Ramadan in the UK
made the above picture wayyy past my bedtime after Taraweeh prayer
Ramadan in the UK is a bit… different.
After years of idiosyncratic Ramadaan and Eid behaviour being drummed into me with the ritual eventually melding into the deeper meaning of how what we do affects who we are and how it will make who we are even better. South Africa was great with the community around me, it gives one an awesome sense of belonging.
In the UK, specifically here in Epsom, there’s a community as well, albeit a younger, less developed one. So, in essence, it can be a little lonely. Not so many friends… some family is here, but with London’s Transport Network – specifically the Road Network – Traffic is 10 X worse than Johannesburg, just to give you an idea, it’s a bit hard. The Public Transport ROCKS! I mean really… trains, busses and the tube are brilliant… but there are costs involved (temporal and monetary), and it does take its toll… makes you think twice before thinking of going anywhere.
It is a very different experience. It takes Ramadaan and puts a magnifying glass on the experience and focuses it. Ramadaan generally makes you forget the outer world and focus on the inner world inside yourself. Being without the general comfort of the family and friends you’ve come to love and trust at a time like Ramadaan takes the whole inner world thing to another level. You start feeling and thinking things about yourself that wouldn’t happen in any other circumstance.
I believe nothing happens without a reason, and so I must be here for a reason. In this situation, in this place. Yet another journey of self-discovery, and from this experience I’m also beginning to realise the truth in the saying that the Final Frontier won’t be space (What’s out there) but it’s going to be Mind & Soul (What’s in here).
Maybe my answer isn’t out there, it’s in me… and now I’m wondering if I’m asking the right questions.
Technorati Tags: Ramadan, Ramadaan, UK, London, Islam, South Africa, Family, Friends
F**k Indian Durban, Part 2
A continuation from my previous post on the same subject.
I have had to deal with yet another phenomenon of the gossip/blabber-mouth/immature personages who invade every space and infect it, in this ever-increasing choke-hold of the Indian community in Durban. Maybe I should be more specific and tie it down to the Muslim Indian Community here, but I’m sure it’s all over the place.
I can’t believe someone around mid-twenties would be able to spread such absolute shit like this, and to the detriment of another human being’s reputation. What I can’t understand is this, doesn’t the new generation see through all the crap and try to better themselves and their communities instead of just regurgitate the ugly old habits of the previous generation? What ever happened to rebellion and questioning things and moving forward?
All I see in this community is the spreading of the same shit via new technology… unlike the old days when this used to happen through kitchen windows and in women’s circles, the barriers have been shattered and now boys and girls across age ranges are becoming purveyors of a culture of back-biting, slander and bitchiness using Web 2.0 Technology.
I have managed from the previous post to ignore such things and try and correct them whenever I can, but when people’s reputations get tarnished by information you have provided in privacy… and you have to hear about it from 3rd an 4th parties…. That is unforgivable. But then again, how could I be so naive to expect anything else from this cultural habit which I’ve seen fester and contaminate lives as soon as I set foot here.
I keep thinking… what would it take for these people to see what they’re actually doing? and how absolutely full of shit it is and the damages it causes and the lives it leaves in ruins… divorces, family feuds, etc. all stem from this same problem… A culture of talking behind other people’s backs, having a one-up-manship on everyone else, My family/clan/caste is better than yours, doing the other man down.
Fuck them.
The Unhappy Person
“The unhappy person resents it when you try to cheer him up, because that means he has to stop dwelling on himself and start paying attention to the universe. Unhappiness is the ultimate form of self-indulgence. When you’re unhappy, you get to pay a lot of attention to yourself. And you get to take yourself oh so very seriously.” – Tom Robbins
Technorati Tags: Life, Philosophy, The Unhappy Person, Tom Robbins
Mental Detox Week – April 21- 27
The idea is simple: take your TV, your DVD player, your video iPod, your XBOX 360, your laptop, your PSP, and say goodbye to them all for seven days. Simple, but not at all easy. Like millions of others before you, you’ll be shocked at just how difficult – yet also how life-changing – a week spent unplugged can really be.
The guys at Adbusters have been doing the above campaign which used to be dubbed TV Turnoff Week, for quite a few years now. I think it’s a great exercise in general even if we don’t totally disconnect ourselves from technology but just take a break from it all. Go outside, take a walk, play a sport, read a book. We do need some form of balance in our lives and I feel this initiative could be a very rewarding exercise. I don’t agree with it being just one week though… this should be a weekly habit where you take time off from the Robot-Race and just chill with a world other than the virtual.
Renew yourself, Disconnect.
Technorati Tags: Mental Detox, Turnoff, Relax, Disconnect
Amazing Prayer: The Prayer that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) made at Taif
After going through such hardship and torment by the people of Taif, the Noble Prophet (pbuh) turned to our Lord and Creator and said:
To You, my Lord,
I complain of my weakness,
lack of support and the humiliation I am made to receive.
Most Compassionate and Merciful!
You are the Lord of the weak,
and you are my Lord.
To whom do You leave me?
To a distant person who receives me with hostility?
Or to an enemy You have given power over me?
As long as you are not displeased with me,
I do not care what I face.
I would, however,
be much happier with Your mercy.
I seek refuge in the light of Your face by which all darkness is
dispelled and both this life and the life to come are put in
their right course against incurring your wrath or being the
subject of your anger.
To You I submit,
until I earn Your pleasure.
Everything is powerless without your support.
Technorati Tags: Prayer, Prophet Muhammad, Taif
Ba’dal Hajj (After Hajj)
Before I left for Hajj, I kept getting this pressurised comment from people saying that a person must change after Hajj. But after actually going for Hajj, I see that it’s actually me who wants to change. I want to be better to do more… to right all my wrongs and change all my bad habits.
