Thursday, 30 May 2013
So called Islamic Infiltration of the UK. More Hot Air From the Far Right groups to spark fear in the population.
Again, there is a media flare on the 'Islamic infiltration' of the United Kingdom, a myth that is being fueled by nationalist groups in their social circles and on Youtube, facebook, twitter and other media sites across the web. They talk about how Anjem Choudhary and his followers are getting brave by openly protesting their hate towards the British way of life and that it is a sign of the 'fundamentalist uprising' that will be successful in implementing shariah in the UK if we continue to ignore them. If you think that Anjem Choudhary and his 100-200 followers (whom have little knowledge about shariah let alone the UK Political system) are going to achieve their aim of implementing shariah law on the entire United Kingdom and its 60,000,000 citizens. Then you've simply had your emotions played with.
Monday, 27 May 2013
A confession
After a long moment of reflection. I don't care of reputation, i don't care of opinions, pride, image, wealth, possessions, impressing others because they really amount to nothing if I haven't pleased the one above. They don't bring me happiness and contentment, only a superficial feeling which i mistook for happiness. Paraphrasing the Quran: This world is only a moment of amusement and sweet deception, and the next life is better for you and so are your enduring good deeds. All these things that I stated won't last. I will never be able to capture them, but they will follow me and they will tease me. The only things that will last are the good deeds that are treasured by Allah. I'm not trying to be cheesy and philosophical here. The more you understand this the happier you will become.
By grounding your heart in this dunya, investing in it emotionally and mentally, then you are only setting yourself up for loss, and possibly insanity. Because your conscience and your heart doesn't rest if it is placed on things that are finite. But by placing your heart in the one who does not perish (SWT), then you are safe. This is one major difference between the one who believes in the Akhirah and the one who doesn't.
By grounding your heart in this dunya, investing in it emotionally and mentally, then you are only setting yourself up for loss, and possibly insanity. Because your conscience and your heart doesn't rest if it is placed on things that are finite. But by placing your heart in the one who does not perish (SWT), then you are safe. This is one major difference between the one who believes in the Akhirah and the one who doesn't.
Friday, 24 May 2013
"There was a time where you were on the brink of destruction..."
Enhance the good in people.
I remember in the past I came across a someone at Uni who shared his anti-Arab sentiment with me. He's a student like myself. The stuff that he was coming up with was exactly the kind of information you would find in colonialist literature; portraying us as if we were warmongering people who had 10 wives stealing peoples riches on our conquests. I was FUMING for days afterwards that I had even complained to people about him! The same anger arisen when arguing with someone on the Woolwich incident. It was a really heated moment. Then a friend kindly pointed out to 'advise with hikmah' i.e. advise in a patient manner and with wisdom. There was a great lesson to learn from what she advised me.
Going back to the first person, I realized i was so focused on that one bad aspect of him that i totally disregarded everything else. He was an intelligent historian, he was on the deen, he was sociable and would do favors for others without asking. Such a shame that he held such prejudiced sentiments- but that could have been fixed. If I had advised this brother in a proper manner, then there was a possibility that he would have abandoned such beliefs and become a better person. Instead I disregarded him altogether along with the good qualities he had in a moment of blind anger.
There was once a time when we all were worse off, but then someone had the patience and the faith in us to advise us to take the higher route. We didn't develop into better people on our own, we had some form of help and advice along the way from someone who overlooked OUR faults and believed in us! As Saudi Sheikh Muhammed Al-Arayfi said; "Perhaps there is 90% bad [in a person] and there is 10% good. So expand this 10% and treat it as 50%. Don't say [to such a person] that you are a sinner/transgressor. Because that will decrease the 10%. Consider the good to be more. Perhaps Allah shall rectify this person at your hands."
See full video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38bUWI_7rGQ
I remember in the past I came across a someone at Uni who shared his anti-Arab sentiment with me. He's a student like myself. The stuff that he was coming up with was exactly the kind of information you would find in colonialist literature; portraying us as if we were warmongering people who had 10 wives stealing peoples riches on our conquests. I was FUMING for days afterwards that I had even complained to people about him! The same anger arisen when arguing with someone on the Woolwich incident. It was a really heated moment. Then a friend kindly pointed out to 'advise with hikmah' i.e. advise in a patient manner and with wisdom. There was a great lesson to learn from what she advised me.
Going back to the first person, I realized i was so focused on that one bad aspect of him that i totally disregarded everything else. He was an intelligent historian, he was on the deen, he was sociable and would do favors for others without asking. Such a shame that he held such prejudiced sentiments- but that could have been fixed. If I had advised this brother in a proper manner, then there was a possibility that he would have abandoned such beliefs and become a better person. Instead I disregarded him altogether along with the good qualities he had in a moment of blind anger.
