The Endemic

Assalamu alaikum

Cancer is so widespread that everyday theres news of someone dying or being diagnosed with this endemic. Cancer has many faces it can be found in the blood, in a certain organ even the bone. Sometimes it can be cured if diagnosed early, in other instances it is often too late and the victims of this disease face a very bleak end toward their final hours in this world.
Today I felt a need to write on this matter after reading a rather distressing news article on the BBC website: 'A cancer patient who has been denied funding for a stem cell transplant plans to move to another city if it means he will get the treatment'.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/7120775.stm

It was very emotional, having a someone very close to me who was diagnosed with this disease but praise be to Allah SWT she was diagnosed very early on and now is on remission. However, this is not to change the emotional strain of it all, the loneliness of this disease, and in time not only is it mentally difficult but it has physical too. The sufferer is not the only one to endure the strain but carers too.
I was discussing with a friend about the BBC article [I gave the link above] and how unfortunate these people are.

Mr Lord's case is not an isolated issue, rather it is an reoccurance everyday, people waiting endlessly for cures, treatments, transplants and so on. Often the waiting is due to the lack of government support and as it happens Mr Lord is fighting this disease and suffering because our government is too busy funding military warefare than spending in the needs of its citizens, using the tax payers money in 'killing' innocent people over seas. The irony of it all is that the government in effect are the prepetrators of its citizens and I feel a great shame on behalf of them for the sufferings of 'victims' of this country. I feel denied from the rights of the taxes we pay spent in the correct way.

A deep melancholy over shadows my eye; the government lacks in giving support to the many trusts that are out there in support of health issues.
My friend who I was discussing the case of Mr Lord's issue said my anguish was due to my own personal experience; perhaps it is and because I have too lived through this disease I feel the urgency; the requisite to air my opinion on this case.
Only those who are suffering from this and those who are carers of this disease know and feel the ail. As a Muslim I know that all suffering is a test from our Lord Allah SWT and 'with hardship comes ease' but when there are treatments and supports out there we should opt and accept it for the betterment of ourselves and for our society, but when these rights are curbed from us surely this is a great injustice?

In time inshAllah I hope to open a trust fund dedicated to all cancer sufferes and if Allah SWT wills, open trust funds for other terminal illnesses. InshAllah people will support this endemic and various other diseases.
We have the means to do so and we will be damned if we do not build bridges in combating these ailments.


Our Lord! In You we have placed our trust, and to You do we turn in repentance, for unto You is the end of all journeys. (60:4)

Our Lord! Pour out on us patience and constancy, and make us die as those who have surrendered themselves unto You. (7:126)
Ameen.

M'salam

The Story Of My Life...

Poetry you can feel..you can relate to..Maulana Rumi one certainly can...


I was ready to tell
the story of my life
but the ripple of tears
and the agony of my heart
wouldn't let me

i began to stutter
saying a word here and there
and all along i felt
as tender as a crystal
ready to be shattered

in this stormy sea
we call life
all the big ships
come apart
board by board

how can i survive
riding a lonely
little boat
with no oars
and no arms

my boat did finally break
by the waves
and i broke free
as i tied myself
to a single board

though the panic is gone
i am now offended
why should i be so helpless
rising with one wave
and falling with the next

i don't know
if i am
nonexistence
while i exist
but i know for sure
when i am
i am not
but
when i am not
then i am

now how can i be
a skeptic
about the
resurrection and
coming to life again

since in this world
i have many times
like my own imagination
died and
been born again...

Ramadhan Mubarak

Assalamu alaikum

We have yet again come to the blessed month of Ramadhan.

Allah's Apostle said, "When the month of Ramadan starts, the gates of the heaven are opened and the gates of Hell are closed and the devils are chained." [Bukhari] ...

Narrated Abu Huraira(r.a): The Prophet said:"... whoever fasts during Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping to attain Allah's rewards, then all his past sins will be forgiven." (Sahih Al-Bukhari).

"...whoever witnesses the Month of Ramadan should fast through it..." Q(2:185)

"Ramadan is the (month) in which the Quran was sent down, as a guide to mankind and a clear guidance and judgment (so that mankind will distinguish from right and wrong).." (Q 2:183)

"Oh you who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you many learn piety and rightousness" (Qur'an, al-Baqarah, 2:183)


InshAllah everyone feels the beauty of this month and use it to better ourselves for this duniyah and the hereafter.

"...And it is better for you that ye fast, if ye only knew." (Q 2:184)

Much Du'a for my brothers and sisters of this ummah and greetings to our fellow non-Muslim counterparts, inshAllah you too use this month to learn of this beautiful deen 'Islam'

Peace

What you feel

What do you feel? He asked her.
What I feel is what you feel. She answered.
What do I feel? He queried.
She answered, 'You feel; a leapord roaming to attack that which is wrong.
A horse galloping to win that which others think you cannot achieve, a butterfly looking for a safe haven, for warmth, but only if you find it. You feel a dove pretty on the outside but wild on the inside: for safety.
I feel what you feel, but what I feel you cannot feel,
why?

You and Me

You are me, and I am you.

Isn't it obvious that we 'inter-are'?

You cultivate the flower in yourself,

so that I will be beautiful.

