Strange, yet familiar.

Wow, I haven't posted in a long long time. But today I am inspired to blog and share again. I really liked the picture message that I am posting below that I came across today via a friend.

Such is the power of the pen. You can meet a younger version of yourself by revisiting a book you once read. It also feels strange and familiar to read blog posts and letters from many years ago. Who said time travelling isn't possible :)

Explore

Came across this advise, loved it and found it to be worth sharing

DYING SLOWLY
By Martha Madeiros

You start dying slowly
if you do not travel,
if you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.
You start dying slowly
When you kill your self-esteem;
When you do not let others help you.
You start dying slowly
If you become a slave of your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths…
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colors
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.
You start dying slowly
If you avoid to feel passion
And their turbulent emotions;
Those which make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.
You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime,
To run away from sensible advice…

2 node circular link list

A couple of days back I was flicking through channels and ultimately STAR World caught my attention. The thrilling t.v series BONES was on air. I dont't follow it, regardless I stopped on the channel. That very interest my friend Zahida came to my mind and I thought of her. Interesting thing here is that Zahida loves the show and finds a resemblance between me and the leading character of BONES. So she says whenever she watches it 'saira yaad atee hai'...i.e she is reminded of me. And now the same show reminds me of her :)

For me, this happens often that a circular link of rememberance is formed. When a thing\event\happening reminds someone of me, then an association between that thing\event\happening and the person who recalls me is formed in mind.

Generalizing this if a certain thing reminds someone of you, then that same certain thing will remind you of that someone :) I hope I am making sense and not sounding crazy to the readers here. Does such an association build up in your mind too?

A Teacher and A CEO

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Barbara. Be honest. What do you make?"
Barbara, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, and then began...)
"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor winner.

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents CAN'T make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.
You want to know what I make? (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding ISN'T EVERYTHING.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in maths. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know about English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given,
work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life (Barbara
paused one last time and then continued.)
Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.
You want to know what I make?
I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
What do you make Mr. CEO?
His jaw dropped, he went silent.

A profound answer!

Courtesy ~ A friend

Value has a value only if its value is valued

Closer than you think

A vacationing American businessman standing on the pier of a quaint coastal fishing village in southern Mexico watched as a small boat with just one young Mexican fisherman pulled into the dock. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. Enjoying the warmth of the early afternoon sun, the American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish.

"How long did it take you to catch them?" the American casually asked.

"Oh, a few hours," the Mexican fisherman replied.

"Why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" the American businessman then asked.

The Mexican warmly replied, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."

The businessman then became serious, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

Responding with a smile, the Mexican fisherman answered, "I sleep late, play with my children, watch ballgames, and take siesta with my wife. Sometimes in the evenings I take a stroll into the village to see my friends, play the guitar, sing a few songs..."

The American businessman impatiently interrupted, "Look, I have an MBA from Harvard, and I can help you to be more profitable. You can start by fishing several hours longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra money, you can buy a bigger boat. With the additional income that larger boat will bring, before long you can buy a second boat, then a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of fishing boats."

Proud of his own sharp thinking, he excitedly elaborated a grand scheme which could bring even bigger profits, "Then, instead of selling your catch to a middleman you'll be able to sell your fish directly to the processor, or even open your own cannery. Eventually, you could control the product, processing and distribution. You could leave this tiny coastal village and move to Mexico City, or possibly even Los Angeles or New York City, where you could even further expand your enterprise."

Having never thought of such things, the Mexican fisherman asked, "But how long will all this take?"

After a rapid mental calculation, the Harvard MBA pronounced, "Probably about 15-20 years, maybe less if you work really hard."

"And then what, señor?" asked the fisherman.

"Why, that's the best part!" answered the businessman with a laugh. "When the time is right, you would sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions? Really? What would I do with it all?" asked the young fisherman in disbelief.

The businessman boasted, "Then you could happily retire with all the money you've made. You could move to a quaint coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, play with your grandchildren, watch ballgames, and take siesta with your wife. You could stroll to the village in the evenings where you could play the guitar and sing with your friends all you want."

