Archive for the ‘Islam’ Category
Why Are You Silent
February 19th, 2013, posted in Islam, PAKiSTAN, POEtRY..
It is in this direction you refuse to look
As if doing so would alter your faith in “hope†and “changeâ€
As if standing up for the oppressed is something as simple as “choosing sidesâ€
As if speaking up for the murdered would threaten your “political outlookâ€
It is here, amidst these ruins of dead children
You dare to even shed a tear
As if mourning for shia blood were forbidden
As if flags could dictate what hearts should feel
It is here, where blood is on the inside and outside
You sit at your desks and dinner tables
Arguing and debating like a bunch of fools and cowards
Over the meaning of “genocide.â€
It is here, where Pakistan is crying and bleeding
She asks: What have my children done to you
To cause this reclusive silence?
How much louder do they need to keep screaming?
What did they do to you to make you shut your mouth?!
What did they do to you to make you close your eyes?!
What did they do to you to make you cover your ears?!
What did they do to you to make you ignore their desperate cries?!
What did they do to you to make you get so offended
When all someone did was beg you to speak for them?!
What did they do to you to make you so blind
From realizing this atrocity needs to be condemned?!
Yes, with all this blood and death
I see you look the other way
With all this murder and madness
I see you turn and walk away
Not your concern, not your child
Carry on with your everyday life
Someone else’s problem, someone else’s job
Not your war, not your strife
Yes, with all this terror, all this wailing
All you can say is I’m not educated enough
Or I dont know the history
As if that had anything to do with human empathy
Yes, with all this bloodshed and slaughter
You remain oblivious to how many lives it took
With all this horror and mayhem
It is in this direction you refuse to look
Note : I found this online and did little changes hope the writer wont mind.
Watching Your Own Actions – Minding Your Own Business !
February 18th, 2013, posted in SufismHow did our Prophet (PBUH) correct people ??
When living within a community, you may see an action by someone that needs correcting.
“You should be soft and kind [as our Prophet  (P.B.U.H)]. You should not be trying to find someones mistakes so you can correct them. This is not your job.”
Lets say you are working with other people.
Now why should you be soft and kind, even when you dont have to ??
What is the advantage of being soft and kind ??
If there werent an advantage to this, our Prophet (P.B.U.H) would not have set such an example.
As Sufis, we should ask ourselves: it may be pleasing to Allah, but how does it benefit us to be soft and kind?
1. You create “ to the best of your ability “ positivity.
2. When you are talking about a subject, maybe the person will hear it better, rather than responding to the negativity.
3. They wont think you are trying to put them down, but rather that you are not happy with what is happening.
How to be more like the Prophet (PBUH) :
Now we all have our own style. Some of us come across stronger when we are trying to correct others. We are always working on saying things in a nicer way, so that the person hears the message.
But what is the benefit to us ?? We dont want to be viewed as brittle or cruel, because that is not our intention. For Allah’s sake, you intend to be a better person. As soon as you have this intention, what will Allah do? If you take a step to Allah, He’s going to walk to you. So you also create positive energy for yourself when you think of Allah’s pleasure and are soft and kind.
No matter how much we fail or succeed in this, the point is always,
“What can I learn out of what is happening, so that I can get closer to Allah ??“
Perform amri bil-maruf wa nahyi anil-munkar (the condition of enjoining righteousness, or what is fair and equitable, and forbidding indecency, or what is morally repugnant) according to your means and station. The part [from Chapter Seven of Ahmed er Rifais book Guidance to Mysticism in Grand Masters of Sufism, Ansari Publications, 2008] that I would like to expand upon a bit is why should we dont go around and check for everyones faults?
1. You dont have time to concentrate this much on other people. Our first job as Sufis is to concentrate on ourselves and find out what we are doing that is stopping us from getting closer to Allah, not what other people are doing wrong. What we are doing wrong is going to make us further away from Allah. If we learn from that, then that is what is going to get us closer to Allah, inshAllah.
2. You should mind your own business and use your heart. For Sufis, the heart is most important. Why is the heart important? Because Allah resides in your heart, because your connection to Allah is in your heart.