I transform the garbage in myself,

so that you will not have to suffer.

~
Thich Nhat Hanh

Sometimes we forget...

Sky...

Sitting by the bare window, she looks at the sky vibrant in its serenity.
The stars twinkle, speaking to her, giving her sense of hope, signalling to her
'be patient'.
She feels the illuminating light of the sky, although black, it speaks to her, absorbing her she shivers.
The wind glides through the naked window, breezy, warm yet refreshing. She is mindful of the air of whoes scent lingers, she caressing it breathes all.
Dark sky hear her, let the stars twinkle and shine in the sign
'it will be...'

Beauty

Enchanting the smile is, full yet closed.
How is it closed? One asks.
Closed, as the eyes twinkles but the eyelids heavy.
The heaviness weighs the smile, for the eyes and smile are meant to be one.
Observing those around, only that whose lips are, full and gracious and teeth white pearls; needing to understand the story in those dark yet luminous eyes, catches thy attention.
One does not know the effect of their melancholy eyes and the transcended beauty of their smile.
What profound beauty, how intoxicating the yearning is!

Knighthood

Salman Rushdie got a 'knighthood' for the satanic verses he had written? Or the fact that he has been so 'brave' and 'strong' from the monsterous Muslims? Oh he really does feel 'thrilled and humbled' bless his blasphemous academic record....

http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=5263546

Why him we question? or perhaps the answer is all clear cut and not open to discussion. Its extremely intriguing how 'Sir' Salman's work is recognised and not Mr Friedman or Mr Chomsky.

I suppose this quote by Dennis Wholey makes much sense...

'Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian'

Solitude...

Oh flower,

Is it your proud nature

That keeps you aloof

From the bird dancing around you?

It is the beauty of one's nature

That nets the seekers.

Ropes and cages never trap

The wary bird.

~

Hafiz

Burning...

However much she tames her wild heart, it fights back, tormenting her.
She doesnt want to, longing to release herself from this imprisonment, she is in constant battle.
However much she seeks to free, the more she is imprisoned, deeper the barriers become.
She wants to take her heart out and give to the one who pains her, the one who has the love she cannot give others.
However far ahead she endeavours to look, the past she looks at.
She is in rage, how stubborn he is not to see her burning fire of passion!
However much she tries to set the words free, backing out only because he has parted.
She has realised for of his heart she from the flames will find.

But little left behind:

Its burning, he will never know or see....

Guantanamo Bay

(BBC picture)

Following the attack of 9/11 and war in Afghanistan in 2001, many men were taken prisoner and sent to the notorious prison Guantanamo Bay. These men have been labelled "unlawful combatants" and are thus not recognised as ‘prisoners of war’, effectively removing them from the Geneva Convention’s procedural safeguards. The incarceration of these prisoners without due process and the use of torture against these detainees many have argued amounts to an undermining of liberal principles, the 'liberals' put so much emphasis on. The use of torture in prisons as part of the ‘War on Terror’demonstrates how this indefinite war has created a quandary for liberalism because the use of torture is again a breach of one’s human rights and thus in breach of liberal principles. The ‘War on Terror’ is most definitely a process of reterritorialisation. This is manifested in the increased surveillance of the state in peoples lives (The Patriot Act) and the increased intervention of the state in people’s movements which is evident in the detention and deportation again without due process of foreign nationals who are deemed to be a threat to homeland security.

The treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay as well as that of those who have been labelled as "terrorists" in the ‘War on Terror’ goes a long way in depicting how and why the ‘War on Terror’ is creating a dilemma for people to actually comprehend the 'unhuman' practise of these acts. These terrorists as well as many prisoners (arrested as part of the ‘War on Terror’) are not seen as rational beings with genuine grievances, therefore there can be no dialogue with these people we are told by the perpetrators of this ‘War on Terror’. And because these terrorists and prisoners are not thought to be rational beings they are stripped of their human rights. What is striking is the 'fact' that Liberal societies are committed to respect the rights of those who have shown no respect for rights at all, and that is why liberal societies do their best to guarantee even the most heinous criminals a free and fair trial. But the imprisoning of ‘suspects’ without trial is a blatant breach of liberal principles in an era of globalisation.

Brings me to the conclusion, either the world accepts 'communism' 'capitalism' 'facism' or one of the many 'religions' because the dark age of 'acceptance' and 'peace' has 'died'.

These brothers in Guantanamo Bay, for them I can only end with this poem composed by an Arab poet:

'some eyes are restless while others are in sleep. In meditating that which may or may not occur. So leave worrying as much as possible, as carrying the burdens of anxiety is madness. There is your Lord, who provided you with solutions to yesterday, and He will similarly provide for what is to come tomorrow'.

Gordon

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6695005.stm

is this one of them political 'safe-wash' sigh...first, Mr Gordon says Mr Blair was 'right' to intervene with 'Saddams brutal ruling' now 'some mistakes in handling Iraq'?!

Just cannot help but think....Mr Gordon very clever, stable in the PM's seat time to bitch slap Mr Blair? ^_^ don't we just love politics?

Iraq...