The moral of the story is: Know what really matters in life, and you may find that it is already much closer than you think

~Courtesy Nadia

Triple Filter Test

Rasul Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “Keep away from ill-thinking/suspicions because ill-thinking is the greatest falsehood.” [Bukhari]

During the golden Abbasid period, one of the scholars in Baghdad, the capital of the Muslim caliphate at that time, was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem.
One day an acquaintance met the great scholar and said, "Do you know what I just heard about your friend?"
Scholar: "Hold on a minute, before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."
The Man: "Triple Filter Test?"
Scholar: "That's right, before you talk to me about my friend it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"
The Man: "No, actually I just heard about it and ..."
Scholar: "All right, so you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?"
The Man: "No, on the contrary..."
Scholar: "So, you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: The filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?"
The Man: "No, not really."
Scholar: "Well, if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?"

Allah tells us in the Quran: "O you who believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions are sins. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh (meat) of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear Allah. Verily, Allah is the One Who accepts repentance, Most Merciful." [49:12]

Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) would keep a stone in his mouth so he could not speak without giving himself time to think first. Let's pass our intended speech through the triple filter test before we madly utter our every thought. And lets subject others to the triple filter test too before we hear any damaging number of things from them.

~Courtesy SAK

It takes a moment to break but an entire lifetime to make

This is a true story that happened in Japan.

In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan breaks open the wall. Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet.
He sees this, feels pity, and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 5 years ago when the house was first built !!!

What happened?

The lizard has survived in such position for 5 years!!!!!!!!!!

In a dark wall partition for 5 years without moving, it is impossible and mind-boggling.

Then he wondered how this lizard survived for 5 years! without moving a single step--since its foot was nailed! So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what it has been doing, and what and how it has been eating. Later, not knowing from where it came, appears another lizard, with food in its mouth.

Ah! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 5 years. Imagine? it has been doing that untiringly for 5 long years, without giving up hope on its partner. Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with a brilliant mind can't.

Please never abandon your loved ones. Never say you are busy when they really need you . You may have the entire world at your feet, but you might be the only world to them. A moment of negligence might break the very heart which loves you through all odds. Before you say something just remember, it takes a moment to break but an entire lifetime to make.

Courtesy SAK.

Near but Far

A saint asked his disciples, Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'

'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint. 'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice? Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.

Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot. To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'

Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why? Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love. Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all. That is how close two people are when they love each other.'


MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant; do not say words that distance each other.

~Anonymous

The Splashes of Life

My grandfather took me to the fishpond on the farm when I was about seven and he told me to throw a stone into the water.

He told me to watch the waves created by the stone, and then he asked me to think of myself as that stone.

"You may create a lot of splashes in your life, but remember the waves that come from those splashes will affect the peace of all your fellow creatures," he said.

"Remember that you are responsible for what you throw into your circle, and that your waves will touch many other circles. Always try to live in a way that the waves that come from your circle send out the peace of your goodness to other circles."

"Remember the waves that come from anger and jealousy will also send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for all the waves."

That was the first time I realized each person creates the inner peace or discord that flows out into the world.

We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt and anger. We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside whether we voice them or not. Whatever is sloshing around inside of us is spilling out into the world, creating beauty or discord with all the other circles of life.

Remember the eternal wisdom: WHATEVER YOU FOCUS ON EXPANDS

[Author Unknown]

Courtesy A friend

Sidra Reflects

Sunset over River Ravi

"Ever seen reflection of a sunset on the surface of a peaceful river? How serene and enchanting... but how very delicate... a single pebble can destroy your view...dispersing the beauty into wild spread of mere colors... which makes no sense no meaning to anyone but me myself... such is the beauty of a dream... beautiful, enchanting and sometimes mesmerizing for a short time...Pebbles of reality can distort them and shred them... yet they mean a world to me... and I try to hold onto its every color... every hue... every tinge of it... because it was my dream... and every bit of it was my happiness.. my joy... my life!"

