Pursuit of Happiness

By: Shazia Yousuf

Happiness – a feeling, an emotion, which can be seen on a mother’s face when she hugs her new born baby, heard in a child’s laughter when his father playfully punches or tickles him, visible in the beaming smile of a winning athlete standing up on the winner’s pedestal, in the contentment that is visible on the face of a previously hungry man, in the seemingly endless chirping of the early morning birds, in the rhythm of the pattering of rain drops, in the rainbow formed by the first streak of sunlight after rain, in the Divine presence that can be felt in the smell of the fresh vegetation. There are many shades of happiness that can be seen, heard and felt all around us.

Every individual is in the pursuit of happiness. Whether at work, or at home, or just anywhere, every action seeks happiness in return in a very subtle way. We may be unaware of this, but it adds meaning to every effort.

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's Vision of Pakistan

By: Shazia Yousuf

Addressing the nation on 15th August, 1947, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said:

6th September - Defence Day of Pakistan

By: Shazia Yousuf

6^th September 1965, a memorable day, when Pakistan’s armed forces defended Pakistan from the Indian attack and safeguarded the borders sacrificing their lives with courage and zeal. This day is not remembered just because the borders were defended and a war won; it is remembered because on that day, the Pakistani Nation stood united like a metal wall against the enemy attack and proved to be a source of courage and zeal for the armed forces!

On this day, we must observe the anniversary of the Defence Day with same fervor, and revive those spirits that are fading away. This call is not just for the armed forces, but for the Nation, especially the youth to come forward, bring about a positive change within our beloved Motherland.

Let’s be the defenders of our Homeland, let’s unite for a cause.

Let’s defend our country from the negative forces attacking it from outside and within!

Let’s save Pakistan…

This song is dedicated to the Pakistani Nation…

Let’s celebrate Eid

By: Shazia Yousuf

“Eid” - a synonym for colour, festivities, celebration, family reunions and happiness, a time when near and dear ones get together to share their joys. Women, young girls all decked up with new shimmering gota clothes, bangles, mehndi and Cinderella sandals make this day extremely colorful. Men and young boys in their traditional kurtas are no way behind in the Eid fashion parade.

Lunches, dinners and open houses, where guests keep coming in all add up to the beauty of this day. Not only relatives and friends, but families of drivers, maids, post man, the dhol wala who was apparently heard only during the last few days of the sehri are a prominent part of the guest list of every house hold. Eidi is a major attraction for all.

Traditional gourmet comprising sewaiyan, sheer khurma, mithais, cakes and lots of other delicious eatables decorate the dining tables and trolleys and everyone keeps munching on these goodies the whole day.

The Faith of a Five Year Old

By: Sumaira Hasan

I have a daughter who has recently turned 5. Lately I have been observing her faith and the level of belief she has in her God - and it never fails to amaze me!!! To be so young, but to have such a firm belief!!! It's really the simplest of things - things that you and I would never even dream of bothering our God with - but with unwavering faith she turns to Him and asks whatever her heart desires, and believe it or not, He listens and fulfills her slightest whims. 

For example, one day she found it too hot - and having been told that we have no control over the weather, and only God does - she just turned up towards the sky and said "Allah mian, I don't like it when the sun is out and it's too hot. Please don't make it so hot."

Justice and Spirituality of Hazrat Ali

Ali bin Abi Talib, son in law and cousin of the Prophet, first Shia Imam and the fourth caliph of the Islamic community. He was described by the Prophet as the ‘gate’ to the 'city of knowledge'.

“I am the city of knowledge and Ali is the gate; so whoever desires knowledge, let him enter the gate.”

Imam Ali lived physically in the shadow of the Prophet and absorbed spiritually all that radiated from him. The intimacy of the relationship between the Prophet and Hazrat Ali is summed up in one of the sermons of the Imam:

“When I was but a child he took me under his wing…I would follow him [Prophet] as a baby camel follows the footsteps of its mother. Every day he would raise up for me a sign of his noble character, commanding me to follow it. He would go each year into seclusion at [the mountain of] Hira. I saw him and nobody else saw him…I saw the light of revelation and the message, and I smelt the fragrance of prophecy…”

Here are some of the words of wisdom, spirituality and justice, that Imam Ali left for us to remember and to practice.

Starting Fresh

By: Shazia Yousuf

Mother Nature teaches so much about relationships, life, and its realities.

I had been a staunch believer of saving a plant and making every effort for it to bloom again; I had never believed in disposing off and starting fresh.

But I realized there are times when efforts don’t pay off and you cannot save a plant however much you try! The plant may live, but with decaying and infected leaves, this could even harm the other plants around. A rotting, withered plant gives a sad aura to the entire garden and may have a damaging effect overall.

All you are left with is to dispose off and start fresh – a bitter reality, but this is life!

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!

Let’s Indulge In The Ramadan Deal

By: Shazia Yousuf

With the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, we see the storming of billboards all over the city with mouth watering Iftari deals. “Mc Donald’s Fast and Feast”, “(W)holy Chicken (at Nando’s)”, “All you can eat deals” and tons of other “Buy one get one free” meal offers swarm the billboards all across. With the advent of Ramadan, the entire country seems to be invaded by these inviting meal deals that tempt you to go out and spend money as if there will be no more food offers after Ramadan, or people would stop eating once the month of Ramadan is over.

