Let Ramadan Do Its Work

•*• Ramadan Mubarak! •*• Alhamdulillah for the arrival of this sacred
and special month! May Allah bless our brothers and sisters all over
the world.
Going into Ramadan, manyof us are experiencing hardships of some kind.
Some of us are dealing with painful relationship problems,
difficulties in our marriages, problems with in-laws, breakups, debt,
loneliness, or are struggling with feelings of shame and guilt.
Let's allow Ramadan to be a soothing balm for our souls. Let it purify
us. Let Ramadan remind us of Allah's immense and infinite favors. Let
Ramadan do its inner workon us, and when it's over let's not go back
to what we were.
If Ramadan allows us to climb ten steps higher on the ladder toward
Jannah, then maybe after Ramadan we fall back two or three steps, but
not all the way. Be better and stronger than we were. This holy month
will teach us, if we let it.
New Habits, Insha'Allah
I told my daughter Salma a few days ago – she just turned six years
old – that Ramadan is a time for giving up not only food and water,
but also bad habits. I said, "Let's make adeal. I will try not to lose
my temper when you misbehave, and you will work on being less grouchy
and more gratefulfor all your blessings." To my pleasure, Salma smiled
and said, "Okay, that's a deal."
Of course I don't want this to be a change in Ramadan only. I hope
that Ramadan will set me on a new course, enabling me to be a better
parent all year long, and will teach my daughter how to be more aware
of the ne'mah (blessings and provisions) in her life.
As for the fast itself, it is hard. Ramadan is in summertime, while
much of the world is suffering from heat and drought. When we get to
Maghreb, it's a relief and a joy to break fast, especially with family
and friends.
Even better than that is Allah's reward, which comes when we need it
most and least expect it, and is always greater than we can imagine,
Insha'Allah.
As the Messenger of Allah (sws) said, "The fasting person experiences
two joys: one when he breaks his fast, and one when he meets His Lord"
(Muslim).
Give Sadaqah and Make Dua'
Lastly, let's remember those who are suffering. Afghanistan and Yemen
are in the midst of famine. The Horn of Africa is withering from
drought. The people of Syria are struggling and dying as we speak.
Give sadaqah if you can, through organizations such as Islamic Relief
, Islamic Relief UK , and Life for Relief and Development .
And make dua'! Your dua' matters. The Prophet Muhammad, may God bless
him and grant him peace, said that there are three whose dua is never
rejected by Allah: a fasting person at the time of breaking fast, the
just rulerand the one who is oppressed.' (Ahmad,Tirmidhi)
O Allah, for You do we fast,and for You do we break our fast. All
praise is due toYou, who fed us, and gave us to drink, and made us
Muslims. Purify us during this month, relieve us fromour burdens, and
forgive us. – Ameen.

Freedom for Egypt and the Ummah

O Allah, make Egypt a beacon of freedom for the Arab world and all of
Africa. Bring relief to the Ummah, and let them breathe. Guide them
andkeep them on the light. Subhanaka wa bihamdik , Glory to You Allah
and praise to You.
Power to the people!!!
Mubarak the dictator is gone. But the January 25threvolution must
continue until all the corrupt old guard are gone. The killers and
torturers of Khaled Said and so many other innocents must be broughtto
justice. The voice of the people must be respected, and their freedom
assured.
What has happened is a huge first step, a historic moment. It is a
tremendous victory for thepeople and the youth. A new age has dawned
on Egypt. Now ahead lies the journey.
Alhamdulillah, wa Allahu Akbar.

