Thinker's Retreat

[Bengal_Tiger]

A blog by someone I know.

Thinker's Retreat


Why Marriage is 'Half of Faith'

There is a hadith (a report) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) that goes "man tazawwaja faqad istakmala nisfa al-imaan falyattiqi Allaha fi an-nisf al-baaqi." Translated, it means that "whoever marries has completed half of his faith. So let him beware of Allah regarding the other half."

What does it mean that marriage leads to the completion of half our faith?

When one is married one never feels alone. Even if one is in a bad marriage, one always has in the back (or the front) of one's mind one's other half. One's other half is thus a constant in one's life. Is this not the role that God should play in our lives? Is not God meant to be the constant that anchors our restless souls struggling to main equilibrium whilst being tossed around in the turbulent dunya (worldliness) that surrounds us? The relationship of marriage is thus analogous to the relationship a creation has with its Creator. Marriage trains us in how we should relate to God. In this training we learn about how to cultivate a deep relationship with God, so deep that it may be said to equal half of faith.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/why-marriage-is-half-of-faith_16.html

[BarakzaiAbdali]

A blog by someone I know.

Thinker's Retreat


Why Marriage is 'Half of Faith'

There is a hadith (a report) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) that goes "man tazawwaja faqad istakmala nisfa al-imaan falyattiqi Allaha fi an-nisf al-baaqi." Translated, it means that "whoever marries has completed half of his faith. So let him beware of Allah regarding the other half."

What does it mean that marriage leads to the completion of half our faith?

When one is married one never feels alone. Even if one is in a bad marriage, one always has in the back (or the front) of one's mind one's other half. One's other half is thus a constant in one's life. Is this not the role that God should play in our lives? Is not God meant to be the constant that anchors our restless souls struggling to main equilibrium whilst being tossed around in the turbulent dunya (worldliness) that surrounds us? The relationship of marriage is thus analogous to the relationship a creation has with its Creator. Marriage trains us in how we should relate to God. In this training we learn about how to cultivate a deep relationship with God, so deep that it may be said to equal half of faith.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.co...-faith_16.html

Very good point. I believe that biology also provides the underpinnings to explain why we do what we do. We are designed to want to procreate at relatively early age. The conflict between new economic and social patterns and that need/design can really be best remedied by observing the Prophet's sound advice.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Poems and Aphorisms 1


Mirrors

We're all mirrors;
what you see is what you've got


Live

Before you judge become sin free
Enter Heaven’s gate thoughtless, carefree
Argue not with fate, all errors are destined
Be content; leave planning aside for the Day we’ll be questioned
Attention seekers beware
Acting for other than God leaves your cupboard bare
It’s a one-way ticket, no way back;
Know God and live life to the max.


Rain

When the Heavens open,
Soothing descends.
Cure for Satanic whispers.
Embrace the melancholy,
Make yourself at home,
Recline in the cool breeze,
As it massages your pain.

“Pitter-patter”

Let the sound be cotton-wool for your worries,
Soak your thoughts in its wet bandages,
Heal the wounds of yesterday.
When the rain stops
Heaven’s blessings descend
In coloured streams,
Reminders of treasure.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/poems-and-aphorisms-1.html

[Badlun]

Very good point. I believe that biology also provides the underpinnings to explain why we do what we do. We are designed to want to procreate at relatively early age. The conflict between new economic and social patterns and that need/design can really be best remedied by observing the Prophet's sound advice.

There is also a hadith that cleanliness is half of the faith. It means marriage+cleanliness= full faith.

I cant understand that in Islam unmarried man and woman cannot see or meet each other so how can you select your life partner or your half faith without meeting her/him , knowing her/him before you decide to her/him your spouse for the life.

[Bengal_Tiger]

To Park or Not to Park?


A Muslim man drives to the local mosque to attend the Jumu’ah* salah. He is running late, looks for parking—nothing around. So he parks the car in a place on the street that is partially blocking a driveway. A minute later the home owner opens the garage to reverse the car out of the driveway as he has an appointment to get to. To his shock he cannot drive the car out onto the road because of the car partially blocking the driveway. Infuriated, he calls the police. The police turn up, and write a parking fine for the vehicle.