Now im no extremist, nor the western idea of a 'fundamentalist' so im hoping i wont be tried for orchestrating terrorism under the state of exception 'war on terror' AHERM. But i support this middle aged fella: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6694053.stm

The situation of the Sunni Vs Shi'a is nothing new, its a age old catastrophe...but let them sort out their own problem, why do they need Mother Intervention 'America and its ilk' ?! It is so disappointing Muslims fail to realise how important it is to avoid lusting over western ideals, and then suffer the consequence. During Saddams regime [will no doubt take an genius to workout some of the atrocities that were carried out under his totalitarian ruling...]But the situtation our brothers and sisters face now are 'suicidal'. Whether Moqtada Al-Sadr has an agenda of his own or not...unity with the Sunni's is a must and necessity 'for now' and work toward 'getting rid of the occupiers out' is an obligation.

But whatever I have to say...these occupiers have gone in...and they will leave their pollution behind. But I am hoping the Muslims whether they are Sunni's or Shi'as will look out their cacoon and see their need to put aside religious dogmas and seek some form of unity against further imperialist intervention and occupation inshAllah.

Jihad in the Holy Qur'an:

• 
  "Truly Allah loves those who fight in His Cause in battle array, as if they were a solid cemented structure," (Surah 61:4).
• 
  "Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you but do not transgress limits...191And slay them wherever ye catch them. and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for persecution is worse than slaughter; But fight them not at the sacred Mosque unless they (first) fight you there; But if they fight you, slay them. Such is the reward of those who reject faith. 192 But if they cease, Allah is oft-forgiving, Most Merciful. 193And fight them on until there is no more persecution. And the religion becomes Allah's. But if they cease, Let there be no hostility except to those who practice oppression" ( Surah 2:190-193).
• 
  "O ye who believe! what is the matter with you, that, when ye are asked to go forth in the cause of Allah, ye cling heavily to the earth? Do ye prefer the life of this world to the Hereafter? But little is the comfort of this life, as compared with the Hereafter. Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least. For Allah hath power over all things. Unless ye go forth, He will punish you with a grievous penalty, and put others in your place; but Him ye would not harm in the least. For Allah hath power over all things," (Surah 9:38-39).
• 
  See also Surah 4:74-76; 61:10-12.

Jihad in some of the Hadiths of RasulAllah saw:

• 
  "The Prophet said, "The person who participates in (Holy battles) in Allah's cause and nothing compels him to do so except belief in Allah and His Apostles, will be recompensed by Allah either with a reward, or booty (if he survives) or will be admitted to Paradise (if he is killed in the battle as a martyr). Had I not found it difficult for my followers, then I would not remain behind any sariya going for Jihad and I would have loved to be martyred in Allah's cause and then made alive, and then martyred and then made alive, and then again martyred in His cause."Volume 1, Book 2, Number 35, Narrated Abu Huraira
  
• "Allah's Apostle said, "A pious slave gets a double reward." Abu Huraira added: By Him in Whose Hands my soul is but for Jihad (i.e. holy battles), Hajj, and my duty to serve my mother, I would have loved to die as a slave. Volume 3, Book 46, Number 724: Narrated Abu Huraira
• "Allah's Apostle said, "Allah guarantees (the person who carries out Jihad in His Cause and nothing compelled him to go out but Jihad in His Cause and the belief in His Word) that He will either admit him into Paradise (Martyrdom) or return him with reward or booty he has earned to his residence from where he went out." Volume 9, Book 93, Number 555: Narrated Abu Huraira.

Who are we to say Jihad is to be put to a side when its our very religious 'duty'? For how long will we live like donkeys according to others orders?

Relief

You smile, in hope the world smiles back at you.

Often hear

'is that why you smile, so the world merely smiles back?'

You fail to realise, deep down is a tormenting heart, fighting with you and the world around you.

You see no one knows, who can possibly read ones heart, without you telling them?

You smile, so when you see another smile, perhaps it would bring relief to the tormenting heart.

You are the rock to people, but what are they? They are your erosion.

Damning they all are, because there's only one who trully brings relief...

'In rememberance of Allah do hearts find rest'

Israel/Palestinian clash

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6678295.stm

Every human life is precious, a Black baby is not superior than a White baby, its just a difference of colour, but than even a zebra is of multiple colouring; white and black...yet it's given much attention because of its beauty...

I found it extremely distressing how the above BBC article was 'breaking news' in death of this 'one'Israeli lady, let me stress im not saying it shouldnt be condemned yes 'every life is precious' but why do we fail to acknowledge that with every strike by the Israelis a Palestinian is killed, how will we know how many are dying everyday, whoes baby son/daughter, whoes grandfather/mother...when they live in complete ghettos? with no access to decent medical attention/care???

its downright discriminative, with such media attention and hype, no wonder it's a pat on the back for the Israelis, and a slap for the Palestinians... makes me think why they go about in some of their drastic measures....

Don't we just admire and applaud 'justice'? and where's the idea of 'human rights' wasnt this an integral part of 'democracy' wait where is the idea of 'natural rights' gone????

Words Of Truth

Words of truth...

'In Your light I learn how to love.

In Your beauty, how to make poems.

You dance inside my chest, where no one sees You'

~

Rumi

The Smile...

