Been gone a while...

Asak,

I have been gone a while. So much has happened, so much to look forward too. Insha'Allah I will be updating my blog again :)

Ode to Humairah

Hummi Tummi taught a class

Whether the water was half full in a glass

The students asked her questions a lot

They weren’t sure of what they were taught

They have stressed her beyond belief

With end of classes will come relief

For now she sits marking papers

All the while eating chocolate wafers

Everything is for a reason in Islam

Wudu... the fard of wudu are 4.
(1) washing the face from the forehead to the lower portion of the chin and from one ear to the other;
(2) washing of both the arms up to the elbows;
(3) doing masah, covering at least quarter of the head;
(4) washing of both the feet up to ankles.

Wudu can only be performed with water whose texture, taste or smell hasn't changed.

Now, think back on how we perform wudu and what do we start with. :)

It makes perfect sense!!!

Why?

Why do people walk away from us? Leaving their footprints behind. Can we just forget and move on? Can we erase those footprints? Do we even want to erase those footprints? Why do people disappear after having brought joy and happiness? Why do we have to part?

My mum found a stack of old letters that were addressed to me. I sat the whole of Saturday evening and went through them. Letters from friends. All the way back from Kuwait. From the 80's! Little pieces of paper where we had scribbled notes (I still do that :D ) Birthday cards, get well cards, I miss you cards. Don't forget us cards. (Alhumdulillah I haven't) I carry them around in my heart every waking moment, and sometimes even dream about them. How can I forget? They made me who I am. They influenced, taught me, stood by me and told me off when I needed to be told off.

They are a part of me. My thoughts. My soul. My very being.

They moulded me, influenced by their very presence. Our laughs together, our tears shared, our fears, our hopes, our dreams. Their fragments remain a part of me even today.

I know understand why in Islam so much importance is placed on interpersonal relationships. We don't know how we can affect the other person. Are we leaving a mark that they cherish or a scar?

Shilpa Maria Mathew - my best friend through school. Taught me patience and humbleness
Farah Naaz (Fau) - My friend, my confidant, my room mate through last 3yrs in Aligarh. Taught me that knowledge was beauty.
Andalib Amjad (Andy) - My friend. Taught me not to fear anyone and that diamonds have rough edges too.
Afzal Haque - The brother I was supposed to have. The more said about him the less it is.
Amer Ahmed - My friend. Taught me laughter is the best medicine.
Navaid Saidi - My friend and to date the best looking guy I have ever seen. Taught me that I was beautiful. I just needed to believe.

I miss them.

Dua

يَا مُقَلَّبَ الْْقُلُوْبِ ثَبِّتْ قَلْبِىْ عَلى دِيْنِكَ

Ya Muqqalib al Qulūub, thabbit qalbi ‘ala deenak

(O Converter of hearts! Make my heart steadfast in the deen)

Plural - a definition

Plural is a word in which some change has occured either explicit or assumed to indicate that with it is more than it.

:D

scratch your heads. think and let me know. You will be amazed at how true this definition is. Thanks to Arabic scholars.

Grave of the Fireflies

For all of us who think they have it hard,
For all of us who think that we have suffered,
For all of us who think that they have been dealt with injustice,
For all of us who think the world is out to get them,
For all of us who think they are not understood,

Watch GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES!!

And then we will chat.

WildFlowers

Near my street, the sky view from there and the view of the lake

Yaaay!!

I got my old Dell back!! So uploading some pics I had on this laptop.



A sunset from my driveway.



My lilac tree covered in snow and ice



A view of my street after a snow fall

I am blessed.

People enter our lives every day. Some we don't even remember, some stay a while and then leave. While there are others who even though, may not be in front of you all the time, you carry them in your heart. Why? Because they touch your soul. It may be a feather light stroke or a full blown bear hug. But those are the ones that matter.

One such person in my life is my friend Aamna. Hers isn't a feather light touch. Its a bear hug. Not just once, but every time I see her, every time I talk to her. How can I forget the day in 2004 when I walked up to her and said, "Aamna, I am thinking of taking the hijab." She was esctatic! Her response, "Do it Kakoo, I will be here for you as it is a not an easy thing to do." It is 3years now, since I started wearing it. To date, Aamna says I am a sexy hijabi. LOL! Go figure.

Aamna has made me see that the future is bright, not matter how dark it may be tonight. She makes me look to the possibility of the happiness.

The other such person just entered my life. Makes me remember things about my past. When the possibility of happiness was a reality. Whether it be a book that I read sitting in my bedroom, a little girl of 8, or a show that I watched which I found hilarious even at that age. I am remembering things that I had locked away in my mind. Things that made me who I am today. I still remember turning pages after pages of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, The Faraway Tree and being lost in it so much so that I was oblivious to everything else. I guess some things never change.

Thank you. Both of you. :) U know who you are.

So, here is a little prayer to all my friends and loved ones.

"May Allah(SWT) grant you happiness in this world and the hereafter. May HE give you joy like you have given joy to others. May all your hardships be made easy. May all your troubles fade. May you always be loved. For love is the ultimate blessing one can get. And may your sins be forgiven. And may we be together in this world and Akhirah, always. Ameen!!"