The Muslim man returns to find an infuriated owner and an unimpressed police officer.
“Sorry, I ...”
The police officer interrupts: “Don’t apologise, you don’t block other people’s drive ways. Does your God teach you to block people’s drive ways? Doesn’t your god teach you to respect the rights of others?”


In hindsight, the Muslim man would realise that the amount of time that the home owner was late for his appointment was more critical for that person than the amount of time he was late for the prayer. The man may also come to realise that God will forgive one for missing an appointment with Him, but a person may not forgive one for making him or her miss his or her appointment.


A solution to the problem may be this. The mosque attendees who come early should try to park a little farther from the mosque. This would allow those coming later to find parking spaces near to the mosque. Those coming late would not become frantic in trying to find parking and in desperation park somewhere they shouldn't. Moreover, God surely will reward those coming early who park farther from the mosque for their act of charity.


The moral of the story is this: respecting the rights of others is just as much a religious act as prayer is.


*Jumu'ah is the Friday Prayer, prayed in congregation after noon.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/to-park-or-not-to-park.html

[Bengal_Tiger]

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Winter's End

Today marks the last day of Winter in Australia. I'm kind of sad because it's my second favourite season, my favourite being Autumn. In Sydney, Winter is cold but not freezing; there's morning dew but no snow; drizzle but no storms. Two layers of clothing suffices.

Winter is a time of stability. Its cooler temperatures and long nights facilitate introspection. Outside it's cool and and cloudy, inside it's warm and cosy. Thus, unlike Summer, one can stay indoors all day without feeling like one is missing out on something.

For some, however, Winter is a time of dread. There is an illness called Seasonal Affective Disorder, appropriately abbreviated as SAD. SAD occurs when people who are otherwise healthy throughout the year develop symtoms of depression during either the winter or the summer. Thus, SAD is also known as 'Winter blues' or 'Summertime blues.'

In contrast, for Muslims, Winter is a great time of the year. It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) said: “Winter is the best season for the believer. Its nights are long for him to pray in, and its days are short for him to fast in” (al-Haythami). Moreover, Imam Ahmad relates from the narrations of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, may God be pleased with them, from the Prophet, that he said, “Winter is the springtime of the believer” (Bayhaqi). Winter is like springtime because just as cows fatten up during the Spring by eating lush grass, the believer 'fattens up' during the Winter by lots of worship.

mam Ahmad relates from the narrations of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, that he said, “Winter is the springtime of the believer.” [1] - See more at: http://www.newislamicdirections.com/....EW2aPZqF.dpuf


With these points in mind, I've compiled a short poem to celebrate Winter.



Winter





Wintery days
You've come and gone
Short days
Long nights
You've sung your song
Of cool breezes
Morning frost
And chilly nights
Hours worshipping in candlelight
Wrapped up in a blanket
On a woollen rug
A dark grey hug
Rainy August days
Time to mend one's ways

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.com.au/2015/08/winters-end.html

[Bengal_Tiger]

Poems and Aphorisms 2


Patience

Fed-up with patience
Do not ask for the recipe of success.

* * *

Barrier

Be careful not to display one's ego
In the sight of another
Don't be a barrier to God

* * *

Soulmates

Bid me adieu you cannot,
My love is part of your lot;
Your destiny, my destiny,
Were determined pre-eternally;
In wisdom by Him all Knowing,
The love sowed between us,
He’ll keep it growing;
Submit to that which is writ,
On the Preserved Tablet our futures fit;
Together—then and now,
And tomorrow when the Sun sets down;
Our love will endure, so will the song
of love in our hearts - to God they belong.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/poems-and-aphorisms-2.html

[Shamlawar Khurasani]

A blog by someone I know.

Thinker's Retreat


Why Marriage is 'Half of Faith'

There is a hadith (a report) of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) that goes "man tazawwaja faqad istakmala nisfa al-imaan falyattiqi Allaha fi an-nisf al-baaqi." Translated, it means that "whoever marries has completed half of his faith. So let him beware of Allah regarding the other half."

