In other news...

They say, "Oh, poor girl, you're so beautiful you know
It's a shame that you cover up your beauty so."
She just smiles and graciously responds reassuringly,
"This beauty that I have is just one simple part of me.
This body that I have, no stranger has the right to see.
These long clothes, this shawl I wear, ensure my modesty.
Faith is more essential than fashion, wouldn't you agree? This Hijaab!

...and so goes the song by well-known poet, musician and singer Dawud Wharnsby Ali. Well needless to say, I love it!

Well, today went off to quite an amusing start; AOL had an intriguing news headline that read "Imams to help keep Muslims away from terror outfits". Hmm... —I thought to myself, as is obvioys— since when has joining a terror-outfit become such a thing of interest for us Allah-fearing Muslims that pious and knowledgeable Imams are being roped in to stop us from falling into the gutter of addiction that makes blowing up people look so irresistible!...? Somehow to me, the headline sounded more like "Pope's speech on helping people abstain from alcoholism" Now that would atleast make some news considering that Alcoholism is one of the worst things men & women indulge in and that we Muslims can easily lay an un-challenged claim (and win hands-down) at being the single largest community which abstains totally from Alchohol as if it were poison for us (yes there might be a few black sheep here and there in our midst, but then they stick out of the community like sore thumbs!), however the statement that Muslim Imams have to take extra efforts to keep Muslims away from turning into heartless monster-like killers looks like way too much of a desperate attempt by AOL in order to get people clicking on that one link!


I mean, doesn't it also quite suggestively-conceal the fact that AOL (like MOST other western media) believes that Muslims have always been drawn towards terror outfits like frogs in the rainy season (which actually is also one of THE most amusing of metaphors that I've used to describe America's obvious colonization of Iraq: "...soon American soldiers, straight men and others, started pouring onto the land of 'opportunity' (read OIL) that is Iraq by the tonnes; their arrival most aptly described by the distinctly vivid metaphor spelt as 'frogs in the rainy season'")?

Ridiculous! The actual news-story we're talking about, is a bit too far from the misconception-generator of a headline that it came with on AOL; it speaks of a resolution by a board Muslim clerics and scholars in India who have sent letters to Imams in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh asking them to stress on the fact that Islam is indeed a religion of Peace which in no way promotes or legalizes terrorism and the killing of innocents in the most sacred of its scriptures that is the Holy Quran and the teachings and lifestyle of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), in their sermons. A well-thought out move by the board I'd like to call it, to combat the mass-propaganda going on in labeling all Islamic institutions as pro-terrorist, Jihaadi and what-nots (By the way Jihaad means "to strive" or "to struggle", and not "Holy War", the Arabic word for which does NOT even exist in the Holy Quran. I bet most people didn't know that! Thank you AOL and friends!). Wouldn''t a headline on the lines of "Muslim Clerics resolve to fight inappropriate label by media" sound like a better and more decent proposition instead? I guess AOL is being a bit too AOL in its workings these days and we should learn to take its words with a pinch of salt rather than swallow everything it has to offer straight down in one big gulp!

—Abd elAzeez

P.S. Besides the red underlines in the image show that the company is still bent on keeping its niche in 'the industry'.
P.S.2. The lines I quoted above, should actually have been two posts earlier but then again, its the song in your heart that comes out in your posts.

The 15th day of May, 2008.

Today is the 15th of May, 2008. For many people who frequent this blog (as well as many who don't) it is turning out like just another day

Clouds against a blue sky,
Dotted by birds flying high,
Bright, sunny, airy and roomy,
This is my life, my life's free for me
—Abd elAzeez

... and so forth I may rap about the joys of living in a free country. The thoughts can keep going on and on and I could keep counting my blessings all the day long , saying Alhamdulillah (All praise is for Allah) like I try to do everyday.

But alongside this feeling of happiness and gaiety, is a throbbing pain in my side. A pain that's turning chronic now, since I really cannot remember when it actually started and neither can I see a relief in sight. Of course if Allah wills something He merely says "Be" and it is (which incidentally is the literal translation of the one-liner verse numbered 40 in Chapter 16 from the Holy Quran attached on the right side of this article), and that would definitely put an end to the pain InshaAllah, but, for now the pain persists in my side!

But brother Abd elAzeez why are you in pain? you might ask me; and I am quick in quoting the Hadith (i.e. teaching of Prophet Muhammed Peace Be Upon Him) when he (PBUH) said "The Muslim Ummah is like one body. If the eye is in pain then the whole body is in pain and if the head is in pain then the whole body is in pain". That, stands as one of the finest examples of proclaiming unity and brotherhood amongst people yet many of us do not know!

Today, my dear brothers and sisters, is the 15th of May 2008; today is the yawm al-nakba (an Arabic word meaning 'the day of the catastrophe'). Events around this day in 1948, –in simple human terms– saw the mass deportation of a million Palestinians from their cities and villages, massacres of civilians, and the razing to the ground of hundreds of Palestinian villages! In stark contrast to this, war is looked upon by Israelis as the "fulfillment of a historic ideal of the Jewish people to establish a homeland for the Jewish people." We've already posted something about the conflict a few posts back, here's what happened over the course of a few days surrounding 15th of May 1948.