There was once a time when we all were worse off, but then someone had the patience and the faith in us to advise us to take the higher route. We didn't develop into better people on our own, we had some form of help and advice along the way from someone who overlooked OUR faults and believed in us! As Saudi Sheikh Muhammed Al-Arayfi said; "Perhaps there is 90% bad [in a person] and there is 10% good. So expand this 10% and treat it as 50%. Don't say [to such a person] that you are a sinner/transgressor. Because that will decrease the 10%. Consider the good to be more. Perhaps Allah shall rectify this person at your hands."
See full video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38bUWI_7rGQ
Thursday, 23 May 2013
This is Amazing.
I commend the blogger who put this together:
http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/51092450285/man-killed-in-horrible-london-machete-attack-racist
Also see: Muslims and the British press: http://amilandonethoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/if-you-believe-media-you-will-only-see.html
http://publicshaming.tumblr.com/post/51092450285/man-killed-in-horrible-london-machete-attack-racist
Also see: Muslims and the British press: http://amilandonethoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/if-you-believe-media-you-will-only-see.html
If you believe the Media, You Will Only See an Illusion.
I have already expressed my anger and discontentment with the Woolwich murder. But I think it is equally important for us to read between the lines of the media representation. Let's look at the bigger picture; HOW are Muslims being represented in the media in general?
It is very obvious that the media are grossly disproportionate in their reporting of incidents caused by Muslims and those caused by other groups. It is not simply my speedy opinion as a student activist seeking to find an explanation for the events that took place. For example, a couple of weeks back a 75 year old Muslim man was stabbed to death outside a Mosque in Small Heath, Birmingham. But how many of us heard about this incident? Very few. [see article here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/
Why? because it didn't match the media's status quo of representing the British Muslim population in a negative light that would cause suspicion and fear in British non-Muslims.
A study done by the University of Exeter (of which the findings were replicated by researcher Ahmad Jomaa, who has a degree in International relations and studied Security studies & Journalism. It was roughly replicated in a study on how Muslim students are represented in the British press) demonstrates the media's extremely distorted misrepresentation of Muslims. In short, the most prominent themes that were discovered were that Muslims were represented in the media in the prism of; Security risks, terrorism, extremism, unable to integrate into British society, violent, and that they are just 'different'. The adjectives that were mostly attributed to Muslims were as such; militant, extremist, cleric, violent and the list goes on, with scarcely anything neutral or positive.
Professor Paddy Hillyard, a Northern Irish professor wrote a book during the 1970's called ‘The Suspect Communities’. He was referring to the Northern Irish communities in Britain in the aftermath of the IRA bombing campaign and the crude process of the victims in the way they were treated- how they were treated with absolute suspicion. He went on to say some years later that the new suspect community was the Muslim community. [Transcribed from Carl Arrindell's speech at the House of Lords].
I'm not denying that there is extremism, if anything I believe that whenever there is a sign of such, preventative measures have to be taken by the Muslims within that community together. What I'm saying is that it is much lower than what the media amplifies it to be. More Britons are killed in road accidents every year (approx 1900 deaths) than from terror attacks. More Britons die from cancer every year with over 135,000 deaths. And it is certainly not the "greatest threat of the 21st century". Leaving the British non-Muslim population in fear and suspicion. How irresponsible on the part of the mass media. One might argue that this is due to the amount of terror plots that were foiled. Well, I think that there is a play on discourse here. There may a group of Muslim men who are plotting a terror attack, but what about individuals from other groups who are already involved in organised crime? Similarly there have been reports of WHITE BRITISH citizens who have plotted the same terror attacks such as Neil Lewington who was charged for using tennis ball bombs. But yet again, very few of us heard about this incident. Because it doesn't match the status quo of the media.
Look around you to see how many Muslims are contributing to the well being of society. In the heavily populated Muslim areas you will find many- especially in Bristol; policemen, community leaders, Councillors, doctors, teacher. My mother is an English teacher, my father is an engineer, I'm a psychology student in UWE and my brother is a Physics student in Bristol University. Not so 'different' or 'strange' are we.
So of course when the British population look at the British Muslim population through the lens of the media, they will have an extremely distorted picture, not the reality. The media are far from being a moderate conveyor of messages.
taken from http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/100/d/e/mr__tv_head_by_perfectlypunky-d3dq2qu.jpg
It is very obvious that the media are grossly disproportionate in their reporting of incidents caused by Muslims and those caused by other groups. It is not simply my speedy opinion as a student activist seeking to find an explanation for the events that took place. For example, a couple of weeks back a 75 year old Muslim man was stabbed to death outside a Mosque in Small Heath, Birmingham. But how many of us heard about this incident? Very few. [see article here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/
Why? because it didn't match the media's status quo of representing the British Muslim population in a negative light that would cause suspicion and fear in British non-Muslims.