Your smile lives love.
Whoes smile I have become devout to, I do not know.
Come and undress your smile, and reveal the love in your smile.
The scent of your smile, released in the air ignites my very living, its sweetness captivating.
The smile I live for, the light I awaken for everyday, is my nourishment of hope.
Your smile is my thirst.
Dry my heart is in searching for you, trying to consume all I reach, later to find them empty of you.
The smile which comes in the midst of the dreams, I reach out with my fingertips. Caressing, one who lives beneath the veil.
Who are you, I long for, but you who fail to reveal?
Your smile...

You

Deep within my soul Oh God I long for You.

The contradiction around and within me, cloud my soul and my external beauty.

My vision shadowed with darkness, I search for You, all I see are my dark shadows.

Where can I find You, I seek Your essence in my every wake, to find myself going to sleep alone, restless.

I am drowning for Your light, to awake my remorseful heart.

Deep within my soul Oh God I long for You...

Say it?

Wanting to say something, the lip twitches, and the need and want to say it, is so irresistible. So near, everything at bay, but a feeling so strong keeps it all locked away deep within.

Locked away, for so long, the feeling eats you away, yet there comes a time, the feeling is immune on the lips, but ignited in the heart, transforming and shaping it in any ways, it is astonishing.

There comes a time, the fingers tremble, you would look at them, as if thinking the fingers were in pain, perhaps they were, the pain was yearn to compose words which couldn’t be uttered from the lips.

Twinkles, the eyes, you would have never have thought, eyes were able to speak, maybe they could. Often people say lovers can speak without words, maybe so. These eyes flashed at times, possibly from that which is hurling inside their hearts, but that which couldn’t be brought out in the open.

Crazy right?

Talk is cheap?

What is in a word, I often ask myself, just what does a word mean or signify. I learnt from the wise, words were those which when flowed from the heart, reached the receiving heart. But words, which had no real meaning, flowed from the mouth but went straight out the receiving ear, had no worth. Such wise words I contemplated, everyone deserved integrity and words of perfection.
Yet, somewhere along the path the receiving end thinks it has no meaning, how do you tell them words all you have/had to take their breath away, but only if they awaited and implored the metaphors of each word? Or words were not well formulated or profound, hence the cause of such confusion, worse yet, talk is cheap?

Fortress...

So long it took.

After so much had happened, was built with perfection, no hidden gaps, it was a world of its own. Was not going to open the gate, could not face building yet another, how can you when you train yourself after so long? Can you imagine the anxiety of it all?

~

Adore for humanity, I opened the gates.
The guard was concealed, but it was ideal to let them enter, to feel warmth amid the coldness of the world outside. Wanted them to feel at ease, my world was to be their haven. No pain was to touch them; they were to be guarded by love of tranquillity and perfection as it can be.

~

Humanity does not care about amity does it?
It was shattered by a touch of a butterfly, the guard was riven, is there any justice in the world? Why give so much yet get nothing in return? The human heart is good; the human heart is bad, only if that guard is broken, period.

~

I guess this heart needs to be better disciplined? Perhaps humanity no longer exists?
What dishonour, the radiance of ones heart clouded, by the touch of a butterfly.

~ Talk is cheap...

Contradictions!!!!!!!!!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6584661.stm

Muslim ladies were the most 'oppressesd' werent they?

'heavily pregnant wives or spouses struggling with prams and pushchairs to fend for themselves as they and all other male passengers got on at the front of the bus.
Women moved towards the rear door to get on at the back'.

oh dear me....

Stranger...

The pebbled street of wonder, dark sky glowing, air a scent of warmth and breeze, if you listen carefully, there are whisperings…

They all gaze at this stranger, walking on their own, where they are going, no one can tell, perhaps the whisperings are their guide…

Smiling, this stranger wipes a tear from their cheeks, what goes through their heart, and mind, which can tell; maybe it’s the whisperings…

Talking, amused, writing [did wonder what it was] they glow, yet suddenly, melancholy clouts their face, perhaps it’s the whispering…

Have you wondered what goes in that stranger’s heart down the pebbled street of wonder?

Yearning...

Why do I abscond You, and then miss Your presence?
Faced by affliction, and ache I seek for Your compassion, why am I so selfish?
Your eternal existences, Your forever love, why do I yearn yet fail to give You that love that destroys my inner being?
So alone, yet Your majestic quality is my fortress of completion, yet why do I seek solace in lonesome?
How do I embed my love for You my lord, how do I put a stop to what nourishes me that which also annihilates me?

Pearls...

She admires as they fall from above, raindrops, pearl drops. So clear, natural.
She craves to be like them pearls, serene and pure, glistening earth with freshness of nature’s natural blessings.
The freshness she inhales, it purifies her deep, so deep she is awakened, cleansed.
The aroma of pearls with grass, water lilies nearby, awaken her the unborn child pure, natural, so beatific in its make.
Pearls trickle down her hair, massaging into the strands of her long, curly hair. On to her face, her nose, caressing her mouth like touch of a fingertip silky...

The pearls smooth, cool with inimitable touch of warmth as it memorises the texture of her face.
She catches her breath, pearls sliding down her throat, a tongue.

Down, down places of mystery.
Wet grass she lays, waterfall near her ears, running like stream made of honey complete pureness in paradise…
White she sees above, down, down the pearls fall…

Leaves...

