Revelation and Rationality

Any divide between revelation and rationality, religion and logic has to be irrational. If religion and rationality cannot proceed hand in hand, there has to be something deeply wrong with either of the two.
Does revelation play any vital role in human affairs? Is not rationality sufficient to guide man in all the problems which confront him? Can any issue which intrigue your mind be answered by a Divine Book 1430 years old? A serious study of the Quran will show that it correctly discusses all important events of the past, present and future from the beginning of the universe to its ultimate end. Aided by strong incontrovertible logic and scientific evidence, the Quran does not shy away from presenting itself to the merciless scrutiny of rationality.
For the English-speaking reader this translation is a must:
The Qur'an: A New Translation (Paperback)
by Thomas Cleary
This is a new and complete translation of the Qur'an-the Muslim scripture-by one of the premier translators of religious texts in the world. The meanings of this sacred text are rendered into the English language with subtle touches of poetry, allowing for the opportunity to fully understand the spirit and soul of the Qur'an. This direct and timely rendition is an essential source for the modern seeker.

Interruptions

When you are exasperated by interruptions, remember that their very frequency may indicate the valuableness of your life. Only the people who are full of help and strength are burdened by other people's needs. The interruptions which we chafe at are the credentials of our indispensability. The greatest condemnation that anybody could incur -- and it is a danger to guard against -- is to be so independent, so unhelpful, that nobody interrupts us and we are left comfortably alone.

Beliefs

I hold a number of beliefs that have been repudiated by the liveliest intellects of our time. I believe that order is better than chaos; creation better than destruction. I prefer gentleness to violence, forgiveness to vendetta and I am sure that human sympathy is more valuable to ideology. I believe in courtesy, the ritual by which we avoid hurting other people's feelings by satisfying our own egos. And I think we should remember that we are part of a great whole, which for convenience we call nature.

Very Important Call

Among the marvels of modern phone technology is the ability to track missed calls. We do not get a good nights sleep, unless we have returned the calls of those who matter. We don't let any call go unanswered as long as we know that it matters. Don't we? Even in the middle of conversations we excuse ourselves to take another intrusive call. Gone are the days of uninterrupted conversations/meetings. Even with all the warnings to turn off phones, in the middle of prayer one of those "ringtones" shatters your concentration.
But how about the calls of "hay-yaa al-as-salaah and hay-yaa al-al falah" made from the House of our Master - Allah? Those calls are made five times a day and many a times they all go unanswered. We do not respond with the urgency as we do those cell calls!!! Nor do we respect those missed calls. Do they matter? Maybe not today or tomorrow, but surely in the Hereafter. Let us look at ourselves. Can we afford to let these calls of the muezzin be missed, day after day. The call from our Cherisher, Sustainer and the Ultimate Master. Just think about it. Next time one hears this call, just ask yourself how good a nights sleep can I have by missing those calls from the House of Allah. Ringtone for chatter or Azaan that matters!!!

Success

Success is how you collect your minutes. You spend millions of minutes to reach one triumph, one moment, then you spend maybe a thousand minutes enjoying it. If you were unhappy through those millions of minutes, what good are the thousand of minutes of triumph? It doesn't equate. Life is made of small pleasures. Hugs from a child and his/her unbridled laughter. A moment of closeness with a friend. A phone call to cheer up a despairing soul. An email from the heart...not a pre-packaged e-card. Happiness is made of such tiny successes. The big ones come too infrequently. If you don't have all those zillions of tiny successes, the big ones don't mean anything.

Parting

Parting is inevitably painful. It is like an amputation. A limb is being torn off, without which I shall be unable to function. And yet, once it is done, I find there is a quality to being alone that is incredibly precious. Life rushes back into the void, richer, more vivid, fuller than before. It is as if in parting one actually did lose an arm. And then, like the starfish,one grows it anew; one is whole again, complete and round--more whole, even than before.

Peace of Mind

Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your family & friends feel that there is something in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements in the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvements of yourself that you have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Wrote this as a teenager (15 years) in an exercise book that I just found. So why am I putting it here? So that my son can read what his father had passing through his mind in his teen years. Ideas that prevented me from slipping in the wrong direction (alcohol, drugs, the party scene that leads to hell). Ideas that felt so good then to a young mind and feels so fresh as I type them again. Its like planting seeds again in this old soil. Will it flower for me like it did then? Even if it doesn't then my hopes are in my son. Peace be with you.

Reminiscing & Hoping

Small billboards like these were posted at the National Park during Carifesta (for the Muslim Evening). I thought these billboards should have been kept there with a fee paid to the Park. Or instead of flying the "Islamic flags" at the MYO ground the least they could have done would have put these on the fence to draw the attention of the thousands of students who traverse that area during school days.We at Zamals participated thru CIOG and did brochures to be distributed. Also planned to show our Islamic Musical dvd, which is a big hit, on a big screen but because of the rain we canceled that. All in all it was a wonderful evening...but I didn't know there was someone there who would come to be a HUGE influence on my life several months later. Missed her presentation because again we Muslims are poor at disseminating proper information (hey a map of the area explaining what was taking place would have been nice; or what about periodic announcements to visit this booth or that.) O well next time. I felt this Evening should have been held indoors from the inception because the weather was extremely wet during that time. Can remember a boring qaseeda or two. The fashion show...nice but too long...and what else? President Jagdeo's speech was ok...Br. Ayube's presentation... Moulana Siddiq's speech...So the organizers need to add some spice to a show like this next time...Muslims do have fun, don't they. Not just sermonizing about hijab and prayer and all the do's and dont's. Why for heaven's sake was there no comedy (don't need to add "halal") Yes, laughter would have lightened the atmosphere.

I remember very clearly the President of CIOG saying in the heat of the moment that an event like that should be held yearly. Ok six months later can anyone tell me how that PLAN is going. O I'm all for an ANNUAL Islamic Convention...we can do wonders with such an event...but hello...anyone listening to themselves speak...or are words hollow. Pie in the sky...fanciful notion...ludicrous concept. Hello CIOG...Hello GIT...oh sorry...Salaam CIOG...Salaam GIT...how are you people coming along with your plans. How about you surf on over to ICNA's website and see what theme they are using for their annual convention this year May 23rd-25th...and let's join hands together. Want ideas...they are aplenty...if you listen to young people.
So what can you have at this convention:
1. Speeches (yes we must have those)
2. A Comedy Show
3. Bazaar
4. Award to a Muslim Doctor, Journalist, Engineer any professional
5. Award to the best kept Mosque and environs (like landscaping) in the different regions of Guyana
6. Award to the best blog by a Muslim Guyanese
7. Award to the Best Muslim Student
8. Table Tennis, dominoes, Scrabble competition
9. Islamic Poetry
10. Debate on some topic between two well educated groups
11. Creating a Muslim hospital, Muslim bank...ideas needed and ideas implemented urgently
12. Creating a database of everything Muslim...to be maintained ONLINE
13. Creating a Printed magazine...and an Online one too.
14. All parts of the Convention...streaming live on YouTube
15. Add your ideas