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--- *

The True Essence of Fasting

By: Shazia Yousuf

“The true believer resembles a lute whose voice will not improve, unless its belly is empty.” [A Hadith attributed to Phophet Muhammad s.w].

For Muslims, the month of Ramadan is the month of obligatory fasting, during which one is required to abstain between dawn and sunset from eating and drinking.

The abstinence could go beyond the obligatory requirements to include anything that might stimulate the outer senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. This would mean anything such as violent images, strident sounds, gossip or slander, obnoxious or sweet smells, and so on.

It could even be extended to include the inner faculties, such as thought, memory, emotions and imagination, and all the attractions of the phenomenal world.

 

Eat Healthy This Holy Month (Ramadan Special)

By: Saima Ausaf

Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking. It is the time of purifying our soul, mind and body from impurities and to focus on the worship of our Lord.

Fasting during the month of Ramadan can be good for your health if it is done correctly. As the Ramadan fast lasts from dawn till dusk, the body's energy can be replaced in the pre-dawn and dusk meals. Treating the non-fasting hours of the day as the time to meet your body’s nutritional needs will help the fasting hours go more smoothly. ‘Overeating’ and having ‘feasts’ lead to decreased energy levels throughout the day. A little understanding and planning of what the body requires in terms of nutrition will help us carrying out our fasts in a better way. Here are some health tips, which if followed might help you boost your energy levels over the next few weeks.

Life's Puzzle

By: Zahoor Ul Islam

Yesterday while coming back home it was late, so we decided to pick the food on the way. We also didn’t want to get out of the car so we opted for the drive thru KFC and ordered the meal. Hasan enjoys kid’s meal. The meal is more fun as it comes with a toy and the meal box has puzzles on the outer side.

We reached home and finished our dinner. Hasan started playing with the toy and the puzzle on the box. The puzzle is usually about finding the right path to reach the desired end. There are four options at start and only one leads to the desired location.

Bees - Ambassadors of Coexistence and Cooperation

By: Shazia Yousuf

As a child, I was extremely afraid of bees. When outside, in the garden, if I spotted even a single bee, I would rush back inside and not think of going out till I was sure it was gone. My father would casually laugh at this, and he would tell me that I was being silly, and that a small bee would not do anything to me. He would suggest holding my breath when a bee came near me and it would not sting. But I was a hundred percent sure this wasn’t true! I would ask him to spray insecticide on them so that I may play outside in peace. But he would keep himself busy with his work, casually ignoring my demand.

Atonement With The Absolute

By: Shazia Yousuf

Every object that we see around us is revealing. It tells us its character, nature and the entire secret that it beholds. Every presence explains to us all that it contains. There is music in every object and in every being, everything speaks the language of rhythm and tone.

A friendly person shows harmony in his voice, his words, his movements, his manner and his thought. An unfriendly person shows disharmany in all his movements, his glance and expression, in his walk, in everything. Every action may show harmony or disharmony – if only one can see it.

You can see from the attitude of a person whether he’ll be your friend or will end up being your enemy. You need not wait till the end; you may see this at the first glance. But you have to have an eye for it and you have to have atonement with God – The Absolute being.

A Fascinating Route To Spiritual Salvation - Say No To Revenge

By: Sadaf Chaudhary

Spiritual salvation comes beyond the intellect when the self ends. One needs spiritual enlightenment to get salvation which is a state of being saved from sin and disasters. Undoubtedly, spiritual salvation is God gifted but it can be earned too. You can track yourself on a fascinating route which I think leads you to spiritual salvation. So for that we need to release and discharge our souls from the vicious feelings of revenge.

Happy Fathers' Day To All The Dads

By: Shazia Yousuf

A son’s source of inspiration, a daughter’s pride; the relationship of a father with his children is one of its kind. He is a friend in some cases, or at times a figure of deep respect; he is the royalty, the King of the house.

Though a king, he is the one who has to get up early in the morning without fail, leave the house for the entire day to earn and feed the household. No doubt a lot of fathers are supported by mothers too in earning a living, but in most cases, the father is the main source of income. He is the one who bears with the stress at work and humiliation too at times in order to be able to provide a comfortable home environment for the entire family. Fathers have no choice but to be the local branch of the money tree.

Sunglasses

By: Zahoor Ul Islam

It has been quite hot today in Dubai; mercury has risen to 48 Celsius.  Being a desert by birth, Dubai’s summers are always like this; hot and humid.

My friends and I were going for a quick lunch to a fast food restaurant which is hardly 200 meters away from our office. Walking to a restaurant under the scorching sun at mid afternoon was quite an unwelcoming appetizer.

Unseen Job Market

By: Muhammad Haris

Unsolved problems are called great unseen job market.

There are always many such vacancies available for those who are men of tremendous initiatives and are enormously proactive carrying their own weather in a go getter way.

Such men have learned to create values for themselves and are able to convince that they essentially represent solutions to those unsolved problems.

The Traveler

By: Shazia Yousuf

I had been quite busy for the past few days, getting a couple of things done before I travelled out of town. Being away from home for a month requires a number of things to be taken care of. I had a list of tasks and would put a tick mark against each item as it was completed. Some of these tasks were job related, some included social responsibilities that I had got myself involved in, while others were just pastime activities that require regular attention. There were some very significant things to be taken care of before I left. I could also not leave any of those responsibilities undone, as it would disturb the lives of those who depended on them.