A study done by the University of Exeter (of which the findings were replicated by researcher Ahmad Jomaa, who has a degree in International relations and studied Security studies & Journalism. It was roughly replicated in a study on how Muslim students are represented in the British press) demonstrates the media's extremely distorted misrepresentation of Muslims. In short, the most prominent themes that were discovered were that Muslims were represented in the media in the prism of; Security risks, terrorism, extremism, unable to integrate into British society, violent, and that they are just 'different'. The adjectives that were mostly attributed to Muslims were as such; militant, extremist, cleric, violent and the list goes on, with scarcely anything neutral or positive.
Professor Paddy Hillyard, a Northern Irish professor wrote a book during the 1970's called ‘The Suspect Communities’. He was referring to the Northern Irish communities in Britain in the aftermath of the IRA bombing campaign and the crude process of the victims in the way they were treated- how they were treated with absolute suspicion. He went on to say some years later that the new suspect community was the Muslim community. [Transcribed from Carl Arrindell's speech at the House of Lords].
I'm not denying that there is extremism, if anything I believe that whenever there is a sign of such, preventative measures have to be taken by the Muslims within that community together. What I'm saying is that it is much lower than what the media amplifies it to be. More Britons are killed in road accidents every year (approx 1900 deaths) than from terror attacks. More Britons die from cancer every year with over 135,000 deaths. And it is certainly not the "greatest threat of the 21st century". Leaving the British non-Muslim population in fear and suspicion. How irresponsible on the part of the mass media. One might argue that this is due to the amount of terror plots that were foiled. Well, I think that there is a play on discourse here. There may a group of Muslim men who are plotting a terror attack, but what about individuals from other groups who are already involved in organised crime? Similarly there have been reports of WHITE BRITISH citizens who have plotted the same terror attacks such as Neil Lewington who was charged for using tennis ball bombs. But yet again, very few of us heard about this incident. Because it doesn't match the status quo of the media.
Look around you to see how many Muslims are contributing to the well being of society. In the heavily populated Muslim areas you will find many- especially in Bristol; policemen, community leaders, Councillors, doctors, teacher. My mother is an English teacher, my father is an engineer, I'm a psychology student in UWE and my brother is a Physics student in Bristol University. Not so 'different' or 'strange' are we.
So of course when the British population look at the British Muslim population through the lens of the media, they will have an extremely distorted picture, not the reality. The media are far from being a moderate conveyor of messages.
taken from http://th02.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2011/100/d/e/mr__tv_head_by_perfectlypunky-d3dq2qu.jpgWednesday, 22 May 2013
What does a MUSLIM think about the Knife Attack of the Soldier that Happened in Woolwich?
EDIT: It hasn't been confirmed as to whether the criminal was a Muslim or not. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. But in the case if it is... please read on.
Here's what Islam says about the beheading that happened in London by the two 'Muslim' men:
"That if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or to spread corruption in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind."- Quran 5:32
“Whoever kills a mu‘aahid (a non-Muslim living under Muslim rule) will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, although its fragrance may be detected from a distance of forty years.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2995 (let alone a non Muslims living in his own land!)
Words cannot express how frustrated I am. A couple of pseudo-mujahideen thinking they would have the glory of martyrdom by BEHEADING A MAN ON THE STREETS OF LONDON and shouting 'Allahu akbar' when doing so. This is not jihad, this is barbaric mindlessness! And WE as British Muslims are left to pick up the pieces.
What fate have they left for us British Muslims?
So many British Muslims will suffer as a result; whether it be physical attacks, racial profiling of Muslim men, unemployment, Muslim mothers, women and children being taunted on the street, hijabs being ripped off or reactionary laws against us. I hope it goes all on their record on Qiyamah. And as for those who are discriminating against us Muslims, it's obvious that most 2.8 million of us are not like this. So be quiet. Of course there is a bias in the discourse of the media. But nevertheless what happened was completely against Islam as I have shown above.
You know, this ayah (verse of the Quran) comes to mind when thinking about what the fate of these mindless men could be. I do believe that there were attempts by Imams, parents and other fellow Muslims who tried to talk them out of their extremism:
"They will further say: "Had we only listened or used our intelligence, we would have not been among the inmates of the blazing fire." (Quran 67:10)
EDIT No2: It hasnt even been a day and already Mosques are getting attacked. As British citizens we have to unite against extremism as well as bigotry. These two groups have so much in common.