Consumed in the tangles of thorn, the frost of winter bit into me like iced stiletto. I failed to see the reds of petal in my horizon, luminous, tranquil and sincere. Walking and kicking all that came my way, I failed to notice the green leaf of life under the shattered and withered leaves of winter. Where the newborn leaf had come from, I did not know. It was miracle, a sign of hope, for what I relished, yet I could not touch. I am living, I always have, and the leaves are green, brown, and red.

You live amongst the leaves, maybe one day you will surface from the veils of your fortress,

the thorns may stop pricking...

Dark Irony...

Your smile, Your more than real. The sun is searing through Your face, I see what no one else can see.
Your love is more than intimacy, I feel you concealed in my breath and blood, You set me on violent inferno.
Your melodious voice, ringing in my ears, piano gliding through the naked air, I can hear You, no one else can.

I am walking, floating, Your walking beside me, I can feel Your love I can feel Your presence. It’s all slowly waning, come lets fulfil this love, Your union I am feeling…

Irony….

Whirling heart...

Twirling round and around…………..where am I going?
I am merry my heart is crying………..why am I so outlandish?

It’s a feeling you cannot comprehend! Something just isn’t right!

My heart is a little adverse…………why does it battle against me?
My mind is determined……………why don’t I listen to it?

It’s a feeling you cannot comprehend! Something just isn’t right!

I cannot understand myself……….. Am I deceptive against myself?
My heart is modestly good………I am my channel, where are you?

It’s a feeling you cannot comprehend! Something just isn’t right!

By Az....

'Rejoice friends, my heart has found solice! I neither look left nor right, but up and find my Sun smiling back at me!'

Sun = Sunni [me nickname]

Vwah Az! ;)

Memories of my shadow...

What engulfs my heart, wherever I go, wherever I conceal, it haunts me…
Under the luminous dark silk of night, I stare, I marvel, I breathe, it haunts me…

What has it made me?

The memories flash; images appear, faded, yet real, drowning me, it haunts me…
The scent so surreal, compulsive, I cannot breath, it haunts me…

What has it made me?

Day after day it travels with me like shadow, consuming me…
Its memories are overwhelming me…

It haunts me…

Ajnabee

Deep melancholic yet sweet eyes that always appeared distracted.

For he saw the world in a different shade to everyone else.

His hands often trembled for no reason

and his fingers twitched in search of what...?

His mouth would suddenly open into a wide,

infectious smile and then just as suddenly fall into misery...?

He was reflecting his heart, loud,

quiet, sweet yet burning!

He was quite unlike others he was intense, a vast whirlpool of thoughts...

Consolable...?

Beloved...

Oh Beloved,take me.

Liberate my soul. Fill me with your love and release me from the two worlds.

If I set my heart on anything but you let fire burn me from inside.

Oh Beloved, take away what I want.

Take away what I do. Take away what I need.

Take away everything that takes me from you.

~ Rumi

Can feel the intensity of this poem...moves the soul in a fire of rage and ecstacy for the Beloved!

Soul....

Say not, "I have found the truth," but rather, "I have found a truth." Say not, "I have found the path of the soul." Say rather, "I have met the soul walking upon my path." For the soul walks upon all paths. The soul walks not upon a line, neither does it grow like a reed. The soul unfolds itself, like a lotus of countless petals.

~Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923

seek so much in hope this soul ignites...tis endless...

Hijab

If i knew the significance of the hijab i would have adopted it from my early years of growing up, if i knew the essence of its beauty i would have taught my sisters of Islam....

The Hijab....

Her long, curly, shiny black hair Fell against her back. Her rich, copper skin Gleamed in the sunlight.
Her slender figure outlined, With her soft voluptuous curves. But when she stepped outside, She became a ghostly figure of the night.
Nothing more to the people Than a dark, shadowy figure of oppression.
But she showed them. As she walked down the street, People made way, Men lowered their gazes in utmost respect.
And others whispered, As she held her head up high, With pride in her belief And showed them how oppressed she really was! Or was she?
While they whistled at their women, Looking them up and down, were they animals at a zoo? She pitied their jahil ways.
She entered her haven, there awaiting was the one man who could see her in halal matrimony,
she was his angel,
she was his wife...

Poetry: I think of you...

I think of you in the amity solitude and stillness of the early dawn, for you are serenity.

I think of you on an ocean's front, for you are the roar of the waves, the power of the sea, and the salt in the air.

I think of you amidst a crowd and the chorale of city sounds...for that is my song, and you are the music.

You are my first thought of each new day, and the last, as my eyes are closed upon a feathered pillow.

In that secret place called sleep, it is you that I search for and I seek, through shades of darkness and clouds of cotton.

When do I think of you? Every momentof my life.

And, when the final sleep does come and if there is thought... it will be of you.

Allah SWT x

Back to Politics!

Really dislike anger...as the wise say when anger comes wisdom goes...and when anger comes you have indeed been conquered

The Saudi monarch has made a forceful appeal for Arab unity, denouncing US policy in Iraq and the embargo imposed by western nations on the Palestinians.
At the Arab League summit in Riyadh, King Abdullah described the US presence in Iraq as an illegitimate occupation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6505803.stm

what goes through their heads with these insults? their motives? [other than the obvious which goes through my mind 'money' 'fame' 'nobility' ]

such a shame when the Ummah which has/had been given such prestige and honour could be of that character...it is such a shame....