• May 14: State of Israel proclaimed in Tel Aviv at 4pm.
• Haganah launches Operation Schfifon for capture of Old City of Jerusalem.
• May 15:
  
• British Mandate ends.
• Declaration of State of Israel comes into effect.
• President Truman recognizes State of Israel. First Egyptian troops cross border into Palestine and attack colonies of Kfar Darom and Nirim in Negev.
• Three Transjordanian Arab Legion brigades cross Jordan River into Palestine.
• Lebanese troops retake Lebanese villages of Malkiya and Qadas (on Lebanese border), attacked and captured earlier by Haganah.
• May 17:
  
• Haganah captures Acre

Plan Dalet, or Plan D was a plan that the Haganah had out during autumn 1947 to spring 1948; according to some sources it was conceived with the purpose of conquering as much of Palestine as possible and to expel as many Palestinians as possible. All events mentioned above (and sourced from here) are only executions of the infamous Plan D.

Today, is the 15th of May 2008; exactly sixty years ago, was laid one of the (most-fruitful, as I call it) seed of injustice, oppression, division, man-slaughter, rapes, genocides, carpet-bombings, invasions and the so-called war-on-terror in Israel!

Imagine, if tomorrow morning you were made to leave your homes, your property, your lands everything and leave your country under the the orders of a tyrant ruler who had laid foot on your soil just yesterday! Imagine what it would have been like had the British given the control of our beloved country India into the hands of say the Chinese, the Americans, or some other people who didn't even belong here... people whose sole intentions were to kick us out of our cozy little homes into a life of destitution and wandering... a life of trying to fight back against heavily armored tanks, thousands of fully armed soldiers, tyrant governments, unfair UN resolutions, automatic guns, powerful bombs, missiles, grenades, with only stones and swearing women on our sides! A life with absolutely no security... a life with no freedom as we feel it right now!

Today, on 15th of May 2008, I, Abd elAzeez Shaikh, say a silent prayer for the millions of innocent Palestinians driven out of their homes, the thousands killed, raped, tortured and put behind bars in their very own country as part of the execution of this notorious Plan D which continues its operations under various different names still.

I pray that Almighty Allah bless all those affected, and give them peace. I pray that Allah the most Merciful grant paradise to those martyred in trying to re-gain their own lands. I pray that Allah, the Creator, Cherisher and Sustainer of everything that we know of and everything that we do not, give these people the patience to withstand this great trial without losing their faith in HIS Divine Decree and in HIS justice to be served on everyone the Day of Judgement. I pray that we all realize the truth and I pray that we all see the blatant reality which is the very basis of the conflict in Palestine, just like these one hundred and six prominent British Jews who have proclaimed that they will not be celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Israel in this letter titled We're not celebrating Israel's anniversary. —Ameen

All that, is what brings the incessant pain in my side and the tears that drown my heart each time I see the word Israel on TV or in the papers...But then, all is still not lost, hope lies beneath the rubble of broken homes and dead bodies too. For we Muslims have been taught to have faith in Allah the Most Kind and the Most Loving, and to put our complete trust in HIM and whatever HE decrees. The verse 40 from chapter 16 of the Glorious Quran which I've quoted above, is succeeded by the following verses:-

41. To those who leave their homes in the cause of Allah, after suffering oppression,- We will assuredly give a goodly home in this world; but truly the reward of the Hereafter will be greater. If they only realised (this)!
42.(They are) those who persevere in patience, and put their trust on their Lord.
43.And before thee also the apostles We sent were but men, to whom We granted inspiration: if ye realise this not, ask of those who possess the Message.
44.(We sent them) with Clear Signs and Books of dark prophecies; and We have sent down unto thee (also) the Message; that thou mayest explain clearly to men what is sent for them, and that they may give thought.
45.Do then those who devise evil (plots) feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them up, or that the Wrath will not seize them from directions they little perceive?-
46.Or that He may not call them to account in the midst of their goings to and fro, without a chance of their frustrating Him?
47.Or that He may not call them to account by a process of slow wastage - for thy Lord is indeed full of kindness and mercy.

---

Today is the 15th of May 2008, and I only say Alhamdulillah.

—Abd elAzeez

Liberated or Live::B-rated

[Yes, following my last post, there IS a pending announcement to be made out here on Katabaa! I'll be posting something out about it soon InshaAllah. Meanwhile, there's a quite serious thing that caught my eye this morning (and caused me to ask HIM for forgiveness instantaneously) and I thought it'd prudent enough to make a mention of the ramblings in my head.]

Well here I was this morning, trying to Login into AOL to check my emails, and after entering my username-password combo there appeared the 'Today on AOL' page —a webpage specially designed to give you a small peek into the plethora of information about what's going on in the world today (a.k.a. NEWS) and how well-versed AOL's servers are with it.

So I see 4 tabs on that page (I'm in the 'basic' view which doesn't hog too much of memory from my web browser, and hence I have tabs instead of a Next/Previous button toolbar) namely News, Sports, Entertainment and Videos. (See screenshot of content in the last tab here). Now, as if the link titled Austria's real-life sex horror story caught on amateur camera on the Videos' tab wasn't revealing enough of the America On Line mindset of 'sex sells' (fathom a news headline that spells P.O.R.N.), I decided I 'd rather check out the News that they have for today (news would definitely NOT mean free porn, I thought to myself ); and VOILA! with what are we greeted with on the very first page!