Here's what Islam says about the beheading that happened in London by the two 'Muslim' men:
"That if anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or to spread corruption in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind."- Quran 5:32
“Whoever kills a mu‘aahid (a non-Muslim living under Muslim rule) will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, although its fragrance may be detected from a distance of forty years.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2995 (let alone a non Muslims living in his own land!)
Words cannot express how frustrated I am. A couple of pseudo-mujahideen thinking they would have the glory of martyrdom by BEHEADING A MAN ON THE STREETS OF LONDON and shouting 'Allahu akbar' when doing so. This is not jihad, this is barbaric mindlessness! And WE as British Muslims are left to pick up the pieces.
What fate have they left for us British Muslims?
So many British Muslims will suffer as a result; whether it be physical attacks, racial profiling of Muslim men, unemployment, Muslim mothers, women and children being taunted on the street, hijabs being ripped off or reactionary laws against us. I hope it goes all on their record on Qiyamah. And as for those who are discriminating against us Muslims, it's obvious that most 2.8 million of us are not like this. So be quiet. Of course there is a bias in the discourse of the media. But nevertheless what happened was completely against Islam as I have shown above.
You know, this ayah (verse of the Quran) comes to mind when thinking about what the fate of these mindless men could be. I do believe that there were attempts by Imams, parents and other fellow Muslims who tried to talk them out of their extremism:
"They will further say: "Had we only listened or used our intelligence, we would have not been among the inmates of the blazing fire." (Quran 67:10)
EDIT No2: It hasnt even been a day and already Mosques are getting attacked. As British citizens we have to unite against extremism as well as bigotry. These two groups have so much in common.
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Extremely interesting fact that you would use at some point in your life
"Whose smarter? The Selfish or the Generous?"- Adam Grant, Ph.D
Article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/give-and-take/201305/who-s-smarter-the-selfish-or-the-generous
Contrary to the popular belief, psychological studies show that those who scored higher on intelligence tests are the ones who are more thoughtful of others. Because it takes a higher level of thought processing to understand another persons perspective, so it takes a higher level of thought processing to empathize with others and to put yourself in their shoes. In the same study those who scored lower on intelligence tests were described to be 'selfish', self centered and someone who concentrates on their own gains. This was reflected in their choices in a hypothetical situation of whether they would give $4 to a stranger in need
Something to think about.
Article: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/give-and-take/201305/who-s-smarter-the-selfish-or-the-generous
Contrary to the popular belief, psychological studies show that those who scored higher on intelligence tests are the ones who are more thoughtful of others. Because it takes a higher level of thought processing to understand another persons perspective, so it takes a higher level of thought processing to empathize with others and to put yourself in their shoes. In the same study those who scored lower on intelligence tests were described to be 'selfish', self centered and someone who concentrates on their own gains. This was reflected in their choices in a hypothetical situation of whether they would give $4 to a stranger in need
Something to think about.
A key to happiness that you must take from this article....
Happiness is not living a problem-free life. That is an unrealistic definition and by all means impossible. Because none of us will EVER be problem free in this inherently imperfect world. Happiness is learning to be content with yourself whilst persevering through the troubles you have, and to continuously focus on the other positive aspects of life.
I want to make it clear that I am NOT referring to clinical depression here. Clinical depression is more complex and severe and deserves professional attention. Clinical depression can have a number of causes ranging from neurological to hormonal to situational. The depression I am referring to in this post is the normal 'rainy day blues' that happens every now and again with all people.
Just speaking out of honesty, whenever we have one of those days where we feel depressed but we can't pinpoint the reason, or maybe we can, but they're things that can be fixed. A lot of the time (but not all the time), all it takes is to challenge our own depressive thoughts in order for our blues to go away. For example:
'why do you feel like this?'
'why is this an issue?- is it really an issue?'
'okay, so it's an issue. but surely it can be fixed?'
'and if it can't be fixed easily, will it be worth it to make the effort to fix it?'
'If it cant be fixed at all, maybe I should learn to adapt?'
Either way, if you took the time to challenge these thoughts most of the time you will end up with answers along the lines of 'fix it and be happy' or 'adapt to it and be happy'. It won't be direct as I make it in the above example; of course mental endurance, patience & knowledge are needed to overcome a problem. But it is possible.
I notice that as people, we're very passive when it comes to attaining happiness. We're very much dominated by our environment. We underestimate our ability in changing our situations, or changing our attitude to adapt to a situation. We should be more assertive in our thinking and be aware of our own thought processes (meta-cognition). Really, speaking from experience, it does wonders in letting go of a lot of the emotional baggage.
