Desert Rose: November 2005

Ah The Guilt of Life

Marble Slab Honey ice cream with scor bar mixin in a waffle cone on a weekday = extreme guilt

you know how unhealthy that is and how many calories that is?
hmm maybe I shouldn't put this up on my blog, it would constitute of negative publicity of marble slab

I need to starting pondering again

I've been wanting to post for a while but I don't know what to write. Lets see where this post leads us, will it be short or long? substantial or nonsense?

It seems like mMy brains have been switched off from all thought provoking ideas. My soul, that once functioned on being aware and creating awareness for importance of socio-political-economical issues in the light of Islam, has been so preoccupied with other stuff that I feel like I've lost who I was. I need to start re-thinking, I need to wonder again...

I wonder who’s problems are greater?

1. People who struggle to feed their children, who work 12 hour shifts as brick layers in the scorching heat of India, in inhumane conditions, with no shoes or proper clothing on construction sights and get paid less than 10 rupees per day (less than 25 Canadian cents).

2. People who live in Canada with any imaginable luxury according to the developing nations (PEACE, clean water, clean air, electricity, job availability, food banks, homeless shelters, access to education, internet, fridge, transport, etc etc). Yet they worry about making ends meets to buy another car, to buy a better bed, to buy another pair of clothes, to pay their bills, so they can put a third meal on the table for their children….
Consumerist societies can make anyone feel poor and struggling, I think.

3. Hindu girls who commit suicide because of so much mental torture, for not being able to get married just because their parents can’t afford “enough” dowry.

4. Muslim sisters who go through all the stress because there just aren’t enough good Muslim men left in North America? The ratio for unmarried Muslim women to unmarried Muslim men in Canada is 25:1 I think as they mentioned on the little documentary on CBC last weekend (don’t quote me on this one). The problem about growing number of single Muslimahs is so great that they actually aired a 20 min show on CBC. Those sisters who are just so picky, the sisters who are still waiting for Mr. Perfect at the ages of 30 and above and are so stressed because of the societal pressures? I mean everyone has the right to find the right person and get plagued if it just doesn’t seem to be working but is that comparable to the number of women getting divorced, being burnt by in-laws or committing suicide because of dowry in this day and age?

I can go on forever but I must stop since sleep and fatigue overtakes me and I might just drop. Is my problem of not getting enough sleep greater than all of those mentioned above?

Anyway Allah mentions in the Qur’an Surah baqara verses:

155. And We will most certainly try you with somewhat of fear and hunger and loss of property and lives and fruits (meaning wealth); and give good news to the patient,

156. Who, when a misfortune befalls them, say: Surely we are Allah's and to Him we shall surely return.

157. Those are they on whom are blessings and mercy from their Lord, and those are the followers of the right course.

So I guess the greatest problem is to submit to Allah, we will all be tested in some way or another but to submit by being patient at times of calamity and being thankful at times of happiness IS the real problem of life… Something all of us should be striving for.

Quote from Jumma

I'll rephrase a quote that I heard today that touched me in every sense.
I think just this quote would be more than enough to be the entire khutba.
It's funny how sometimes a little reminder leaves a deep impact on what you already know and fully understand.

So the rephrased quote

"The heart of one you try to please belongs to Allah"

I think the real one goes like "The heart of one you are trying to please belongs to The One who you just disobeyed"

Take home message: Try to please Allah and ask Him to please the hearts of people you try to please

Math 314

Mathematics of Analysis is quite a boring lecture... I wish we didn't have lectures, we would do so much better if we just learnt stuff on our own with books, notes and occasional help sessions.
Classes are such a waste of time... I sit in class right now and write up this post because I am so bored.

Hasbi rabbi plays in my head...

My favourite quote these days has to be:

"Maafi bi Qalbi Ghair Allah"

I wish the entire Muslim Ummah and I reach the point where we could say this with all sincerity... Ameen

Translation: "Nahi meray dil mai koi Allah kay siva" - it sounds nice in urdu too
"There is no one in my heart other than Allah"

I think that's what it means, at least that's what I gathered with my poor Arabic, I hope I'm not totally off....

SO TRUE

These comics are actually funny and so true!
I stole this off Monazzah's blog.... The first one is SOO true, I think ALL hijabis have encountered all three types of people..
Maybe we can talk about our funny hijab stories... Hey that could be someone's article in the next MM!

http://www.ninjabi.com/1.php

Hmmm

Sometimes life seems so complicated. Things just don't work the way we think they would.
Sometimes we anticipate negative reactions from people but they turn out to be the opposite.
Sometimes the opposition or problems arise from totally unexpected places.
Sometimes we do have strong or vague ideas of what is to become but to no avail.
Sometimes you have things all planed out but suddenly everything turns upside down, for the better or worse we don't know. But there is always good in what Allah plans, we just don't understand in our limited ability to comprehend His great plans.
I don't think we can ever tell what will happen until we reach the climax point.

These are the times that remind us of how Allah works in mysterious ways.

Reminds us of His beautiful attributes that we often forget:

Al-Mu'akh-khir
- The Delayer

Al-Muqaddim
- The Expediter

The One who puts things in their right places. He makes ahead what He wills and delays what He wills.

Al-Baatin
- The Hidden, His Existence is obvious by proofs and He is clear from the delusions of attributes of bodies.

Al-Lateef
- The Subtle One

P.S. Does this post sound vague? Someone just told me the other day that I sound vague like the aunties "ok beta"

Some quotes that make you smile

I think Salwa found this quote on Islamica, I just re-remembered it as I read Mehreen's blog

"time and hijabis don't wait for anyone, time passes by and hijabis get married"