[Sidra]

May all your dreams come true Sidra. Ameen

Where to tap

Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine.

Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster.

He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer.

He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life.

He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.
"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"
So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer - $ 2.00

Knowing where to - $ 9998.00

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference!

Courtesy: Zunaira

Plan, but understand that we only live by Allah’s grace

Sometimes Allah breaks our spirit to save our soul.
Sometimes Allah breaks our heart to make us whole.
Sometimes Allah allows pain so we can be stronger.
Sometimes Allah sends us failure so we can be humble.
Sometimes Allah allows illness so we can take better care of ourselves.
Sometimes Allah takes away some things from us so we can learn the value of everything He gave us.
Plan, but understand that we only live by Allah’s grace.

~Anonymous

The Arrogant Nafs!

When Allah created the intellect, He said

• O intellect, turn away. And it turned away.
• O intellect, turn and come. And it turned and came.
• O intellect, who am I? It said, “You are Allah, Lord of the worlds.”
  

When Allah created the nafs, He said

• Turn and come. And it turned away.
• Turn away. And it turned and came.
• O nafs, who am I? It said, “You are you and I am I."

Allah overcame the nafs with hunger, and it was humbled. Allah said

• O nafs, turn away. And it turned away.
• O nafs, come. And it came.
• O nafs, who am I? And the nafs said, “You are Allah, Lord of the worlds."

Source: taken from a Sunnipath lecture

The difference

A Sage was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said. 'Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.' The Lord led the Sage to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the Sage looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the Sage's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.The Sage shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.The Lord said, 'You have seen Hell.'

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the holy man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The Sage said, 'I don't understand.'

'It is simple,' said the Lord.

'It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves.'

A dialogue between a Flower and a Pearl

One day, a brilliantly beautiful and fragrant flower with attractive colors met a pearl that lives far in the bottom of the sea and has none of these characteristics. Both got acquainted with each other. The flower said: "Our family is large; roses and daisies are members of the family. And there are many other species that are various and countless; each has a distinctive scent, appearance etc." Suddenly, a tinge of distress appeared on the flower.

"Nothing accounts for sorrow in your talk; so why are you depressed?"The pearl asked.

"Human beings deal with us carelessly; they slight us. They don't grow us for our sake but to get pleasure from our fragrance and beautiful appearance. They throw us on the street or in the garbage can after we are dispossessed of the most valuable properties; brilliance and fragrance."The flower sighed.

And then the flower said to the pearl: "Speak to me about your life! How do you live? How do you feel it? You are buried in the bottom of the sea."

The pearl answered: "Although I have none of your distinctive colors and sweet scents, humans think I am precious. They do the impossible to procure me. They go on long journeys, dive deep in the seas searching for me. You might be astounded to know that the further I lay, the more beautiful and brilliant I become. That's what upraises my value in their thought. I live in a thick shell isolated in the dark seas. However, I'm happy and proud to be in a safe zone far from wanton and mischievous hands and still the humans consider me highly valuable".

Do you know what the flower and the pearl symbolize?The Flower is the UnHijabed Woman and the Pearl is the Hijabed Woman.

Courtesy Cloey

Teary eyes and glowing heart

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

Stars

Stars are fascinating objects. Generally we think of them as part and participants of giant constellations. People of knowledge have navigated the way by studying the pattern of stars for centuries. A single star, no matter how bright, is never sufficient for this purpose; rather it is the relationship between stars from which we seek to learn. Stars have led the way so reliably, in fact, that some have come to exaggerate in matters relating to them. Thus we hear of attempts to divine the future based on star patterns. Stars consume themselves in lighting up the night sky. We perceive stars mostly by the light we receive from them. Amongst themselves, however, stars communicate in more subtle but surprisingly more compelling tones. They operate under the influence of each other's gravity. Superficially gravity may not dazzle the observer but it never fails to exert a pull. And if we were to investigate only a little more closely we find that it is, in fact, gravity itself which transforms an otherwise ordinary rock into a dynamic life-giving beacon in the sky. Stars are not born overnight. The drama and publicity that coincide with the discovery of a star can potentially blind us to the long and tireless struggle leading up to this episode. To become luminous the star must exert a sufficient gravitational pull by first acquiring critical mass. Gaining mass in space that is devoid of matter, like gaining righteousness in a world whose concerns are devoid of things that really matter, is a painstakingly slow process. it demands the discipline of steadfastly pursuing a straight path in the face of compelling and competing forces.