I want to make it clear that I am NOT referring to clinical depression here. Clinical depression is more complex and severe and deserves professional attention. Clinical depression can have a number of causes ranging from neurological to hormonal to situational. The depression I am referring to in this post is the normal 'rainy day blues' that happens every now and again with all people.
Just speaking out of honesty, whenever we have one of those days where we feel depressed but we can't pinpoint the reason, or maybe we can, but they're things that can be fixed. A lot of the time (but not all the time), all it takes is to challenge our own depressive thoughts in order for our blues to go away. For example:
'why do you feel like this?'
'why is this an issue?- is it really an issue?'
'okay, so it's an issue. but surely it can be fixed?'
'and if it can't be fixed easily, will it be worth it to make the effort to fix it?'
'If it cant be fixed at all, maybe I should learn to adapt?'
Either way, if you took the time to challenge these thoughts most of the time you will end up with answers along the lines of 'fix it and be happy' or 'adapt to it and be happy'. It won't be direct as I make it in the above example; of course mental endurance, patience & knowledge are needed to overcome a problem. But it is possible.
I notice that as people, we're very passive when it comes to attaining happiness. We're very much dominated by our environment. We underestimate our ability in changing our situations, or changing our attitude to adapt to a situation. We should be more assertive in our thinking and be aware of our own thought processes (meta-cognition). Really, speaking from experience, it does wonders in letting go of a lot of the emotional baggage.
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
Deceptive tactics when doing Dawah.... Is it justified?
I've noticed that there are some people who use deceptive tactics on others to make them do good acts or even when doing Dawah. Whether this be in the form of scaring them with made up stories about a person who went to jahannam or even untrue stories about dreams of the Prophet (PBUH) and his 'message for humanity'. Then afterwards these untruths would circulate rapidly between people through text messages and Facebook shares; automatically most of us believe in it because it 'apparently' looks like it 'could' be from hadith. But we simply accept it because on the outset it looks Islamic. Wrong approach. We should always look to verify whatever information that comes our way. If you pass on information that turns out to be untrue, you will have a share in the responsibility as well.
This 'deceptive tactic' is done because apparently the ends justify the means. However, when it comes to a lie like this, something haraam, the ends will never be justified... and might even have a consequence. I've never seen this done by Islamic authority or any imams, if anything this happens most with us normal, untrained, laymen people. And the laymen who do this seem to not trust their recipient to use their own minds when deciding between good and bad. Even though Allah clearly tells us in this verse that truth is clearly distinct from error (if one uses their intellect):
"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Tâghût and believes in God (ar. Allah), then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And God is All-Hearer, All-Knower."- Quran 2:256
Seriously, how can you consider it wholesome for a person to do good deeds when it was motivated by something that's a lie.
This 'deceptive tactic' is done because apparently the ends justify the means. However, when it comes to a lie like this, something haraam, the ends will never be justified... and might even have a consequence. I've never seen this done by Islamic authority or any imams, if anything this happens most with us normal, untrained, laymen people. And the laymen who do this seem to not trust their recipient to use their own minds when deciding between good and bad. Even though Allah clearly tells us in this verse that truth is clearly distinct from error (if one uses their intellect):
"There is no compulsion in religion. Verily, the Right Path has become distinct from the wrong path. Whoever disbelieves in Tâghût and believes in God (ar. Allah), then he has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that will never break. And God is All-Hearer, All-Knower."- Quran 2:256
Seriously, how can you consider it wholesome for a person to do good deeds when it was motivated by something that's a lie.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
A Grand Piece of Advice that you cannot pass by...
This reflection was inspired by Abdelrahman Mussa from IPersonal Enrichment...
...I hope I can live up to this statement myself, InshaAllah.
When you are the victim of an incident, such as physical abuse, psychological abuse, betrayal or even neglect. The infliction (done by that person) itself is momentary. It's more enduring if you're feeling emotional or psychological pain. Nevertheless, the actual occurrence of that incident is only a moment. The 'aftermath' however, the pain that results from that incident, can last for days, weeks, and even months (depending on the severity of what happened).
The incident that happened to you was unfortunate and out of control. And you are indeed deserving of consideration, care and justice.
So why does the resulting pain have to last so long? Well, it doesn't have to. Most of the time your pain is continued because you're constantly reminiscing the incident that happened in the past. You're re-living the moment in your head a hundred times over.
Even though this 'replay' is abstract, the pain you feel from that memory is very real. And it opens up your emotional scars. Think about something that made you emotionally hit rock bottom. It hurts right now doesn't it? Okay, now stop.