I feel so much more content. Like I know what needs to be done, what’s right and wrong seems so much clearer that it used to be, more black and white instead of shades of grey. The whispers which used to edge me closer and closer toward evil are now more recognisable, I can see them for what they are and stop them. It’s less of an impulse to follow and a more sort of patient understanding and conscious choice of what I need to do next. I don’t want to react on impulse anymore; most of the time it costs me both money and time when I blindly follow, and that’s just the material cost.
I can see that my previous behaviour patterns are not worthy anymore of who I have become. Most of all what irritates me is the wasting of time. Because, I realise just how little of it I actually have… I need to use it for more useful, more fruitful activities. One fact, however, is clearer than most… “Life is going to end.” So everything around me is just fluff. I need to focus on what’s really important… and it all boils down to my character and my behaviour, based on my values and my beliefs.
I realise that once you know this, your purpose in life becomes so much more simpler to understand. but.. .even this only lets you know what the path is. And…
“There’s a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.”
Peace,
M.
On Government.
by Muhammad on January 10, 2008
in Uncategorized
“Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.” – Michel de Montaigne
Eid Mubarak!
Ramadaan is a time I will definitely miss. I felt so close to the One, so at peace with who and what I am and what my purpose is on this Earth. I don’t want that feeling to go away. I don’t want this closeness to disappear.
Now is the time the real test begins. Faith is tested in reality, amongst the things we cherish most, our lives need to be governed by the same principles we imbibed during Ramdaan. Even if it was just little changes we made to make ourselves better people. We need to carry on those little things outside of the Holy Month.
Eid for me is a time for celebration, but also the time for real reflection. Will I be able to keep up with the changes I had made during Ramadaan, or will all the lessons be forgotten so quickly, like the flip of a switch, or a press on the remote for the TV.
What have I learnt from Ramadaan? I learned that this life is nothing but a test. Everything material will melt away, we have so many examples of how everything will perish, superpowers will fall, big personalities will die and be forgotten, what seems to be the biggest changes will mean absolutely nothing in the long run. What matters in the end is how you lived your life, what did you DO with your life.
Everybody will be judged at the end. I think we all need to realise that… our every action will be tunred over and analysed, no matter how small, no matter how secret. I need to take a good look at myself before I can lift my head up and judge anybody else. The evil without begins with the evil within. I need to watch myself. Awareness is the first step to enlightenment.
Eid Mubarak.
Muhammad Karim.
God’s Plan
I though this was too beautiful not to put up.
Some things are beyond planning.
And life doesn’t always turn out as planned.
You don’t plan for a broken heart.
You don’t plan for an autistic child.
You don’t plan for spinsterhood.
You don’t plan for a lump in your breast.
You plan to be young forever.
You plan to climb the corporate ladder.
You plan to be rich and powerful.
You plan to be acclaimed and successful.
You plan to conquer the universe.
You plan to fall in love – and be loved forever.
You don’t plan to be sad.
You don’t plan to be hurt.
You don’t plan to be broke.
You don’t plan to be betrayed.
You don’t plan to be alone in this world.
You plan to be happy.
You don’t plan to be shattered.
Sometimes if you work hard enough, you can get what you want.
But MOST times, what you want and what you get are two different things.
We, mortals, plan. But so does Allah in the heavens.
Sometimes, it is difficult to understand Allah’s plans especially when
His plans are not in consonance with ours.
Often, when He sends us crisis, we turn to Him in anger. True, we cannot
choose what Allah wishes us to carry, but we can carry it with courage
knowing that He will never abandon us nor send something we cannot cope
with.
Sometimes, Allah breaks our spirit to save our soul.
Sometimes, He breaks our heart to make us whole.
Sometimes, He allows pain so we can be stronger.
Sometimes, Allah sends us failure so we can be humble.
Sometimes, He allows illness so we can take better care of ourselves.
And sometimes, Allah takes everything away from us so we can learn the
value of everything He gave us.
Make plans, but understand that we live by Allah’s grace.
Peace,
M.
On the 1st Day of Ramadan…
I found it particularly interesting this morning when I got into work to suddenly see girls who I didn’t even know were Muslims suddenly pitched up in Big Scarves and flaunting their Muslim identity. Sadly, this happens every year… these people (whom my friend calls “Fly by Night” and “Flash in the Pan” Muslims) always scuttle to the surface during the Holy month (as they should), but what I hope doesn’t happen (again, as it does every year) is that this “Proudly Muslim”-ness disappears at the end of the month and sometimes even during!
Also, we see the brothers showing up for Zohar Salaah (Mid-day Prayer), which is equally good and the masjid was so full I couldn’t even get parking! Unfortunately again, the numbers dwindle as we get into it. *sigh*
Right now I should do some soul-searching myself… I am one of those who shirk my responsibility when it comes to prayer. And all the other things I have to change suddenly become clear to me as we get into Ramadaan. So, here are my resolutions for this month…
1) Eat Less (Easy to do in this month, but a good habit to keep up after as well) + I can lose weight :)
2) Pray all my Salaah on time at the mosque (as often as I can manage)
3) Stay up after Fajr Salaah (Early morning Prayer) – Even modern scientists vouch for the benefits of doing this.
4) Read more Quraan.
There may be some others, but I’ll add them as I get into it.. right now , this seems simple enough, hopefully I will succeed :)
Peace,
M.
Technorati Tags: Ramadaan, Ramadan, Fasting, Islam, Muslims, South Africa