Astaghfirullah! (Forgive my sin Oh Lord!) THIS is what is news to the world? Women revealing themselves to the state of when there is NOTHING left to hide at all? I fail to realize how the 'Model way to protest...' can create awareness about anything at all (err... almost anything)? 'Sex sells' they say, but does it bring about any just cause if you're naked on the street calling for some attention? In doing so guaranteed a LOT of glances and attention (for all the wrong reasons!) from the passerbys, a lot of whom might even move closer just to have a better look (at your protesting-placards you might want to claim now? Who do you think you are fooling?), but does it help solve the problem you are protesting about? Are hungry kids being fed in Sudan? Homeless elders being taken back in? Rape victims given better treatment? Is G.W. Bush going to stop his reign of terror in Iraq and Afghanistan? OR are women now going to be given a better position in society??? (sheesh! the last one was a little too much of an irony BTW).

Think about it, a few years down the line, when your kids (that is, if someone marries you after all this and legitimately has kids with you) see these pics of yours on the internet or somewhere else, will they love you more, love you less or be downright ashamed of the worthless tramp you've been? And what about when they also discover these pics besides many similar others, hidden deep inside password-protected folders on their friends' hard drives and the likes?


Now there is an organization in this modern, liberated, non-conservative world that we live in today (if 'conservative' is being exactly the opposite of what they are doing here, let us proclaim conservativeness and atleast live a life that assures the dignity of our mothers and sisters!). An organization for ethical treatment of animals which has time and again used disgustingly cheap tactics (of course there is BIG money in it, but then money's not what actually defines cheap right?) like these to draw attention towards itself and its so-called heart-felt activities. 1.8 million members and still counting, this US-based organization (name withheld to prevent ANY advertising and also to save you people from doing a google search and getting pics like these in front of your very eyes!) seems to specialize ONLY in making women believe that they are doing excellent service to animals and humanity by taking off their clothes and posing (semi?) nude in front of people and their perverted cameras! They make women believe that if they do so, people will start treating animals more kindly because each time they see a mis-treated animal it will remind them of a naked woman?

Imagine your grumbly sweaty neighbourhood guy petting his doggy late morning tomorrow, giving it a nice juicy piece of bone and telling it in an unimaginably sweet voice “Coochie Coochie Coo... Today I'm gonna give you the love you deserve because a long-legged naked woman was holding a placard across her hand that said Love your doggie and be a better human in the eyes of God. If it weren't for her intriguingly nude anatomy, an heart-warming sight out there in the cold morning, I'd never have realized that there was a placard about being kind to dogs in her other hand. So go on eat this piece of bone my sweet little doggie; who knows that very lady might just be passing by and might chance to see me treating you kindly. Oh I'm gonna go to heaven for thinking of a naked woman while I'm feeding my dog. This life is simply great!”.

Wake up ladies, it ain't happening that way. Because the way I see it (and any other human being of sane mind would), the only animal that you're doing service to is the beast in the heart of the man! That's the only one which is going to derive gratification from the fact that he didn't have to do any effort at all in order to get you to drop your veils! What service to humanity indeed you have done! You say a free-minded, bold westerner you are eh? You think veiling up the woman is just part of an "old-fashioned fundamentalist religion" that's bent on degrading her status in society? Have you had the chance to have a read of your own scriptures? (Anyone making a claim from Judaism?).

Think about it, a world where Satan has spread his evil tentacles so far, corrupting the minds of men and women to such an extent that the women —the ones to be kept safe from evil prying eyes (for we all know how much damage even a casual glance you know where can cause to a woman's dignity and self-respect)— are themselves ready to take it all off in the name of liberty, freedom of speech, protests for equality etc. etc... In reality, all that these contaminated terms do is to degrade the woman's position in the society to mere objects of lust and sexual gratification. Is this the new idea of freedom and equality? Is this how we shall gauge our successes, on the basis of how easy it is to make a woman shed her clothes and still not let her feel bad about it? Are we progressing ahead towards uplifting the woman or are we going backwards into the dark ages again?

The Greek civilization is still considered the most glorious of all ancient civilizations by many a people. Under this very so-called ‘glorious’ system, women were deprived of all rights and were looked down upon. In Greek mythology, an imaginary woman called Pandora is supposed to be the root cause of misfortune for all human beings. The Greeks also considered women to be subhuman and inferior to men. Though the chastity of women was precious, and women were held in high esteem, the Greeks were later overwhelmed by ego and sexual perversions. Prostitution had become a regular practice amongst all classes of Greek society! Doesn't this seem a lot too closer to where our world is headed too?

As an emminent speaker Dr. Zakir Naik once put it, “the western talk of women’s liberalization is nothing but a disguised form of exploitation of her body, degradation of her soul, and deprivation of her honour! Western society claims to have uplifted women, but on the contrary it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketeers, hidden behind the colourful screen of ‘art’ and ‘culture’.”

Race towards the your recognition in society because of your talents and skills my dear sisters, and not because of how much of skin you are willing to show for some justifiable cause. An interesting >article has a very nice answer the oft-asked yet very rhetorical questions on why muslim women cover themselves up. It says “...by covering our beauty, we are evaluated for our intelligence and skills instead of looks and sexuality. Many women who cover are filled with dignity and self-esteem and are happy to be identified as Muslim women. By wearing hijab the woman is concealing her sexuality but allowing her femininity to shine...”

—Abd elAzeez
Feel free to reproduce/post this article anywhere you wish. Even if it be without giving any credit to me. Who knows, InshaAllah it might make someone think.

Make Way!

Something's coming up on Katabaa...

---

And it is coming real fast!