When you consciously decide to remember that moment and dwell on it, it's almost becomes self-infliction. But little do we realize it- let alone, we never see it in that way.
Little do you realize this is where you can exert your control to stop the pain. To stop replaying. You cannot change the past, but YOU are in control of your mind and your thoughts, but we as humans have less control over our emotions. So if we can control to keep such thoughts to a minimum, then our emotions won't find a way to resurface. Successful people are the ones who can moderate their thoughts... because they know the profound effect that thoughts have, despite being something that is non-concrete. Successful people possess their thoughts, they are not possessed by them.
Please do not take this advice as a sign of victim blaming. This article is only so people can have a realization of their strength to move on from such situations and revert to living their normal lives. That no matter what has happened to them, they can find strength in their misfortunes. This is only advice to initiate and speed up the recovery of victims of whatever misfortune.
It does take a lot of mental endurance to take control of your own mind (the irony!). But life will be full of ups and downs regardless. So it's a must.
In strength lies happiness. I hope this article has made you have an epiphany of your real strength.
“Watch your thoughts; they become your words
Watch your words; they become your actions
Watch your actions; they become your habits
Watch your habits; they become your character
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny”
-Ibn Al Qayyim
...I hope I can live up to this statement myself, InshaAllah.
When you are the victim of an incident, such as physical abuse, psychological abuse, betrayal or even neglect. The infliction (done by that person) itself is momentary. It's more enduring if you're feeling emotional or psychological pain. Nevertheless, the actual occurrence of that incident is only a moment. The 'aftermath' however, the pain that results from that incident, can last for days, weeks, and even months (depending on the severity of what happened).
The incident that happened to you was unfortunate and out of control. And you are indeed deserving of consideration, care and justice.
So why does the resulting pain have to last so long? Well, it doesn't have to. Most of the time your pain is continued because you're constantly reminiscing the incident that happened in the past. You're re-living the moment in your head a hundred times over.
Even though this 'replay' is abstract, the pain you feel from that memory is very real. And it opens up your emotional scars. Think about something that made you emotionally hit rock bottom. It hurts right now doesn't it? Okay, now stop.
When you consciously decide to remember that moment and dwell on it, it's almost becomes self-infliction. But little do we realize it- let alone, we never see it in that way.
Little do you realize this is where you can exert your control to stop the pain. To stop replaying. You cannot change the past, but YOU are in control of your mind and your thoughts, but we as humans have less control over our emotions. So if we can control to keep such thoughts to a minimum, then our emotions won't find a way to resurface. Successful people are the ones who can moderate their thoughts... because they know the profound effect that thoughts have, despite being something that is non-concrete. Successful people possess their thoughts, they are not possessed by them.
Please do not take this advice as a sign of victim blaming. This article is only so people can have a realization of their strength to move on from such situations and revert to living their normal lives. That no matter what has happened to them, they can find strength in their misfortunes. This is only advice to initiate and speed up the recovery of victims of whatever misfortune.
It does take a lot of mental endurance to take control of your own mind (the irony!). But life will be full of ups and downs regardless. So it's a must.
In strength lies happiness. I hope this article has made you have an epiphany of your real strength.
“Watch your thoughts; they become your words
Watch your words; they become your actions
Watch your actions; they become your habits
Watch your habits; they become your character
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny”
-Ibn Al Qayyim
Monday, 13 May 2013
"We Are Demonized" - British Muslim Students
"dedicated to supporting equality, democracy and freedom from extremism on university campuses". But I refuse to believe this statement since statements of this sort have been thrown around. It seems as if anything goes so long as you throw in the words 'freedom' and 'democracy'. One finds it hard to see how sex-segregation is linked to extremism if one discovers the significance behind it. Not to mention Islamic events by Islamic societies on campus usually have a section dedicated for those male and female students who choose to sit together. So, if a person wanted to sit in among their own gender only, they are free to do so. If they wished to sit with both genders, again they are free to do so. It's all consentual and does not stem from discrimination, certainly not extremism.
Sunday, 12 May 2013
...
Don't you hate it when you see your friends emotionally trapped in a relationship that's going nowhere or even unhealthy for them. You can say all the words and advice that you can offer, but so long as they have an attachment to their partner, your endeavor only has a very limited impact. Love & attachment can creep up on a person without them realizing. And when they do realize it, they're already attached. It's like the only time they realize they got too close to the fire is when they get burnt. This is why I take male-female interaction seriously. May Allah give us Halal life partners who will be there to catch us when we fall for them.
Can You Really 'Have it All'?