What does it mean that marriage leads to the completion of half our faith?

When one is married one never feels alone. Even if one is in a bad marriage, one always has in the back (or the front) of one's mind one's other half. One's other half is thus a constant in one's life. Is this not the role that God should play in our lives? Is not God meant to be the constant that anchors our restless souls struggling to main equilibrium whilst being tossed around in the turbulent dunya (worldliness) that surrounds us? The relationship of marriage is thus analogous to the relationship a creation has with its Creator. Marriage trains us in how we should relate to God. In this training we learn about how to cultivate a deep relationship with God, so deep that it may be said to equal half of faith.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.co...-faith_16.html

Why are you posting ahadeeth when you have rejected them as fabrications before?

[Shapur]

Since this is thinker's retreat, Can anyone elaborate where do thoughts arise from?

Can any of you stop thinking even for a moment? If yes then how does it feel and if no then why can't you stop thinking?

[Bengal_Tiger]

Since this is thinker's retreat, Can anyone elaborate where do thoughts arise from?

Can any of you stop thinking even for a moment? If yes then how does it feel and if no then why can't you stop thinking?

Salamoona Shapura/Badmash Khela,

Interesting question.

Our existence means our consciousness, our consciousness means that we think.

Thus to think is to live.

As Descarte said "I think therefore I am".

Where thought originates from in a biological sense I cannot say as I am no physician, perhaps Dr Abdali [MENTION=1772]BarakzaiAbdali[/MENTION] can give you a more satisfactory answer or [MENTION=17579]Loy Afghanistan[/MENTION] who is also a medical student.

Can any of you stop thinking even for a moment? If yes then how does it feel and if no then why can't you stop thinking?

Meditation is the suspension of conscious active thinking.

Or conversely the suspension of conscious active thinking and pure relaxation is labelled "meditation".

This is a relaxed state of being and if the inactivity of conscious thought increases we then eventually end up in the state known as sleep.

My 2 cents.

[Bengal_Tiger]

Sky Watching



I love gazing at the sky. On Sunny days there are varying shades of blue and tufts of white. On overcast days there are swirls of white amongst seas of grey.

It is certainly true that my head is 'in the clouds.' I don't mind being thought of as a bit kooky for this. To be a kook for sky watching is like being praised for stating the obvious. The sky is obviously there, it is obviously real, and it is obviously beautiful (to me at least), who wouldn't want to look at it? If I was given the choice to look at the sky or look at a beautiful face, I'd choose the sky.


Often, when I look at the sky my thoughts turn to God. The Prophet David (peace be upon him) said the following: "The Heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands" (Psalm 19). It is said in the Qur'an, in reference to disbelievers: "Do they not look at the sky above them? (50: 6). Indeed, it is as though the sky is a veil shielding God from the sight of the creatures on Earth; there is just enough to make out the existence of something behind the veil, but you just can't be sure exactly what it is. I feel that the clouds in the sky are telling us a message. They couldn't be the way they are by accident. I've yet to figure out what the messages are, but I'll continue to try to read them.



Here's a short poem about the sky:

Sky

A carpet that changes colour
Sometimes grey, sometimes blue
A veil of mystery
Hidden rays send a clue
Of something beyond
The Sun and the Moon
Twinkling stars
Smiling down in tune
Who's behind it all?
Looking at me and you
undefined

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.co.uk/2015_09_01_archive.html

[Shapur]

Salamoona Shapura/Badmash Khela,

Interesting question.

Our existence means our consciousness, our consciousness means that we think.

Thus to think is to live.

As Descarte said "I think therefore I am".

Where thought originates from in a biological sense I cannot say as I am no physician, perhaps Dr Abdali [MENTION=1772]BarakzaiAbdali[/MENTION] can give you a more satisfactory answer or [MENTION=17579]Loy Afghanistan[/MENTION] who is also a medical student.




Meditation is the suspension of conscious active thinking.

Or conversely the suspension of conscious active thinking and pure relaxation is labelled "meditation".

