The Light of Truth

Surah Al-Isra

Say: “O my Lord! let my entry be by the Gate of Truth and Honour, and likewise my exit by the Gate of Truth and Honour; and grant me from Thy Presence an authority to aid (me).” (80) And say: “Truth has (now) arrived, and Falsehood perished: for Falsehood is (by its nature) bound to perish.” (81)

Imagine yourself in a room with the walls painted black, and all you have, to find your way around that room, is a candle, and wind is attacking the flame from all directions, trying to put it out. How difficult it would be, bumping into furniture, dropping wax on your hand, to find your way around.

Now, imagine the same situation, with one slight change, the walls are painted white this time. And now that there is something to reflect the light off of you are more aware of your whereabouts and are able to identify the source of wind,  maybe an open window which you can now safely reach and close in order to save your candle from burning out.

This is what the truth is! It is the white paint on the walls which helps you find your way through life! And Allah in His infinite mercy, sent the torch-bearer, the bringer of light, the protector and promoter of truth, none other than the most beautiful of creations, Muhammad (SAW), May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him! Sent to guide mankind out of darkness, to protect them and warn them of the danger of the darkness, that it is nothing but disaster and disgrace!

From the words of Allah Almighty Himself, the Creator of whatever lies in the heavens and the earth, there is proof that, truth will always trump falsehood. Yet we deny this fact every day of our lives! Thinking that lying, cheating and bribery is our only way out of our problems! Making our needs our gods, thinking, we are in control of fulfilling our needs! Forgetting that it is Allah, Who is in control! How blatantly we deny His words! It is because we have painted our walls black, and cannot find our way out of the shackles of falsehood.

Stand by the truth, no matter how hard! Never back down! If you choose the path of falsehood you are “bound to perish”! There are living examples of this, everywhere around us! Those who stand by the truth, even though hardship is all they see, they do not falter. They are fulfilling their duty to their Lord! And surely they shall succeed! All those honorable and truthful police officers, who deny bribery and any form of falsehood to protect us and our families, I salute you! All those honorable and truthful government officials, soldiers, and even sweepers on the street who earn their livelihood by sacrificing the comforts they are offered to give up their honesty and truthfulness, I salute you! You are the true believers, the protecting gates of truth! You are the ones who are truly following the greatest Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), to safeguard truth!

Sticking to the truth can sometimes mean putting your life at risk, jumping into a pit of snakes, walking into a burning  forest! Those of you who still deny what is wrong to protect what is right, you are like the companions of the Prophet (SAW) who looked death straight in the face and renounced falsehood! Not for a moment did they think otherwise, as they had found Allah, and their faith in the fact that Allah will protect them no matter what, was unbreakable! Knowing that, Allah is the master of life and death! Knowing that, Allah is what they wanted, even if that meant giving up their life in this world!

May Allah grant us all the ability to stand up against what is wrong, to fight for what is right! May Allah grant us the strength to overcome our fear of those who threaten to harm us for speaking and acting the truth! And May Allah protect all those who ARE speaking and acting the truth. Ameen!

Denying the truth is, denying your existence!

The Journey Begins

Surah Al-Ikhlas

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Say: He is Allah the One and Only; (1) Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; (2) He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; (3) And there is none like unto Him. (4)

Who am I? Who are you? Who are we? A day comes, a day goes, yet this question is left unanswered! It seems pointless living life, not knowing one’s own self! Strange how we all are okay with that. I asked myself this very question and was dumbfounded. I did not know where to start, and that made me feel horrible. Having lived with myself for a quarter of a century, I had nothing to say about me!

Having pondered over it for a few days, I came up with something which made a little bit of sense.  There is one part of us which is an amalgamation of our family, friends, people around us and the experiences we have. That part of us is what defines our physical existence. What part of me has contributed to that definition? I found no individuality factor in this thought. There had to be more to me than just being a mixture of  mixtures. However, this thought brought me to another conclusion. That being, if we are a product of the above mentioned ingredients, and those ingredients are a product of another set of them, then it all has to converge somewhere, a single point, which is why I started this post with the chapter of the Holy Quran that declares the Oneness of Allah! Our very existence represents the Oneness of Allah! Having started for a single point and becoming such a complex creation, can only be the work of the Almighty, so powerful that He made a single point diverge into a vastness that can not really be defined. We thought, that the universe is expanding, it is, but so is the diversity of the human being.