"What is destined will reach you, even if it be underneath two mountains. What is not destined, will not reach you, even if it be between your two lips!"- Arabic Proverb
If you want to 'have it all' then you need to give it your all. 'Having it all' is a privilege not a right. Therefore you need to exert your effort. However, this perspective is a very secular way of looking at it. From an Islamic perspective there is an all-determining factor....
You might endeavor on something, but at the end of the day, Allah will only give you if it is safe for you to have it. And if there is a purpose you can fulfill if it is granted to you. So yes, even if you worked so hard for it, you still might not get it, because it is not safe for you as it might corrupt you OR because your work was grounded in insincere intentions... or may be because there is a better plan for you in store.
One way find out whether that thing is for you or not before putting all that time and effort is to do istikhara. Istikhara is for ANY decision that you want to make. It's the most efficient method.
On Second Thoughts...
On second thoughts..
Will it ever happen? Arab unity- if there hasn’t
been progression in 70 years. What will stop me believing that my last
post will be yet another redundant, empty slogan. Words need to be coupled with
action. Please prove me
wrong. Start by changing your mindset.
Letter to the Arab World.... ....رسالة للوطن العربي
(please excuse any grammatical mistakes in my Arabic, I'm still a novice! :) )
A Letter to the Arab world,
Our region will only change if we as Arabs change. There's way too much fragmentation. Even 70 years after Colonialism, even after 60 years of the establishment of the State of Israel, we are no closer to unity because of the nationalism that was sold to us by the Colonialists. Nationalism- A tool to keep us divided. This nationalism has extinguished the concept of brother/sisterhood among us yet the notion of nationalism is still persistent today in our societies. I don't mean that we should go and tear down all the borders. That's only superficial. We need to tear down the borders that are deeply entrenched within our mentality. But let's not blame the colonialists for the persistence:
"If someone pushed you in the mud, that is there fault. If you stay there and wallow in it, then you're at fault."
Is this how we have fallen from grace? We can only blame our past and the dictatorships to an extent, but we as people carry responsibility too. Don't you realize we all came from the same forefather Abraham? To which before that we share an ancestor with the rest of humanity- Adam? Just because you are Palestinian, Jordanian, Saudi, Egyptian, etc. you are only as special as much as the next human being.
Please don't misunderstand this post, I believe in unity between all Muslim nations, but we could at least start with ourselves since we share a culture.
Our region will only change if we as Arabs change. There's way too much fragmentation. Even 70 years after Colonialism, even after 60 years of the establishment of the State of Israel, we are no closer to unity because of the nationalism that was sold to us by the Colonialists. Nationalism- A tool to keep us divided. This nationalism has extinguished the concept of brother/sisterhood among us yet the notion of nationalism is still persistent today in our societies. I don't mean that we should go and tear down all the borders. That's only superficial. We need to tear down the borders that are deeply entrenched within our mentality. But let's not blame the colonialists for the persistence:
"If someone pushed you in the mud, that is there fault. If you stay there and wallow in it, then you're at fault."
Is this how we have fallen from grace? We can only blame our past and the dictatorships to an extent, but we as people carry responsibility too. Don't you realize we all came from the same forefather Abraham? To which before that we share an ancestor with the rest of humanity- Adam? Just because you are Palestinian, Jordanian, Saudi, Egyptian, etc. you are only as special as much as the next human being.
Please don't misunderstand this post, I believe in unity between all Muslim nations, but we could at least start with ourselves since we share a culture.
رسالة للوطن العربي
سيتغير منطقتكنا عندما نحن كعرب سنغير لحالنا. حتى 70 سنة بعد الاستعمار و 60 سنة بعد تأسيس دولة إسرائيل في تجزئة كبير عندنا. و مع ذلك لسنا أقرب إلى الوحدة… بسبب القومية الي اشترينا من المستعمرون. فهو اداة للتقسيم بيننا. و القومية قد انطفأت معنى الإخوة بيننا و حتى الان القومية مستمر في مجتمعتنا. قصدي ليس إن نهدم الحدود. لا, هذا مجرد سطحي. لازم نهدم الحدود الِي منقوش في عقليتنا. لكن لن نلوم المستعمرون لهذا استمرار;
سيتغير منطقتكنا عندما نحن كعرب سنغير لحالنا. حتى 70 سنة بعد الاستعمار و 60 سنة بعد تأسيس دولة إسرائيل في تجزئة كبير عندنا. و مع ذلك لسنا أقرب إلى الوحدة… بسبب القومية الي اشترينا من المستعمرون. فهو اداة للتقسيم بيننا. و القومية قد انطفأت معنى الإخوة بيننا و حتى الان القومية مستمر في مجتمعتنا. قصدي ليس إن نهدم الحدود. لا, هذا مجرد سطحي. لازم نهدم الحدود الِي منقوش في عقليتنا. لكن لن نلوم المستعمرون لهذا استمرار;
"اذا واحد دفعتك بالطين,
الذنب له. لكن اذا ظلت فيه, الذنب لك"
هذا هو كيف وقعنا في الخطيئة؟ أو كنا منزوع من النعمة؟ نسطتيع نلوم تاريخنا و الدكتترييات إلى حد, لاننا كمواطنين عندنا مسئولية بالقضية أيضًا.
