The Light

Show me your light, O Lord,

Give me your lihgt, O God,

I need a ray from the devine light,

To lighten my heart and purify my sight.

Light of heaven, light of earth,

Like light coming from a glowing berth,

With a lamp inside, covered in glass.

Shinig like a star, with the devine oil,

From the olive tree of the desert soil.

Its branches going, neither east nor the west

All day long upon it, the sun rays rest.

Light upon light, O Master of all,

Guide me to the Light, or I'm sure to fall,

Into the darker corners of the hell,

Where to eternity the cursed will dwell.

Show me your light, O Lord,

Give me your lihgt, O God,

I need a ray from the devine light,

To lighten my heart and purify my sight.

Light of heaven, light of earth,

Like light coming from a glowing berth,

With a lamp inside, covered in glass.

Shinig like a star, with the devine oil,

From the olive tree of the desert soil.

Its branches going, neither east nor the west

All day long upon it, the sun rays rest.

Light upon light, O Master of all,

Guide me to the Light, or I'm sure to fall,

Into the darker corners of the hell,

Where to eternity, the cursed,  will dwell.

The Sacred Hijab

It was a little white hijab

Which my mom gave me.

A pure white clean hijab,

That grew with me forever.

But once I stained it with Coco,

With the sweet chocolate I ate

On one of the days of my childhood.

The stain looked like lost innocence.

During the hot summer school days,

My hijab used to be spoilt with dust,

So that everyone who saw me

Took me for a naughty little girl.

And then a big ‘royal’ blue spot on it,

With the Hero pen in my hand,

When I scratched my head from the class.

A mark that showed my untidy days.

The teenage life stained the bigger hijab

With spots of human flesh and blood.

Like raindrops, they adorned my hijab now,

For the big bad word of my friends,

That often dropped from my lips.

Once, during the youthful college days,

To my surprise I saw a dark spot on it,

Which smelt so bad and looked very dirty.

A piece of my secret heart, I saw in it,

A stain for not lowering my gaze from others,

And for not controlling my feelings.

Now the passions gone, youth ended,

I wanted to turn the leaf of my life,

And get back my pure white hijab.

Today I washed and washed my hijab,


With soap and water and Clorox.

But all the stains still stand fresh.

When will I ever learn, its not my hijab

But my stained heart inside me

That is to be washed again and again?

Eid Mubarak

 

Eid Mubarak

The Sleeping Men

The rock will tremble,

And bow in humble,

If Quran has been sent on it.

But a man’s heart

Never even shivers

When The Verses, he hears.

The plants and trees,

The sea and breeze,

Bow in supplication,

On the night of revelation

Of the Holy Qura’an.

But the men do sleep,

A sleep that’s long and deep,

When angels wait for him to wake,

To list down his extra good deeds

In multiples of tens of thousands.

Sleep, oh ye men, Sleep,

For thy abode will be in the hell deep.

The Devil shall rock thy cradle,

Sleep, oh ye men, Sleep.

Published here.

Where is the Middle East?

I was going through the web pages of CERN, as it has hit the news lately. I looked at the member countries, mostly European countries. The non-member but observer countries include many Asian and American countries, with UNESCO as the observer organization. There were many under developed, developing and developed countries, but no where in the list I saw any GCC countries. There was Iran from the Middle East. I am sure these GCC countries are more developed than countries like Iran, India, Pakistan etc but their contribution towards the field of science and technology is either very less or a big zero, when compared with the said countries. Well, as far as Dubai is considered, science and technology means building the highest tower, the biggest water theme park, the longest bridge ( Did you hear it? There is no sea or creek big enough to build the longest bridge. So I hear they are digging the sea to widen it, and build a big bridge above it!!), the largest man made islands and so on. Guess whose brains and hands are behind these projects? The Europeans', or Americans’' or the Asians'. This is the birth place of Prophet Muhammed (saw) who made it obligatory for every muslim man and woman to seek knowledge, even though it be in China. And the people of the same birth place of Prophet (saw) stands last in the list of scientific and technical research centres. I feel shame as a muslim, as these 100% muslim countries has got nothing to do in the fields of higher education. But I also feel proud as an Indian, a country that has got her small but important contributions to the development of CERN.