This is a relaxed state of being and if the inactivity of conscious thought increases we then eventually end up in the state known as sleep.

My 2 cents.

W. Salam
It is interesting you say "I think, therefore I am". Wouldnt it it be the other way around?
I am therefore I think? You have to exist first to think, no? What happens to us when we dont think? Do we stop existing? That would mean we are mere thoughts or are thoughts a part of our overall existance as in its a proof of our existance as in there is something that thinks.
Under general anesthetic when we are unconcious we are still alive. Our bodies are alive but we have no recollection of it until we come to our senses. Does that mean we only exist when we are conciousof our selves?

When I asked where do thoughts arise from, I didn't mean it in the biological sense although we cant really seperate biological from non biological. What I meant was, do you conciously control the thoughts that come to you, do you give rise to them or do they happen involuntarilly? If thoughts arise involuntarily, can you actually stop thinking?

In my experience you cant really stop thinking but you can just observe your thoughts and not engage with them. To think to me means to conciously engage your thoughts even though you have no control over your thoughts. When you just sit in silence and observe your thoughts its how random thoughts come to you about anything and everything. Its like another person inside you talking endlessly.

[Bengal_Tiger]

A Bit About Me

Today marks the two month anniversary of this blog. I know it's early for an anniversary, but I'm surprised I've lasted this long. So far it's contained light everyday reflections with poetry and some more serious observations. The next few months will contain the same. I'm working on a few academic style articles that should be ready next year. Anyway, two months in, I thought it would be nice for the visitors to this blog to learn a little more about its owner. Hence, this is a brief post about where I come from, my beliefs, and values. I'll add more after six months, should the blog still be running (in sha Allah - if God wills).

Early Years

I was born in Canberra, the capital city of Australia, in 1982. I'm the first born of two boys. My brother is eleven years my junior. My parents, of Indian Muslim origin, come from the beautiful Fiji Islands. I've been there on three occasions, the last being in 1991, a trip I remember well. I live with my parents and brother in the outer Western suburbs of Sydney, in a suburb called Bonnyrigg Heights. It's a lower-middle class to working class area with a lot of people from Fiji along with many from South East Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos). There's a mosque run by the Fiji-Indian Muslim community in the neighbouring suburb of Green Valley. This mosque is where I learnt to recite the Qur'an at the age of about eight or nine. I remember my dad taking me there at the beginning, when I wouldn't let him go because the mosque felt like a strange place. However, a few months later I began to feel comfortable and made friends, a few whom I still see today. Lying only a few hundred metres from the mosque is Green Valley Primary School, which I attended as a child. Because of both places Green Valley has a very special place in my heart.

As much as I love home, I also love to travel. I've visited or lived in eight countries: Canada, United States, Fiji, India, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, and Australia. Traveling tends to bring out the best in me - the inner Aussie explorer takes over. However, like the saying goes: "there's no place like home," and for me home in this life will always be Australia.


Beliefs and Values

There are two main things that define my personality. First, the society in which I was born and grew up: Australia. Bring Australian, to me, is to be the following things: straight-forward (or "fair dinkum" as Aussies call it), easy going, and a bit of a larrakin. It's to give all people, regardless of race and creed, a fair go. Second, the religion to which I was born and brought up in: Islam. Being Muslim (a believer in Islam), to me, is to be the following things: humble, a servant, a voice for what's right and against what's wrong, a helper of the oppressed.












Being Australian and being Muslim are complementary, in my opinion. Indeed, when Islam started out in Mecca in the 7th century it was a sanctuary for the underdog. Coincidentally, Australians love to support an underdog. Logic would say that Australians would support the cause of Muslims in Palestine or Muslim refugees, as these people certainly are underdogs in today's world. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case.

