Day Thirty Seventh (A Journey with Quran)

Surah Al Imran: Ayats 191 — 200

191. Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): “Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire.

192. “Our Lord! any whom Thou dost admit to the Fire, Truly Thou coverest with shame, and never will wrong-doers find any helpers!

193. “Our Lord! we have heard the call of one calling (Us) to Faith, ‘Believe ye in the Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Thyself our souls in the company of the righteous.

194. “Our Lord! Grant us what Thou didst promise unto us through Thine apostles, and save us from shame on the Day of Judgment: For Thou never breakest Thy promise.”

195. And their Lord hath accepted of them, and answered them: “Never will I suffer to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female: Ye are members, one of another: Those who have left their homes, or been driven out therefrom, or suffered harm in My Cause, or fought or been slain,- verily, I will blot out from them their iniquities, and admit them into Gardens with rivers flowing beneath;- A reward from the presence of Allah, and from His presence is the best of rewards.”

196. Let not the strutting about of the Unbelievers through the land deceive thee:

197. Little is it for enjoyment: Their ultimate abode is Hell: what an evil bed (to lie on)!

198. On the other hand, for those who fear their Lord, are Gardens, with rivers flowing beneath; therein are they to dwell (for ever),- a gift from the presence of Allah. and that which is in the presence of Allah is the best (bliss) for the righteous.

199. And there are, certainly, among the People of the Book, those who believe in Allah, in the revelation to you, and in the revelation to them, bowing in humility to Allah. They will not sell the Signs of Allah for a miserable gain! For them is a reward with their Lord, and Allah is swift in account.

200. O ye who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah. that ye may prosper.

Translation: Abdullah Yusuf

The Ayats 193 — 194 is a lovely prayer which I say morning, and evening after saying my Farz prayers.

Our Lord! Forgive us our sins, blot out from us our iniquities, and take to Thyself our souls in the company of the righteous.

194. “Our Lord! Grant us what Thou didst promise unto us through Thine apostles, and save us from shame on the Day of Judgment: For Thou never breakest Thy promise.”

This plaque hangs on my bedroom wall. I’m afraid my Arabic writing isn’t much, but this reminds me when I forget to recite it.

Ascend

…

A month, or so back, Son and I were looking at houses. Our lease of the apartment was ending, and we wanted to buy a three bedroom house. Daughter came, and put a stop to our searching. She didn’t want us to buy a house on mortgage. According to her I would never ascend to Heaven if I agreed to it. She put the fear of God in me by saying interest is haram. So she put a full stop to buying,  but for renting Son, and I will be again looking up the ads.

There has been a spate of robberies in our area. Even as I am writing a neighbor is moving out. Our security system remains on all the time. When I search for houses, I look at the crime index too. I don’t want to commit a mistake, as Son did in moving to this place.

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DAILY PROMPT

Ascend

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/ascend/

Scamper

M5 is the one in the blue top in the sand pit.

.

Day before my three years old granddaughter M5 told her mama that she was Nano’s baby too. She was feeling shy when her mama told her to say it to me. She scampered away, and hid behind a chair. Earlier she had admitted as such to her mother.

I was elevated to High Heaven on hearing it.

Children are so reserved, and they won’t say anything when you tell them that they are your babies, or they belong to you too. They might contradict you, vehemently deny, and tell you they are mama’s, or father’s baby only. At least it has been my experience so far. No wonder I was so happy.

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DAILY PROMPT

Scamper

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/scamper/

Wind

When a cool wind blows

On a hot day

I think of God’s heaven

No more worries

No more strife

Rest and peace

Will come my way

(Sheen-July2016)

……

DAILY PROMPT

Wind

Write a new post in response to today’s one-word prompt. 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/wind/

One of my Bad Days

Easy Fix
by Ben Huberman
Write a post about any topic you wish, but make sure it ends with “And all was right in the world.”

A relative had brought a gift of a sack full of corn flour. I knew I wouldn’t be able to use all that amount of flour.

My (late) husband R, and I, both loved Jawar ki Roti (bread made from cornflour). I always cooked Saag Gosht (spinach with mutton meat) with it. It was food straight from Heaven, and simply delicious.

I divided the flour into four equal parts, one for us, one for my elder brother Lala, and the two for friends.

We already had our mid-day meals, so I phoned Lala I was coming to bring him fresh cornflour.

There is just one road to University Town, and it remains congested at best of times. It was my ill-luck in what happened to us. A truck driver was in a hurry. Ahead of him was a bus. The driver squeezed past between the space. He damaged the left front door of my car. My lovely car was ruined in a moment. I had never thought something like this would ever happen to me.

I couldn’t stop the silent tears, which ran down my face, as I looked at my car. Thank God, we weren’t injured, and in a few days my car was again as good as new, and all was right in my world.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/easy-fix/

My Own Space

Daily Prompt: Writing Space
Where do you produce your best writing — at your desk, on your phone, at a noisy cafe? Tell us how the environment affects tour creativity.