 

Some months back, when I went to the Ibn Bathutha mall, I saw the works of so many talented Arabian scientists of the past displayed there. Looking at those displayed discoveries, a new thought came to me. Some years back, I read a novel written by the Malayalam writer Vaikom Muhammed Basheer. The novel was titled as "My great grandpa had an elephant". Having an elephant was a prestigious issue among the Malayalees those days, like having a Rolls Royce car now-a-days. The character in the novel, a muslim lady, believes that as she is the grand daughter of a person who owned an elephant she should be respected by the society, and she goes on describing to everyone about the elephant her great grandpa had, although now she is poor and unworthy of a penny. The people around her, including her daughter and husband, get angry at these remarks of her and start mocking her. In the end, she understands that there is nothing like gaining respect for the glory of your ancestors.

I feel Ibn Bathutha Mall is like this character of the story, shouting loud that “My great grandpa was a scientist, so respect me!” No one ever turning their attention towards it. 

The Multi-Cultured Ramadan

Dubai is a multi-cultured city, with people from almost all parts of the world. And so is Ramadan here. I think the only similarity between these people will be the dates they take when breaking the fast. Even prayers seem to be different, if you really want to find any difference in it. When I go for tharaweeh, Masha Allah, what lots of people are there! With so many types of dresses, so much languages and yeah, so many type of prayers. Until Ramdan, I went to the masjid by the Malayalees, and so I never came across such a variety except while performing Umrah in Masjid-al-Haram.

Well, there are the Africans, may be Sudanese with their long hijab (I don’t know what it is really called) reaching below their knees. They are so tall and I feel so small when I stand with them during the prayer. The masjid near to us has got the 23 raka’th tharaweeh prayer. The Africans usually pray all of the 23 raka’aths.

There are some UAE nationals too. They come up fully covered from head to toe, with only the eyes opening. Once inside the ladies’ only area, they remove their abaya and hijab – and beneath it, it will be dresses similar to the western styles, sleeveless T shirts, jeans pants reaching up to the knee, or long sleeveless/ full sleeve but see through frocks. And there will be all sorts of make up on their faces.

There are also some Pakistanis who come in their Salwar-Kamees, with an abaya on top. The difference with the Pakistani and South Indian dressing is that Pakistanis use the shawl of their Salwar-Kamees as the hijab, but in South India we use the black hijab of the abaya itself. North Indians also have a similar dressing to that of Pakistanis. Some Pakistanis also wear the Niqab, which is very very rare in South India. During the prayer, most of the Indians and Pakistanis stop at the 8^th raka’ah, to be continued only during the last three of the remaining 15.

There is one woman who looks like a westerner, and speaks English. But there are so many who look like them and speak English like them. So I’m not sure. There are also other Middle East nationals coming from Lebanon and Iran. I love the way the Iranians dress – their long (????) I don’t know what it is called, a piece of cloth from head to toe which they wear while at prayer. After prayer they take it off, and beneath it they wear the usual dress – also my favorite, the topcoat and pants with a special type of hijab. I saw some Iranians keeping a piece of wood, round in shape, at the place where their head touches the floor while in Sujood. I don’t know why.

Some days I see some Mongolians too, I don’t know if they are from China, Japan or the –asian islands. They have long hijab, reaching up to their knee, and wear loose pants, made up of the same material used for the hijab, underneath.

The minor differences I find between the people are while standing for the takbir. Some tie their arms below the stomach, some on their stomach, some on their chest while some never tie it at all. Some of them tie their arm when standing straight after the rukoo’h. And while sitting for the ‘Aththahiyathu’ during the second raka’h, some people keep their fore finger straight all the time. Some open it at the ‘ashhadu alla ilaha illa allah…..’ and close it immediately after that. Some keep on pointing the forefinger till the end of the prayer, while some keep it opening and closing through out the sitting position.

I pray only 8 raka’aths, and then continue with the last three, so while waiting for the last three, I sit and watch all these differences between people. And the children, they also make a difference. While the Pakistani and Indian children are busy playing around while their moms are at prayer, the children of Middle East nationalities stand with their moms in prayer. May be the reason is, in India (I don’t know about Pakistan), the Imam and other people of the mosque discourage children in the masjid. So they never get a chance to learn the importance of masjid at the younger age. But in Middle East, it is entirely different. You can see children from 3+ months in the mosque. They get to learn the importance of prayer and masjid at a younger age.

About thte iftaar, I don’t know much about the food of other countries, because I have never gone for such an iftaar. Once I went to an iftaar by a UAE national. There were many dishes of which I didn’t even know the name. I recognized the haleem and custard. The main food was kabsa, and I loved it a lot. It was a dish prepared of raw rice.

