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Saturday, July 31, 2010

: "This is Us" -Pakistan Plane Crash Reflections(Translation of an urdu article)

Just like the earthquake in 2005, the recent air crash in Islamabad hit home as it happened in the same hills which I had grown up looking at. I could also relate to the crash as I land at the same airport every time I go to Islamabad. I was fortunate to read a piece by a leading columnist from Pakistan named Javed Chaudhry ( of Express News) who shared some pointed reminders and reflections about the crash. The original article was in urdu but I have made a (half-decent) attempt at translating this article as I thought it may be of some benefit to non-urdu readers.
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Adnan's seat was confirmed but he was getting late because of traffic and he knew that the check-in counter was about to close. His bag was in his hand as heran briskly, breathing heavily He reached the check-in counter) where he put put his (plane) ticket in front of the smiling customer service represtative lady at the Air Blue counter. The lady looked at the clock and saw that there were still three minutes till the check-in time expired. She took a deep breath and printed Adnan his death's boarding card.

Adnan picked up the boarding card and the tag for his bag and thanked the customer service lady before heading towards the (waiting) lounge.

Another passenger (from the waiting list) missed his chance to get on to flight A321 from Karachi to Islamabad because of Adnan Qayum's last-minute checkin. The flight was not only booked full but there were thirteen passengers on the waiting list. These thirteen people really wanted to reach Islamabad and had surrounded Air Blue's Ground Staff and wanted to get on the flight at every cost. Amongst these passengers there was Jamshed Dasti an MNA from Muzafar-Garh, former MNA Mir Mehran Khan Bukhari and his son Mir Sulayman Khan Bukhari.

Amongst the passengers there was was FIA Immigration Karachi's shift in harge Inspector Rehmat Allah Domki. Mr. Domki was coming to Islamabad with his family but there was something that came up at the last minute. He stayed in Karachi and sent his family on to the flight. Out of all these people (mentioned), Adnan's story was especially sad.

Adnan Qayum got first position in his MBA in University. Thereafter, he (recently) applied to National Bank (from Islamabad) and got a job in Karachi. He went to Karachi to obtain his (employment) letter and was returning to Islamabad on July 28. On his way to Karachi airport from Karachi City, there was a lot of traffic which caused him to be late and he feared that he would miss his flight. Adnan looked at his watch repeatedly and told his drver to drive faster. As soon as he got to the airport he ran to check-in counter before it closed and got there three minutes before it closed and got his boarding pass. If at that moment Adnan had known that this journey (flight) was going to be the last one of his life and that he would not reach his loved ones in Islamabad, then would he have acted differently? The reality of our lives is hidden in this question. We are all people like Adnan Qayum. Adnan Qayum's last day was July 28 but Jamshed Dasti, Mr. Bukhari, Inspector Domky (all on the waiting list) and our last moment (in this world) is still to be determined. Lets think for one moment if any one of the 152 passengers had known that the ill-fated plane would not land in Islamabad airport but would instead crash, break and burn on the Margala hills, they would not have boarded that flight and perhaps never flown in their lives again. Alas, death is a scarey reality which man does not percieve till it is staring him in the eye-till man's soul is taken out of body like a silk thread. Its the biggest reality in our lives but we don't realize we will die till our frail bodies are placed in coffins and buried by our loved ones. Nature has put the desire of living in our cells to such an extent that we dont get rid of the desire to live even after we die. This desire still eminate from our hearts and other organs (stomach, liver, kidneys, etc.) which have a few hours of life in them (when we die) and plead with hope to people passing by that the people passing by will help revive our dead bodies. The desire to live stays in our dead body's DNA for millions of years. What is this? This is the un-tiring desire of life that keeps our desire to live vibrant till we are 60-70 years old and in fact stays with us even after we die. Therefore we are inter-twined with this desire to live and think we are are in dispnesable in this world. We think that death will overtake all living things except us. We will escape the trap of death. This wishful thinking makes us into tyrants, unjust, treacherours, fraudsters, promise breakers and power lovers. We wake up as Firaun and spead our legs like Nimrud while sleeping. We are thinking that all other flights in this world can get destroyed but our flights can never make a bad landing. Everyone else can have heart attacks but we cant have one. Everyone else can have a brain hemorage but we cant have one. Everyone else can have kidney failure but our kidneys cant fail. Everyone else can go blind but we cant go blind. Everyone else can have thier legs broken but us.. Everyone else can have deadly diseases like cancer, aids and TB but we will be saved. Our delusions are the real distraction in this world. These delusion stop us from knowing our bearings and doing the right things.