But where is that one thing that makes me, Me! There has to be at least a particle of individuality in me! Something I can really call my self! Taking another few days to come up with an idea, I stumbled upon thought that I had pushed to the back of my mind.

Surah Al-Araf

And (remember) when thy Lord brought forth from the Children of Adam, from their reins, their seed, and made them testify of themselves, (saying): Am I not your Lord? They said: Yea, verily. We testify. (That was) lest ye should say at the Day of Resurrection: Lo! of this we were unaware; (172)

Our souls, the very souls mentioned in the above verse of the Holy Quran, had been created since the beginning of time. and placed in our bodies at the time of birth. The very souls that will be removed from our bodies when we die! Those souls are who we are. Our individuality particles, that define us. But how many of us know our souls, talk to our souls, feed our souls. Buried deep down in our bodies made of mud, just as if buried in ground. No matter how much fertilizer one puts in the soil, if not given water the seed will never germinate, grow, and split through the crust of the earth. The same way our soul will never emerge from within us and represent our individuality unless, we do not water it. We continue feeding the clay body with what it requires, what it demands, and what it desires, which only makes it harder for the soul to make its way to the surface. This is when I realized that the search of self discovery has just begun. Having identified the object to be defined, it is time to bring it to the surface, befriend it and get to know what it really is. Discussing this with a friend, I was reminded, that the way to go about it is to constantly fight the requirements, demands and desires of our bodies, that blur our identity and let our souls win each battle.

I failed to define who I am. However, I have managed to get one step closer. But the journey ahead is one full of storms, deadly summits, and wild beast that I will have to fend off before I emerge victorious! I might not make it to the end, but sincerely pray that if unexpected events bring my journey to an abrupt, unfinished end, I am in the state of trudging through the storm, towards my destination, and not finding shelter under a rock, I am climbing to the top of the summits which are a barrier in my journey, and not finding ways around it, I am fighting off the beasts that are blocking my path and not running in the other direction! Being granted true martyrdom! Please, oh please my dear Allah, accept this request! Grant me an end in such a state as to honor Your name, and the teachings of he who is the reason of my creation, Muhammad (SAW)!

Yes, you herd that right, the reason of my creation! Muhammad (SAW), for whom the Heavens and Earth were created! From the very Noor (light) of Muhammad (SAW), this universe came to be, and from his Noor were our souls created*! This is who we are, creations of the Almighty Allah, and created for Muhammad (SAW).

May Allah make my soul the master of my body!  May Allah fill my heart and mind with Noor-e-emaan, the light of Islam! And may He make the warmth of my soul melt the frozen hearts of those around me! May He light up the world with the souls of the Muslim Ummah!

WE ARE FROM ALLAH FOR MUHAMMAD (SAW)

*About this statement: My mother read a extract from a book called Noor-e-Mubeen (by Dr. Hamid Hassan Bilgrami) some time ago, I will go through that book again and quote the exact words from the author as soon as I get my hands on a copy of that book, inshAllah.

Dream?

I want to dream! I want to have a dream! Life seems so meaningless and aimless. Trudging along like cattle with the herd, following the rest. Inside me is a flame, and it tingles in my heart, and makes me what to do more. Do something out of the ordinary. Do something that will matter, make a difference. But what? No inspiration, no valor, no will to get out of my comfort zone and test my strengths. So hopeless, so useless, this is not what I want to be! Yet I am!

Life! It’s so beautiful! So full of chances and opportunities, yet I let them go to waste. Sitting in front of the computer screen, playing pointless game, looking at meaningless post from people, on social networks. It’s sad how, even after being aware of my short coming, I refuse to make a change. Putting out the flame in my heart, with my own hands. I’m supposed to be giving it fuel, but instead I choose put it out. It’s not circumstances, it’s not anyone else stopping me, it’s of my own doing, yet I try to find someone or something to blame!

