Saturday, July 28, 2012

Al-Qalb : The Heart

Hatred and anger tend to give some sort of satisfaction momentarily, but leave sour tracks in the heart forever.  
Love and patience may cause bitterness initially, but leave behind everlasting trails of sweetness and contentment.


This is what life has taught me. 

Salam [Peace].   

Friday, July 27, 2012

An Apology

Please forgive my long hiatus from blogging. After exams, summer started and laziness kicked in. Also, I was contemplating whether or not to continue this blog and I have decided that I will. However, with break speedily coming to an end and college starting, I am not sure how often this blogging will be - bear with me! Also, I believe that my blog posts will now be more personal and less informational because this blog is no longer being used to fulfill a school requirement. So to sum it up, you can look forward to more posts filled with change. I hope this will be a positive, enjoyable change! If you have any ideas about what you want to read about, leave a comment below and I will try to incorporate it into my posts.

Oh, and (a belated) Ramadan Mubarak! Insha Allah, may it be filled with peace, mercy, growth, and happiness.
(Note about images: Not all of the images in my blog are mine, and credit goes to those who own the pictures.)


Khuda Hafiz [May God Keep You Under His Protection].

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Study Break!

Sorry! All my exams are coming up, so I will be taking a little break from blogging to study. Don't worry...



Allah kay Hawale [Leaving you to God].

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Kill Them!.....With LOVE.

This is a great TED Talk by the spoken word artist, Boonaa Mohammed. It speaks for itself, so I won't elaborate. Enjoy!



Asalaam-O-Alaikum [May the peace and blessings of God be upon you].

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Bulleh Shah

Bulleh Shah is one of my favorite poets ever. His work is so peaceful and inspiring! His poetry is generally sufi-oriented, meaning that it is mystical, so some of it may be difficult to understand. Below you will find some poetry by him in Romanized (referring to the alphabet) Punjabi (a dialect spoken in Pakistan and India) along with the English translation. I have also added a music video at the bottom, the lyrics of which are the lines of his poem, Bulla ki Jana. Enjoy the mesh of different art forms below!


Chal Way Bullehya Chal O'thay Chaliyay 
Jithay Saaray Annay 
Na Koi Saadee Zaat PichHanay 
Tay Na Koi Saanu Mannay 

O' Bulleh Shah let's go there 
Where everyone is blind 
Where no one recognizes our caste (or race, or family name) 
And where no one believes in us 






Masjid Dha Day, Mandir Dha Day
Dha Day Jo Kujh Disda
Par Kissay Da Dil Na Dhawee(n)
Rub Dilaa(n) Wich Wasda

Tear down the Mosque, tear down the temple
Tear down every thing in sight
But don't (tear down) break anyone's heart
Because God lives in there



Lyrics in English are in the music video. 

Salam [Peace].  

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Six Misconceptions About Islam

Taking seven minutes out of your life to watch this video will probably clear up lifelong misconceptions you may have about Islam. Please do yourself and me a favor and watch it!



Salam [Peace].   

Monday, March 12, 2012

Colors of the Wind

Two things:
  1. This song is absolutely amazing.
  2. Pocahontas' voice/feelings in this song perfectly mimic how I feel like I am characterized in Western society as well as my view of both the Earth and of general Western society.



                                                                   Lyrics

You think I'm an ignorant savage
And you've been so many places
I guess it must be so
But still I cannot see
If the savage one is me
How can there be so much that you don't know?
You don't know ...

You think you own whatever land you land on
The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim
But I know every rock and tree and creature
Has a life, has a spirit, has a name

You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You'll learn things you never knew you never knew

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon
Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?

Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest
Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth
Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once, never wonder what they're worth

The rainstorm and the river are my brothers
The heron and the otter are my friends
And we are all connected to each other
In a circle, in a hoop that never ends

How high will the sycamore grow?
If you cut it down, then you'll never know
And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon

For whether we are white or copper skinned
We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains
We need to paint with all the colors of the wind

You can own the Earth and still
All you'll own is Earth until
You can paint with all the colors of the wind
 Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?
 Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

Asalaam-O-Alaikum [May the peace and blessings of God be upon you].

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

"First Amendment Rights!" or "First Amendment Rights?"