Paying the Price...

Every day and night i feel your presence engraved in my soul.
with every breath i utter your name
when you leave a bit of me dies
all i have lived for, all i have shed tears for
all in vain
for you have left me my beloved
i blame no one but myself
i have created a wall around me.
You ask me why
it is because my very existence was for you my beloved
for i have wronged one time and now i pay the price
you have left me how do i live
i am a barrel of remorse
dont abondon me

Leaving...

said your leaving you have found a new path
the path i shower you with passion and comfort was it all in vain?

how much can one love to get same in return?

You, i felt in the midst of the nights you were in agony though not always in presence i sent the messenger the soul to comfort you
tell me what thirst you have?

you have left my river of rich pureness of white i wished to bathe in with you to ease away that which hurts you,
the love i thought that could never be broken has shattered, you have found a new path
Now i feel tears, are they mine or has earth opened which i deserve to drown in?

the twinkle in your eyes, were they a lie?
the fog i see now, tell me truth, the truth you were not real but a dream

i saw a angel in my dream was it you?

now i know it was an illusion, fate wasnt meant to appeal to me but to destroy me for my naivity and zeal in loving, You, who do not want...

Introduction to Poetry...

I am passionate about poems...they are unspoken words of the heart and the soul...unlike tears that flow staining the cheeks...poetry cleanses deep within...one either feels poetry or nothing at all...
i personally think poetry are often written, thought, felt, spoken...by restless souls...do i have a restless soul? who can tell you, who can tell you why, fools give you reason wise mennever try....

He calls me I do not listen

He listens, but I acknowledge not.

He comforts me I gesture him away.

He directs me, but I question his use.

He still waits, patiently in hope I fall in love with him, in hope my heart yearns for him.

Calling onto me day and night, trying to reach to me via all accords.

I stopped in my tracks.

I am feeling for his need.

My soul is reciting

My heart is aching

Ya Allah!

Mandeans and Christians in Iraq

well check the situation of the Mandeans and Christians because of the dirty war led by Bush and Blair...!


When we speak of the Middle East, we often think it is a place for the Muslims. But this is not the case; before the seventh century invasion of the Middle East by Muslim Arabs the predominant population of Mesopotamia (today's Iraq), Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt were non-Arab Christians as well as the Mandeans.

The Mandeans are the only surviving Gnostic religion, now with no more than 60,000 adherents, living in southern Iraq and southwestern Iran. Their main city is Nasiriyya. They are often called the Christians of Saint John, as he is held as a very sacred person, but not essential, in their theology. Their name is Aramaic for 'knowledge', i.e. a translation from the Greek 'gnosis' (a way of thinking which is philosophical). Their religious scripture is called the Ginza (treasure) RBA, which is divided into two parts, left Ginza and right Ginza. This division very much talks of the evil and the goodness
(the left Ginza talks of the ‘light world’) and the right ‘fate of the soul/ judgement’.


Unlike other religions like the Jews and Muslims, Mandeans Holy Scripture was only finalised in the 8th century, thus doubts arise in its authenticity. Also unlike the other religions they have a dualistic element to their religion, because of their belief in God but later to see the emergence of their non-living Manda d-Hiia who was given status as an healer, physician. Central to their religious rituals/teachings is Baptism, and the Mandean sanctuary; Mandi is a very simple and small house with slanting roof. In front of it is a pool, which is connected to a nearby river (called ‘Jordon’) where baptisms are conducted on a weekly basis1


There are two theories to their origins they may either belong to a group emerging from Palestine, who were followers of John the Baptist. The other theory links them the Sabeans, originally from Harran region. However, there is no sound historical reference to their emergence, although it is presumed in Iraq, as a minority religion they have been residing for well over 2,000 years.


It is often said the Mandeans could be a continuation of traditions from Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq), or Palestine, or both. The Mandean religion could be pre-Christian, or it could date to 1st or 2nd century CE. It could actually be John the Baptist, who founded the sect, or they could be a continuation of the Jewish sect that John the Baptist belonged to (guessed by some to be the Essenes)2 however, elements of their language indicate that the community is of Jewish origin. (Recent sources indicate because of this, many Mandeans are seeking a homeland preferably in the occupied state of Palestine)


Since there is not much historical reference of their emergence in Iraq, little is known of how the influx of Muslim conquerors from the 7th century treated the Mandeans. Nevertheless, during the Abbasid dynasty it’s been noted that it was a period in which non-Arabs were allowed to convert (doubts has arisen, for these trends were for economical purposes). Thus a number of Mandeans had converted and were treated as ‘people of the book’ (Ahl al-kitab) however, the Mandeans indeed faced a difficult relationship with Islam, and Muhammad is in their writings called the 'demon Bizbat'.3


