Purpose of Life

How many times have you questioned yourself-- "What is the purpose of my life?" "What am I doing here?"

I've noticed that we tend to completely overlook the real purpose of life, and get caught up in the small things. For example me, I want to be a lawyer. I want to be someone who's an active member of the society and contributes to social issues and global causes. Now I know that I love sociology, I enjoy reading about religion, spirituality, anthropology, history, politics, YET I never do it! It seems to me that I get caught up in what the society labels to be 'relaxation' aka facebook, mindless blogging, etc. that I never actually get to the 'serious stuff'. Instead of delving into these interests of mine, I spend hours indulging in the notion that mindless crap is relaxation.

I don't know if you're able to follow my train of thoughts, but basically what I mean is, we overlook the purpose of our lives and give into our momentary desires. As a Muslim, my ultimate goal in life is to attain Jannah, inshAllah. Now instead of me making use of my hours carefully, I spend hours reading about useless crap that will be of absolutely no benefit to me, or my career, or my goals, whatsoever. I do understand the importance of relaxing and just letting go, and doing something light and mindless, something where I don't have to think, you know? Relax my brain for just a little bit. But doing that for 5-6 hours at a stretch, spending entire days indulging in that? It's definitely something to be worried about.

This is just something that I realized today, and something that I'm resolving to fix starting today. Making better use of my time, and actually WORKING towards my goals. The four quadrants, the real deal.
What is YOUR purpose in life and how are you fulfilling it?

10 Reasons To Wear An Abaya

1. Instant glamour: Who says you need a little black dress for a cocktail party? Long black dresses are the new in thing, baby! Add some rhinestone-studded earrings, a statement ring, and high heels. Finish off with smokey eyes and nude lips and work the runway a la Marc Jacobs!

2. No more fat days: Feeling blue? Those extra pounds of comfort food settled on the most unflattering angles? No worries! An abaya will hide all those unsightly love-handles, and the long, flowing material will add to your height. Slim and tall, hello supermodel!

3. Ultimate rush-hour outift: Never be late for your office again! Want to make a pit-stop at the supermarket or late for a quick salon appointment? Button up, add a hip scarf and you're ready to go!

4. Camouflage like a chameleon: Imagine having a dress that you could wear on every occasion, and still manage to look completely different every time, ON TIME! Hanging out with friends? Add a fresh, bright, hip scarf. Going shopping? Go back to basics in black or add a neutral tone. Feeling bold? Add a scarf and some bright bold bangles. The possibilites are endless!

5. Ninja: Add a face-veil and the Ninja-like appearance gives you instant cookie-points. I mean, c'mon! Do I really need to elaborate on the inexplicable coolness of Ninjas? They win, every time, hands down, in an epic battle with the enemies!

6. Superwoman: Batman has his black cape, Superman has is red cape, Catwoman has her bodysuit. You have your Abaya. Customized, based on your preference. You have never appeared this amazing to your child or sibling. EVER.

7. Instant cool: Dubai's humidity suffocating you? With the loose flowy material of the Abaya, you're allowing more air to flow in and thus maintain a cooler body temperature. Built in AC? I think so!

8. Paparazzi-alert: Seen someone you run a mile away from? Need cover? Add a scarf, large sunglasses and no one will recognise you. Looking like a celebrity is an added bonus!

9. Money-saver: Don't fall trap to marketing gimmicks! Wearing an Abaya will ensure that you won't need to blow big bucks on buying clothes every month, and still make you look chic!

10. Happy hubby: Imagine the look on your husband's face when he finds out his time and money has been saved from those God-awful long hours at the shopping mall?! Priceless!

10 Authentic Things Leaders Do

What would your life look like if you had absolutely no fear? What kinds of things would you do if you lived from a frame of reference that your thoughts literally could form your world? How brightly would your light shine if you stepped out of the limitations that are keeping you small and stretched yourself well past your comfort zone into the place that you know, deep within, you are meant to be? Authentic leadership is all about being the person you know in your heart you have always been destined to be. Authentic leadership does not come from your title or from the size of your paycheck. Instead, this form of leadership comes from your being and the person that you are.