Surah An-Nisa

Whatever of good befalleth thee (O man) it is from Allah, and whatever of ill befalleth thee it is from thyself. We have sent thee (Muhammad) as a messenger unto mankind and Allah is sufficient as Witness. (79) Whoso obeyeth the messenger hath obeyed Allah, and whoso turneth away: We have not sent thee as a warder over them. (80)

What excuse will we present to Allah, on the day when I’ll be called upon to give account of the life he has bestowed me with. And not just a life, a chance to be someone, a chance to do something for the people around me. Speechless, is what I’ll be. Nothing to say for myself. Just shame, and misery. But, this is not what I want!

If I am the same as anyone else on this planet. I am a nobody, because I have nothing to offer to this world. Without me the world will be exactly the same. No better, no worse. So many days spent, and so many resources used, yet gone to waste! Why does anyone invest their time and money on someone or something, so that in time that person or thing will return back in manifold. Am I returning back to the world what it has given me?

Will I ever be the person I want to be? Will I ever dream? Will I wake up one day and know which way to go? I hope so, because without a cause, I can’t see a future. Not in this life or the next!

O Allah! Please grant me a dream! A dream that will make You proud of me! And with that dream the vision to see it as clear as its meant to be seen. And with that dream the strength to live it to the fullest!

O Allah! I beg you for your mercy and forgiveness for the life I have spent in vain! Please grant me a life full of purpose and cause. And grant me eternal victory!

O Allah! Fill my heart and mind with You and You alone! Let the flame in my heart burn strong. And with its warmth change the lives of those around me!

Ameen!

Don’t Search. Find

“When someone is searching,” said Siddhartha, “then it might easily happen that the only thing his eyes still see is that what he searches for, that he is unable to find anything, to let anything enter his mind, because he always thinks of nothing but the object of his search, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed by the goal. Searching means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal. You, oh venerable one, are perhaps indeed a searcher, because, striving for your goal, there are many things you don’t see, which are directly in front of your eyes.”

The above excerpt is from Siddhartha a book by Hermann Hesse. The book is like a treasure chest. I wanted to share one of the jewels that caught my eye. One that seemed most appropriate for what I’ve gone through lately, and I’m sure most of you have gone through something similar in your life at some point.

Often, we all search instead of find. We are like horses with blinders, unable to see anywhere except forward, towards our goal. This might seem like the correct thing to do, being focused, or whatever you may call it, but it’s not. It’s like a mirage in the desert, because you are so thirsty and in search of water, that’s all you see. It is of utmost importance to take note of all the essential changes your decisions will make on you and the people around you.

Don’t be hasty, reason! Be your own interviewer and ask yourself all the tricky and mind grinding questions that need to be asked, to know, whether or not you are willing to give all it takes for what you are after. Be alert, don’t let your want, blind you. Look at all the intricate details, from top to bottom. And be sure to consult with the One in Whose hands all things are. Ask Him to guide you in making the right choice. Even if you are in a state of panic, don’t hesitate to ask Him for help. He is waiting for you to turn to Him.

Make yourself a promise. From today I will not search, I will find. From today I will not judge, I will observe. From today I will  not gather people’s opinions, I will seek guidance from Him.

Make each step count!

Suffering: It’s a part of Life

Life’s strongest defining attribute is, suffering. This is a morbid truth, however, it’s not all that dark! It’s just a harsh reality of life, which most of us tend to ignore or try to overcome.  But are we dealing with it the correct way?

Peace, is the antonym of suffering. Is it an attribute of life? No it’s not, surely not of this one. Is it the attribute of the Hereafter? Definitely, for those who have searched for it in this life! Contradictory? Let me explain.

We might find momentary calmness and contentment by obtaining a desire. It’s momentary, and hence, does not contain the true essence of peace. Peace is something that is everlasting! We might find the spouse of our dreams, but is he or she flawless? Will that happiness and contentment be on going? Maybe that person is a lost angel, but surely not immortal, hence, not everlasting. Suffering will constantly strike you from every side. And every time you fall into the illusion of serenity, a jolt of suffering will smack you wide awake, straight into reality!

