musaafir-e dasht

The semester has ended. Today I conducted my last exam and it is always sad to see the students go their own ways ... We spend time with them for an entire semester and then suddenly and abruptly everything comes to an end. I realised this when one of my students walked up to me after submitting his answer script and thanked me. I was obviously touched. Not every student comes up to you and thanks you for merely having taught them three days a week for an entire semester. He had always been a very good student and at times also used to pass some witty comments in the class to lighten up the mood. The best thing about him was that despite being witty and intelligent he was never disrespectful and that is why I used to let him have his opportunities ... And today, after thanking me he also apologised for those witticisms. I just asked him to always do his best in life because not everyone is able to do so! It is extremely difficult to practise ehsaan  - excellence - in one's life. Th...

SubhaanAllah! I just read a wonderful faith-reviving article on Noor of Nobility . It answers so many of our 'modern concerns' - Concerns that always act as a hindrance in our practise of Deen. Read The Ten Comments You Will Hear Before Pursuing Your Deen...  

The Onset By N.A. The silence approaches As time stealthily moves And fades into the darkness Of a cool autumn night - That time of the year When sorrows flit across the landscape of heart Before settling into it like dead autumn leaves. In Poets' Corner image source

image source Yesterday I told one of my teachers that I was not being able to do anything nowadays. Everything in life seems to have come to a halt. I could neither read, nor write (IMAGINE! Reading and writing have become such essentials for me that whenever I am unable to do that it appears as if life has come to a stop. SubhaanAllah!). He appeared a little taken aback on hearing this, but immediately he said that these are just phases that overwhelm a person for a short period and then pass away. His words reminded me of another thing he once said long ago... I do not remember the exact words but the approximate meaning was: Feelings have an illusion of permanence attached to them. In reality, they are just bound to change and pass away...  

Contemplating Chishti  is one blog which surely deserves a special mention here. I have benefited greatly from this blog over the period of years. Ironically, I came across this only after its author had stopped writing and had bade farewell to it. So I do not know who exactly used to run the site. That does not matter anyway. Yesterday I was rereading a few posts from this blog and I thought I should share it on my site. I am extremely grateful to the author for not taking off the content despite discontinuing to write the blog anymore. May Allah guide all of us onto the straight path. aameen

My younger brother recently returned from his hostel to spend his Eid holidays with us. He got me a book, Ghuncha phir khilne laga, by the famous mazaahiya  (I do not consider the word 'comic' to be very appropriate for some unknown reason)   Urdu poet, Anwar Masood . Following is the couplet with which the book opens and which is also a part of one of the mazaahiya  Ghazals in the book. This couplet is resonating in my mind so loudly since yesterday that I am tempted to share it here on my blog: بڑے نمناک سے ہوتے ہیں تیرے قہقہے انور کوئی دیوار گریہ ہے تیرے اشعار کے پیچھے (baRe namnaak se hote he~ tere qehqahe anwar koi diivaar-e girya he tere asha'ar ke piichhe)

source Haven't been writing my blog lately. Don't know when will I be able to resume writing it. No particular reasons for not being able to keep pace with the blogosphere. Probably it's just a short break I am taking for myself. Recently read Nicholas Carr's The Shallows  and since then have been trying to limit my internet/computer activity. :) Dropped in today to say Eid Mubarak. Will soon be back with my writings, inshaAllah. Whenever Allah deems it right for me to be back, I will return :) ...