Here are 10 things that authentic leaders do on a regular basis:

They speak their truth. In business today, we frequently 'swallow our truth'. We say things to please others and to look good in front of The Crowd. Authentic leaders are different. They consistently talk truth. They would never betray themselves by using words that are not aligned with who they are. This does not give anyone a license to say things that are hurtful to people. Speaking truth is simply about being clear, being honest and being authentic.

They lead from the heart. Business is about people. Leadership is about people. The best leaders wear their hearts on their sleeves and are not afraid to show their vulnerability. They genuinely care about other people and spend their days developing the people around them. They are like the sun: the sun gives away all it has to the plants and the trees. But in return, the plants and the trees always grow toward the sun.

They have rich moral fiber. Who you are speaks far more loudly than anything you could ever say. Strength of character is true power - and people can feel it a mile away. Authentic leaders work on their character. They walk their talk and are aligned with their core values. They are noble and good. And in doing so, people trust, respect and listen to them.

They are courageous. It takes a lot of courage to go against the crowd. It takes a lot of courage to be a visionary. It takes a lot of inner strength to do what you think is right even though it may not be easy. We live in a world where so many people walk the path of least resistance. Authentic leadership is all about taking the road less traveled and doing, not what is easy, but what is right.

They build teams and create communities. One of the primary things that people are looking for in their work experience is a sense of community. In the old days, we got our community from where we lived. We would have block parties and street picnics. In the new age of work, employees seek their sense of community and connection from the workplace. Authentic leaders create workplaces that foster human linkages and lasting friendships.

They deepen themselves. The job of the leader is to go deep. Authentic leaders know themselves intimately. They nurture a strong self-relationship. They know their weaknesses and play to their strengths. And they always spend a lot of time transcending their fears.

They are dreamers. Einstein said that "Imagination is more important than knowledge." It is from our imaginations that great things are born. Authentic leaders dare to dream impossible dreams. They see what everyone else sees and then dream up new possibilities. They spend a lot of time with their eyes closed creating blueprints and fantasies that lead to better products, better services, better workplaces and deeper value. How often do you close your eyes and dream?

They care for themselves. Taking care of your physical dimension is a sign of self-respect. You can't do great things at work if you don't feel good. Authentic leaders eat well, exercise and care for the temples that are their bodies. They spend time in nature, drink plenty of water and get regular massages so that, physically, they are operating at planet-class levels of performance.

They commit to excellence rather than perfection. No human being is perfect. Every single one of us is a work in progress. Authentic leaders commit themselves to excellence in everything that they do. They are constantly pushing the envelope and raising their standards. They do not seek perfection and have the wisdom to know the difference. What would your
life look like if you raised your standards well beyond what anyone could ever imagine of you?

They leave a legacy. To live in the hearts of the people around you is to never die. Success is wonderful but significance is even better. You were made to contribute and to leave a mark on the people around you. In failing to live from this frame of reference, you betray yourself. Authentic leaders are constantly building their legacies by adding deep value to everyone that they deal with and leaving the world a better place in the process.

-Robin Sharma.

Disclaimer: All ideas, opinions, words, etc. expressed in the above lines are Robin Sharma's work. I do not intend to breach any copyright laws. Shared for the purpose of enlightenment and knowledge of the readers, and appreciation of good work.

Pop, Pop, Pop Goes the World!

You know how after marriage, us desi girls turn into these old women, gossiping over tea and perfecting the art of making biryani?

Well, I refuse to give into societal norms. I’ll be the girl in shalwar kameez or baggy jeans wearing my newly-bought converse and singing out loud to Paramore, all the while drinking RedBull and eating gummy worms, stealing my kids’ candy when they’re not looking, and hiding their playstation so that me and my husband can play it at night. And we’ll take summer vacations to the Harry Potter theme park, scaring people and riding on rollercoasters.