---

—Abd elAzeez
Watch this blog for an exciting update soon InshaAllah :)

H(u)mm... What came first?

Sometime before this post was written, Fly, the flagship brand of Meridian Mobile, launched a mobile phone named Hummer in India (the very same place where this blog was launched from. hmm... seems to be quite a happening country :). This design has been styled after the Hummer SUV . What makes news this bloggable is the like our hero holds for the HUMMER (what font is the original logo made in BTW?)

The phone is priced at a modest 9K Indian rupees (yes, I KNOW that quoting current market values tend to make blog-posts seem outdated after a while. Nevertheless, one can only pretend that most readers will eventually be finding out how much it actually costs once they hit the road looking for it).

Besides the large touch screen, there's not a very brilliant array of features lined up in this one, and from initial reviews it seems that it might not be able to beat our very-bloggable, personally-modded-cameraphone at photography after all. But then again, how many SUV-themed gadgets could you fit into your pocket for just a fraction of the originals' prices?

That makes us wonder and imagine a time when a kid walks upto his father and asks "Dad, what came first, the Hummer or the phone you carry around so proudly?", and daddy dearest in all his witty humor replies "Of course the phone son, coz we don't have the 'finances' to get the SUVi".

—Abd elAzeez

P.S. As with all posts on this blog, click on the images for a full-sized view.

...and keep secure thine neighbours.

Well, I just received an email from a friend with subject line that said 'Biggest Robbery!'. No I am not a blogger-of-daily-emails (as is evident from the history of this blog; I don't blog from emails and I definitely do not blog daily :), but then there was something about this one that made me log onto my account on blogger and start typing all this out.

Beside the blatantly glaring truth in the picture it had attached in it (which I've duly posted here for your viewing pleasure as well) the email also contained a line in bold font with the words '...soon this will be forgotten' ending it.
Hmm... now where have we heard of something befitting that line before? The first few questions that came to my head were, true message of Peace? Our responsibilities in being vicegerents of Almighty God on this earth? (err... vicegerent anyone?) Teachings of our beloved Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) endorsinglove for our neighbours? The thoughts just kept coming on and on and on...
The point is, this email made me think; it made me think about a lot of things at one time and a whole lot of others in quick succession. To the lay man this picture might seem like the truth, whereas to the knowledgeable researcher of world history (naah, I'm not claiming to be one) it would seem to be precisely the same.

—Abd elAzeez

...the insistent beating of my heart

Well well, it seems that this hiatus has indeed been a particularly long one; but nevertheless I must admit that it has proved to be a very enlightening experience in itself. There have been a lots of Ups and Ups in this period of a few long months, with a few (inevitable?) Downs too scattered somewhere in between.

I've made some big decisions during this time, some of which might have seemed to people around me similar to counting chickens before momma hen even saw her prince charming in a bout of day-dreaming; I, on the contrary, prefer to owe them to my far-sightedness. I've realized that setting a goal for life (a well-thought out one at that) is the most important thing to do, and following it with passion should be exactly next on the list. I've set mine for this life, and its solely aimed at leading next one in a happy place. Some things in life I have understood quite closely while some others seem yet farther away now... aah, I guess I want to keep that distance for some time though.

A heavy realization of truth has dawned upon me in the past few days, one which says that the only people who stick around with you in all your big decisions of faith are some of the ones you knew you could always count on; moreover 've also realized that the ones who don't stick with you are the ones you had presumed to be always by your side whenever you need them, and whenever you don't too. There's a lot of wisdom in the statement that some people will never be yours unless you adopt their ways. In these past months I've figured out that these people do exist, and that they're much closer to you than you'd ever expected. But then there is also an excellent guidance in the statement which goes like 'The believing men and women, are associates and helpers of each other. They (collaborate) to promote all that is beneficial and discourage all that is evil...' (Al Quran 9:71). Truly, the 'Author' of the best book on earth, knew what is in the hearts of men and women. And thanks to HIM alone, I guess I'm in really company still.

I got mocked behind my back some people whom were expected to understand my rationale, but I guess it wasn't much of a surprise for me considering their mentality ―which I've been accustomed to for quite some time through my own meandering experiences in being with them― the only difference was, this time I didn't agree with most of it. Well, one can't help but deduce that some relationships only last a lifetime, and if you want them to last more you must ensure all of you go to the same 'place' later on (something that is decided based on your deeds, if you know what I'm trying to hint at).

Music, something which used to rock my world some time back, now has proved itself to be just a distraction from the true goal of this life; in fact it turns out to be just an easy path to a place fueled by stones, people and fire. Now the closest I'd want to come to music is a-capella stuff like Nasheed, Hamd etc. Seriously if we'd just back enjoying this world, when are we going to prepare for the hereafter? How many exams do you recollect appearing for wherein your only thoughts were to go and relax in the examination hall, enjoy the scenery outside the window, smell the paint on the walls, drop a pen – pick it up – drop it again – pick it up – drop two the next time, then maybe ponder over how many trees might have been cut to create that stack of papers everyone is writing that exam on, and how many more for the question papers' stack, then probably you'd mock the fellow sitting beside you while he tries to complete as much as possible of the questionnaire while the very last bits of time run out just so he could score an extra mark or two, OR when you'd probably toy around the notion that there is actually no exam going on and surely there won't be any result too; all there are (and will continue to be, are) more halls, benches to sit on, blank sheets of paper passed with questionnaires accompanying, a new name, a new roll number, a new pen and a bunch of other crazed individuals trying to attempt all they can with the belief that there might be a result sometime... Darn, its a funny world we live in!

