Pakistan - A Land With Great Potential

By: Shazia Yousuf



A land with great hidden potential, God has been extremely kind and generous.  A land so variegated and diverse, it has been bestowed with the Divine riches; its people, especially the youth being the greatest strength. The unity displayed during cricket matches or during natural calamities are examples of our strength!

The future of Pakistan is in the hands of the youth. What they sow is what the future shall reap. It is up to us to mould our future with education and enlightenment, to see a Pakistan, the way we wish to see.

Nothing that has been inflicted upon humanity, by humanity, is impossible for humanity to reverse. I encourage all of us to remember this always, and to carry this as a banner of a compassionate and caring people.

We have to fight against the elements that are making the roots weak. Face the realities with strength, know our weaknesses, and work on eradicating them with hard work, dedication, honesty and compassion.  

“Meray des mein hein imkaan bohot, aas umeed arman bohot…"

[there are a lot of opportunities in my home land, a lot of hope and burning desires to do great things]

All we need is sincerity of thought and dedication in work. Let’s stand united and work towards a better Pakistan.

Pakistan Paindabad!

Umeed (Hope) - امید

 

An urdu poem in urdu script followed by roman english

امید

فصیح خیری

*
دنیا میں اکثر لوگ ایسے ملے، جن کو اپنا اچھا - اچھا نہ لگا
ان کو سمجھایا تو ان کو میں سچا نہ لگا
زندگی کی دھوپ چھاؤں میں، رات دن کے گھٹتے بڑھتے، جانتے نہ جانتے۔۔۔
۔۔۔ سچ کو سچ نہ کہنے کی عادت سی ہو گئی ہے

لوگ پوچھتے ہیں۔۔۔ اس کا فائدہ؟
جواب دیتا ہوں۔۔۔ اپنی نظروں میں نہ صحیح، دنیا کی نظروں میں میں تو سچا ہو گیا
ہوں۔۔۔۔
کہیں سنا تھا۔۔ یا پھر پڑھا تھا۔۔۔۔۔۔۔ انتظار کا ٹہرنا ضروری ہو نہ ہو، انتظار
کرتے رہنا بہت ضروری ہے
امید چاہے کتنی ہئ نہ ممکنہ ہو، امید لگائے رکھنا۔۔۔۔ بہت ضروری ہے
سو انتظار کرتا ہوں، امید رکھتا ہوں۔۔۔ ایک ایسے وقت کا
جب میرا سچ، اور دنیا کا سچ۔۔۔۔ ایک ہو جائے*---فصیح خیری--- *

Thought of the week - Hope

I have been into gardening for the past few months. I added quite a few plants to my nursery, experimented moving plants from smaller pots to bigger ones, planted seeds and watched them grow and flower, and even tried to save wilting plants, which I am proud to have succeeded in. I had the chance to feel Mother Nature’s enchanting vocation.

Autumn followed by winter and spring was a learning experience. Autumn left plants totally withered; leaves turned pale yellow. Some of the plants, like the lemon and the motia shed their leaves to the extent that it made me feel as if something went wrong and the plants would die soon. The stems looked dry and lifeless. I wondered if it was time to dispose them off and start fresh. But I decided I should wait.

Spring started, yet there was no significant improvement. But then gradually, the plants started to bloom. I could see fresh, tiny, crispy green leaves emerging from the lifeless, dry stalks.

Seeing life emerging from the ostensibly dead plants reinforced my belief in the Hidden Divine Essence and the Divine laws of life.

I was reminded of the following lines:

“Paiwasta reh shajar se umeed-e-bahar rakh”

Miracles are not needed, to believe. There is a multitude of signs all around us that make us feel the Divine Presence. We should just not let go of hope.

Soul's Reflections - Prayer – Does it make God change His mind?

By: Shazia Yousuf

from: http://soulsreflections.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/prayer-3/

As a child, I had always believed in intense praying. I believed that I could achieve anything, and I mean anything, if I prayed hard enough. Of course I knew hard work was an essential ingredient for achievement but hard work without prayer was incomplete. A very traditional belief, this is what all of us know and have been taught at home and at religious classes and this is definitely the truth.

However, experiences in life gradually made me to scratch my head and compelled me to think and think harder. For instance, I had always desired to get straight As in O’ Level and A’ Level exams. I definitely worked very hard, I believe, and prayed harder. Yet I never got straight As. Anyways, my faith was strong, and I always believed God must definitely have something better planned out for me.

Other seemingly major, but actually minor events kept occurring in life. My belief remained unchanged. One experience, however shattered me, and left me in total dismay.
That event was my mother’s sad demise. It was not sudden. She was ill for over ten years, and gradually deteriorating. But her two month long hospitalization in the ICU was a life changing experience for me. I had been by her side, saw her fighting her pleural effusion, gradually losing her interest in life and finally departing. The doctors made great efforts, the entire family prayed! Prayed in congregation, prayed in solitude, yet none of us could convince God to spare my mother’s soul. The doctors couldn’t save her with their effort and hard work and we couldn’t save her with our prayers and duas.