Because life is too short to live it for someone else, and I’m going to live it my way— exactly my way, just how I like it

Baby Let Me Break You Down

We grow up pretty deluded.
We grow up thinking our parents are perfect. In fact, it wouldn't be entirely untrue to say that we're brought up to think that our parents are perfect. Not by the parents, but by societal norms. Perhaps we interpret the immense respect that is expected out of us for parents in such a way that we think they can make no mistake.

But we are wrong. NOT because the parents actually commit any mistake or anything, but because we blame them. When we are at a stage where we're not quite independent, yet not completely dependent, we tend to blame our parents. But what most of us fail to realize is that parents are never unfair, they're not mistaken, they don't hate us and they definitely don't shout at us to make us feel bad about ourselves. We forget that they are humans. That they are as open to making errors in their parenting as we are in any other aspect of life. While we may be new to life itself, they're new to parenting. And they can make mistakes. But to punish them for parenting us? That's just wrong. I see teenagers getting impatient with their parents, hating on them because they're pressurized by their folks. But what the kids don't realize is that their parents pressurize them because they want to protect their kids.

I mentioned a while back that parents often protect their children when what they most need is support. So yeah, they made a mistake, so what-- don't you?! Forgive them for it! They made it because they love you so much! Stop doubting your parents because they're the 2 souls in life that will love you regardless.

I know they say things that really hit home, that hurt in those dark, wounded corners of your heart that you lay hidden deep underneath it all. But every time that happens, take a deep breath and stop to think for a second. Exactly why are they saying those things? Do they hate you? They'd probably have aborted you if they did. Do they say those things to intentionally to hurt you? I think not. See if that were the case, they'd probably be spending all that hard-earned money on their retirement and not on your marriages and college education, and buying you those blackberrys and those ipods.
They say those things because they WANT to hit home. THEY WANT TO HIT HOME so that they can motivate you to change yourself. They put themselves in a bad position just to change your life for the better. So don't hate them for it.

They may say things that are seemingly so insensitive that you cripple from the shock of it. But forgive them for it. Because they say it ONLY to make you a better person.

Love your parents, and cherish them, before it's too late. Don't cuss them, don't hurt them, and don't retort back when they shout at you. When you were a kid, you'd whine, and you'd weep and you'd cry and you'd complain, you would even nag them. But they were patient. They bore you with love, and hugs and kisses, and bought you whatever they could afford to buy for you.

When they grow old, they become just like little kids. They nag, they whine and they complain. Accept them with open arms, and be patient with them.

"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind
to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to
them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.
And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: My Lord!
Bestow on them thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.

Al Qur'an, (17:23)

Rip Your Bigot Roots Up from the Earth & Salt the Goddamned Ground

I'm disgusted.
That's all I have to say. Absolutely disgusted by the hypocrisy that the 'Islamic' Republic of Pakistan is filled with.
The whole Ahmadi fiasco has left me just a little bit more disgusted than I already was with the state of affairs in Pakistan. It is acts like these that makes the Pakistani government for me, repugnant.
The reason why I do not want to study about Pakistani politics because it is SO dirty and openly hypocritical.

All I have to say is this: WHERE is Islam when alcohol and drugs are openly distributed in full knowledge of the authorities. WHERE is Islam when the police officers and top-level political figures, judges and jury take bribe?
WHERE is Islam when rape, corruption, stealth, robbery, murder, adultery and fornication take place in the state?

Why then are there laws against Ahmadis? Why are they the only effective ones? Where is your 'immediate and effective' action when the aforementioned crimes take place?
Why then, should Ahmadis be given a lower place in the society? Or their rights not be defended?

I'm not saying that I support Ahmadis. But at the same time, I'm against the hypocritical government of Pakistan. It's as simple as this: I only accept Ahmadis to be called kaffirs by the state, if the rest of the punishments for the aforementioned crimes, would be according to Shariah, too. There is no effective nifaz-e-Shariah, yet, Islam comes number one when Facebook-ban and Ahmadis are regarded.