"Then what is true relaxation for you", someone asked? Well, it is said (or rather 'writ') that 'Only in the remembrance of God can the heart find peace' (Quran 13: 28), so if I feel the need to put mine at peace, a recitation of the Holy Quran is what I love to lend my ears to. (You should try it too) An Englishman —A. J. Arberry— in a preface to his translation of the Holy Quran says "Whenever I hear the Koran chanted, it is as though I am listening to music; underneath the flowing melody there is sounding all the time, the insistent beat of a drum, it is like the beating of my heart." [Linked Here See Preface 2] From these words as well as from the rest of his preface he sounds like a devout Muslim, but no he wasn't.

All said and done, a long-awaited long-pondered lengthy blog entry typed out and posted, I think its time to wrap this one up with a small thought that just in case this is the last you hear from me (or 'of me') (which InshaAllah I don't intend it to be, but who knows what God has planned for any of us), I just hope you'd remember me as ONLY a humble devoted servant of the ONE Master, and nothing more please. And definitely nothing less either!

There's so much to do to attain my goal, and I've passed by 25 swift years already. Here's a silent prayer hoping that before I have to take my last ride, I've spread enough of peace (God-willing of course) to last a lot of people including me, a whole lifetime... the next one that is. [Ameen]

—'Abd el'Azeez

Damn Plagiarism!

Breaking News: Posts from this blog found elsewhere on the internet... STOLEN!

Aah, the joys of blogging and creating works that you think are worth sharing with the world (after God's will of course :). The gentle pleasures of posting the posts you've meticulously written one after another like a house of cards created with the utmost dedication and sincerity. And then comes the truly amazing feeling of exhilaration that hits you like fresh air in the face after a long dark stinky tunnel, when people comment on your posts.

The serene silence of the first page of the blog, and the steadily increasing hits in the sitemeter counter at the bottom of the blog. Aah, THIS is peace on the internet! A man could be so happy with just all this... Well happy a man can be with anything ELSE but finding out that his posts are being plagiarized and posted by someone else on her blog (without even a single mention of the author!).

Yes you guessed it right, posts from this blog are being stolen (in the literal sense of the term), and posted on some stupid (matrimonial?) site by a lady called Sohini. Our investigative team found the miscreant doing this and tried commenting on that lame blog to warn her... But it seems that silly site requires a registration before one can comment! (This could also seem like one of those scams we see when people want to make you join a site in order to increase their own points/earnings there... nevermind the 'apparent motive(s)' though). Well we didn't comment there, but comment we are doing on our very site here and hope that through it we might be able do away with all the frustration tingling in our fingers right now. (Well, typing on the keyboard definitely beats pulling the trigger in the miscreant's face, doesn't it :D)

Here's the link to that imposter's blogpost (don't know how many more posts she's stolen from us though):-
http://mad-b.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/11/the-other-side/comment/877012.htm

Ardent readers of our blog might recognize her post to be a (stupid?) combination of two of our earlier posts:-
a. http://abd-elazeez.blogspot.com/2007/09/lil-somthing-to-think-through.html
AND
b. http://abd-elazeez.blogspot.com/2007/09/to-destiny.html

It seems that people who've read that post on her blog did seem to enjoy it, as is evident from their comments (although its hard to figure if they understood any of it, as is also evident from their comments :)

B.T.W., Sohini's also present on Orkut from where we found her blog's link after she had scrapped Mr Write another portion from one of the popular poems on this very blog! (Man, this lady's incorrigible!)

Dame, if you're reading this I really hope you've got the brain to at least not steal this post :P

—Abd elAzeez
[Current Thought: Man this is crappy! But am I really THAT popular on blogger?]

Make it in!

"You are the very best" she said to him,
The boy, he only smiled and restated anew
"I don’t know if that adjective suits or not,
But I really love hearing all that from you

It makes me feel like king of the world
Though all my elaborate plans are yet to unfurl
My eyes, my mind, and thoughts they have you
Yes my dear, I love being able to love you"

She said "I wish you won’t leave me ever,
For a prettier face or a love that’s fairer"
"YOU are my world" the boy, said he
"And how could I ever think of betraying thee?"

"My boy’s the best" she continued yet again,
"And I couldn’t ever live peacefully to see him in any pain".
"Troubles and misfortune they come and go", replied the boy
"But if the LORD wills, united we’ll overcome any devilish ploy"

She said "You are the right one I’d always been waiting for
And how I wish that we’d have met before,
All these years when people tried courting me
Oh how I’d have loved to have been courted by thee"
"My love", the boy said with his teary eye
"How I wish that back in time we could fly
And probably save us both the trouble
Of living without each other, these decades double"
"We’re both a little older than that!" the girl she jokingly exclaimed
"You’re smart" he said, "but wouldn’t you believe if I claimed
Myself as a happy kid when I’m in the company of thee
Coz at these times I’m much younger than I ever could be"

Her pretty black eyes seemed to well with tears
As she re-iterated her own restless fears
"What if we can’t be together forever?
What if we aren’t made for each other?
I’d surely be forlorn if you were to go away
And would it not hurt to look back at this on another day?"
"My dear don’t you worry" the boy consoled her
"If the LORD wills our love will win all over"

Years later when they looked back at that bygone eve
All those years of love together they could relive
And later even when the people laid them both down to rest
The couple were content the LORD had blessed their lives with the best
Working towards the heavens they had always believed in
And their desire to take each other there had helped them both make it in!