Sources say that during 932-934, the status of the Mandeans becomes an issue for the Abbasid caliph Al-Qahir Billah. He asked the shafi’I scholar Al-Istakari about the Mandeans of Wasit (southeast Iraq) this shows that their minority position had become uncertain, and had to pay a bribe to be left alone. Alongside the Mandeans, another minority religion harbouring in Iraq is the Christian minority. Christians of Iraq trace their ancestry to the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians. They are known by various names such as Assyrians, Chaldeans for those who belong to the Chaldean-Church and Syriacs for the members of the Syrian Orthodox church. There is no specific statistics about the total population of Christians in Iraq but they are estimated to be about one million4


From the period of 7th century CE when Islam was at its advent of global conquering, the Christians in Iraq, under the general Khalid bin Waleed, were treated accordingly as part of other minority religions (bear in mind the covenant of Umar Al Khattab was not implemented during this period for the dhimmis, but rather 100 years later). This was a period when they did not face religious persecution in contrary their monasteries were safeguarded and they were able to practise their religions, although church bells were stopped as it interfered with the Muslim call to prayer (adhan)


But it was during the relatively tolerant period of the Abbasid Caliphate (758-1258) Assyrians scholars of both Nestorian and Jacobite denominations contributed greatly to the advancement of the Islamic civilization by translating the available knowledge form the Syriac and the Greek languages into the Arabic. This guided an era, which is known as the ‘Golden Age’. The first directors of the ‘House of Wisdom’ an institution specifically established by AI-Mamun in 830 AD to translate all the available existing knowledge including, medicine philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and other sciences into the Arabic were Assyrians5


To show the extent of the Assyrian contribution to educating the Arabs it suffices to say that from a hundred Galen's treaties ninety-six were translated form the Syriac language the rest directly from the Greek. Many Greek books no longer existed in their native language. Yuhanna ibn Masswaya a physician and teacher were the first director of the House of Wisdom and the president of the first Arab University. He has been credited with having written nearly fifty works. His students were well versed in logic and the writings of Galen. He conducted an assembly in Baghdad on regular basis known as ‘Majlis’, which was a combination of lecture room and consulting hour where he saw patients, lectured his students and discussed scientific topics for the benefit of the general public. One of his most famous students was Hunayn ibn-Isahq who became the second director of the House of the Wisdom6


The Mandeans, as we have acknowledged earlier on [were given dhimmi status during the Abbasid dynasty], who also lived side by side with Muslims as well as Christians for centuries. Number of sources tells us the Mandeans in Iraq experienced no real persecutions. However, other sources report the Mandeans have survived 1400 years of Islamic persecution, which includes many massacres of Mandeans throughout the centuries. ‘In 1870 an entire Mandaean community was massacred at Shushtar, north of Ahwaz in south-western Iran, close to the southern Iraqi border’.7 According to information from the German NGO Society for Threatened People, Mandeans in Iraq were persecuted and suppressed in the past, by the Christian community as well8


Prior to the American led war in Iraq, during the reign of the former regime, the Mandaeans suffered further persecution; in particular during ‘cleansing’ campaigns in the Marsh areas [where they were for centuries concentrated in] during which Mandean places of worship were systematically destroyed.9 Nevertheless, the general attitude towards Mandeans had become more tolerant during the last years of the former regime.


Persecution has skyrocketed and more than 80 Mandaeans have been murdered since the fall of Baghdad in April. Now there is great concern that Iraq's Mandaean community, having survived 1400 years of struggle, may not survive post-war Iraq. They live as refugees [number of them still struggle to get granted refugee status]. In a BBC article, the refugees speak of kidnap, murder and attempts at forced conversion. One woman, Ibtisam Sabah Habib, said there had always been some threats and pressure to convert to Islam, but under the previous Iraqi regime there had been limits. ‘Now, there are no rules and no government,’ she said, describing how an armed gang of Islamic extremists had got into her house, killed her father and stolen all their money. ‘They would telephone us at home, threatening us and trying to convert us. Then they tried to kidnap me. It was our neighbours who saved me. They're Muslims - not all Muslims threaten us. But the extremists are very strong now - our neighbours couldn't protect us all the time.’10


Other forms of persecution include harassment and abuse, often accompanied with violence, in the streets and at the daily public Mandean baptisms. Mandean couples are often forced to divorce so that Muslim marriages can be imposed upon them, thus ensuring the Mandeans lose their Mandean identity.11 Already a very small religious community [as a whole] the sectarian violence in Iraq, approximately has left 100,000 displaced, which also includes other minority groups such as the Christians.12


Since the early period of the 7th century, Christians and Muslims have lived side by side in Iraq for centuries. Most Christians in Iraq are ethnically Assyrian. The Assyrians are the original inhabitants of the land now referred to as Iraq. The Apostle Thomas himself preached the Gospel to the Assyrians, shortly after the Resurrection of Christ. The majority of the Assyrian population had converted to Christianity by the second century, giving the Assyrians a legitimate claim to being the first Christian nation in history.13