Must stars form over millions of years? If by stars we mean self-luminous heavenly bodies then indeed there are no shortcuts. In this sense 'shooting stars', meteors, are not 'stars' at all; quite the opposite. They are in fact no more than star dust, mere pebbles, and small boulders wandering astray through the voids of interstellar space. Unlike real stars, they fuel not their own fires but rather like parasites they shine only by consuming the host atmosphere that they have managed to penetrate. These meteorites, if they survive their plunge through their host's atmosphere, inevitably sink to the ground while stars, they soar for the skies. The entire existence of stars is marked by patient perseverance while the meteor's claim to fame is a single moment of unrestrained exuberance. Eventually both meteors and stars give off light. Yet how different are their characters! Is one who dedicates his life to following a path and attains glory in the process equal to one whose sole purpose in life is to seek self-gratification by whatever means possible? if we value justice then we must judge not only the end but also the means that are employed.

It is the discipline of the stars which we need to emulate in pursuing our goals; brightness and glory is but a consequence of this effort for those who are fortunate. Stardom might be distant but even in the process of associating with stars we become elevated planets, our paths guided by a star's gravity, gathering their light and wisdom and reflecting a fraction of it. Stars shine not only to guide, they shine also to grow. For surely if there were nobody present to witness them they would not cease to shine. Stars are easily obscured. It is true that all stars eventually burn out. More often, much more often, however, it is the moods of our own atmosphere that hinder our vision. A vagrant cloud of suspicion, dust and smoke kicked up by our activities, the ambient stray light from our worldly distractions, any one or a combination of them could be the culprit responsible for making stars appear to twinkle moodily or to disappear entirely. Fortunately, rediscovering stars is rather straightforward. Sometimes it requires only that we wait for the winds of change to sweep the clouds away. We might wait longer still for the rains to cleanse our atmosphere, a spiritual catharsis, until we can see again. When we are acutely distracted, however, it might require that we move out and away from the bright and noisy city to the calm and quiet reprieve of small towns and solitude. Here, we will find once again that the stars continue to shine vying for our attention. And if through our efforts we confirm only the demise of a star, then it was but a star amongst many. For to follow the stars is not only to burn selflessly in the dark of the night. But it is also to guard selfishly one's dignity and independence in pursuing a course through the cosmos of life in the company of others, the dazzling and the humble. While stars appear to us as belonging to constellations, it is well to remember that in fact they are light years apart from their nearest neighbors, each star in its own very personal circumstance.

So if your stars too have disappeared make certain that you were not mistaking a passing meteor for a real star. Then invest some time on analysing yourself; often a small shift in your position will result in their reappearance. However if they fail you still, it is no permanent loss and your efforts are not in vain. Just look up at the night sky to confirm how your struggle has birthed a dozen new stars that you never known existed.

~Khany

Perception makes a difference!

Story of a father and his son :

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked.

"Oh yeah," said the son.

"So, tell me, what you learned from the trip?" asked the father.

The son answered:

"I saw that we have one dog and they had four.
We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.
We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.
Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.
We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.
We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.We buy our food, but they grow theirs.
We have walls around our property to protect us; they have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don't have.

See me in you

You’ve no idea how hard I’ve looked for a gift to bring You.
Nothing seemed right.
What’s the point of bringing gold to the gold mine, or water to the Ocean.
Everything I came up with was like taking spices to the Orient.
It’s no good giving my heart and my soul because you already have these.
So, I’ve brought you a mirror.
Look at yourself and remember me.

~Jalaluddin Rumi