PLEASE do not give Islam a hypocritical nature. This is NOT what an Islamic republic encapsulates.
I will accept the laws regarding Ahmadis, when Pakistan becomes a true and effective state that IMPLEMENTS the Nifaz-e-Shariat in ALL aspects of its society.

"Nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of
the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced"-- Albert Einstein

I will accept those laws, when Heera Mandi closes down. When bribery stops. When the elections are not rigged. When education is funded. When the Government gives to its people, not themselves.


Does anyone even HAVE any idea of what an Islamic society is like? Of what an Islamic leader is like?
Such were the Caliphs that they'd carry wheat, flour, barley, sugar, oil themselves and give to to the poor people, making them dinner to feed their hungry stomachs!
Such were the Caliphs that they would not be recognized by other states because their clothes had so many patches in them!

And where comes Islam in tolerance, in forgiving, in accepting, in kindness, generosity, saving lives, NOT killing people, sharing love, charity, well-being and sacrifice? WHERE?

And our Government?
I'm ashamed.
Bigots. Traitors. Hypocrities.

Facebook Ban

The man said it all.

Every damn thing I wanted to say.
Props to him really! Brilliantly expressed.

Yuna- Someone Out of Town

Beautiful song. What’s interesting about this video/artist, because of its unconventional nature, is that the singer is a Hijabi, a Muslim woman from Kuala Lampur I believe.

Stranger Dans Votre Rêve

"It's dark in here
Visions are flashing into my head as I reminisce
My reoccurring dreams..."

I picked up a little boy, fascinated by his ivory skin that felt soft against my sun-damaged skin. That feeling of infinitesimal, yet pure, unadulterated bliss washed me clean of any worries I harbored in that moment.
And then you came. Not particularly beautiful, but your heart tore through your imperfections, tore through my skin, tore through the years of heartache, through the walls I surrounded myself with, and settled therein. You were but the epitome of beauty.

I turned away from you, unable to hide the genesis of my blood burning underneath my skin.
I busied myself in that child, cuddling;hugging.

That's when you had the courage. To talk to me.
Your smile, those perfect white teeth against your ivory skin, stunned me into incoherency.
I don't particularly remember what it is that you said. Of course, in my defence, you were too beautiful.
There was something you mentioned about the child.
And I retaliated. Already building up my walls.

"I may seem crazy
Or painfully shy
And these scars wouldn't be so hidden
If you would just look me in the eye "

You looked me in the eye.
I asked, "Why? Who is he to you?"
You stood there, humble, strong, gentle, heartbreaking-ly noble, and said, "Because that child is mine."

But you said it with a wisdom.
Like you knew.
Knew it wouldn't matter to me.

And it didn't.

The flames ignited.
We knew it.


"A fragile flame aged
Is misery
And when our hearts meet
I know you see

I do not want to be afraid
I do not want to die inside just to breathe in
I'm tired of feeling so numb
Relief exists I find it when
I am cut"

I accepted. With no question, whatsoever.
It was perfect.
We were perfect.
We fit together like the missing ends of a jigsaw puzzle. Like a boulder that falls from the mountain peaks; nestling into a place carved out by nature.

You weren't quite the Byronic hero I had deemed as my ideal man; you weren't tall, nor domineering, nor troubled. Not even aggressive.
Yet the purity of your soul drew me in to you.
You had me from hello.
Fallen.
Liberated.
Shackled.
Free.
We had fallen for each other. Hard.

And then you were sucked away into a black hole. I should have known. I should have looked at my surroundings more closely.
The very child I cradled in my arms was proof you'd disappear.

You vanished into thin air.

And every time I touched a human face, desperately searching for you, agonized by your disappearance, their form changed.
They were like wet paint; the original form swept away by just a single touch of my finger.

