Cricket-Match Nostalgia

Maybe I was a kid back then, and my childhood had curtained the unethical practices that grip a society in their jaws, or maybe, we were a more conservative nation some fifteen years ago. Whatever the case be, the visions from the past, and old feelings that I can recall, paint a more 'traditionalist' image of the people of my country as a whole. We have always been fervent about cricket, and especially when it is the World Cup, plus if it’s India versus Pakistan, emotions and spirits reach epic heights. To add spark to this entire scenario, this time, it is the semi-final where two cricket-giants clash.

The craze and penchant of ours for cricket has not changed. What has changed is how we express it. When I was a child, I remember seeing Aunties on the television screen wearing sunglasses, face tensed, with shawls covering their heads, beads (tasbih) rolled over their fingers, and hands risen for prayers. Now, this scene is rare to watch. Instead, wearing “Boom Boom” shirts has become more popular among women folk. I remember my father telling me: “Beta, I have just prayed after Namaz, Pakistan will win.” “Chacha Cricket” is one of those symbols whose celebrations and ecstatic ups and downs’ stances remind of old days.

Let’s go back in time, clean some dust off our memories and recollect how we used to watch matches as a group. If my memory serves me right, when the umpire would give a wrong decision against Pakistan, I and my friends would not hurl abuses in chanting tones; I mean, this was considered completely out of question. And then, most of the times, families would gather, and watch the match together. There used to be no Cafés, and no one would prefer leaving the comfort of their homes, and dine out at fast-food restaurants to watch the match on high-resolution LCDs. Instead, uncles would sit in the drawing room, amplify the volume and keep giving their “expert opinions” during the game, whereas Aunties would be cooking some scrumptious food in the kitchen for dinner or lunch, or some crispy “Pakoras” and zesty “Podina Chutni” if the weather outside was damp and gusty. And boy, let an Indian wicket fall; everyone would jump out of their seats, and start shouting at the top of their volumes. Mind you, their “shouts” were not some grubby abuses; they were general expressions of thrill, joy and excitement. Well, not perfect, but, at least it was better. Good old times!

I wish the atmosphere was the same again. Maybe, I have to go back in time. Maybe, everything was same at that time too, the only difference was that I was a kid; you are, after all, the king of your age before 10. No worry about studies, no tension about politics, and no care about status, what you are concerned about is fun!  Whatever, I wasn’t aware that gossip about “Munni”, or whatever crap of the kind, are on tongues’ of some or more people of my community; O come on, we shouldn’t be giving a damn about all this stuff.

I was a kid, it was Pakistan, there was no 9/11, and I would sit back, watch Saeed Anwar hit a delicate leg flick on Srinath’s bowling, and enjoy all my life.

Well, why not do it this way; this time, on Wednesday, if you are watching Pakistan vs India, stay at home, tune in to a channel which doesn’t show advertisements, and ask Ammi jaan to cook some hot, spicy biryani for the family. If you get discouraged during the match, don’t hurl abuses, or put dirt on your tongues by saying other obscene expressions, just say your prayers, and leave the rest to Allah. Let us cherish the memories from old times, and hopefully, our boys will live up to the expectations; 2011, let’s go 1992!

P.S. Don’t miss your Salah (Namaz) during the match.

Worries...

When you have some time to relax, and your mind is cleared, take out some moments, and ponder over your body organs; you will realize how lucky you are. You can move your arm, and it is not that simple. When you move this arm, billions of cells and microorganisms have to interact in perfect harmony (at specific angles, at specific times, with specific forces...)  to complete the movement. When you move your eye-balls, the precise coordination between the retina, lens, and other parts of the eye is something you have been blessed with. You have no problem in moving your legs, you don’t have nuisance in hearing different sounds. You can taste delicious foods, just because your taste-glands are working perfectly fine. Give a movement to one of your limbs, feel the sensation, and thank your Creator! Imagine if one of these things gets a little disturbed, how problematic it may get. The illnesses we go through reminds us of this. No matter how strong a person is, when they become sick, they will always feel low and weak. So, while you are worried about other matters, try contemplating on these thoughts, and hopefully, you will feel a bit consoled.

However, this may not necessarily remove all your tensions, yet it might help in enjoying some peaceful moments. Also know that time is a great healer. Things get better as time progresses. If, however, there is something that you are continually passing through or something related to your closed one, then you need to crack it down as quickly as you can. Find ways to counter the situation directly, head on.

Do not get disheartened, keep your prayers. May Allah Almighty always be with you!

Sunnahs

All of you know that keeping a beard is Sunnah of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Similarly, scholars also lay stress on keeping your trousers above ankle-length. This is simply because it has been narrated as one of the Sunnah of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Actually, the concept is to imitate him in appearance. This is one of the degrees of faith, and it comes after you have attained perfection on other scales. One who is habitual of lying, and also keeps his trousers above ankles is actually leaving a more important teaching of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), and acting on a teaching on which lesser emphasis has been laid. However, any act of Beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) is absolutely worthy of being followed and preached.