—Abd elAzeez
[Current Thought: Isn’t true love about caring for one’s life in the hereafter as well?]
[Another Current Thought: Well, everything happens of course only if the LORD wills! :-) ]

Unfinished! (Or not quite so?)

This song is for anyone a little capable, a little insecure
A wicked little lineup to bring you all up to the fore
Crying out loud, but tis ain't a new anthem
Rhyme rhyme rhyme into the new millennium!

Bang bang shoots out the wicked gun
Killing another teary-eyed mother’s beloved son
These chains of anger, ignorance and bliss
Millions have perished and billions more to follow this

Bam! Out comes the impious tank, rolling rolling rolling on the river bank
Ha! Huh! Ha! The mixed sentiments rang
Oh crap! They’re back at us again!
Run! Shouted the commander,
Soldiers, half-bare, in their broken armor

Deafening screams, their pathetic cries,
The young, blue, wide and dreamy eyes
Shattered dreams, dead expectations
And whatever happened to those promised nations?

—Abd elAzeez
[Current Thought: There, listen 2 ma poetry!]

Two blocks down the road...

There is something called as writer’s block which —as a growing up kid— I thought to be a situation in which writers usually block the door so that no one can to disturb them while they are happily writing away — in their very merry writers’ land! Now—as a grown-up kid—I’ve been taught that it means a time when a writer faces a mental block!

This still appeals to me as an apt definition because I can now think of it as a time when the mind blocks the writer out so badly, that the poor guy cannot enter into his merry writers’ land and get some happy writing done!

Given a chance to re-define the word I’d like to call it a place or a block (on a street) where all writers live! (ahemm…) Fathom this address: 1011 Writers’ Block, Al-Kitab Street, Madinah. Hmm… maybe if we become a lil more famous writing this little pretext of a blog, we could think of calling the shots around the Queen’s language!

—Abd elAzeez
[Current Thought: Hmm, wonder what it will do the real-estate business though]

An Inspiring True Story! | a.k.a. Of brick(ed)bats!

It happened once again… for the N^th time in about a year now, I managed to brick my gorgeous w750i phone (for the uninitiated, Bricked = Rendered completely useless whilst trying to modify the firmware)..!!

I figured that the phone wouldn’t start after my latest modifications and heaved a heavy sigh of despair (now that’s a new term for you all… :-). As it has always the shock this time was devastating as well! Now before this starts look too technical and most readers lose interest in the post right here (leave alone the inclination to comment on the blog), let’s get down to the main topic for this piece of written material. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is about patience and perseverance...

I’ve realized —in the numerous times that I have been through the ordeal of having converted my dearest (modified) k750i into a mere paper-weight— that there is always a learning experience behind every failure. I still remember the many beats my heart almost-skipped the first time I had bricked the phone trying to change the sound quality, the worry that engulfed me throughout the night thinking of how I had voided the warranty by modifying the firmware and how I’d now have to pay for getting all the mess fixed; all that coupled with a sense of failure and dejection which told me that maybe I wasn’t so smart and geeky after all… and not to mention the enormous amount of research on the internet that I had to do trying to figure out what exactly goes on in the firmware that causes it to fail in such a beyond-repair-ish manner (BTW I still haven’t figured that one out completely, and yet I continue to live on and on, marveling at the amazing things that I’ve done with my phone… and the enormous possibilities that lie ahead, if only I’d be ‘brave enough’). I still remember the time when I fixed the phone after that very first failure, within 1 day, and on my own! I was exhilarated beyond words! And I had learnt that there are more than one ways to get things done from electronic devices! It was then when I got my first first-hand lesson in using failure as a stepping stone to success! (And it also strengthened my belief that sincere prayers ARE answered :-)

Yesterday brought by another evening of tribulation as my dearest phone refused to let me in… Being the ardent phone-addict that I am, it WAS indeed a test for me to be deprived of my little thingamabob. Was trying to fix it using my PC at office and it simply wouldn’t budge! Thought I’d do the software repairs from home but couldn’t leave office coz it was just 5:30PM; there was work to finish and the obligatory evening and night prayers to offer before I could reach my humble dwelling place… And so I reached home after a torment-filled period of 4 hours, only to find that there had been an electricity failure in the area since morning! So there I was, holding my precious gizmo (yes, sure there might be better cell phone models out there, but this one has a charm of its own which I guess is far from over for me) just hoping the lights would come back. Had switched my simcard into an older Nokia handset which I keep at home for emergencies (a.k.a. times like these :-) and could use that one to receive/make calls, but how I wished my w750i would work! (yes, it’s called w750i because it is now a cross between the k750i and the w800i). No lights until about 11:30PM when I had retired to bed and almost reached the gates of slumberland… 11:35PM and the lights came back! I jumped out of the covers and into the computer room (mind you, do not think ‘Eureka!’)... Used many of my super-powers (:D) coupled with all the thinking that I had been doing for about 6 hours now, to get the thing fixed. And Hallelujah, it all worked! The truly amazing w750i turned ON! Could even use the phone to get onto the GPRS, read my email, scrap people on Orkut, play music, click a few pictures and do all the usual hullabaloo that my phone is all about… My phone’s working fine now, and I’ve figured out that a file named EPIUSB.SYS was missing from my PC at office, and that caused most of the data corruption… (“what the heck is that file?” one would say… and that is exactly what I would have said too before I had known the trouble it puts people like me into). Bottom line, I’ve learnt something new last evening, and that is sometimes things are supposed to trouble you for a certain period of time, you’re supposed to wait it out patiently thinking of possible solutions, pray well, think of alternate ways and work-arounds, and when the time is right things are back on track just as they’ve always been supposed to be…

—Abd elAzeez
[Current Thought: What super powers?]
[Not-so current thought: A title starting-off like that is a sure way to get a lot of views!? :-) ]

Testing... Three... Two... One!

