"A Muslim has five duties towards another Muslim; to return a salutation, visit the sick, follow funerals, accept an invitation and say 'God have mercy on you' when one sneezes."
"A woman may be married by four qualifications: one on account of her money; another, on account of the nobility of her pedigree; another on account of her beauty; the fourth, on account of her virtue. Therefore, look out for a woman that hath virtue: but if you do it from any other consideration, your hands be rubbed in dirt."
"Act kindly towards women, for they were created from a rib and the most crooked part of the rib is its top. If you attempt to straighten it you will break it, if you leave it alone it will remain crooked: so act kindly towards women."
"Bread feeds the body, indeed, but flowers feed also the soul."
"He who has in his heart as much faith as a grain of mustard seed will not enter hell, and he who has in his heart as much pride as a grain of mustard seed will not enter paradise."
"If I had but two loaves of bread, I would sell one and buy hyacinths, for they would feed my soul."
"Righteousness is good character, and sin is that which revolves in your heart and which you do not want people to know."
"The strong man is not the good wrestler; the strong man is only the one who controls himself when he is angry."
"Those who are merciful have mercy shown them by the Compassionate One, if you show mercy to those who are in the earth, He Who is in heaven will show mercy to you."
"What is Faith? When your good deed pleases you and your evil deed grieves you, you are a believer. What is Sin? When a thing disturbs (the peace of) your heart, give it up."
"When a man marries, he has fulfilled half of the religion, so let him fear God regarding the remaining half."
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Making a Difference in the Lives of the Voiceless
“…if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind…” Al – Quran (5:32)
They say children are our future- yet millions of children throughout the developing world are denied the most basic necessities to that we take for granted every day. The smallest things can make a huge difference to a child’s development and the opportunity for them to have the future they deserve.
With so much suffering taking place in our own country, we easily turn a blind eye, quietly whispering to ourselves that someone would take care of it.
A few weeks back, during the month of Ramadan, I had the privilege of breaking fast with 30 orphaned kids. Without any doubt I'd say it was the best Ifthar I've had in years. The smiles, the happiness, the excitement the kids had in them despite their grim future spoke great volumes of their courage and will power.
The following poem, is an all time favourite of mine. I've no idea who the author is.
The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown,
For the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"
In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,
With its petals all worn -- not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a small smile and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise,
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too.
That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."
The weed before me was dying or dead.
Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.
So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it midair without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play,
Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy,
Another weed in his hand,
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.
They say children are our future- yet millions of children throughout the developing world are denied the most basic necessities to that we take for granted every day. The smallest things can make a huge difference to a child’s development and the opportunity for them to have the future they deserve.
With so much suffering taking place in our own country, we easily turn a blind eye, quietly whispering to ourselves that someone would take care of it.
A few weeks back, during the month of Ramadan, I had the privilege of breaking fast with 30 orphaned kids. Without any doubt I'd say it was the best Ifthar I've had in years. The smiles, the happiness, the excitement the kids had in them despite their grim future spoke great volumes of their courage and will power.
The following poem, is an all time favourite of mine. I've no idea who the author is.
The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read
Beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree.
Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown,
For the world was intent on dragging me down.
And if that weren't enough to ruin my day,
A young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.
He stood right before me with his head tilted down
And said with great excitement, "Look what I found!"
In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight,
With its petals all worn -- not enough rain, or too little light.
Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play,
I faked a small smile and then shifted away.
But instead of retreating he sat next to my side
And placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise,
"It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too.
That's why I picked it; here, it's for you."
The weed before me was dying or dead.
Not vibrant of colors, orange, yellow or red.
But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.
So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need."
But instead of him placing the flower in my hand,
He held it midair without reason or plan.
It was then that I noticed for the very first time
That weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.
I heard my voice quiver, tears shone like the sun
As I thanked him for picking the very best one.
"You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play,
Unaware of the impact he'd had on my day.
I sat there and wondered how he managed to see
A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.
How did he know of my self-indulged plight?
Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see
The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.
And for all of those times I myself had been blind,
I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine.
And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose
And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose
And smiled as I watched that young boy,
Another weed in his hand,
About to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.
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