But wait! There is a catch, a loophole, a way around this nasty thing called suffering. Stop struggling to get rid of it. You are suffering from poverty, you suddenly win a jackpot, are you free from suffering? The poverty part, yes. But you’ll end up with a heavier sack of problems. Once, you start getting rid of those, before you know it, there will be more knocking at your door. The cycle will continue until one day it’ll all be over, the day you will cease to exist. Do you want to be doing that all you life?  I don’t.

It all starts with the acceptance of this reality, because half the time we refuse to accept that it’s part of everyone’s life. So we keep trying to achieve that person’s life, who we think, doesn’t have any suffering. Then we befriend it. Yes, that’s right. Start to walk with it side by side, and then like a treacherous back-stabber, stab it in the back and let it rot. No…just kidding. But what you need to do is stop considering it as an enemy, and eventually its power to eradicate your peace will wash away. Sounds extremely difficult. But it’s as difficult as you make it.

Two step solution! Gratitude and the remembrance of Allah. Once you start rejoicing and thanking Allah for all the blessing He has showered you with, you won’t have time to think about the stuff, that you don’t have, which for your kind information, is yet another blessing from Him. Then, tell Allah, ” You created me and this world and the suffering it contains! You have power over me, this world and all its attributes. Please grant me with a strong heart, that is impenetrable by all that this world contains. Let it fill up with You and You alone. And take away from suffering its essence that, pulls me down, away from you, that puts shackles to my feet and ties me down to this world.”

Remembering Allah means keeping Him within you! All His creations fear Him. Suffering will run far far away from you if you give Allah, a room in your heart!

Close the windows and look into a mirror

Who do you spend the most time with throughout your day? Your family? Your friends? Who? None of them, you spend the entire day with yourself! Yes, you! Apart from Allah All Mighty, who knows you the most? Your family? Your friends? Who? None of them, you know yourself the most!

Are we living our own lives? Are we living with ourselves? It doesn’t seem so. Nowadays we are busy trying to live other people’s lives. And no matter what we do that’s not possible. Its become a natural urge to stay connected with someone or the other. Through their status updates, their “likes” and their world! If someone has written something witty, what do you do? You want to write something better or comment on that persons post just to be a part of it! If you are sitting around with family, or even alone, you feel like pulling out your cell phone and sending text messages to someone. But wait! Is this all necessary?

My hand, my fingers and my face is different from every person on this planet. Why is that so? Maybe because, my life and the path it is taking is also as different from every person on this planet. Yet we continue trying to make our lives like the people around us. Thinking that if so and so is talking about a certain topic, I need to do the same. Or, if so and so has the ideal job, I need the same. The affect of your action, no matter how similar they are to another’s, will be totally worlds apart.

How many of us spend a few moments of the day talking to ourselves? How many of us ask ourselves how we are doing and what we are up to? I don’t mean literally talking to one’s self aloud, you might be labeled as a mad man doing so, however, in my opinion that is totally sane. We don’t! And that is why we are confused! That is why we do not know where we are going in life. Clearly, we have someone else’s map in our hands! That is why it makes no sense.

Stop! Just stop doing what everyone else is doing! Your path of life is a distinct feature and needs to be handles as distinctly as itself. Following the teaching of our religion or even what we have learnt in our academic life, is just a mode to move through our dwindling maze. Study and learn from people and history, but remember, your outcome will not be the same! Sounds odd, but we can never replicate the circumstance that others have gone through to get to a particular point.

Self-reflection, contemplation, and looking into the depth of one’s self is an important aspect of life we all need to learn. Taking time to bring out in front of your eyes, your life, where it’s headed and to analyse whether or not its going in the appropriate direction. This is a simple rule to be the unique being Allah has created you to be! You want to make a difference in the world, this is what you need to do.

May Allah grant us the wisdom to accept the beauty of individuality!

What is the Truth?

I am but a man, like all the rest, out there searching for the inner truth

Where I find it, depends on where I look

Will I succeed?

The answer to that, lies with He who knows my fate.

But then again, fate, like a dwindling river can change its course.

My actions, my intentions are what alter its path

 

Above me, the Heavens

Below me, the Earth

Shall I ties weights to my ankles to anchor myself down

Or shall I find a way to lift myself up?