The Qur’an recognizes Jesus as a prophet, along with the prophets of the Old Testament; Christians have long been given the status of a protected minority, sometimes referred to as ‘people of the book.’ You will find the people most affectionate to those who believe are those who say, 'We are Christians.' That is because some of them are priests and monks and because they are not arrogant’. (Surat al-Ma'ida, 82) This verse shows all Muslims the importance of respecting and protecting the sanctuaries of Christians and Jews. Indeed, in the Qur'an God commands Muslims not to harbour any enmity towards any people. In many verses, friendship is recommended. God even refers to the idolaters at war with Muslims in this way: ‘if any of the idolaters ask you for protection, give them protection until they have heard the words of God. Then convey them to a place where they are safe.’ (Surat at-Tawba: 6)


Even Saddam Hussein offered Christians a measure of protection in an era when the 1979 Iranian revolution politicised Islam and spawned militancy throughout the Muslim world. Saddam tended to view Iraq's Christians as no threatening. He gave prominent roles to some, most notably Tariq Aziz, who provided a grandfatherly public face for a brutal regime [Aziz was deputy prime minister in the Saddam regime].
However, Saddam never permitted new churches to be built, nor would he allow new Christian denominations into his tightly controlled society. Nevertheless, we must bear in mind that In Shiite-dominated Southern Iraq, there have been many accounts of Assyrian businessmen being shot dead on the street for such crimes as running liquor stores or selling other goods prohibited by Islamic law. Under the regime of Saddam Hussein, Christians had been allowed to peacefully conduct such business without fear.

Christians are seriously affected by the dramatic deterioration of the situation of non-Muslim communities, since the 2003 American led war in Iraq. However, Iraq's interim constitution signed in March 2004 and which was put in force until a general election, guaranteed freedom of all religions. Article Seven says Islam is the official state religion ‘and a source of the legislation’. ‘This constitution respects the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi population while guaranteeing complete freedom of all other religions and religious practices,’ it says.

Nevertheless, They increasingly experienced discrimination and continue to, with regard to access to the labour market or basic social services. Many Iraqi Christians are particularly afraid of persecution by insurgent groups such as Ansar Al-Sunna as well as Islamic militias such as the Badr Organisation or the Mehdi-Army, which have gained de facto control over entire neighborhoods in various cities and villages in Iraq.14

Christians are regarded as ‘infidels’ by segments of the Muslim majority population in Iraq. Therefore, many assaults bear a religious component. This is particularly true when Christians are punished for not respecting or adhering to certain traditional or religious rules of behaviour, such as the Islamic dress code accepted or requested by a Muslim majority, the consumption or selling of alcohol, or women appearing in public without the company of a male relative (mahram).15

At times, personal motives may also be the reason for violent assaults on members of Christian communities. The perception is that Christians are generally wealthier than others, (for example because they trade or sell alcohol); this may also be a cause for attacks. Furthermore, ethnic motives may have to be considered in particular with regard to Armenian Christians. Although Islam protects Christians, as ‘people of the book’ (Ahl Al-Kitab) the general populace does not always respect this status. As a result, assaults against religious minorities or ‘infidels’ may be considered minor offences, thereby lowering the threshold for discrimination against or persecution of members of religious minorities. Against this background, a person’s religious association may play a role as a motive and also determine the kind of persecutory act.16

The increasing trend to embrace strict Islamic values is the cause for strong resentment towards Christians, mainly in the South as well as in the so-called Sunni triangle in the Center of the country. The relationship between Kurds and Christians is characterised by more mutual tolerance and therefore Christians in the Northern Governorates generally face less pressure. However, in view of the possible recognition of Islam as a major source of law in the new Permanent Constitution, Christians fear a further degradation of their legal and actual position in the Iraqi society. The increasing number of Iraqi Christians fleeing to neighbouring Syria since 2003 provides a strong indication for the deterioration of their situation. Christians seeking refuge in Syria and Jordan currently benefit from protection on a temporary basis granted by the authorities of these countries.17

Concluding, we know the Christians are the people of the book ‘ahl al-kitab’ they are to be protected on all grounds. However, regarding The Mandeans, there are no valid authentic materials underlining them to be people of the book, in the Sunnah of the prophet (pbuh) or in the Qur’an, except for which the Abbasid dynasty implemented [as certain sources recall for economic purposes]. Although there was some level of persecution of minority communities in the hands of the Muslims in the earlier period of Muslim rule, predominantly in the latter periods of the Islamic caliphate, and not during the very reign of the prophet hood of Muhammad (pbuh) where all minority groups were treated with much peace and protection. The situation faced by these minority groups isn’t to be compared to the persecution and oppression they suffer now in modern ‘democratic Iraq’. As I had proposed to interrogate the Christian and Mandean relationship with Islam from ancient period to the modern era, we must acknowledge the fact that anti Semitism has no justification in Islam neither does it condone racism in any shape or form. The Qur'an teaches that superiority does not lie in race, colour or any other feature, but in closeness to God and living by faith and morals. The Qur'an states this truth: Mankind! We created you from a male and female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you might come to know each other. The noblest among you in God's sight is that one of you who best performs his duty. God is All Knowing, All Aware. (The Qur'an, 49:13) Thus persecution the Christian community and the Mandeans face in Iraq, and perhaps other countries [in the Middle East], is nothing but religion used as an instrument to fight the ideological battle of a minority radical Muslims, who have no basis in Islam. It is unfortunate these minority groups are caught in middle of the catastrophe of religion being politicised. Hopefully there should be light in the end of the tunnel.