Let us see some of the Sunnahs of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), which you may not have heard frequently. If you act on them with the intention of emulating him, you will definitely be rewarded, and will yourself see the benefits they bring you.

Keeping your abdomen at level with your chest, and not allowing it to expand

Our Holy Prophet’s (peace be upon him) abdomen never ‘came out’, his abdomen was in-level with his chest, and was rigidly strong, which is a sign of handsome appearance, and tremendous health. This is also connected with his blessed act of eating less than one’s appetite. Our Beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) never ate to his full, he would always end his food when there was some capacity left to eat. This is an excellent tip for healthy stomach; it helps in digestion, keeps you active and vibrant, and is one of the tools to help you look smart, decent and debonair.

More to come later, Insha’ ALLAH.

Islamic Microblogs

The following is an awesome link for Islamic microblogs (small posts):

http://sunnianswers.tumblr.com/

The posts are made by Shaykh Abu Adam (HafidhahULLAH). Try visiting it regularly; these are priceless jewels and pearls, which you are getting all for free. Go, get them!

A very important concept regarding Islamic Creed

There are only two things which we see around us: borders and colours. There is nothing else that we observe from eyes. Yes, you can feel, smell, hear or taste other attributes of objects around you, but what we observe through our sight is only this, borders and colours. Now, if we ponder, we can realize that colours are secondary to borders. The reason is that they fall within borders. So, we can see that primarily whatever we see around is nothing, but, borders. Or put it another way, we observe limits in everything we see around ourselves. Everything we see has a physical limit. This is true for all creation. Now, The Holy Qur’an says:

“Absolutely nothing resembles Him, and He is All-Seeing, All-Hearing.” (Surah Ash-Shoora)

From The Book of Allah Almighty we know that Allah Almighty does not resemble anything. He does not resemble the creation. And this Non-Resemblance is not merely as in a way creations are different from each other. It is an Absolute Non-Resemblance to the creation. Let me try to explain this…

We know that we, humans, have feet. We also know that animals have feet. Similarly, if you have watched “Tom and Jerry”, you know that both Tom and Jerry have hands and feet, they walk, eat and make fun like us humans. Obviously, they are only imaginary creations, and do not exist. But, the point that I want to make here is that saying “hand unlike our hand” does not mean that it is absolute non-resemblance, if you mean by hand “a physical limb”.

After knowing this, it is easy for you to understand the reason of deeming it Haraam by Islamic scholars the saying “hand unlike the hand of creation” for ALLAH Almighty. This is because it gives an idea that “Yad” of God is a physical limb. Nauzoo BIllah! So, instead we say “Yad unlike the yad of creation”. And for the very same reason, the eminent scholars of Ummah, including Imam Abu Hanifah (RahimahULLAH), forbade to translate the word “Yad” in Arabic to “hand” in Persian (or English). This is because all the plausible meanings of “Yad” in Arabic are not the same as that for “hand” in English. We affirm “Yad of ALLAH Almighty”, and believe that ALLAH Almighty is free from having limbs, corners, and limits. Reason. Let us come back to where we began. We know from Qur’an al Kareem that Allah Almighty does not resemble anything and we also established that limits and borders are attributes of creation; therefore ALLAH Almighty is not the One Who has limbs, or corners, borders, or limits. Anything, which has a limit, is specified, and that which is specified is a creation. Therefore, it is impossible that these are attributes of the Creator, He is free of them. Allah Almighty is free from any kind of resemblance to the creation. Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala!

Complaining...

My fan operates too slowly. Sir X does not know how to check papers, let alone the art of teaching. I could not sleep last night because of the mosquitoes buzzing around. Someone needs to teach them how to cook food. I made a huge blunder in my exam.

Aren’t these sentences those that you get to hear a lot within your social circle? The issue here is complaining. We love to complain, sometimes without any reason, perhaps we are too impulsive, or maybe we never try to exercise patience. We all know that it is “easy to complain only”; you actually have to do nothing practically apart from moving your tongue, so instead of really doing something, complaining seems a better elective, and hence, we tend to go for it. Please mark that I am not against positive criticism, neither against sharing or discussing your difficulties with someone you are close to, thereby lightening the burden of your heart. The point that is being made here is that it is useless to nitpick only, and let it flow, making it a habit.

A better option is to remain cool, and try finding solutions, way-outs that can actually erode away the problems we are facing. Why not call the electrician directly without publicizing our faulted fan?! What is it that we can do if it’s hot outside? Can we change the weather? Can the person we are talking to modify the hot conditions? Well, if the mosquitoes are causing nuisance, bring a mosquito-mat and use it, problem solved. Believe me that most of the time, almost always, the person you are complaining to about random matters is not the problem-solver, you are just letting your frustration out.

