Pearl and Sea

"If you wish for a pearl

you must leave the desert

and wander by the sea;

and even if you never find

the gleaming pearl, at least

you wont have failed to reach the water"

- Sama'i

Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad: Bicycle

While covering Book 31 of Ihya in his Travelling Light DVD series, Shaykh Abdul Hakim Murad said religion is like riding a bicycle i.e. we are in a constant state of motion.

This made us reflect as we have heard other scholars say that one has to be in a constant state of increase in knowledge and effort to attain divine closeness. If we stop then we start going backwards. Perhaps its like walking on an escalator which is moving in the opposite direction or a treadmill.

Masjids and Halal Restaraunts

If you travel a lot for work like myself you need to know where the local halal restaraunts are and the mosques/masjids:

For masjids my favourite site is:

www.salatomatic.com

For halal restaraunts:

www.zabihah.com

Shaykh Nizamuddin Awliya on Travelling

Shaykh Nizamuddin Awliya (1242-1325), often referred by Islamic spirituals as "the king of saints" (Sultan al-Masha'ikh), is a highly venerated sage and authentic theologian of Islam. A great mystic and reformer of the Muslims of his era and truly a living and an inspiring legacy for the sincere followers of Islam today. The following quote is taken from his famous compilation "Morals for the Heart":

"The traveller is constantly on the way to perfection, that is, so long as he is progressing in the way (of perfection), he is in hope of perfection. There is the traveller, the standstill, and the retreater. The traveller is the one who treads the path; the standstill is the one who stops along the way. Every time that the traveller lapses in his obedience, he becomes stationary. If he quickly resumes his work and repents, then he may again become a traveller. If, God forbid, he remains at a standstill, then he may become a retreater or backslider." (p 98)

Gurdian Unlimited: Blue lake and rocky shore ...

Would like to visit this...some day. More info on Etera here

A stunning new eco-lodge in deepest Ontario combines comfort with a taste of the wilderness. Gemma Bowes checks in:

The cough of gravel spray and the fading clatter of the Sounds Like Canada radio station fade as my Dodge car grinds to a halt, giving way to a thick silence broken only by intermittent bird peeps, woodpecker drilling and red squirrel chatter from the pines.

Behind me lie the stressful car-horn jams of Toronto's escape routes and five hours of straight roads, gently rolling hills dotted with strawberry fields, motels, and the totem poles and tipis of First Nation craft stores. Ahead are the final few hundred metres of Ontario's Bruce Peninsula, and Tobermory, the final town on the narrow pinnacle of land that juts up between Lake Huron - the world's fifth-largest freshwater lake - and the smaller Georgian Bay, classed as a separate lake although their waters merge above the promontory. READ ON

Toronto Star: Honeymoon redux? Not exactly

Muhammad Lila talks about his wedding aniversery celebrations after the advent of his kids. The couple travelled to the same destination as their honeymoon. He compares the difference....I have been told the next two big changes in my life will be: 1) Marriage (Inshahallah) and 2)Kids ( inshahalah). The article goes over both of the fore-mentioned changes. Good read. read it.

Toronto Star: Honeymoon redux? Not exactly

It was one of those perfect, once-in-a-lifetime moments. Two newlyweds on the last day of their honeymoon, holding hands, strolling along the beach in the picturesque Red Sea town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Squishing wet sand beneath her feet, my wife Samrina smiled.

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could come back someday?" she wondered.

"I'll tell you what," I answered. "One day, we'll come back for our anniversary."

"What if we have kids then?"

"It's okay, we'll bring them, too."

In interior BC

Afer 1 day in Vancouver, I had work in interior BC which is where I flew in on Tuesday morning and stayed till Thursday morning.

I was in Vernon, Pitickton,Kelowna and Kamloops. Out of the four Kelowna was the most beautiful. Below are a few more pics and descriptions






These three pictures were from Pitickton. There are two lkaes in Pitickton and both were amazingly breathtaking even at this time of the year.











These pics were taken on my way from Pitickton to Kelowna. One of the most breathtaking drives I have ever been on. It was great there were viewpoints all along where I would stop and take pictures. The reflection of the hills in the lake was just awesome!




My next stop was Kelowna. Another great small city with great views.





My last two stops were Vernon and Kamloops. They were very nice too but My day was really busy so I did not get too much sightseeing done at these plces. The above are some more pics from the two places.




This last picture is from my flight to Kamloops to Vancouver. It is a very nice bird eyes view of the hills in BC.

Very blessed to have this kind of work with some travelling. Thanks to the people at work who sent me and of course most importantly thank you Allah for sending me there and opening my eyes to these great views.......

What a city! (Vancouver, BC)

I have been lucky enough to travel to the other side of Canada (i.e. British Columbia) this week for Work. Today I was in Vancouver and found out first hand why this city is such a "in" place to live in.

