A father passing by his teenage daughtes bedroom
was astonished to see the bed was nicely made and
Everything was neat and tidy. Then he saw an envelope
propped up prominently on the centre of the pillow. It
was addressed “Dad”.
With the worst premonition, he opened the envelope and
read the letter with trembling hands:-
An old man was sitting on a bench in the mall when a young man with spiked hair came over and sat down beside him. The boy’s hair was yellow and green and orange and purple. He had black makeup around his eyes. The old man just stared at him. The boy said, “What’s the matter, old man, haven’t you ever done anything wild in your life?” The old man answered, “Well yes, actually, I have. I once got drunk and had sex with a parrot. I was just wondering if you were my son.
There was a man named Bubba and Bubba knew EVERYONE in the whole world!!! Once when Bubba got a new job, Bubba says to his new boss, “Boss, I know everyone in the whole world!” His boss doesn’t believe him, so he says “No you do not know everyone in the whole world” but Bubba says “Yes I do!” so Bubba’s boss says “Well prove it!” then Bubba says “Pick someone… and I know them!”
Well Bubba’s boss thinks for a minute and then comes up with a name. “Tom Selleck! I bet you don’t know Tom Selleck!” Bubba says “Tom Selleck! Tom and I were in boy scouts together when we were kids!” but Bubba’s boss says “No you weren’t!” then Bubba says “Yes we were!” so they fly to Hollywood and drive up to Tom Selleck’s house. Bubba knocks on the door and Tom Selleck answers and Bubba goes “Tom!!!” and Tom goes “Bubba!” and they hug and catch up for 30 minutes and Bubba’s boss can’t believe it. But then he thinks “Well that could happen, it’s just one person,” so he tells Bubba and Bubba says “OK, pick somebody else!” Read more »
A Milk-maid had been to the meadow to milk her cows. Now she was returning home with a pail of milk on her head.
She thought, “I will make cream and butter out of this milk. Then selling them, I will buy eggs. and when they hatch, I shall have a good poultry farm.”
She further thought, “I shall sell some of my fowls and buy a fine dress. Seeing it on my body at the fair, all the boys will admire me. But I will turn them away just tossing my head at them.”
Lost in day dreams, she forgot about the pail on her head. She tossed her head with a jerk and the pail of milk came tumbling down. it was broken and all the milk got spilt.
“Dear O dear !” she cried, “I have lost my all.”
MORAL: Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
Enter the Marriage with the Right Intention and Renew this Often
Both spouses should enter the marriage with the pure intention of pleasing Allah, subhanahu wa ta’ala, in order to receive His grace and blessings. The marriage itself then becomes an act of worship and one for which both spouses will be rewarded. Allah will be pleased with them and this will be the most critical element in ensuring peace, stability and happiness throughout the marital life. It is also important to realize that when an act of worship is continued over a long period of time, it becomes necessary to renew one’s intention often to remain on the correct path and to obtain the most benefit.
Remember that Your Spouse is also Your Brother or Sister in Islam Read more »
Allah (Subhanhu wa Ta’ala) says: “O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion; indeed some suspicions are sins…” (Qur’an 49: 12)
It is easy to forget how our actions and manners can have a tremendous impact on our spouses and loved ones, and also how many times our mind wandering suspiciousness can play a very negative role in our relationships.
Fatimah, a young woman of 31 years old, thrived on learning. She had attended college for three years after graduating from high school, but was unable to complete her last year due to financial constraints. However, she was finally able to finish her remaining credits over the past three years by taking a couple of classes at a time through a university that offered online classes. Read more »
Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turn my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence
“Fools,” said I, “you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you”
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said “The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sound of silence
There’s an alternate universe where our alter ego lives. Sometimes this alter ego takes over our true self. We start living our fears. We act out our desires and fantasies. Sometimes we become so engrossed in this fantasized dreamworld that it becomes the real world for us.
We go in deeper and deeper. We sink and we rise. But we become oblivious of our surroundings. We become numb to feelings and sensations. We neglect our bodies. We ignore the effect on people around us. We go against the natural instinct of survival.