Your presence was like wet paint.
Apparent, liquid, and intense. It even had that sharp, addictive smell to make its presence known.
Your presence was like an artist's bold stroke-- dark, beautiful, morbid.

I ran; wild, erratic, looking for a sign. But the voices wouldn't stop. Mocking, probing, patronizing.
I ran from them. Searching for you.

What's bizarre, though, in all the while that I seeked you, your child, I hugged him close. Clinging onto him. Not letting him go.
In principle, he was nothing but another human flesh to me.
But in my heart, he meant more to me than words can express.

i had to fight for him. Look for you for him.
For me.
For us.
All of us.

You, my rock, eroded; washed away by the heavy tide.
And I kept searching, digging up the ocean-bed until I could no more.
And I drowned...
Drowned in your essence...
Allowed my weight to be carried away by the ocean.
The same ocean that probably carried you away, into a far, far away place, unknown to me.

I'm trusting you, O mighty tide!

Carry me away. Into the nothingness; into the abyss.
Carry me away. Into the eminence of his halo, the certitude of his being!

I'm far away now, but I'm calling out to you.
And I know you'd hear me!
I know you'd call out to me too!

But you don't exist.
Anymore.

"You know
I'm no stranger in your dreams."

Your face is nothing but a distant memory that's slowly fading away...
Crippling me alongside.

"I'm not a stranger
No I am yours
With crippled anger
And tears that still drip sore"

They say death is inevitable.
But the epidemic, ultimately, isn't.
Or so I thought.
Until I found out
That your epidemic, doesn't exist.

Of Rights and Responsibilities

Don't you just love it when epiphany comes knocking on your door?
Often, it resembles a uninvited guest-- which means you either love it, or you hate it!

Fortunately for me, today morning was an affirmation of the former.

With exams comes a lot of stress, which means one too often one falls trap to the depression and has absolutely no motivation to study what-so-ever.
Let's just say the very act of me typing out an entry on blogger is evidence enough!

Now, have you ever wondered what our rights are, and what are our responsibilities? Who decides?
Fortunately for me, my religion serves it all in perfect proportions to me, thus contributing to my moral well-being.

We have a right to education. Basic human right, agreed? Who's job is it to provide us with education?
*bing* PARENTS!
Right?
Meh. Somewhat.

Our parents provide us with education, out of love for us. To help us build our lives when they're not around.

I know a lot of cultures do not fund their child's education past high-school.
And then there's us; the spoon-fed, whining-about-how-hard-life-is-with-parental-pressure-and-conforming-to-social-norms population, who doesn't give a rat's ass about school, whiling away their time in university abroad.
I'm not saying it's not true-- it is.
But just stop to think for a second about your parents.

They work their entire lives to support us; first feeding us as a family, then saving up from that moment for our future-- highschool, college funds, marriage funds, cars, house, license.
When do they ever splurge on themselves? When do they get a chance to finally put their feet up and relax?

Never.
Because when they do get that chance, they're old, and they die.

For people like me, who're the youngest in their family and have a considerable age difference with their parents, all we can pretty much do is wait for a job and support them. Often, we lose out on this chance.

The only thing we CAN do, is help them out-- in the following ways:
by getting good grades.
It is their right.
If they work hard to provide us with education, then it is their right to see the fruits of their labour-- our good grades.

If our rights are their responsibility, then it stands true the other way round as well.

And I'm not going to mess it up.
I'm not going to mess up my parents hard-work. The hours they worked in the heat, taking their capitalist boss' bullshit just to support us, I'm not going to let it go to waste.

My good grades, are their right.
And I will, inshAllah, make sure that I do whatever it is that is required to give my parents their right.
And so should you.

*dramatic noble music plays in the background*
*I rise on a pedastal, fiercely competitive look on face, wearing Sparta's outfit*
*Marching forward, examination hall in view, I enter, my land's flag waving proud and bright in the desert heat of the rather garishly painted school ground*