So, Ramadan is fun, with this variety in the muslims. You can call it – unity in diversity

When Time Declares The Winner

Surah Al Asr

By the time, or by the declining day,

Allah swear, into the loss is man’s way.

Except those whose faiths are strong,

And the list of good-deeds are long,

Those who join each others in the right,

And in their souls, patience shines bright.

----------------------------

Recall the life of the Egyptian lord,

When he declared he was the God.

But time brought him into utter loss

To humility, from his death bed, he rose.

So goes the story of the Roman kings,

His empire,to a fall, the time brings.

----------------------------

So hold your faith strong, Oh ye men,

And let the list of good-deeds lengthen,

Do the right and advice others to do it,

And patience too, never ever quit it.

Then, by the time, you shall win, I swear,

And heaven will be your home forever.

Read the poem here.

Do you think we are oppressed?

Did you say we are oppressed,

When in our veil, we are dressed?

When we cover ourselves from wandering eyes,

And keep our decency in front of guys,

You want to say that we are oppressed?

Women are oppressed, when you say,

I’m sure you are in ignorant way.

‘Coz my dad kisses me sweet, everyday

And say, ‘To paradise you are my way’,

For those who care for their little girls,

Allah assured them a heavenly home of pearls.

Yet you say, in Islam, we are oppressed,

When in decency we are dressed.

Who deserves the chocolate first,

If not his girls, and only then, the rest.

That’s how the Prophet did

First to the girls, and then the other kids.

But you look at our dresses

And decide, the women, Islam oppresses.

The paradise, to you, is not further

Than under the feet of your mother.

And straight to heaven, angels drag her

When in her delivery, death finds her.

Still you say, we are oppressed,

When women in Islam are greatly blessed.

Don't you know in history, when women lead war,

And they traveled fearless, near and far.

It was Islam that gave them a dignified self,

And made her proud of herself.

But you shout women are oppressed,

When in truth, in Islam, women are blessed.

Who ate the forbidden fruit?

Did you know who first ate the forbidden fruit in heaven? Well, what a question to ask! Every one knows its Eve, and she made also included Adam in the sin. We all have read those verses many a times:

Genisis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

This is the biblical version of who ate the forbidden fruit. Some of us, Muslims, also believe it that way. I've seen many people, including some scholars, also put it this way. But is that the truth, according to Qur'an? Is it Eve who ate it first, and then gave it to her husband?

Qur'an 2:34 And behold, We said to the angels: "Bow down to Adam" and they bowed down. Not so Iblis: he refused and was haughty: He was of those who reject Faith. 2:35 We said: "O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden; and eat of the bountiful things therein as (where and when) ye will; but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression."2:36

Then did Satan make them slip from the (garden), and get them out of the state (of felicity) in which they had been. We said: "Get ye down, all (ye people), with enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood - for a time."

So no mention of Eve eating the fruit and then giving it her husband. Let's look at another verse about the same subject in Quran.

Quran 007:019 "O Adam! dwell thou and thy wife in the Garden, and enjoy (its good things) as ye wish: but approach not this tree, or ye run into harm and transgression."

007.020 Then began Satan to whisper suggestions to them, bringing openly before their minds all their shame that was hidden from them (before): he said: "Your Lord only forbade you this tree, lest ye should become angels or such beings as live forever."

007.021 And he swore to them both, that he was their sincere adviser.

007.022 So by deceit he brought about their fall: when they tasted of the tree, their shame became manifest to them, and they began to sew together the leaves of the garden over their bodies. And their Lord called unto them: "Did I not forbid you that tree, and tell you that Satan was an avowed enemy unto you?"

007.023 They said: "Our Lord! We have wronged our own souls: If thou forgive us not and bestow not upon us Thy Mercy, we shall certainly be lost."

007.024 (God) said: "Get ye down. With enmity between yourselves. On earth will be your dwelling-place and your means of livelihood-- for a time."

007.025 He said: "Therein shall ye live, and therein shall ye die; but from it shall ye be taken out (at last)."

No mention of Eve eating the fruit, and then providing it to Adam. Well, there is one more part of Adam and Eve in Eden, in Quran. That's described below.

Quran 20:116 And (remember) when We said t to the angels: "Prostrate yourselves to Adam." They prostrated (all) except Iblees (Satan), who refused.20:117 Then We said: "O Adam! Verily, this is an enemy to you and to your wife. So let him not get you both out of Paradise, so that you be distressed in misery.