I like to have my own space, where I can sit and think. If I don’t get time to myself, I do become cranky and irritable. It won’t show on the outside, because I am a polite person, but it’s how I feel inside me.

I think alone time is necessary to recoup one’s energy. Constant noise makes one more tired.

The noise hammers my head. Probably I am used to being alone from my childhood days. As a child I was on my own most of the time.

After getting married I have spent more time alone. My husband was in the Army. Military exercises went on the whole year round, and my husband would be away. The children came. Once they grew up they had their own pursuits. I like my own alone time, but I have come across some wives who are totally unhappy. Their constant refrain is, that they are bored.

I can’t think when there is noise around me. I feel someone is hammering my head. I feel suffocated, and I can’t focus on the work in hand.

I can take noise in small dozes only. In gatherings which go on for an indefinite period I tend to slip away after a period of two to three hours.

My retreat is my room, a Heaven for me.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/writing-space/

My Own Space

The Gift of Time

Daily Prompt: Familial Feasts
Yesterday was Father’s Day in many countries. If you could dedicate a holiday to a more distant relative, who would it be — and why?

Dedicating a day doesn’t appeal to me. It’s mere commercialism, duping us into a frenzy of buying. Caring, loving, giving shouldn’t last a day. It should be for the whole year through. Spending time, and talking can be gifts too.

The ones which were kind to me in my time of needing, I always remember them in my prayers. I send God’s blessings on them. If they are alive, I pray for their health and happiness, and if are no longer, I pray for their souls for eternal bliss in Heaven.

A distant aunt of my husband R comes to my mind. After my marriage took place, R took me to his village for a few days. R was a new person for me. You can imagine R’s parents and relatives were like strangers for me.

I was lost and frightened in R’s sea of relatives. They all came to see the new bride (me) in the family. With everyone staring at me, I felt like an animal on display at a zoo.

R’s aunt came to see me. She hugged and kissed me with genuine warmth. She truly was a nice woman. She never left my side that day, and kept on talking to me. Through out the years, whenever we visited the village, this aunt would come to greet me. She never failed to see me, when she heard that I was in the village. She would come with food or nuts, tokens of her love.

Whenever I remember her, I always pray for an abiding place in Heaven for her. God bless her soul.

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/familial-feasts/
The Gift of Time

I’ll Like You for Always

Daily Prompt: Last but not the Least
In your imaginary award acceptance speech (yes, we know you have one), who’s the very last — and most important — person you thank?

I got this from my daughter a few days back.

I go about life in a positive way. Sometimes the blues hit me. My daughter discerns it immediately (via phone talks), without my saying anything. Then she gets into mother protective stance, and won’t let till she finds out the cause.

I do thank God every day for my children. They are the bright stars in my existence.

My loving sweethearts, my own
Thank you for being there for me

What would I have done, if you were not there
You are the Heaven, the stars for me

I wish you long life and happiness
Joy, good health for your future to be
(Sheen)

http://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/last-but-not-least/
I’ll Like You for Always

Thank you God

Dear Allah, I wanted to thank you. You have given me, an insignificant human being, a mere speck in this world, a lot of things. Some are those, for which I asked, and some those, which you bestowed upon me without my asking. “You are my One, True God.”

You made me whole giving me eye sight, the gift of hearing and the use of my limbs. You have given me good health. Masha-Allah. You have given me shelter in the house I live. Suppose I was on the streets without a roof over my head, how would have I fared?

You give me my daily food, all the things I like to eat. There are so many people out there in the world, who go without food and remain hungry. You have given me drinkable water, clear and sweet. Without it I would not have survived.

You gave me a father, who was kind and lovable.

You gave me a husband, who loved me and looked after me, till death took him away.

You gave me two children, who are the best in this world.

I can mention a whole lot of things. It’s endless. You are Merciful, Kind and Great.

You gave me everything I wished for. I remember once I wanted cherries to eat and there were none in sight. H came from the office, bearing a box of cherries. I was amazed and delighted, “How did you get it?”

“A friend sent it from Quetta.”
I confessed, “This morning I was wishing for cherries.” He laughed and said, “You should have wished for something better.” And this happened a lot of times. Whenever I wished for cherries, I got them.

I love Lichees. Dear God, you gave me trees full of Lichees in my own home, where I can have them to my heart’s content. The many times I yearned for a thing, I got it.

Dear Allah, I thank you for all you have given me. I know I cannot thank you enough, for the kindness and infinite mercy you have shown me. I love you God. Please forgive me for my shortcomings. Please bear with my one wish now, and let it come true. “Dear God, save me from hell, and give me a place in your Heaven, when I leave this world for my ever lasting home. Amen.”

Thank you God