"We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all."
- Kalu Ripoche -
Qasidah Burdah.
The Poem of the Cloak, is arguably the most memorised and recited poem in the Muslim world. It was written seven centuries ago by a man who wanted to write one final poem among his many poems already written to the person he loved but had never seen; to the person he always cherished to meet but hadn't been unable to do so; the person he had always thought about and felt so distant from.
Suffering from paralysis the destitute poet Sharafuddin Muhammad Al-Busiri penned a poem written from the innermost depths of his yearning heart and it was on that fateful night thereafter when he fell asleep. The person he so loved and yearned to meet embraced him in his dream moving his noble hand across his face, and placed his cloak upon him as an acceptance of his love that forms the spirit of the Burdah poetry. The Burdah poem or the poem of the cloak/mantle is a simple and sheer rendering of spiritual love and praise from one soul to the beloved of beloveds, Muhammad (saws).
And it goes a little something like this...
Suffering from paralysis the destitute poet Sharafuddin Muhammad Al-Busiri penned a poem written from the innermost depths of his yearning heart and it was on that fateful night thereafter when he fell asleep. The person he so loved and yearned to meet embraced him in his dream moving his noble hand across his face, and placed his cloak upon him as an acceptance of his love that forms the spirit of the Burdah poetry. The Burdah poem or the poem of the cloak/mantle is a simple and sheer rendering of spiritual love and praise from one soul to the beloved of beloveds, Muhammad (saws).
And it goes a little something like this...
These are just a few stanza's from the long Poem.What excellence lies in the birth of a prophet adorned with such character!
Beauty itself shines forth from his smiling face!
Exquisite as a lily, illustrious as a full moon,Magnanimous as the ocean, persistent as time.
Due to his majesty, even when alone, He seemed surrounded by military might and cohorts of courtiers.
It is as if precious pearls, locked in their shells,Poured from the treasury of his sweet mouth and smile.
As if, face to face with the sun,Minds were forced to blink at the mere sight of him.
No perfume is as sweet as the ground that holds his bones –What Paradise awaits the one who breathes its scent or brushes lips against its soil!
In the beginning...
It's better to light a candle than to curse the dark
In the eyes of the youth there are question marks
Like freedom
Freedom for the mind and soul
We don't see them
See them for their worth at all
That's why we lead them
Lead them to these wars and what is it we feed them
Feed them our impurities and who it is we treat them
Treat them like the enemy humanity will need them
Need them like the blood we spill and where freedom
In the eyes of the youth there are question marks
Like freedom
Freedom for the mind and soul
We don't see them
See them for their worth at all
That's why we lead them
Lead them to these wars and what is it we feed them
Feed them our impurities and who it is we treat them
Treat them like the enemy humanity will need them
Need them like the blood we spill and where freedom
But...
That was in the beginning...And things change!
- K'Naan -
Desert Flower
Waris Dirie's story is one of remarkable courage.
The "Desert Flower" started life as one of 12 children of a Somali nomad family, a people with no written culture, where the basic unit of currency is the camel. Faced at 12 with the prospect of marriage to a 60-year-old man she didn't know, she broke all the rules and ran away, surviving a traumatic trek across the desert to end up in London, as a maid to the Somalian Ambassador. It was in McDonalds that her striking beauty was "discovered", leading to a career in modelling and another as an ardent campaigner against female genital mutilation (circumcision).
As a novel it would be unbelievable, as Waris survives circumcision, rape, arranged marriage, a lion attack--you name it, she's lived through it. But the book is remarkable less for its deliberately dramatic set pieces, and more for its haunting evocation of the little-told life of Somalian nomads, seen from a child's telling perspective, where life centres on the beloved camels, the horrors of womanhood are still an exciting mystery, and the nights are filled with the smell of frankincense. Desert Flower is a recollection of such gentle beauty that "rags to riches" seems hardly appropriate.
Now brought to the silver screen...
The "Desert Flower" started life as one of 12 children of a Somali nomad family, a people with no written culture, where the basic unit of currency is the camel. Faced at 12 with the prospect of marriage to a 60-year-old man she didn't know, she broke all the rules and ran away, surviving a traumatic trek across the desert to end up in London, as a maid to the Somalian Ambassador. It was in McDonalds that her striking beauty was "discovered", leading to a career in modelling and another as an ardent campaigner against female genital mutilation (circumcision).
As a novel it would be unbelievable, as Waris survives circumcision, rape, arranged marriage, a lion attack--you name it, she's lived through it. But the book is remarkable less for its deliberately dramatic set pieces, and more for its haunting evocation of the little-told life of Somalian nomads, seen from a child's telling perspective, where life centres on the beloved camels, the horrors of womanhood are still an exciting mystery, and the nights are filled with the smell of frankincense. Desert Flower is a recollection of such gentle beauty that "rags to riches" seems hardly appropriate.