20:118 Verily, you have (a promise from Us) that you will never be hungry therein nor naked.

20:119 And you (will) suffer not from thirst therein nor from the suns heat.

20:120 Then Shaitan (Satan) whispered to him, saying : "O Adam! Shall I lead you to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that will never waste away?"

20:121 Then they both ate of the tree, and so their private parts appeared to them, and they began to stick on themselves the leaves from Paradise for their covering. Thus did Adam disobey his Lord, so he went astray.

20:122 Then his Lord chose him, and turned to him with forgiveness, and gave him guidance.

20:123 (Allah) said:"Get you down (from the Paradise to the earth), both of you, together, some of you are an enemy to some others. Then if there comes to you guidance from Me, then whoever follows My Guidance shall neither go astray, nor fall into distress and misery.

 

So who ate the fruit first? According to the Quran, both of them ate it, but it doesn't say who ate it first. If Adam and Eve where on earth, I would have no doubt about Adam eating it first, because I think men are more capable of climbing trees and plucking the fruit than women. But in heaven, you don't have to do all that.

Quran 55:54 They will recline on Carpets, whose inner linings will be of rich brocade: the Fruit of the Gardens will be near (and easy of reach).

So you don't have to climb or throw stones or use a long stick or do anything to pluck the fruit from a tree. You wish, and the wish is granted. Wow! Masha Allah! So no way of putting the sin on Adam. What about Eve? May be she has eaten the fruit first. And may be Adam ate it first. But, Allah, The All-Knowing never said that to us. Do you know why? May be because He foresaw something - if He put the blame on Adam, the whole men will be blamed, and if He put the blame on Eve, the whole women will be blamed! That's the human nature. Allah, The Almighty, never wanted his slaves to be blamed for the sin Adam and Eve did. Everyone's sin is their own, and not others'. Isn't that great of Allah?
Just suppose this situation: Your husband comes home from office, a little angry with official problems. You get to make a coffee for him, and somehow the sugar added becomes more than usual, or less than usual. And he starts shouting, "Oh! This women. Why on the earth were they created? Just for eating the forbidden fruit and kicking us out of heaven!......"
How would you feel? You are blamed for Eve eating the fruit. Allah, The All-Knowing, foresaw this situation, and so didn't tell us that part of the story.
Now the forbidden fruit is not the big issue in Quran - about who ate it first. Because Allah, The Almighty, have already decided to create men and women on earth.

Quran 2:30 Behold thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." They said "Wilt thou place therein one who will make mischief therein and shed blood? Whilst we do celebrate Thy praises and glorify Thy holy (name)?" He said: "I know what ye know not."

So, humans were meant for earth. Then why did Allah, The Almighty, put them in heaven first, and asked them not to eat the forbidden fruit? Well, I don't know about that, 'coz I don't have any knowledge except what Allah, The All-Knowing, have given me. But with my little brain that Allah have given me, I guess it is to give us an illustration of what the Iblees or Shaitan can do to us. He can take our heaven away from us, like he did to Adam and Eve. He is good at whispering evil in us, like he did to Adam and Eve. There were enough fruits in heaven not to make Adam and Eve hungry, but still they went and ate the forbidden fruit. It was not because they were hungry that they ate the fruit, but because Iblees tempted them. We have enough blessings of Allah on earth, and enough of halal things to do, to eat, to drink but still we go and get into haram things. Just as Iblees made Adam to eat the forbidden fruit.
So, beware of Iblees, else it will be you who eats the forbidden fruit next.

Let Us Sit Down and Believe For A While: Sr. Anam - Poem

This is one of the most beautiful poems I've seen. Take your time to read it.
Re-reading brings in more meanings than the first time reading.

Let Us Sit Down and Believe For A While: Sr. Anam

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Forgive Us

Dear Sister, please forgive,
Forgive me and my society,
For the little little aids
I and my society have made
Towards eliminating you,
From the face of this earth.
I do feel pity for you,
When they shower bombs on you,
Your family and your children.
But I cannot come out of this comforts
That Allah provided for me.
I cannot start a day without Nescafe,
I can’t think of a lunch
Without McDonalds and KFC’s,
And how can I have an evening
Without the sip of a Pepsi?
I do want to stop all these,
But I know I can never do it.
So, endearest sisters,
Forgive me and my society,
Who lives the way I live.
And all the best for you
In your fight for your land,
Your culture and your future.
This is all what I can do.