Dentists. I <3 Them :)

A life time to look forward to, inshaAllah

 

A Moment of Silence

I long for the days of uncertainty, when I struggled to understand, to learn, to grow.
I long for the hours I spent studying, worshiping, growing mentally and spiritually.

I felt weakest during those times. Little did I know how strong I was! But it wasn’t my own strength, no, it was God helping me every step of the way and guiding me. و من يتق الله يجعل له مخرجا … و يرزقه من حيث لا يحتسب

It’s been too long and I want to go back. My heart and body and soul aches for the comfort and sweetness I felt at the time.

The longer I wait to get back, the darker it will get, and the harder it will be to find my way back…

 

طويل الشوق يبقى في اغتراب
فــقـــير في الحيـــاة من الصحاب
ومــن يــأمــنــك يـا دنيا الــدواهــي
تدوسين المصاحــب فـي الـتراب
وأعــجـب مـن مـريـدك وهـو يــدري
بأنــك فـي الـــورى أم الـــعـجاب
ولــولا أن لـــي مــنــعــى جميلا
لــبــعــت الــمكث فيها بالـذهاب
رأيــــت الله فــي ذا الـــكــون ربــــا
جـــمــيــع الـــكـائـنـات لـه تحاب
شـــــواهــــد أنــــه فــــرد جـــليل
عــلــى رغــم الـمجاهل بالكذاب
تــــأمــــل قـــدرة الــرحمـــن وأنظر
ســيــهـــديـــك الـتـأمـل للصواب
ومـــد الـــطـرف فــي كـل الـنواحي
سـؤالــك سـوف يـرجـع بالجواب
تـــــفـيء مـن ظـلال الأرض حـيـنـا
ولا تـــغـــتـر يـــومــا بــالـــسراب
وقــــف فـوق الـقـبـور فــرب ذكــرى
ســــتـــحـمـدها وتـأوي بـالإياب
ورتــــل نـــغــمــة الـــقــرآن تــلقـى
يـبـاعــدك الــثــواب عــن العقاب
وتــــابــــع مــــرســلا هـاد حــكيما
أشــعــة حــكمــه مــن كل باب

Absolutely Amazing Gems!!

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Lots and lots of lessons

I’m sick of failing at life’s tests. When will I learn the lessons?? There’s just so many of them! I feel like I’m cramming for them or just winging them as they come by… not good, not good.

Yesterday I learned a lesson. Shaitan got to me, and I made the same mistake again today. Today I said, today… I really learned a lesson.

Don’t take it out on the ones below you. You hated her rudeness towards you and you didn’t see yourself doing the same to others. That was just plain rude. Wake up! The prayer of the oppressed is answered!!

I needed to record this somehow, it seems I only learn when I write… I hope this is a lesson well learned now.

Alone

“I trust in Allah. I trust that He will never abandon me. I trust that He will be my light in the darkest of nights. When there is no wind to guide my sail, Allah will send me where I need to be. In the most desolate of earth’s patches, I will not be alone–solitude is but a place to further count my blessings.”

Not my words… not sure who’s… 

but isn’t it funny, how so many people are alone, making them NOT alone in that they are alone? get it? 

يا أيها القلم المعبر

I went through a phase, long ago, that is now coming back…

This explains it best…

Too many to count

I can see way too many buildings outside my window to even start counting. And I think this generalization applies to more things in life. Way too many blessings, way too many chores, way too many responsibilities, but most importantly, way too many wrong things done, failures, and just way too many sins.

I want to take a long walk. On a beach. Too bad there aint one close by.

Maybe what I need is a trip to Mecca.

I just need to cleanse.

That’s all.

Greatest Tragedy

The greatest tragedy is to have the experience, and miss the lesson.

 

A Journey…

A New Favorite :)

Cat got your tongue?

One of the hardest things in life is when you lack the proper expressions and words that need to be said to make things better. You say some things and they’re misunderstood. You realize your mistake, rewind, start over, it’s all the same…nothing is going through properly.

One of the hardest things in life is when something so ideal…so precious in your life, starts to fall apart in front of your own eyes… and you can’t do a thing about it.

One of the hardest things in life is when all your core values and beliefs are shaken.. You try to hold steadfast to an ever thinning rope.. You try to keep following the ever dimming light.. You fear the worst as you struggle along: remaining all alone without a compass, having to start over, having to build a new basis and framework for your life at such a late stage..

It’s when you need the most support that you lack it. Or sometimes, you get it, but the source that keeps stealing it away from you grows stronger and stronger… so regardless of how much support you get, you keep losing it.

It’s all a cycle.. like a hula-hoop rolling on, you fear the slightest bump in it’s path, the slightest tip, because you know, that means it’s the end. Game Over.