هذا هو كيف وقعنا في الخطيئة؟ أو كنا منزوع من النعمة؟ نسطتيع نلوم تاريخنا و الدكتترييات إلى حد, لاننا كمواطنين عندنا مسئولية بالقضية أيضًا.
هل ادرك كلنا متحدر من نفس
السلف (إبراهيم)؟ و قبله من نفس سلف كما يندحر باقي الناس (ادم)؟ مع هيك لا تفكروا
حالك مميز لانك أردني أو سوري أو فلسطيني أو كده. بنسبة للعرق, إنت مميز كما باقي الناس مميز فقط.
لا تعتقد لم اشجع الاخوة الاسلامية.
أشجعه أكتر شي. لكن على الاقل نبدأ مع بعض
لاننا في نفس الثقافة.
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Freedom of Speech? or the Freedom to Insult? Let's be rational.
Freedom of speech is not synonymous with the freedom to insult. Freedom of speech rightfully gives people the right to criticize, but some people abuse this and use it as an excuse to insult. There IS a difference between criticizing and insulting. Criticizing is the appropriate way to address something you don't like, and it can be used to initiate dialogue and discussion that can help people to come to a common ground, or at least, reach an understanding about each other's different opinions. Insulting is merely an impulsive behavior with the intention to provoke and to hurt. Surely this is not good for progression in society. People who use freedom of speech to insult say that there is fault in the person for 'feeling offended' and that they should allow people to insult them. Talk about putting the accusation on the victim? Freedom to insult causes alienation between groups and undermines respect for one another and thus will be a gateway for conflicts between people. Also, when respect is gone and conflicts happen, love for one another will also diminish.
Advocates of the freedom to insult, please have a forsight on the consequences of such an act.
Advocates of the freedom to insult, please have a forsight on the consequences of such an act.
Dreaming.
People need to properly distinguish between the 'ideal' of something and the 'reality' of something. What I mean is people need to stop believing what they want to believe about their lives and face the facts. We need to stop living inside an illusion that portrays the world in a way that is appealing for us. The phrase ''heads in the sand'' comes to mind. This is the thing that stops people from progressing and changing the problems in their life, because they're stuck in their own comfortable problem-free dream world. Most of the time this is done out of fear to escape the harsh reality of this life. To ease tension. It's an escapism. An 'escape' from the harsh reality and our imagination is our refuge. It's a way of coping. It's a crutch to lean on.
But those who are dreaming are unaware that this alluring illusion is a trap.
Once we begin to distinguish between the 'reality' and the 'ideal', we can then come up with a way on decreasing the rift between the two states. Meaning we can make our 'ideal' (the lives that we dream of having) into our reality. But for how much longer will most of us be stuck in our dreams? Until the end of our life? Until we are too old and incapable of working towards them? There's way too many dreamers and not enough people who will work towards those dreams.
But those who are dreaming are unaware that this alluring illusion is a trap.
Once we begin to distinguish between the 'reality' and the 'ideal', we can then come up with a way on decreasing the rift between the two states. Meaning we can make our 'ideal' (the lives that we dream of having) into our reality. But for how much longer will most of us be stuck in our dreams? Until the end of our life? Until we are too old and incapable of working towards them? There's way too many dreamers and not enough people who will work towards those dreams.
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Words of Wisdom from Ali (R.A)
"Do not speak about your money in front of a poor person
Do not speak about your health in front of a sick person
Do not speak about your power in front of a weak person
Do not speak about your happiness in front of a sad person
Do not speak about your freedom in front of a prisoner
Do not speak about your children in front of an infertile person
Do not speak about your father in front of an orphan
Because their wounds cannot bear more."
Do not speak about your health in front of a sick person
Do not speak about your power in front of a weak person
Do not speak about your happiness in front of a sad person
Do not speak about your freedom in front of a prisoner
Do not speak about your children in front of an infertile person
Do not speak about your father in front of an orphan
Because their wounds cannot bear more."
- Ali Ibn Abi Talib (R.A.)
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