Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Natural remedies

I'm big on these. I believe a lot of common problems can be treated if only we knew how to eat right. Everything Allah (swt) has created on earth is beneficial in some form or the other. However, when I came across this page on Zee News, I really wondered.

Remedies for baldness
- Scrub the bald area with onions till it becomes red. Follow up by applying honey over patch.
- Rub on the scalp with 1 teaspoon oil in which raw mangoes have been preserved for over one year. Repeat treatment frequently.
Remedies for high BP
- Eat 1 Papaya on an empty stomach daily for a month. Do not eat anything after for about 2 hours.
Remedies for burn treatment
- Chemical burn treatment: Wash thoroughly the burnt area under running tap water for atleast 30 minutes till the burning subsides.
- Electric burn first aid: Switch off the main electric switch.
Remedies for arthritis
- Warm mustard oil, spread it over madar leaf and foment the joint by spreading the leaf over the joint and keeping it there for a few hours for arthritis relief
Remedies for acidity relief
- Eat a cup of vanilla ice cream or drink a glass of cold milk to get heartburn and acidity relief within minutes
Remedies for acne cure
- Clove based face mask or a paste of Fenugreek (Methi ) leaves applied overnight on acne and washed off next morning
Scary!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

The Lonely Rose

I live in a serene forest
By a winding river
Where a lonely rose grows

Every morning I look at the woods
Longing to walk through them
To discover the hidden terrain

But the lonely rose is so beautiful
A dioramic semblance of eternal truth
That sets the ambiance in my world

I guard this rouge bloom day and night
My fear of its loss is immense
And my longing for the woods is unbounded

But the rose is of the wild
And I am of the wild
We will live close to infinity

I cannot sacrifice my dreams
My hopes will outlast the rose
For one day we both will cease to be

- Dedicated to one of my most beautiful friend, Kahkashan, and someone else ;)

Error Messages

I typed up a few error messages, until I stopped at this one, and thought about what style would appeal to most users.
I'm sure there's a standard on writing error messages out there...

"Cannot delete storage unit because it either has samples in it, or components associated with it. Please fix the problem and try again."
OR
"We're sorry. The storage unit cannot be deleted because it either has samples in it, or associated components. Please empty the unit or delete the levels and try again."
OR
"Cannot delete storage unit."
OR
"Are you stupid or what? How can you delete a freezer if it has samples in it? Like... honestly!"
OR
"A little birdie has informed us that you are attempting to delete a storage unit. If you do not want to be infected by a deadly virus on your computer, loose your front teeth and be constipated until the next full-moon please do not try this again."
OR
"Danger. Do not delete storage unit."
OR
"This operation can only be performed by an expert. You are not an expert. And this should not be tried @ home."
OR
"javax.12342345345CONSTRAINT.exception We terribly apologise for this incovenience, but we really can't let you delete this storage unit because of foreign key constraints. Error code 23505."

The possibilities are endless. Comments?

Silence

He came running down the stairs and stormed into the kitchen. 'I've had enough. What is going on? Does anyone care about what she does?' His words seem directed at his mother. Her face turned into a grimace. She thought about all the times she tried to change her, talk to her, show her the light. All the times when she showed how much she was protecting her, that she needs to stop it, and get back to the right path, and now it's happening all over again. I watched quietly, not knowing what they were talking about.

His mother summoned her into the separate room. I'm sure her daughter was dreading the proceedings, but it had to be done. Time passed, I paced up and down. Finally, I was called for. To advice. To rectify. She unveiled everything that had been going on for many months. I was shocked. My disbelief was beyond control. I lost all words. And I felt defeated. Why did she never tell me? I thought to myself. Am I responsible for this? Should I forgive myself because I was away? How selfish. Very selfish.

For the rest of the days, the same thought haunted me over and over again. All I wanted to know, was, why didn't she ever tell me? Did I mean nothing? Every time she looked at her, her heart and mind urged her to ask, question, seek the answer to her painful question... but her lips would fail her.

And in the end, everything failed her, and she returned, with her un-asked question, still unanswered.