An Ode to Haffi

Haffi Taffi sat on a wall
Her crackberry rang, and she had a call

"Come get your tooth checked,
We have to remove it.", the dentist begged

Haffi Taffi went the next day
Sat in the dentist's chair, all merry and gay

Soon she was knocked out from all the laughing gas
The dentist dug her tooth out, and she didn't feel a thing pass

Now she sits next to me, all in a funk
Her cheeks all swollen, like a chipmunk

- Kahkashan Parveen
Written on June 24th, 2007, during an intensive discussion of Arabic Grammar as delivered by Mufti Saheb. Ask me anything about Haftey Aqsaam. :D

Here you go Hafsa! :D

Mmm... Chocolate

Even though, I am allergic to milk chocolate (it gives me bad headaches), I am still going ahead and eating ALL the chocolate bars my mummy brought from Switzerland!!

And oh yeah, there is this special box of dark chocolate. Just for me. Not you! Me! Soo, hands off!!

Sigh! What could be better than chocolate? I dare you to name one thing.

Hope - Fall of 2003

Hope
- Kahkashan Parveen

Darkness enslaves me this day
Pressing down, an invisible force
with it, it brings despair and fear
and helplessness grows

I try to find my way
in this dungeon of forever gloom
holding on, and trying to stay calm
and not think about my possible doom

The quiet is so loud that my ears hurt
The darkness so deep, that eyes are blind
How can I hold on, in this storm?
How will, the way out, I find?

I say a silent prayer and take a step,
on firm ground my foot lands,
I hope to find a way from this forsaken place,
while the walls are being groped, by my hands

This I know that I must stay strong,
for I am not alone in this struggle
Steady must my footsteps remain
Even though in my heart, fear and hope juggle

This trial is hard indeed!
And yet I need to give comfort and warmth,
to one that is dear to me,
Show him that it is okay to hold on

I will find a way through this darkness
it will take struggle and time and hope,
But I can’t show the fear that threatens,
with its harsh cold hands, my heart, to envelope


My faith, sometimes shaken, still stands
The way from this place, cold and dark
will I find, I must find, I have to find,
and then hope glimmers like a star


If it provides my dear, with happiness and hope,
I will continue to walk till the edge of night,
Alone will I tread this dark land,
with the path lit from the single star light

My first attempt at Poem (written in 2003)

Random Thoughts -Kahkashan Parveen

Here I sit, waiting for the moment
When I will be soaring in the sky
Seeing the bright blue canvas,
And the wispy clouds that glide by

The eye can see the horizon and yet,
Can't fathom the expanse of this creation,
How can I move with such speed is
Beyond my mind's contemplation

From the little window, I can see,
The sun awake and then go to sleep,
In a matter of hours, the moon rises,
And into the world, the starlight creeps

Travelling against time, or with it
How can one tell what we can't grasp,
And entity defined by man or a creation
At which we can only in wonderment, gasp?

The wonders of world never cease
They grow by bounds and leaps.
For every man to take a moment,
To see how this land weeps

War, fight, arguments and more,
Take our time and attention,
When at home and over the world,
The land only craves a bit of affection

How can people be driven by bad
When every lecturer teaches good?
How can God love a race made of us,
Who are driven by hunger of lust and blood?

Can faith stand strong in this moment
When every thing seems hopeless and bleak?
Or can love exist in our hearts and souls,
And reach its destined, highest peak?

Love of wealth, love of power,
These seem to be the only desires,
Whether it be a leader of nations,
Or a preacher who condemns to fire

Whatever happened to the belief
That man can be good and gentle?
How can we be so dead to
Feelings both spiritual and mental?

To free my mind and my soul
My friend told me to take this trip
Know what I am destined for,
And with my fate come to grip.

These thoughts run through my head
And feelings felt in my heart,
While I wait to soar in the sky
A few moments, with my love, be apart

My friend was right, I know what I want
Not the struggle of the rat race every day,
But the love of one, and smile on the face
Which makes me feel good and walk the right way

I am one, even though I make up the many,
Not all the issues of the world could I juggle.
I choose not to fight the lesser battle,
With myself, I fight "The Greater Struggle" *

*The Greater Struggle referenced here is a speech made by Prophet Muhammad(P.B.U.H). The Hadith is detailed below:

One day when returning from battle, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said to
hisCompanions, '

We have left the lesser struggle to return to the greaterstruggle.

' What is the greater struggle, Messenger of Allah? his Companions asked.

'It is the struggle of a man with himself,' he said. Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) believed that each individual should struggle to attain the highest potential his soul could reach. Thus he taught his companions:

'My Lord has recommended nine traits to me which I recommend to you. HE has commanded me sincerity, openly and in secret, justice in contentment and in anger, thrift in opulence and in penury, to pardon him who has wronged me,to give to him who has deprived me, to connect him who has cut me off, to let my silence be meditation, to let my speech be my prayer, to let my perception bring a moral to me.'

Taken from the book, ' The life of Muhammad' by Tahia Al- Ismail.

The First Day

It is 4am in the morning. Got home from a dinner and was feeling wide awake so decide to create a blog for myself. A place where I can share ideas, exchange views and Insha'Allah learn more from the rich group of people.