The question with the easiest answer

Yet so many of us tend to flaw

 

What is it, that we can not see

What is it, that we can not comprehend

Are we unaware of what lies above

Or have we forgotten the One Who loves

It is but a veil of our own doing

Put up by our own immorality

 

What better can we expect

Our faith is feeble

We do not stand a chance

A chance in front of the beast

It’s on the left

It’s on the right

Its inside you

Its inside me

 

Above me, the Heavens

Below me, a flaming abyss

Should I fear the fall?

Or should I not care at all?

The question with the easiest answer

Yet so many of us tend to flaw

 

We are infected by greed

We are infected by envy

Looking to those above us, makes us sink further below

Yet we keep doing so

To rise above we have to look to the less privileged

To awaken our gratitude

To awaken our devotion

Devotion to He who provides

Devotion to He who is Just!

 

No man nor women has less than anyone

If you have something that I don’t have

I have something that you don’t have

The rich enjoy money

While the poor enjoy true bliss

 

Rich should be the quality of your heart

Rich should be the quality of your soul

For he who attains such, shall truly reach the pot of gold!

The Coming of Change

Driving down Jacaranda Lane...

Everywhere I turn, I see bursts of color. Spring is here, with all it’s got! The Jacaranda trees! The ladybugs! They are everywhere. Is it just me or is the world looking more beautiful than ever before? Even though we humans are trying our best to make a mess of it, it still isn’t giving up on us. Change is coming! I can feel it!

We’ve seen enough negativity, bloodshed, and corruption in the land. It’s time to see the tables turn. 2012 is anything but the end of the world! Are the planets lining up? They are all coming around to see the most powerful and amazing revolutionary happening, in the history of the universe! Right here on planet Earth! Just you wait and see.

All you people out there thinking that there’s nothing left to live for, your days of making this world a gloomy place, are over. You know why? Positively is coming back, and its coming strong! Watch out!

I use to feel this energy inside of me. Somewhere deep inside. Locked up! But now it seems to have found its way out and is seeping into my bloodstream. The hardships, heartbreak, and sorrows have helped in synchronizing my mind, heart, and soul. I thank you Allah, for putting me through all of it! To make me stronger, not only emotionally, but spiritually as well.

As much as it might seem difficult to accept….one gets closer to Allah in hardship and that is a fact. But you can look at it in another way. Allah is choosing you, out of the millions of people around you to be close to Him! What an honor it is to be nearer to the Creator than others around you, those who are living a life of temporary bliss! If only you choose to look at it that way.

A few days ago, my mother was telling me about one of the prophets, Hazrat Ayub (Job). His life had phases of being blessed with the best in the world to having nothing at all, to a point where even his family left him, and then back to the top.  Hazrat Ayub (AS) cherished the days in which he was in the worst of his conditions, because those were the days in which Allah would personally ask him how he was doing! That is what love really is! Not looking at what you have or have not received from the one you love but just to have the feeling of belonging!

The Holy Quran: Chapter 38

Surah-Sad

Commemorate Our servant Job, Behold he cried to his Lord: “The Evil One has afflicted me with distress and suffering”! (41) (The command was given:) “Strike with thy foot: here is (water) wherein to wash, cool and refreshing and (water) to drink.” (42) And We gave him (back) his people and doubled their number― as a Grace from Ourselves, and a thing for commemoration, for all who have Understanding. (43) “And take in thy hand a little grass and strike therewith: and break not (thy oath).” Truly We found him full of patience and constancy: how excellent in Our service! Ever did he turn (to Us)! (44)

May Allah grant us the wisdom and faith like that of Hazrat Ayub (AS)! So that all our hardships turn into blessings. So that our bond with Allah becomes unbreakable, no matter how hard Satan tries!

There are three words that can change your life:

• SUBHANALLAH: Glory be to Allah
• ALHAMDULILLAH: Praise be to Allah
• ALLAH-HU-AKBAR: Allah is the Greatest

The zikr of these three words have rescued me from falling into the pits of depression! Use them to light your way as well, and InshAllah, no depression or sorrow can bring you down.