We become lost. We are entrapped. We cry for freedom but do not want to be free. We are in quicksand and we go in deeper and deeper. We lose ourselves. Yet we gain nothing. But we’re unable to see the obvious. We’re unable to hear the warnings. We go on. We are afraid to let go. Perhaps we feel safe in the sand glued around us, no matter how it’s sucking us in. Perhaps we’re afraid to get out and feel the fresh air. We are afraid to tread into the unknown.
So we cling to our fantasy world and we try to convince ourselves it’ll last forever. We forget time is not on our side. We forget that everything moves on and if we stand still we will be the ones left behind.
But we do not learn. We keep trying and failing and trying again. In the process we miss several other paths lying open while we keep banging about a dead end. We don’t realize life is not about ends, it’s about beginnings. We don’t realize it’s about doing, not convincing. We don’t realize it’s about accepting rather than imposing. We don’t know how to say no or listen to a no.
The hardest thing in life is quitting. Yes! Quitting while you’re ahead. Quitting while you’re still appreciated. We keep clinging on to the known till it loses all its life and charm. We don’t know how to end on a good note. We don’t know how to let go and move on. We don’t know how to retire as a champion. Being a champion is all about timing. It’s about knowing when to hit and when to retrieve. It’s about accepting defeat with grace.
We read, we hear, we observe – yet we can’t see! We learn, we teach, we preach – yet we don’t apply. We don’t believe! If we believed, we would be the first one to put it to use. But we don’t! We keep waiting. We keep procrastinating. We keep hoping for a miracle to happen. Well, it won’t! Coz we do not believe, neither ourselves nor others. Miracles don’t happen. We make things happen.
But we’d rather stay in our fantasy world…
[by Syed Roman Ahsan - Dec. 25, 2009]
Dedicated to Truth-Seekers
On Birthday of two great men Jinnah & Jesus (pbuh)
Two men who carried a great cause
The truth lost its face,
The shepherds forgot to pace
Dark clouds stained the sky,
Honesty hid behind lies
The waves ruined the sand castles,
The soldiers laughed at the imprisoned mortals
The tears soaked the young man’s pillow,
While nobody cared for the weeping willow
The garden was left with little colour,
The fortress guards lacked any vigor
The pain was too overwhelming,
And the little girl needed some pampering
Gentlemen and ladies could nowhere be seen,
The curtain dropped without any clean scene
The island offered not any comfort,
The marching ants could not make any effort
Suddenly a voice was heard from the East,
Some hope revived against the spite of the ‘beast’
A silent man emerged from the barren valley,
Trying to balance on the horse of courage
Suffering has made him wise,
Pain has brought him respite
Gold and silver excite him not,
They are only a means to help the have-nots
This world is ever dangerous, he says,
Selfishness and pride rules the mind
Ego and hate decorate the winds,
The air sheds its innocence
Souls are hurting everywhere,
The beauty of woods is no more there,
The flowers have lost their smile,
What can you say about the Poor’s plight?
The difference lies in knowing the truth,
What is required, just some purpose from youth
The forces need to be gathered,
All strength needs to be mustered
Life does carry a greater meaning,
Justice needs to be prevailed
Minds need to be nurtured with knowledge,
The message has to be floated in a carriage
Evil has carried on too far,
Everything seems too bizarre
One should know the use of an arrow,
It’s very necessary to free the sparrow
Food has to be equally shared,
The villain must never be spared
Compassion needs to be upheld and flourished
Spirituality has to be nourished,
God loves everyone amongst us,
But who in the crowd loves him sleepless?
Have to challenge the tides of the night,
Should not get scared of the fleeing knight
People are not good in this world,
Friends & foes, all are without remorse
The winds seem a little too sharp,
The winter carries its own ache
The darkness needs the help of a candle,
We need not rely on the wings of the angel
With others or alone, I have to proceed
The task is never-ending, it is agreed
The journey begins right here,
Don’t panic, with strong faith nothing should be feared!!!
1 – First Important Lesson – Cleaning Lady.
During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezes through the questions, until I read the last one:
“What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the Cleaning Woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50’s, but how would I know her name?
I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.
Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.
“Absolutely”, said the professor. “in your careers you will meet many people. All are significant…they deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say, ‘Hello!’ to them….
I’ve never forgotten that lesson….I also learned her name was Dorothy. Read more »