Let us spot some reasons behind this phenomenon. The obvious reason appears to be painting an image of yourself as a man with fewer conveniences and more difficulties, hence gaining psychological advantage over others of being a stronger personality, or maybe you want others to know the hassles you face because you are just frustrated or angry of bearing them, or at times, the reason is just absent, and trust me, this is the most odd, rather dim-witted form. It is agreed that at times, it becomes necessary to complain. Why do we have complain-offices anyways! Then, sometimes, you may want to seek advice of an experienced person in a particular field, and let him or her know about the troubles you face, in order to acquire guidance. The point remains, complain to the respected person, one who can be of assistance to you, do not burn your calories by doing so otherwise.

Patience is the key here. Just give it a go. Only when you learn to be patient would you know how it “tastes”! This is not something, which I am saying by myself; there is a strong recommendation and cheerful tidings in The Noble Qur’an itself:

“Verily, Allah is with those who are patient.”

And what a news this is! What to agonize when yours Lord is with you? At another place,

“O you who believe, seek help in Patience and Salah (Prayer).”

What does being patient signify? It is to handle the matters at hand objectively with clam. There is no need to publicize them. Remain firm, without letting the softness vanish from your heart. Let the tears flow, but do not scream. I just remember a maxim that is frequently attributed to Charlie Chaplin:

“I want to cry in rain so that no one can see my tears.”

There is so much to pick from this one statement, I mean where do I find a person who conceals his worries from everyone pretending to be the jolliest man on earth. That was all for the hard-hitting times. Period!

What I find peculiar is that when I happen to converse with people belonging to a privileged class, they tend to complain more, just like that, not for any reason. On the other side, when I meet someone belonging to middle-class or lower-class families, I am hearing the chants of “AlhumduLILLAH!”, “Thanks to my God, everything is just fine.” Where is the loop-hole? I am not talking about those who are asking for money in tough times or just a habit. Examples are your friend for the former and a “professional beggar” for the latter.

The one who is not habitual of complaining is the king of his world. The individual is content, vivid, and light, he enjoys his life. Yes, ups and downs are a part of existence, but they are the daily-goings which this person can pass off smoothly and joyfully. On the opposite side, the one who is engrossed in making complaints for petty reasons remains confused, irritated and in a dry-mood no matter how much facilities he benefits from. Someone who is sleeping tight in his cave, with no worries, is well-off than a king trying to snooze in his magnificent castle with thousand fears encircling his head. Irrespective of being what you are, a caveman, a king, a business-man, student, teacher, employee, or wherever you may belong, you need to smile, trace your way, make an effort to get to the root of your difficulty and instead of merely complaining, crack it practically. And yes, you can always look at the one who is less-privileged than you are.

Flashback!

You at least have a fan. You can at least go to a university. You have the money to buy a mosquito-mat. Thank your Lord that you have clean food to eat, and can gulp cold sip of water to quench your thirst, not everyone have this gift. This is not your last exam.

It makes a lot of difference in seeing the picture from a special angle.

My Pal...

Buddy, tomorrow is my Fluid Mechanics quiz, and I am preparing. It is 2:46 a.m. in the night. Weather outside is wonderful, it has just drizzled, and at the moment, the atmosphere is perfuming with the typical sweet fragrance that blends with air after rainfall. Branches and leaves are unruffled, and it’s cool outside. In this pleasant and amusing weather, I have decided to write about you. This should give you an idea of the value you possess in my eyes. You have helped me in tough times, you have made things easy for me, and you have offered me short-cuts. Sometimes, I imagine how life would have been without you?! Mate, you rock! My dear, much-loved, and friend in time of need, yes pal, I am talking about you; my solution manual.

There are two instances where we meet, one is where I need to check if I am doing right, and the other is where I just don’t have time to do things on my own, which can be due to several reasons, ranging from laziness to immense workload. I quickly read the question, may think about it, and unswervingly start taking your advices. Today, the latter is the case. In this scenario, you are just the man, man!

HOWEVER, if I get addicted to you, you are going to turn into an enemy. You will make me helpless, and can spread like cancer, uprooting all the abilities I may have developed for problem-solving. So, we have to be cautious here. Actually, it would have been best if we hadn’t met. Hey, no offence meant partner! I hope you understand the harms involved. This is how it is. You are one chap whose presence can be a paradox, see how I feel the affection for you, and at the same time, I am being repulsive.

So bro, If I am doing all the problems by myself, and use you as a check, that’s excellent. If I face problem in any question, after giving my best try, I come to you, help me out. But if I am doing so otherwise, just turn your face away from me.