Stuck between the Devil and the Dead Sea I’d only take the swim;
simply because that Evil dude’s not a companion that I chase

Had I to choose between the Rock and the Hard Place, I’d pick the rock,
and try to devise it into a stepping stone for a better place.

There could be many times when you’re faced with complicated–looking choices in life, but the essential thing to remember is that most of them would not appear as tricky if only you’d just look at them from a different perspective… We (the humble beings that we are) are so used to looking at things from a specific angle, (or should I say we are taught so by our system) that many a time we fail to see the hidden good in most trying situations.

I happened to read a very beautiful email forwarded by someone a couple of days ago; it was titled ‘That’s Allah!’ The entire content of the email was excellent but the one line that that caught my attention the most was ‘Have you ever been in a situation with no clue how it is going to get better, but now you look back on it? That’s Allah! HE passes us through tribulation to see a brighter day!’ [please overlook the mistakes in quoting the line from memory]

That line just helped reinforce my beliefs that everything that we go through is but a test. Some tests are easy and others not quite so… but what matters in the end is how well you stood your ground with faith in all of them. And trust me; the rewards for passing with flying colors are really really good in this case… :-)

—Abd elAzeez
[Current Thought: The countdown in the title… does it seem so apt?]

A lil somthing to think through

Somethings in life are meant for you to hold on to, while others are supposed to be let go of,
Others yet are meant to hang onto you, while the rest are supposed to let you go!

—Abd elAzeez

[Current Thought: That’s a quarter of a century's experience speaking… more updates/refinements expected as the years keep on ticking :-) ]

And it's been a while...

The fact that this place hasn't been updated for quite sometime might seem like too much of a hiatus to all you ardent readers out there. (Well NO, the author is still alive... although not 'kicking' if you were to consider the literal sense of that term :D)

BTW a few days ago I was actually thinking of what would become of this blog in case I happen to 'move on to a better place', and the answer that came out after some amount of self-deliberation was simple: 'It would be the same thing that would become of all the other stuff that was a part of this life of mine'.

You see, when the 'time is up' for people in this world, everything that was part of this life no longer binds or matters, and the only things that matter are those that have been 'sent forward' by them (if you know what I mean...); and hence I've started concentrating more on the preparations these days. And that's because I believe the smartest of people are those who begin preparing for the afterlife as early as possible... [NO, my doctor hasn't perused through my health checkup reports while telling me that supposedly ill-fated Bollywood movie line that most 'Bolly-docs' are supposed to tell the protagonist, if that's what you're thinking having read this far :)]

Yes I've been busy for some days now and the fact that we're passing through (or rather, 'piously observing') the Holy Month of Ramadhaan, has made updating this place a kind of rarity for me. I do however promise InshaAllah that I WILL be posting more stuff here soon and also hope to keep the audience (that I feel honored to have) out here, hooked to the place as always.

Please do keep visiting back again and again and again and again and again and again... (OK, I guess you got the point! :-)). And in the meanwhile please also feel free to browse through the archives that we have created out here over the months.

—Abd elAzeez
[Current Thought: Maybe I should be sharing the password to this place with someone :D ]

To Destiny!

I met somebody today who made me realize
That in being not a fool, lies the essence of being wise
LORD I’ve been brought to understand and I can only thank THEE
For making me realize all that happens is simply destined to be!

—Abd elAzeez

[Current Thought: Subhan-Allah! The LORD sure works in mysterious ways!]

The 'Right' Time!

Quite contrary to popular belief, there ARE some times in life when things go just right! Fathom this, you half-wake up in the morning (we all know that state of waking up :) and as always recollect the events of last evening to know what to expect next… you realize you’re expecting an important call at 10:30 AM… and its 9:30 AM already! Besides you also have to reach office (where work starts at 9:30 AM incidentally)… realizing you haven’t got much time (to get late by?), you decide you’ll take that call via your trusty cell-phone head-set en-route to office (so you can finish the call, as well as reach office by 11). Your morning routine surprisingly takes away quite a lot of time and you realize its 10:15 already… AND you are yet to have your breakfast (the ONE meal that’s designed to provide the start to most of your day’s energy)! In between minds you decide you’ll skip breakfast and substitute it with an early lunch… 10:26 and you’re still at home, so you decide that you’ll take that call before you leave for office… 10:31 and there’s no sign of that call… being the devout person that you are, you say a silent prayer asking for only what HE thinks is right for you… Your favorite wrist-watch shows 10:32… The ring-tone of your cell phone breaks the silence of your mind (those sound drivers that you’ve put into it play pretty loud and clear :)… It IS the call you were waiting for (talk about punctuality)! The call goes very well, you get EXACTLY what you wanted out of it… last night’s dream come true you call it… you thank HIM for HIS never-failing mercy. You share the good news with your family whilst having a quick bite, and they are all ecstatic.