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Dua for stubborness

3:83 Do they seek for other than the Religion of Allah.-while all creatures in the heavens and on earth have, willing or unwilling, bowed to His Will (Accepted Islam), and to Him shall they all be brought back.
أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ

11:56 "I put my trust in Allah, My Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature, but He hath grasp of its fore-lock. Verily, it is my Lord that is on a straight Path.
إِنِّي تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللّهِ رَبِّي وَرَبِّكُم مَّا مِن دَآبَّةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ آخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَا إِنَّ رَبِّي عَلَى صِرَاطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ

14:12 "No reason have we why we should not put our trust on Allah. Indeed He Has guided us to the Ways we (follow). We shall certainly bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us. For those who put their trust should put their trust on Allah."
وَمَا لَنَا أَلاَّ نَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَى اللّهِ وَقَدْ هَدَانَا سُبُلَنَا وَلَنَصْبِرَنَّ عَلَى مَا آذَيْتُمُونَا وَعَلَى اللّهِ فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُتَوَكِّلُونَ

Friday, June 23, 2006

Yonder

Take me away
A ride on a cloud
Past those mountains
Into the sky
Above the snowy peaks
Higher than birds
Far from any element
On the rays of sun
Or the dancing moonlight
In the still winds
With the quiet stars
Faster than gushing rapids
But slower than swaying trees
Away from here

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Squagel

is a square bagel.
There was so much excitement around it @ work, that everyone hovered over to EG's computer to google up if there is something like that. We found lots, even images!
What would a pentagon shaped bagel be called? Pentaquagel? Pentagel? And circular.. cirquagel, or just bagel.
In fact, everyone just became 10 times more nutrition-conscious. EG and I went to get booster juices today. VA has stopped going for iced caps and this article was being circulated on the team list:
Drinks by Starbucks are at the centre of a consumer health group's latest report.

Disunity amongst leaders

It seems as if the people who are quick to make judgements about people are the ones the media is quick to quote. Sh. Riyadh Ul Haq is a respected person all over the world by many people. What is anyone going to gain by slandering him? Before we speak our mind out, we need to weigh the odds. If all our leaders are going to do is stand up and point fingers @ each other, just to get their voices heard, then we're just entangling ourselves deeper in the web of disunity.


Imam's visit raises concerns

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

The Last Hour

Spiralling moments
In your life, in my life
Meet and fuse

Cinching eyes
Yours, mine
Affirm common goals

Beautiful company
With you, with me
Discover secret dominions

Quiet emotions
in you, in me
Melt into words

Hopeful future
for you, for me
Promise for life

A brief meeting

He said he was an avid horse rider, fluent in German, French, Urdu and English and simply loved travelling. Of course, when he said all those things, he said lots more, all about himself. It didn't take long to realise how full of himself he was. But he came all the way from Montreal to see her, may be he is genuinely interested?
They met @ Starbucks. He asked her if she wanted to try something new, and they did. Not a very mood enhancing drink, but it helped make a long conversation.
He repeated his preference was 'someone brought up here, of 3rd generation Arab or Oriental parents...' which of course neither of them were. But he flaunted his weight, just like any guy (with an ego) would.
He wanted a serious explanation. Why @ 21? Why do you make it seem like a goal that you need to get to? 'What makes you think you're even ready? My view is different, it's about...'
Her thoughts drifted away. What a loser. The guy thinks he's too good. But he's conquerable. However, not worth it. She can tell he was self-dragged into this, because he was compelled to show his greatness to her. It was his nature.
Guess he's having a real hard time with his identity. But, not for me...
And she crushed his ego flawlessly, and walked away.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Men and Jihad

The companions of the Prophet (pbuh) in the past were strong and brave men. They could wear extremely heavy armour, and fight through the hottest of weather. Their imans were firm, and belief in the Prophet (pbuh) unshakeable. And strength doesn't just come from being a Muslim. It takes a lot of training and a healthy lifestyle to achieve that.
I've come across several brothers who believe they've got it all right- That they'd stand up for their deen if the need arises, they observe their prayers, are active in the community and have even delivered speeches. Very cool? But these same people actually have very irregular or inactive lifestyles.
Some minor happenings got me thinking.