Islam is a Game Changer

Islam is a game changer. Every other system, every human-made "ism" –
feudalism, tribalism, nationalism, monarchism, capitalism, communism,
fascism – treats human beings like commodities orless. Every other
system simply plays around with variables like distribution of wealth
and labor, or elevates one group of human beings based on lineage or
geography, while devaluing others to less-than-human status.
All these systems are fundamentally uncivilized, even barbaric.
Islam changes everything. Islam says, we're going to uphold the
fundamental dignity of all human beings.
"And We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them
on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and
preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite]
preference." – Quran, 17:70
Allah has honored all the children of Adam. Not onlyMuslims, not only
men, notone race or nation, not only the wealthy or beautiful, but all
humans. As for the nature of man, Allah says, "[So mention] when your
Lord said to the angels, 'Indeed, I am going to create a human being
from clay. So whenI have proportioned him and breathed into him ofMy
[created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.'" – Quran,
38:71-72
A being into whom Allah breathed cannot help but be noble by nature.
Yes, we humans are corruptibleand shortsighted, but we don't have to
be. Our nature is pure. We can, at times, rise above our own
foolishness and become great.
When it comes to morality,Islam takes the approach of trusting human
beings to live by values like compassion, justice, fairness, help for
the poor, brotherhood and sisterhood, devotion to God, and
non-attachment to material luxuries.
That's what Islam is supposed to be!
This is why certain oppressive cultural practices found in parts of
the Muslim world are so abominable. I'm talking about so-called honor
killings, female genital mutilation, denial of education to women,
violence against religious minorities, etc. These practices must be
abolished. They are anathema to everything Islam represents.
Islam came to promote an idea of human dignity based on:
1- Our relationship with Allah;
2- The love and mercy we show one another;
3- The utilization of our free will for a higher purpose.
All human beings are created in the best of molds ( You Are Perfectly
Created ). All human beingsare born on the fitrah , the pure and
natural way, with an inborn inclination to recognize the Creator and
do good. Racism and nationalism are abhorred and abolished. Women
arerecognized as intellectual and spiritual beings, not property,
objects, or vassals.
That's Islam as it should be. It's a revolutionary system. Rather than
a limited material or tribal system, it is for the first time in
history a human system. If we're practicing anything less then we're
not practicing Islam. If we look down on certain races, if we hate
people because of their nationality or religion, if we subjugate
women, then we're practicing a fraud, and shaming ourselves before the
world.
Islam rises above everything that came before. Islam came to change
the world, and to elevate the essential nobility all human beings, a
nobility not based on nation or tribe, but on our eternal souls.
That's the call of Islam. That's the path we must follow.

1a] Sad love stories

1a]
One fine day, they decided to run away from their homes and meet the
next day under a mulberry tree near tomb of Ninus. Thisbe was the
first one to reach on spot and was waiting for Pyramus.
That's when the tragedy struck and story took a devastating turn.There
was a fountain nearby where a lioness came to quench her thirst. The
sight of lioness made Thisbe panic and she hurried to safety in some
hollow rocks nearby. While she was running she left her veil behind.
The lioness came near, sniffed the veil and tore it in his bloody
jaws. At that very moment, Pyramus arrived near the mulberry tree and
found the tattered blood stained veil. He thought that his love was
dead and was completely devastated. He blamed himself to be the cause
of Tisbe's death and in a moment of agony, pierced his chest with his
own sword. Tisbe, who was still hiding in the rocks, came out of her
hiding place and seeing the dead body of her lover, she was totally
shattered and grief-stricken. She also took the sword and killed
herself and thus one of the purest love stories ended in pain and
death.
Pocahontas and John Smith
Though love stories from different places are told in contrasting
styles and languages yet the charm of romance remains the same. Love
is like a blissful flow of emotion. Love knows no barriers, caste,
creed, discrimination and status. It dictates terms on its own and has
a habit of standing against allodds. How many times, have we come
across tales of love managing to survive despite the insurmountable
odds? Many times perhaps and yet we are nottired of love tales that
has a heart-breaking end. These tales belong to different centuries
but still manage to enthral us. Painful romantic stories are timeless
and have carved themselves in immortality. There are plenty of love
stories to be shared like Helen of troy and Paris, Abelard and
Heliose, Pygmalion and Galatea and Pocahontas and JohnSmith.
The story of Pocahontas and JohnSmith is a celebrated legend in the
history of America. Pocahontas was the daughter of Powhatan. She was
an Indian princess. Powhatan was the commanding chief of the
Algonquian Indians in the Tidewater region of Virginia. According to
legend, the first meeting between Pocahontas and John Smith took place
under unusual circumstances. John Smith was leading an expedition in
December 1607 and because of certain misunderstanding Indians
captivated him. Smith was taken to the residence of Powhatan where he
was tortured. But he was saved by Pocahontas who helped him
tremendously to get him out of his misery.
Pocahontas felt an instant liking for John Smith and found him
immensely attractive and appealing. Soon enough Powhatan adopted Smith
as his son and from there onwards, the friendship between Pocahontas
and Smith started taking deep roots. They started to come closerto
each other but destiny had some other plans. John Smith hadto return
back to England after getting badly injured due to gunpowder
explosion. Pocahontas was constantly worried about him and decided to
make a visit to the fort but unfortunately there she was informed that
Smith was dead.
Things started to change rapidly and soon after, Pocahontas was taken
prisoner by Sir Samuel Argall who had some devious plans of his own.
He demanded return of English prisoners from Powhatan in return of
Pocahontas. In the meantime, Pocahontas decided to become a Christian
during her captivity. Justa year later, she married John Rolfe. She
met John Smith after aneternal gap of eight years while visiting
London. This was also their last meeting.