You remind yourself that duaa is your weapon. You gotta keep praying. Because one thing is for sure: He’s listening as He promised us.

Doing it right…

This is just awesome. I love it, and hope you enjoy it too.

The prophet peace and blessings be upon him said: “A believer is never stung from the same hole twice” (Bukhari).

AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS

by Portia Nelson

I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.

II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place
but, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit.
my eyes are open
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V

I walk down another street.

Found it on I Am Sheba

Of dates and papers..

So what do you do when your exams are scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. during Ramadan and your other option besides writing them during the specified time is to write the make ups squished together over the span of 2-3 days…noting that the make up exams will be significantly harder since they’ll be in written format instead of the standard MCQ style.

You adapt. That’s one kind of evolution I’m ok with

Here are some note worthy articles I thought I would share:

On Call: The Trials of Being a Muslim Doctor During Ramadan

The Ramadan Nutrition and Work Out Plan for Success

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, I’m not…

“You’re Syrian right?”

“Yes, but I’ve never been there”

I wish I can go back to two days ago to change my answer above. I wish I had said: “No, I’m not”.

What is it that makes me “Syrian”? Is it the way I speak the Arabic language? Is it the way I cook my food? Is it the way I dress?

The time has come to mark a line, a very clear line may I add, to outline the differences between culture and religion.

When your religion becomes your way of life, your “culture” ends up being shaped by your religion. You take from your culture what you want and you leave what your religion does not allow you to do.

I don’t think I have ever been more disgusted with the Syrian government than now. Granted I’ve never been to Syria, yet I’m known to people as being Syrian, because of the two things mentioned above I believe…

And to that, I say:

First of all, the reason I speak Arabic in the Syrian dialect is not because it is right to do so. It is because I am too lazy to speak in the true fusha Arabic…

And when it comes to food, honestly, especially in my current state, I hardly eat “Syrian” food. Besides, the only reason “Syrian” food is “Syrian” and “Chinese” food is “Chinese” is because Allah blessed the people living in the area where Syria is with different foods from those living int he land where China is. So people, depending on where they are and the food that is available from the land they inhabit, have developed their own cuisine. So wherever you are, you’re bound to eat the food that’s there. It’s globalization that has allowed us to have whatever food we want from all over the globe whenever we want it… and that’s why, I’ve been able to eat my Za3tar and Labneh and Kibbeh whenever I want to wherever I want to, not because of any other reasons. The fact that I grew up eating those foods is the reason why I miss them… Take anyone though, from any culture, and raise them in a place without ever introducing them to their cultural food, they will not grow to love it or miss it… and they will be happy with whatever the land they live in gives them.. It is because I was raised eating that food that I miss it, not because I am Syrian and therefore I eat Syrian food…Food is food.

So, next time someone asks me where I’m from, I don’t know whether I’ll reply Syria, regardless of what my genetic make up made me look like. My genes were a gift to me from Allah. And to that I am thankful. He made me look a certain way like a certain people who lived in a certain land and married and multiplied with people who look like them until it became known that people from that area look that way… If they had mixed early on, there would not even be a certain look for a culture! Take that!

So, what was my point again? I was trying to get to something… Oh yeah… My love for the Syrian land comes not from being “Syrian”… but because my Prophet peace and blessings be upon him liked Bilad Al-Shaam (currently Syria and other surrounding areas). It is because he did his businesses there and traveled there that I love that land. It is because of what the people who used to live there stood for that I love that land… (And no, they didn’t stand for being Syrian, they stood for their religion, their faith)…

And that’s why, next time I’m asked where I’m from, I will say, “Earth, but I was raised here and there and everywhere and hold dear to my heart many people and nations of all shapes and colors”.

I will always hold close to my heart the benefits I got from living in Saudi Arabia during my early childhood. I will always hold close to my heart the benefits I got from being raised in Canada. I will always hold close to my heart the opportunity to further my studies I was given in the USA. I will always be thankful for being able to live in different places, at different times, to experience this land and that land, these people and those people, this food and that food, this entertainment and that, this crappy government and that disgusting government… For all of those, have taught me lessons and shaped me and made me who I am today. So Alhamdulillah.

And I will say that because I am proud. I am proud to be a citizen of earth, following my religion and respecting myself and others.

So… No, I’m not Syrian. I’m a Muslim who has been places and hopes to go to even more places around this earth we were blessed with.

My religion defines me.

P.S. this post was inspired after a discussion of the recent ban of Niqab in Syria and a reflection of the current news of the mosque trying to be built in Ground Zero. It saddens me that I have lived to see a day where a Non-Muslim has stood up for the rights of Muslims while a so called “Muslim” government has banned something of the religion. Oh the irony, oh the sadness…

Niqab Ban

Ground Zero Mosque