  • One brother, who (admitted many emails later) that walking from the Greyhound bus station to harbourfront and halfway back developed rashes on his legs. He was very proud of his 1/2 hr walk to the only Masjid in Waterloo for Maghrib. Also a gaming addict.
  • Another one, a young and aspiring businessman lost his breath well before he reached the 3rd floor as I showed him to the prayer space on campus, and commented, 'wow, haven't climbed stairs in ages... one gets so used to elevators in the corporate world'.
  • One had to carry a microwave up four floors and... he ventured never to do that again.
  • Brothers (and some sisters too) who proudly claim that they have maintained their weight for the last 5 years or more. Actually, that doesn't suggest much. First off, it just means you haven't been exercising enough (because muscles increase body mass) Your weight doesn't tell much about your actual health, or strength.
And so on.
Can such people really fight against injustice if it comes to that? I doubt it. They claim to understand the concept of 'struggle', but... would they really be able to struggle? More than strength, it requires a lot of self-discipline. Physical strength is directly linked to your beliefs.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) (on the authority of Abu Hurayrah) is reported to have said:

“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, while there is good in both.”

Ibn Taymiyya wrote that it is preferable and more virtuous for a Muslim to have the ability to properly perform their prayers. A contemporary scholar of our time, Salih al-Fawzaan has the following to say about physical strength and its relation to our belief and actions:

“The believer who is strong in his belief, body, and actions is better than the weak believer, the one who has weak belief, or a weak body or weak actions. That is because the strong believer is productive and accomplishes things for the Muslims, and thus they benefit from his physical strength, actions, and his strong belief."

The believer who has strong belief should more likely to be fit and in shape, because he understands the importance of striving and staying in shape in preparation for it, while the weak believer may easily become obese or out of shape, from his overeating and lack of activity.

The Prophet is also reported to have said:

“Teach your children swimming, archery and horse-riding.”

How many of us know 2 of the 3? (Being able to sit on a horse and take a picture doesn't qualify)

There is not a single circumstance when it is advantageous to be in a poor state of health. A stronger heart means your heart has to exert less physically to do the same amount of work, which means you've decreased the risk of acquiring cardiovascular diseases, which unfortunately in today's time are becoming quite common amongst children.

Of course, no recreational activity should ever take precedence over any obligation, nor should an individual burden themselves with so many responsibilities as to not allow any time for rest. We must keep our intentions pure when we engage in these activities if we want to earn the reward and blessings of our Creator. Which means, not spending countless hours in the gym in an effort to lose weight to attain a figure that would make it to a magazine's cover page, but rather strength training with significant goals that would please Allah (swt) in mind.

The Qur'an says:

“And we have made you a balanced community” (2:143).

We ask Allah to help us maintain a balance in our lives that will always enable us to improve our service to him, to ourselves and to mankind as a whole.

Part of our awakening requires us to be prepared physically as well. Remember, Islam is a complete way of life. And by being physically fit, you're helping yourself the most.

Prayer and 5 Levels of People

When it comes to prayer, people are of five levels:

The first is the level of the one who wrongs himself and is negligent. He does not do wudoo’ properly, or pray at the right time or make sure he does all the necessary parts of prayer.

The second is one who observes the outward essentials of prayer, prays on time and does wudoo’, but he has lost the battle against his own self and is overwhelmed with waswaas (insinuations).

The third is one who observes the outward essentials of prayer, prays on time and does wudoo’, and also strives against his own self and against waswaas, but he is preoccupied with his struggle against his enemy (Shaytaan), lest he steal from his prayer, so he is engaged in Salaah and jihad at the same time.

The fourth is one who when he stands up to pray, he fulfils all the requirements of the prayer, and his heart is fully focused and alert lest he omit anything, and his concern is to do the prayer properly and perfectly. His heart is deeply immersed in his prayer and worship of his Lord.

The fifth is one who does all of that, but he takes his heart and places it before his Lord, looking at his Lord with his heart and focusing on Him, filled with love and adoration, as if he is actually seeing Him. That waswaas and those thoughts diminish, and the barriers between him and his Lord are lifted. The difference between the prayer of this person and the prayer of anyone is else is greater than the difference between heaven and earth. When this person prays, he is preoccupied with his Lord and content with Him.

The first type is punishable; the second is accountable; the third is striving so he is not counted as a sinner; the fourth is rewarded and the fifth is drawn close to his Lord, because he is one of those for whom prayer is a source of joy. Whoever finds their joy in prayer in this life, will find their joy in being close to Allah in the Hereafter, and will also find his joy in Allah in this world. Whoever finds his joy in Allah will be content with everything, and whoever does not find his joy in Allah, will be destroyed by his feelings of grief and regret for worldly matters.

Taken from: Al-Wabil al-Sayyib, by Imaam ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah

Monday, June 19, 2006

Reading

"There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read."
- GK Chesterton