Now brought to the silver screen...
Directed by Sherry Horman. Starring Liya Kebede as Waris Dirie. Looks HELLA Good!
Grateful!
Lyrics *excerpt*
Dear family and friends,
I really need to thank you
You were there for me,
so I will always be - there for you
And this is how I show my gratitude
Dear momma let me start off with you
I know there ain`t a thing you wouldn`t do,
to try and pull me through.
And if there`s anything good to be said about me,
Than it`s true that I owe it all to you.
Must-Watch Classic
"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."
- John Keating (Robin Williams) -
Just a moment...this is beyond Inspiration!
I swear, this brought tears to my eyes. What he's saying is probably THE most conventional thought that ''on occasion maybe'' leaps onto our minds but yet we tend to forget to be grateful, to stay humble and kind, to keep goin' when the goin' gets tough. We forget that we are not alone and that atleast a billion of the world's population have it worse than we do.
''And if you were to try to count the blessings of ALLAH, you could never enumerate them! Verily, mankind is ever oppressive and ungrateful.'' (Qur'an-14:34)
We must remember that Allah helps those who help themselves & to remind ourselves that patience is virtue.
According to the Qur’an "Man is born in toil." Indeed, it is not possible for anyone to create a life of absolute bliss for himself.
How then a person can become grateful and appreciative of Allah’s grace in the real sense?
The only way to be so is through patience. It is only when a man patiently endures worldly problems that it is possible for him to express his feeling of gratefulness to Allah. It is for this reason that the Qur’an associates gratefulness with patience. (31:31)Patience makes a person capable of finding a positive and successful solution to any problem. When someone explodes with anger while facing his adversary, he loses the faculty to respond effectively or to think of well-planned action. But when he applies patience and tolerance, he finds himself competent to make a rational move instead of an impulsive reaction. History testifies that one who acts on impulses and emotional reactions, invariably fails; and one who responds rationally, always succeeds.
Patience is undoubtedly the superior solution to all problems.
“And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As‑ Saabiroon (the patient)” (Qur'an-2:155)
“Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning” (Qur'an-39:10)
Subhan'Allah w B'7ahmdihi!
...spine-tingling...
Ok so anybody else catch da lil' 3 year old Abdul-Rahman from Algeria dat somehow managed to memorize most if not ALL of the Holy Quran?
Apparently his momma calls him a miracle child, a blessing from Allah (as every kid is Alhamdulilah) and she sensed he would be special during her 2nd trimester. Instead of cravings and unusual eating habits she wanted nothing more and was satisfied with nothing but reading the Quran during her whole pregnancy. Subhan'Allah!
AND as if that wasn't enough, Abdul-Rahman didn't really talk until he was 3, and his first words were the verses to Surah Al Kahf (due to watching AlafasiTV ALL DAY)! Subhan-Allah.
There he is, reciting a couple Dua's, da Adhan then Surah Al Maryam.
Apparently his momma calls him a miracle child, a blessing from Allah (as every kid is Alhamdulilah) and she sensed he would be special during her 2nd trimester. Instead of cravings and unusual eating habits she wanted nothing more and was satisfied with nothing but reading the Quran during her whole pregnancy. Subhan'Allah!
AND as if that wasn't enough, Abdul-Rahman didn't really talk until he was 3, and his first words were the verses to Surah Al Kahf (due to watching AlafasiTV ALL DAY)! Subhan-Allah.
There he is, reciting a couple Dua's, da Adhan then Surah Al Maryam.
ADORABLE!!!!
Oh yeah this was heart-stirring too...
Oh yeah this was heart-stirring too...
Happy B'day Gandhi & Movie Recommendation...
Love reading books and watching documentaries about this guy. I was first introduced to him in history class back in elementary school (for some reason they taught us bout the history of India for 2 whole semesters). Anyway, figured I'd share a great movie that reflects his ideals and shows how his efforts slowly changed the fate of the nation.
Water is a movie set in 1938 Colonial India, against Mahatma Gandhi’s rise to power.
It's nothing like your typical Bollywood movies with heroes and heroines running around a big tree, rolling down the hill & singing songs bout the weather. It's a studied, tragic, and emotionally brutal film echoing the plight of millions of widows all over India. Yet, it remains upliftling in the midst of depravation, as it shows how the influence of one man gave a new meaning to hope and strengtened a nations' hold on faith.
"A widow should be long-suffering until death, self-restrained and chaste". So begins Water, with a quote from 2000 year old sacred Hindu texts - The Laws of Manu...The same laws that were later challenged by Mahatma Gandhi himself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)