These were some of the comments on this video:
"ALL MUSLIMS MUST DIE!!!!!!" 
"Hm. I don't see a problem." 
"Dont like it go somewhere you belong. You can thank your good American Muslim brothers who trained as pilots before 9/11. I dont feel sorry for you at all. Good job to the police."
I don't know how that makes me feel. Sadly enough, it does not bother me as much as it should just because I am so used to reading such comments. I find it necessary to point out, however, that the first comment is rather illogical in that presumably the writer has a problem with Muslims since he/she thinks they are all terrorists, but he finds it okay to start up a holocaust in return. That is not a terrorist act at all, or anything. Well, at least he had the decency to capitalize Muslim, right? Always look on the bright side, after all.


These were some other comments from the same video:
"So because someone prays 4 times a day and talks about religion means they're a terrorist? Lol..." 
"Use terror to fight terror.. good idea.. oh wait O_o" 
"drones in the sky, everyone is being watched. take the country back. take our rights back"


Life is never black and white; there are always shades of gray.

Allah kay Hawale [Leaving you to God].

Monday, February 20, 2012

What is Your Interpretation?


This is one of my more abstract pieces of artwork. What do you guys think it means? Ponder over it. Let it challenge you for a few minutes. Remember, art only means what you make of it, so there are no wrong answers. But, to get you on the direction that I had hoped it would, it does deal with some of the topics I discuss on my blog. Have fun analyzing! Hopefully it will allow you to view a different perspective for a little bit.

Asalaam-O-Alaikum [May the peace and blessings of God be upon you].

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Celebrating Diversity

Sometimes I don't understand how it is possible for people to be so close-minded. How can people bar themselves from understanding cultures and religions that are different from their own? The world is full of people who are different from you. When one is close minded, he cages himself up into a small space with only the same things to experience again and again. Diversity is so beautiful and refreshing!

I also do not understand how anyone in the world can possibly find himself as superior to another, specifically regarding race. One could just as easily have been born black as white. Then his lifestyle would be completely different from what it is now. This truth rationally explains why we should treat each other equally. We are all humans! Instead of thinking of people in group form, look at the individual and you will see how close we are to each other.

This is why I don't like it when people say they "are tolerating of others." It makes it seem as if diversity is something to be tolerated . We should celebrate our differences; they allow us to gain perspective and knowledge, even if we personally do not agree with them.

While I understand that this may all be wishful thinking, I believe that living in a diverse environment is an effective way to overcome prejudice. Because actions are more effective than words, watching people of different races, genders, and religions live their day to day lives helps us understand one another better and break internal biases we have due to our backgrounds. Eventually, there comes a point where differences combine to form a beautiful mosaic, in which all the different pieces fit each other perfectly. Gaps are bridged by common factors which increase understanding, leading to the overall advancement of humanity. So I am not exactly dreaming, am I? It seems like "the perfect world" may not be so hard to reach. 



(Note about images: Not all of the images in my blog are mine, and credit goes to those who own the pictures.)


Salam [Peace]. 

Coke Studio

So there is this show in Pakistan. and it produces the best music. in the ENTIRE world. Think I am kidding? I'm not. This is what the Coke Studio Facebook page has in its information section:
"Coke Studio embodies a musical fusion of exciting elements and diverse influences, ranging from traditional eastern, modern western and regionally inspired music. Bringing alive the magic of live recordings and performances, Coke Studio prides itself on providing a musical platform which bridges barriers, celebrates diversity, encourages unity and instils a sense of Pakistani pride. Coke Studio is an inspired step by Coca-Cola for having created a platform where renowned as well as upcoming and less mainstream musicians from various genres can collaborate musically."
It truly is an extreme fusion between Western modern music and Eastern classical music. I find every song worthwhile, but here are some of them. Many of them have the [cc] button, which will translate the lyrics underneath the video when clicked. Please do check them out.






These are just the tip of the iceberg. I will probably do a more serious post with some of my favorites, but that is all for now.

Asalaam-O-Alaikum [May the peace and blessings of God be upon you].

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Forgotten Promises

Dear All,

Sorry for the break in posting! I have been busy and just haven't been able to fit blogging into my schedule lately. Anyway, I promise I will try to get better at posting again. Today I actually wanted to share a music video with you all by one of my many favorite artists, Sami Yusuf. He recently came out with a video that promotes the connections we all have to one another as a part of humanity, and due to this connection, we are all responsible for caring for each other. He specifically targets the issue of ... actually, I'll let you guys watch it and understand it for yourselves.


Allah kay Hawale [Leaving you to God].

Thursday, January 12, 2012

A Land Called Paradise

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to post a video made to break stereotypes about Islam and Muslims. It is really well worth your time. Enjoy!



Khuda Hafiz [May God Keep You Under His Protection].