It is a city with a lot of character, natural beuety, great weather ( if you dont mind rain) and beutiful arhitecture. I was just amazed on how so much can be packed in such small area.



It was my first expreince of the Pacific Ocean. The views from Vancouver's beaches (picture above) are all breathtaking even in this foggy weather. I wonder how they look when the sun is out.



One thing I noticed was that there seems to be a higher ratio of local businesses in Vancouver compared to the bigger chains which seem to dominate the markets in other big cities.That I belve givs the city more character.

Ah. The ocean, the beach, the mountains, the tall buildings, the bridges, the big ships. WHat a city!

Spiegel Online: From Ghana to Europe

A very interesting (and long) read from Spiegel Online.

It dicusses the journey of one would-be-imigrant from Ghana to Europe and all the interesting places/people/tests he encountered in between. Realy opens your eyes to how some people are living their lives in this world and how lucky we are.....

There are journeys that change a traveler, that transform ( abd longhim into a different person. And there are travelers who, by the end of their journey, want nothing so much as for life to return to the way it used to be. But they discover that there is no turning back, that their world has changed irrevocably.

For John Ekow Ampan, Africa was his home throughout his journey. Then he lost his security -- his friends, his customers, his language and his laugh. He wanted to become a European. Today he dresses like a European, works like a European and buys European TVs and washing machines. READ (much) MORE

Dubai chalo

One hears a lot about Dubai being an awesome place and all. However one of the isues I have with Dubai is their Environmental record. Read this article for more details.....

Energy consumption in the Emirates runs high for many of the same reasons found in the United States: a feeling that the good life requires huge air-conditioned houses and cars, and a disdain for public transportation.

Making matters worse are Dubai's audacious developments, including artificial resort islands that have destroyed coral reefs and an indoor ski slope that still creates snow when it is 120 degrees outside.

"Of all the places to make artificial snow, this has to be the most absurd," said Jonathan Loh, a British biologist who co-authored the WWF report.

Back in Canada now. Here are a few pictures from my flight begninig with one of Islamabad Airport ad goig through Afganistan and Central Asia. I might post a summary of my learnings/reflections on this trip later. Right now I am getting over jet lagness.

NIce Mosque

Img_1256, originally uploaded by hammadin.

A really nice mosque near my house.

EId Sacrafice

Img_1248, originally uploaded by hammadin.

We sacraficed for EId this morning.

The picture shows a cow in which the Din family was the majority shareholder. Seeing an animal die is not always a fun thing to watch. Kind of makes your reflect on death and think about sacrafice.

I have much more gruesome pictures but those would be rated PG-15 hence I will spare you guys.

Poree Cholay

Img_1241, originally uploaded by hammadin.

Ahh. The picture shows the preparation of a puree.

The wonderful sunday morning tradition of eating puree with cholay ( or halwa if you like halwa).Most bakeries have thier puree cholay crew out in the morning (7 AM) on Sundays to make the delicious oil filled breakfast.

Puree is deep fried rotee. Yes it is unhealthy. But its just once a week.

Chicken!

Img_1232, originally uploaded by hammadin.

If you want chicken you can get it at the Friday Bazaar. YOu can even choose the size of your chicken form the cage as seen in the photo. The chicken is killed in front of you ( and is rated PG 13).

Friday Bazaar

Img_1231, originally uploaded by hammadin.

At designated locations across the city we have the Itwar (sunday), Mangal(Tuesday) and Friday ( Jumah) bazaars.

This is a photo of the Friday bazaar from yesterday. It is like a farmers market with lots of poeple shouting out prices of their goods. YOu dont have grocery carts but you have tokree walas ( basket holders) who carry your goods for a nomincal ammount.

I enjoyed my visit to the Friday bazaar.

Blue Area

Img_1228, originally uploaded by hammadin.

A view of the greenary in front of the main commerial area ( called the blue area) in Islamabad.

Traffic control

Img_1229, originally uploaded by hammadin.

One Traffic policeman talks to two policewomen about ( I hope) the increasing traffic and the accompanying chalenges of traffic control in Islamabad.

Eid is in the air

Img_1233, originally uploaded by hammadin.

The spirit of EId is being felt on the streets.

Herds of goats are being escorted for sale in designated areas and on the streets. Also slowly but surely I can hear more and more sounds of cows and goats from differnt houses.

The picture shows one cow and one goat.

Chalo Mcdonald chalien

Img_1234, originally uploaded by hammadin.

Well. I avoid Mcdonalds in Canada due to halal issues.

The Mcdonalds in the picture opened just recently. It is of course a big hit. I have so far been successful in avoiding it in Islamabad. I am against commercial imperialism. Why should I make Mcdonald people rich abroad when I can make other poeple rich here.

I enjoy the other local franchises like Rahat Bakery or even better: the burger walas on the street.