Close your eyes for one moment and imagine you are Awais Khan and Romia Khan, Asim Shahad and Aisha and you just got married a few days ago. Your resting on each other's shoulders and holding hands and landing (in your flight) in Islamabad. Your honeymoon will be in this city. You are Austria's professor who had come to lecture Pakistani students from Vienna or you are a big powerful bussiness man who many are scared of. But your time (in this world) finished when your plane crashed into Islamabad's Margalla Hills. Your honeymoon-bound hands are separated, your relationshp with life ended, all your appointments, your importance, your property, your posessions, your business, your factory, your bank balance all left your comapny in 10 seconds. Your mobile phone got lost in a jungle, credit cards, identifty cards insurance cards, passport and all related doucments all got destroyed in a few seconds . All your wishes, all your plans, all your hates, all your sadnesses, all your fears, all your schemes and all your victores- all disappated with your drops of blood that got attached to the trees, shrubs, leaves and grass (on the Margalla Hills). Your meat, bones got mixed with all the rubble. Your legs are with somene elses legs . Its also possible that your body parts are strewn and getting wet in the jungle and getting eaten by wild animals. The same body parts you kept which you so carefully kept away form bad odors and dirt. Its the same body which you fed with injustice, opeersion and hate. But where are you now? Where is your hate and where are your victories? They are nowehere. Your surrounded by the baggage of the deceased passengers , their blood and their bodies. On this rainy dark wet night, our helpless dead bodies await the footsteps of the rescuers,

This is us. This is our reality. But despite this we dont forgive people, We dont thank Allah for our bessings in this lfe. How foolish and naive are we?


Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Seekers Guidance: The Laws of Love: The Keys to a Spiritually Transformative Ramadan, in Toronto

The Laws of Love: The Keys to a Spiritually Transformative Ramadan, in Toronto


Date: Saturday 24th July 2010

Time: 11 - 7

Venue: Room 108, Koffler House (The Multi Faith Centre), 569 Spadina Ave

Speakers:
  • Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
  • Shaykh Yusuf Badat
  • Mufti Umer Esmail
  • Shaykh Zahir Bacchus
  • Ustadha Shireen Ahmed

Register now!
The Holy Month of Ramadan. A time of spiritual transformation, of revival, of struggling to reach ranks that surpass those of the Angels. Lofty goals -- and ones which Believers can achieve with knowledge, effort and determination. So how do you actually attain such blessings? How can you to move toward perfecting yourself during this Blessed Month?

This full day SeekersSeminar in Toronto offers practical guidance to help you make this Ramadan a time of true transformation. Knowledgeable, accessible teachers will guide you through a deeper examination of the spiritual purpose and fiqh of fasting and worship, and will introduce you to the laws of love and how they can help you achieve a more meaningful relationship with Allah.

Make this Ramadan your best yet. Join us in Toronto on July 24th!

Featured topics include:
  • The spiritual purpose of Ramadan and the fiqh of fasting (Shaykh Faraz Rabbani)
  • An examination of what Allah says about Ramadan in the Qur'an (Shaykh Zahir Bacchus)
  • The virtues of fasting (Shaykh Yusuf Badat)
  • How to attain a socially meaningful Ramadan (Ustadha Shireen Ahmed)
  • Connecting with the Qur'an during Ramadan (Mutfi Umer Esmail)

The way of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them all) was to prepare themselves for this blessed month, during the month of Shaban.

How prepared are you? Register now!

Help Spread The Word!
Spread the word via your Facebook page and Twitter, by posting:
"SeekersGuidance is holding a seminar on the topic of Ramadan, here in Toronto, on July 24th. With Sh. Faraz, Sh. Yusuf Badat, Sh. Zahir Bacchus and more great speakers. It sounds very interesting, register now"

Visit our Facebook event's page and don't forget to invite others to attend!