Destination Jannah

I have boarded my ship and set sail

On my way to meet Allah.

I see nothing at a distance

But I know deep down inside

It is just a veil!

 

The water is calm now

But I’ve seen its bad side.

It throws me here and there

And makes me lose my way.

I am alone on this ship

I can either hold the wheel or set the sail!

 

At times I feel I have not the capacity to find my way,

I need help…

I can’t do this on my own.

In distress…This is what I say!

 

Is there someone out their who’d like to join me on this voyage?

You can hold the wheel while I set the sail.

Together we can take turns,

To keep from losing our way!

 

If this is what you choose,

There is not much you lose.

Because from then on,

Life will be like a cruise!

 

There is no longer darkness,

Because when you lose your way,

I will show you the light you need.

And when I lose mine…

I know who will be there to shine!

 

And  there is no longer fear,

Because our cause is one.

Towards Allah we shall run!

 

 

 

 

 

No One but You

There is only ONE you! There is only ONE me! From Adam to the last person to be born, there will be no one like you nor me! Why does each and every human being, have a different finger print? A different DNA? A different appearance? Even identical twins are two totally separate individuals. There is a resemblance between them, but they are not the same! Surely, it shows Allah’s undoubted ingenuity! However, Allah has purpose for whatever He does, and that purpose is what I am looking for.

How can we be like someone else when we are not, them? We cant! Then why are we so hell-bent in trying to be like, so and so, and wanting the life of, so and so? That’s not going to happen! Your life is your’s to live and mine is mine to live! Our paths are totally different! Our roles are totally different!

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts…”

William Shakespeare

Search for your role is life:

Stop poking your face into other people’s scripts! Stop reading their lines! You have your own! If you have lost your script, look for it! If you can’t find it, then there is no point of your existence on the set!

How saddened am I for those who have lost their script! And more for those who think they have found it but in fact they are just peeking here and there into those of others! At times I feel I’ve lost my script as well. Or maybe its right there in my hand! I’m too busy admiring the poetic lines of others that I fail to look down at my own.

The first step, for people who are in the same state as I, is to stop thinking. The thoughts that are brewing in our minds are the left overs of those whose lives we yearn to possess! So the best way is to, get rid of the rotten brew and start fresh. But wait! Don’t start re-brewing. Have you washed the cauldron in which you brew? You don’t want any contaminants of the previous brew adulterating your new one!  The best way to do so is to fill your mind with Allah. How? Talk to Him. Tell Him how you are feel. And then sleep on it.

Morning is the best time to start anything great. So when you wake up, keeping Allah present in your head, start searching for your script, this is the second step. The first place to look is the place you’d least expect it to be. Right in front of you! You have been using your uniqueness to change the course of lives of the people around you. Remember: what you do, no one else can do! You impact the world, the way no one else can! So take control of your life! If you’ve gotten this far with whatever you’ve done, you’ve probably done it right, you’re just not sure what you do. Everyone has something that gets them going. Something that sparks energy into their heart, what is it? This is a little tricky because there may be many things that seem to make you feel that way. But there is only one thing that is the real deal! At the moment I am at this very step, trying to discover what makes me feel like me.

Here comes the most important step, step three. There is one roll inside each of our unique rolls and that is, to help others find their script. People like you and me, who are have lost their cause of existence, they need help. But handle them with care. Sometimes when someone asks you the way to a certain shop in a mall, you tend to direct them in such a way that they get lost even more than they were before. So its best to guide them to the Help Desk, because that is situated at the most central location and the easiest to find. Where is the Help Desk though? Direct them towards Allah, and that’s all you’ve got to do. The deed you have just done has created enough energy to help a lost soul find his way and has also recharged your torch that had started to flicker.

You’re good to go! A fully charged torch, a map and a straight road ahead, as long as you can see it! Keep charging your torch along the way, or it’ll not be long until you find yourself back in the middle of nowhere!

Surah An-Nisa
O mankind! Now hath a proof from your Lord come unto you, and We have sent down unto you a clear light; (174) As for those who believe in Allah, and hold fast unto Him, them He will cause to enter into His mercy and grace, and will guide them unto Him by a straight road. (175)