Confined Liberation

Navigating through the darkness and light,
I embrace myself for a tedious flight,
Assorted emotions, dismay, and delight,
I hope and pray for a future so bright.

I dare to venture, to places unknown,
Cherishing my voyage, every single milestone,
Aspiring to fly where no soul has flown,
A pathway that I must tread on alone.

Liberated, yet I feel so confined,
With a brave facade, leaving fears behind,
I strive for my goal, that’s been redefined,
With a passionate heart and a peaceful mind.

Get.Set.Goal!

Who doesn’t want a meaningful life? Any rational person would want a life with a purpose. Although the aim might differ from person to person, the drive to live a substantially beneficial life is desired by all. Whether you aspire to be surrounded by luxury or aim to reach a certain level of spirituality, the urge to attain any goal manifests in a person’s zeal and the hard work they are prepared to do to acquire it. However, any struggle is pointless without an effective goal setting.

In my personal pursuit of learning various goal-setting techniques, I have come across quite a few goal-oriented exercises. However, I found most of them to be tedious tasks. They might be ideal for people without a million responsibilities of a varied nature, but they are not suitable for me. Therefore, I settled only for those methods that I knew could work for me as an individual and alhumdullilah they do.

Consumed by Consumerism

“Did you notice how my cousin was flaunting her Chanel bag at my mother’s funeral?” a friend of mine asked, piqued. I was at a loss for words at her statement, more so because she managed to notice the designer bag on her relative’s shoulder despite her grief on the death of her beloved mother.

Aspire. Believe. Commit

Looking at this image of a paper boat, I couldn’t help but smile. It spoke volumes to me, which its description certainly couldn’t have. Words somehow limit my imagination. I can barely explore that which is beyond what’s being said.

Although I like to write, I feel moved when looking at a painting or a sculpture more than after reading a piece of writing. It’s amazing the way our mind has been created and the power it holds, and how different people respond differently to various modes of interaction, subhanAllah. There are endless possibilities to where our imagination can take us, and how intricately complex thoughts can be simplified into beautiful cohesive visuals or words by this little part of our body called the brain.

Celebrating Me

I was watching them from a distance. They both had warm smiles on their young faces. Soon they were served with mugs of freshly brewed coffee, its aromatic steam making swirly outlines in the air.

Under the bright moon, the couple looked content and pleased with themselves. Supposedly it was their precious time with each other but it was poignant to see them immersed in their own individual cyber worlds that existed within their cell phones. They were smiling, sometimes smirking, at the screens of their gadgets instead of savouring the valuable moments of togetherness on this beautiful night.

A Vision

“Should every woman have a vision in life?” One of the ladies tried to initiate a discussion at a get-together. It was a good lead; she started asking each one present about their aspirations in life.

It was astonishing to witness that some well-educated and well-informed ladies were surprised by the question. Some stared in mid-air, trying to come up with an answer and few asked what it actually implied. It was not because these intelligent ladies did not know the meaning of such a simple phrase but rather they did not comprehend what it meant in the context of their own lives.

Prevent Procrastination

I knew I had to begin my tafseer (explanation of the glorious Quran) at least a month before Ramadan started so that I could comprehend it without having to rush through it before Ramadan ended, because completing the Quran in Ramadan has many virtues and brings a sense of accomplishment and excitement, alhamdulillah.

However, this year I kept on procrastinating, delaying and thinking there was still time until Ramadan finally arrived. Instead of doing what I was supposed to do I kept fiddling with miscellaneous things that I presumed needed my immediate attention.

Message Extraordinaire

There was a magnificent art gallery, ornamented with extravagant marble flooring; beautiful paintings adorned the well-lit walls of the elaborate hall. However, the most outstanding feature of the galleria was an intricate marble sculpture, gracefully poised in the middle of the exhibit. Visitors from around the world admired this marvellous sculpture.

One night, the marble floor tile asked the sculpture, “Don’t you think it is unfair that everybody from all over the world come all the way here to admire you while ignoring and stepping on me? Both of us were born in the same cave and yet the world treats us so differently now.”

Face Your Fears

“How do we get rid of the dark thoughts that are inside us, Mama?” “How do we remove them from our mind?” I was having a normal conversation with my daughter when she started this discussion. I was a bit surprised by her question. “I often think of frightening images and negative things and I feel so scared. I do my regular dua too but still it doesn’t go,” she said. I wondered what a child might be scared of. Could it be demon-like images that might creep up as nightmares or negative thoughts that might incite her to become a bad person? I wondered what the problem might be.

The Emblem of Courage

“…Ibrahim brought Hajar to a high hill called Al-Marwa, made her and her baby sit under a tree, placed a bag of dates and some water near her, and set out homeward. Hajar ran after him and said, “Are you going to leave us in this desert where there is no one to keep us company?” She repeated this many times but he would not look back at her. She asked, “Has Allah ordered you to do so?” He answered yes. “Then He will not neglect us,” she said.

Later…. some Arabs traveling through Makkah saw birds flying around Al Marwa. “They must be flying around water,” they said. When they arrived at the water, they found Hajar (alaihi salam) and asked her, “Would you allow us to stay with you, and use the water from your well?” She agreed and was pleased by their company.’