One need not relinquish being Australian to be Muslim, and vice-versa. In fact, the best Muslims I've met are the most "Australian" ones. It is now up to the Muslims in Australia to be people about whom others say "the best Australians I've met are the Muslim ones." We must teach our children to be proud of being Australian and Muslim. We must inculcate in them a love of service, to both country and creed. In this way can our presence improve our society, in sha Allah.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/a-bit-about-me.html

[MENTION=1848]faye[/MENTION]

[Bengal_Tiger]

For the Love of Poetry

I love poetry; both reading and writing it. It's taken a while (over thirty years) for me to finally awaken to it, but as the saying goes: "better late than never."

Poetry causes one to think. It enables one's thoughts to soar above the mundane. The lines of a poem are like windows to parts of the world we havn't seen, to emotions we havn't felt. Writing poetry takes a little while to get used to, but the right surroundings and timing may facilitate the pouring out of words from one's mind. My "poetry time" is the hour before sunset, and my "poetry place" is at my desk in my bedroom.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that I like poetry. As a teenager I listened to R&B, hip hop, and rap. I would learn the rhymes to the songs and then sing them to the beats. I loved the rhymes that artists came up with. But I also loved how the rhymes depicted the life that many artists lived: the ghetto, poverty, struggle, prejudice, racism, rags to riches. Through their rhymes I could feel their struggles. And this is what good poetry does. A good poem doesn't have to rhyme - some of the best one's don't. A good poem has to take the reader into another place - the place where the writer is. The reader must feel what the writer feels; see what the writer sees; hear what the writer hears. Poetry is like an act of communion between the poet and the reader.

When I started practising Islam, at about the age of twenty one, I quickly became hooked on Islamic poetry, especially those compiled in qasidas and nasheeds (Islamic songs). My favourite Islamic poem is The Burda, a poem compiled by the Egyptian Imam al-Busiri (1211–1294). It is sung throughout the Muslim world. Here it is in full: The Burda. In addition to listening to qasidas and nasheeds I like reading Muslim poetry. Translations of classical Muslim poetry including Rumi's Mathnawi can be found here: Sacred Texts (Islam) (scroll down to 'Sufi texts').

These days I not only listen to qasidas and nasheeds and read Muslim poetry, but also read Western poetry. A good place to find Western poetry is the site Poem Hunter. It has a 'top 500' list of poems, containing some of the most famous and well loved poems of the world. Here's the link: Poem Hunter Top 500 poems.

It is reported that the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said that "there is wisdom in poetry" (Bukhari, Muslim). For the Islamic view on poetry see this link: Did the Prophet or the Companions Partake in Poetry?

May we benefit from the lines of a poem. May we become wiser after reading poetry.

***


Here's one of my favourites, by Rudyard Kipling:

If

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!

****

Here's another, by Omar Khayyam in his Rubaiyyaat:


The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.co.uk/2015_10_01_archive.html

[Bengal_Tiger]

All Welcome

One of the great things about my parents is that they have many non-Indian friends. Growing up, I had a Peggy Nani (grandma), Bill Nana (grand dad), Maria Aunty, Coral Aunty, Snow Uncle, Frank Uncle, and Patrick Uncle. Bringing these people into my life is one of the best things my parents did. I remember the holidays, birthday parties, presents, and laughs. It's been a while, but every so often I look through our photo album (remember those) to see these people's smiling faces with me on their laps.

It's a blessing to have had these people in my life because it's given me a broader perspective on the human race. It's made it easier for me to connect with people who don't look like me or talk like me. Moreover, I don't believe only people who look like me or sound like me are going to Heaven. I believe that non-Muslims as well as Muslims will have access to God in the Afterlife (by access I mean His love and forgiveness). It's not that one must have non-Muslim friends to have compassion for non-Muslims, but it sure helps.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) is reported to have said: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself” (Bukhârî, Muslim). Muslim Scholars are in agreement that "brother" here means all humans. If we love that we are guided by God to Islam then we should want all people to be guided by God to Islam. God is big enough for all the people on the planet. Instead of putting limits on who can come to God, we should be inviting everyone. The Persian Muslim poet Rumi had an open door policy, as captured in the following words:

Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving. It doesn't matter.

Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vows a thousand times.

Come, yet again, come, come.

http://thinkers--retreat.blogspot.co.uk/2015_11_01_archive.html