Interested in Volunteering?
If you are interested in volunteering to help with this seminar, contact us today at seminars@seekersguidance.org

Qurba: Detour Ahead: Staying on the Prophetic Path

Qurba Academy presents Detour Ahead: Staying on the Prophetic Path  — August 6–8, 2010
In 300 metres, take a right to the Straight Path...

Wouldn't it be nice if you had a GPS that took you to the Prophetic Path and kept you on it?

Well, you don't. And you might be taking detours without even knowing it.

Finding a spouse...
Dealing with student loans...
Excelling in your career...

These could be potential detours from the path if you don't know how to handle them.

Register for Detour Ahead: Staying on the Prophetic Path to learn how to spot detours from a mile away and stay firm on the Prophetic Path.

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Healing hearts: Excerpt by Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad about an anecdote by Sayyidina Jalaluddin Rumi‏

From the Healing Hearts Blog:


(The below anecdote is taken from the lecture entitled ‘Reliance on Allah’ which is currently available for purchase on the Apple iTunes Store and on www.meccacentric.com. I was hoping to upload the short excerpt where Shaykh AHM narrates the story, but for some reason it doesn’t allow me to upload it here, therefore I’ve transcribed (to the best of my ability) what Shaykh AHM said. It’s more or less word to word, but I refrained from using speech marks in case I’ve missed a few words out! Jazaka’llahu khayran to the very kind soul who emailed me the lecture details!)

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There is a story which Sayyidina Jalaluddin Rumi tells of an ant that’s creeping across the carpet in a mosque, and the ant complains to God saying: “what is this, these bumps,......READ ON

Monday, July 12, 2010

The Young Man And The Starfish


Read this in the book I Shall Not Hate.
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his journal writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"

The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"

"The sun is up, and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach, and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our visions the power to shape the future. We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our stars wisely and well, the world will be blessed.

Punjabi Wisdom 12: Being Greedy

Choee Kakh Dee, Choree Lakh Dee, Ik Braber
If someone can be corrupt for a few rupees , he will also be greedy for millions

This wisdom also shows how important it is to make sure our kids are learning to be honest when young. If they don't practice honesty when they are young (even when playing simple sports games), they may find honesty hard to practice later in life as well.

Book Review: I Shall Not Hate


I just finished an amazing book " I Shall Not Hate" by Dr. Izzeldin Abulaish who lost close family members (including three daughters) during the Gaza War early last year. He talks about why he did not go towards the path of hate and decided to make a difference in other ways after the death of his daughters.

The book also gives details about life in Gaza and how it was tough growing up in a refugee camp. Further he mentions the difficulties faced in crossing over to Israel for many Gazans who need to get there for medical and employment reasons. The strength of the book amongst manyother things is Dr. Abulaish's unique ability to look at the issue as a "people issue"and not merely a political issue. He is in a unique position as he has observed life on both sides of the wall in Gaza/Israel and has friends on both sides.

He has started an organization called Daughters for Life for promoting education health access for girls and women in Gaza and the middle east. Its a must read book for sure as it gives unique perspectives on what is happening on the ground beyond the cameras and the focus of the media.

Sunday, July 04, 2010

Being Thankful


"You ain't gonna miss your water until your well runs dry."Bob Marley


Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him) and his companions





We were pleased to be at groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of the new Oshawa Mosque building a few days ago. Mufti Mohamed-Umer Esmail of Seekers Guidance was there as well and shared some insights. One of the things which touched us from his speech was when he said that a lot of times we think of the sahaba (companions) as being old people with grey beards around the Prophet (Peace and Blesssings be upon him) and the community in Medina being of an older demographic. He said while this may be true for some of the companions, it was definitely not true for all of them. In fact he said the community around the Prophet (Peace and Blesssings be upon him) had many young people and these young people were more in number. (Young being defined as 40 years and younger).

He said our communities need to be like this and be more inclusive of the youth so that we can be closer to the Prophetic community and have an impact (as a community) that closer to the impact that the Prophetic community had.