would pass by and as if the song Tubthumping were playing in their heads somewhere, “I get knocked down, but I get up again, nothing’s gonna keep me down..” they’re back up on their little feet ready to wreak havoc all over again. It’s quite an amusing and entertaining sight.
It’s unbelievable the ways kids can lift one’s mood. Something like this happened to me in one of my particularly bad moods. I was at this store with my parents and chose to stay back in the car while they shopped. I was sitting there feeling a multitude of negative emotions, looking outside the window while not actually seeing anything in particular when this little kid of 4-5 caught my eye. He was sitting on the front seat of a car playing around when suddenly he pressed the horn. Right in front of that vehicle there stood a group of around 6-7 people. As soon as the horn blared, all of them jumped and started looking around angrily searching for the culprit who had embarrassed them like that, making them jump out of their shoes. Little did they know that the culprit was a little devil noticing and laughing at their reactions in his car. Amusedly, I looked at the kid enjoying his moment of naughtiness when he looked back at me and at that instant; maybe it was the mischief in eyes that caught me, I indicated with my hands to him to press the horn once more. As if he was just waiting for my cue the cute devil pressed the horn with full force. Once more the horn tore the silence in the air and yet again the same group of people who hadn’t left their spot from in front of the car, jumped. Their reaction this time was angrier and louder than before and quite enjoyable too, but it was nothing compared to the delight me and my little friend were sharing hiding in our cars. I can never forget this incident because the effect it had on me was just superb. I came back home feeling happy and lighthearted, blessing that kid and thinking how wonderful children are.
Looking at the kids around us can teach a lot. All we need to do is be a little more observant.
As we grow older we take calculated steps, thinking before taking that jump. We suppress that instinctive urge to just leave everything and take the leap. Yes it is important to consider the risks involved, but at times thinking about the bigger cause is more important. Thinking about what we would be able to achieve if for once we let go of the inhibitions must take precedence. Just like the little kid in the car who didn’t give two hoots about the rest of the world and just enjoyed the reactions to his naughty act.
Life is all about the choices we make and it is these choices that determine our successes and failures. However, apart from the choices it’s also our perseverance that plays a part in determining our fate. It makes us the individuals we are. Sometimes victory comes easily to us and we think “Oh wow this was easy!” but the real test of our character is when we are faced with a tough situation, one where there’s more chance of losing. How we fare under pressure is what reveals the strength of our personalities to others as well as ourselves. If we choose to stay put and not get up once we fall we’re accepting defeat too easily. If we choose to get up and running again, like the little kids learning to walk, we are at the very least, ensuring a clear conscience and no regrets even if we lose despite all the effort. People give up so easily and so soon without even trying and say “let’s pray it happens.” I never was able to understand this approach. Had everything supposed to happen through prayers then no one in the world would have had to work or fight for anything. All of us would just have had to make a prayer and viola! Our needs would have been fulfilled; our wishes granted.
Kids live such a simple life. They play, they fight, they forget, they forgive and they play again. They whine and cry for one thing but then find something else to interest them. There is just so much we can learn from these angels who are but a part of us, who are doing more than just filling our lives with joy. They are reminding us of the innocence we have lost.
I wanna live in a land called paradise
Wanna see the birds fly and I wanna hear the angels sing
Courtesy Humairah
Follow up on Isbah's post Sin City.
It’s sad to see the amount of violence, oppression and injustice happening on an individual level, national level and globally. Ruthless people are inflicting crimes against their fellow beings. It feels as if the sense of mercy is rapidly depreciating. I often wonder why innocent people are suffering and going through such hardy trials. It appears as if they are facing penalty of crimes committed by other people. It doesn’t seem fair. Some unfortunate ones are sunk into poverty and deprived of the basic necessities of life such as food, shelter and even adequate clothing. What’s their fault? Some are simply born into it. Who to blame in such a case? Fate?
My knowledge is too limited to see any good coming out of such apparent unfortunate happenings. Perhaps if we look into the life of each individual we’ll get better insight. Regardless, I strongly believe that (for a good person) there is good in everything i.e. everything happens for the better and if one is righteously patient and awaits God's mercy surely he will witness the good. (InshahAllah and Allahu alam)
Consider the following hadith: “The affair of the believer is amazing! The whole of his life is beneficial, and that is only in the case of the believer. When good times come to him, he is thankful and it is good for him, and when bad times befall him, he is patient and it is also good for him” (narrated by Muslim). Another version of the same hadith is “Amazing is the believer, for whatever Allah decrees for him, it is better for him! If he is tested with a bounty, he is grateful for it and this is better for him; and if he is afflicted with a hardship, he is patient with it and this is better for him.”
Being patient in hard times, and grateful in good times is the catch here.
We all get hit by misfortune, fall sick, get into accidents, and are saddened at times of despair. Everybody faces problems in life. It’s natural and humanely to feel gloomy. However, the believer easily overcomes such hardships since there is good to derive from it.
As a kid when I would fall sick my mama would console me by saying that there is good to derive from illness. She would say and that since I am in pain Allah mian will compensate it for something pleasant for me. With that thought in mind I would instantly become peaceful. As I grew up I came across this saying of The Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) “When the believer is afflicted with pain, even that of a prick of a thorn or more, God forgives his sins” (narrated by Bukhari). Isn't it better that our sins get washed in this life rather than face punishment in the next? Indeed it is.
It is reported that Abu Hurayrah, the companion of the Prophet, had a favorite illness! He is reported to have said, “There is no illness that afflicts me more beloved to me than fever; it enters every part of me and [because of it] Allah the Mighty and Sublime gives every part of me its share of reward” (narrated by Bukhari in Al-Adab Al-Mufrad).SubhanAllah, if only we could look at the positive side when we got sick or some misfortune occurs.
As long as we are honest and sincere in our affairs, we need not worry of the outcome. InshahAllah events will unfold for the better. Human knowledge is limited and sometimes we fail to see the potential harm and get depressed when we don't get what we want. Allah (s.w.t) says in his book “but it may happen that ye hate a thing which is good for you, and it may happen that ye love a thing which is bad for you. Allah knoweth, ye know not” (2:216). Therefore, we shouldn't lose heart, rather be optimistic and respond with shukar i.e gratefulness.
May Allah bless us with hearts that are patient and grateful in times of hardship and otherwise, and May Allah knock out any hardship that beholds us with his plentiful mercy. Ameen.