 

It’s 11:25. You’re worried about the consequences of reaching work after 12… you recollect that your bike is punctured from last night’s ride and so you have to use the services of an auto-rickshaw for conveyance. The journey seems never-ending, and you reach work at 12:15 (having encountered one of the worst traffic jams of your life… and praying all throughout the way). You step into office, apprehensive of facing your boss, and Lo! he’s right  there near your desk. You begin to think of an explanation, and before you can utter a word your boss starts off “It’s a very great thing you could make it in by this time, I was afraid the large oil tanker spill near office would keep you stuck in traffic for more than half of the day! I AM impressed by your dedication!”…

 

Before that big smile of exhilaration manifests itself onto your face you recollect the subtle choice of the rickshaw-driver taking a slightly longer route to reach office saying it’ll avoid more traffic (and you’d thought he was doing it just so he could get a bigger bill out of your pocket)…

 

Things do go right at times, and when they do the feeling of joy is just un-describable! Though the first impression of a certain situation might make it seem otherwise, things eventually fall into their proper place… in fact they sometimes fall into place so well that you just cant believe it were possible that way too!

 

—Abd elAzeez

[Current Thought:]

I don't get no TV!

I wonder why they put those flat television screens inside elevators anyways. You know, the ones that are fastened to the elevator wall with steel fittings and they keep playing random channels all the time… I wonder if it could be another of those silent invectives that are hurled at us every single day by the system that we all live in.

Seems like with these TVs they (the diabolical beings running the system) mean to say to us “Sure this TV’s got a clear screen, amazing picture clarity coupled with superb surround sound… Besides there’s an awesome episode of your favorite program coming up next on this channel. But YOU (Mr. regular-human-being) are NOT going to get to watch it! AND that FACT is reinforced, coz we’ve made sure the elevator is fast enough to reach any floor before you can even get a small peak at the first scene!”

The point is, I don't get what a person is supposed to do with that TV anyway... He cannot watch his favorite show, he cannot talk to the person next to him because that darned TV is blaring right behind his head, and he certainly cannot change the channel coz the buttons are just not there on that TV! Which should also remind you that the TV remote is not inside that elevator! And that at times makes me speculate, could it be that the remote has been (cunningly?) placed in another elevator where there is no TV at all?...!!!

—Abd elAzeez

[Current Thought: Now that's called taking the Idiot Box to an all-new level (via the elevator!)]

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The copyrighted [mini?] series titled Abd's takes, is a collection of humorous blog posts comprising of completely original but wierd/ obnoxious/ unfathomable/ and seldom-light-hearted tid-bits of humor that are a product of my own twisted mind.

Feel free to use them where-ever you want to, just don't forget to 'quote the author' (in simpler terms, mention me!). Coz if you don't, then bad things might happen to you; things like forgetting the punch-line when in the middle of an elaborately told joke, or meeting an audience-member who knows the answers to all of your original 'amusing-riddles'.

:-)

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A little medical terminology - by Jerry Seinfeld

Jerome “Jerry” Seinfeld is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning American comedian, actor and writer. (One of my favorite stand-up comedians of all time, I might add.)

I'm Telling You for the Last Time was one of his most famous stand-up performances, which was recorded at the Broadhurst Theatre, in New York during August 6-9, 1998. Here's a hilarious little snippet from the same:-

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A friend of mine is going in for a nose job next week. Guy.
You know what the technical term for a nose job is?
Of course you do... Everybody...
Rhinoplasty! [is the name of the term]
Rhino!
Now this guy is aware he has a bit of a problem… he's obviously sensitive about it, that's why he made the appointment. Why do we need to compare him to a rhinoceros?...!!!

When you go for a hair transplant the docs don't say: "We're going to perform a cue-ball-ectomy on you, Mr Johnson… We feel the chrome-dome-ia has advanced... to a level we term skin-head-ia… These are all medical terms, if you don't understand…"

—by Jerry Seinfeld
[From I'm Telling You for the Last Time, Live on Broadway, 1998]

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—Abd elAzeez
[Current thought: ROTFLOL]

Slow down [that camera! :) ]

Well, by ‘popular demand’ [you won’t believe how many people actually asked me to do this!], let me present here another of my collection of tips for the everyday photographer! This time we’ll see how to take an interesting picture in an otherwise mundane setting.

Now we all know that there are a lot of situations where you CANT really figure out a decent enough object to snap your camera at. The roadside is one such example, and it is even more of an example if it is not properly lit [thereby making it almost a pain in the photo-clicking-finger to even think of taking a picture there]. But fear not! (for you are a reader of this blog :P)…

A different angle, coupled with a simple setting of the shutter speed + ISO and off you’re ready to go. We’ve already covered ISO in an earlier post, and this time we’ll hint upon ‘shutter speed’.
In the most layed of man’s terms shutter speed is simply the speed at which your camera clicks a picture… a (s)lower shutter speed thus could mean you’ll probably get a picture that’s got a blurry or in-motion kind of effect.

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL (2-megapixel) SIZE]

Check this out. Picture 1 above was taken on a dimly lit road, (at an unusual angle) with only the ISO set to 100. We’ve got a fine looking picture of a car’s headlights there. Now add to this combination, the power of a slow shutter speed and the next car that passed by (in the opposite direction), seemed like more of a rocket in action in Picture 2 below.

[CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL (2-megapixel) SIZE]

As always. the results ARE but interesting :-)

—Abd elAzeez

[Current thought: Could I be good at this? :D]