The Divine Intervention

He opened his eyes to a new world. There was no need for an alarm. Warm sunshine and the cool morning breeze conspired with the curtains at his window to brush the trance of sleep off him. This was Utopia.

The world revolved around the sun so he could experience daylight and the dark; the beauty of light and serenity of the night. The world rotated on its axis to accommodate his yearning for the warmth of summer, the falling leaves of autumn , the chill of winter and the freshness of spring – he wanted to touch all the colours of life, and to feel alive. Everyday, as the sunshine woke him up, his royal breakfast awaited him as he took a long steaming shower. After feasting, he changed into his perfectly ironed, creaseless dressing gown, only to find a well-oiled vehicle ready to take him to places. Nobody dared stop him at the entrance of the gardens of knowledge, for he possessed the golden ticket. His trips to these gardens were all sponsored ‘til it was time to fruition and time to fare forth. As he stepped on to the big stage, ready to take on the world, it was easy to notice that he had an unfair advantage on the battlefield. Fate always seemed to favour him. The dice always rolled the odds in his favour. His cards were all aces. At every turn, there were just uneven, unfair advantages that propelled him to success. He was destined to succeed – he was the “Sun”. It wasn’t what he initially thought. “Son”. NOW he got it right.

His mother’s sweet voice echoed – “It is time to wake up, my world.” He didn’t want to wake up from this dream, failing to realize that reality was more beautiful.

This is just an attempt to pay tributes to the parents; our sunshine and our world, our golden tickets and trump cards, our north star and good fortunes. Heaven is real. It is your mother’s perfection, your father’s sacrifice; they move the world so that we can sleep at night, live by day. No words can do justice to these unsung superheroes in our lives. No action reciprocates their selflessness.

But we can try. We owe it to them and to ourselves.

Death to Love

He seemed distant. Cold. Unworldly. She looked at him for hours but never saw him blink for once. Nor did she, all that time. Something was off. He was different. How could the world not see him? Why was it so difficult for her to notice anything else when he was around? She had never felt this way before. Relentless in her pursuit of self-actualization, she had no time for anybody or anyone. Yet, on the most ordinary of days, she finds herself gazing upon this simple man who did not so much as have a wiff of an aura. He was like a shadow; no identity, no presence and certainly no substance. Despite all of this, she knew deep down that there was more to him that met the eye. Afterall, the shadow proves the sunshine. During all this episode, she concentrated every ounce of her attention on him, dedicated all her thoughts to him and wished for the Law of Reciprocity to come into play.

With all his power, he exercised restrained. What was wrong with him? Why did it feel so unnatural? He had done this since the beginning of time. It was his purpose. It gave him an identity, a meaning to his existence. This was just another name in the list, yet something was off. She was different. Why couldn’t he bring about himself to face her? Relentless in his pursuit of obligation, he had no time to study his subjects. Yet, on this day, he couldn’t fail but notice this light that demanded attention. For once, he felt life. What it was like for the living. He knew the world wouldn’t miss her if she were gone. She may end up being someone’s after-thought and fade away from the realms of time. Yet he was finding it hard to bring about himself to finish the job. But it was not his call. To question the plans of God. And hence, he, for the first time and the last, looked into her eyes and blinked.

That day, Love met Death.


Inspired by:

Blinding Light and Illuminating Darkness

Blink… Blink… Blink… No flashes. Nada interruption. Nothing registered. The sun could scorch her deep blue eyes for eternity, but she would be unfazed. She could glare back at the light because she didn’t have any; in her eyes. She was blind.

Meanwhile, just around the corner, light could not guide him home. A glint on the windscreen, a blink of the stone-cold eyes and car whorls into the valley of darkness. Angels wept that day but the rain did not pour. It was a clear sunny day. It did not matter for her, but it meant the world, or rather, the after-world for him.

And so, the sun sets down after a yet another purposeful day without failing to flinch for a moment. Finally giving way to darkness. To doubt. With the darkness, comes the demons. To haunt a man who is deprived. Son of the mayor, having no identity of his own. Born with the golden spoon but taste buds developed to the extent that the grandest of feasts didn’t fascinate him anymore. Bored off extravagance. He lacked motive. He had questions that even the money could not buy answers for. He yearned for a cause that was larger than life. Meanwhile, just around the corner, a girl, who was irrelevant to the entire scheme of affairs, wanted to change the world. Money was the answer to all her questions. She must act fast as time is merciless to those who can’t afford it. She had transcended beyond reason in her battle to provide a purpose to the children of the street; she was a lost cause and yet a cause for the lost. Even the devils went Hallelujah on God's mysterious ways, as he drove towards the night club in search of peace while she slept soundly on the footpath dreaming of tomorrow. The sun shall rise again...

"...but that was the thing about reality. It didn't need to make sense."
- Mira Grant, Blackout

(+92) - My Identity

I have been born and raised in those times when people really cared about Pakistan. When popular and respected figures wrote about Pakistan in their autographs. I can never forget Shaheed Hakim Muhammad Saeed's trademark 'Pakistan se muhabbat karo, Pakistan ki taa'meer karo' autograph. We hardly have such people any more. Who put Pakistan as their priority. Who portray Pakistan as their pride. Our generation has a lost sense of patriotism. We think wearing the green jersey and cheering team Pakistan in a cricket match is what patriotism is all about. We only celebrate Pakistan when in crowd (match-screenings etc), we only show concern for Pakistan on occasions (national level crisis or some jalsa demanding change). At collective level, we are considerate enough to give SOME of our time from daily lives to Pakistan. This won't do the job. Pakistan needs more. Pakistan is in a terrible state. Corrupted to its roots. Mafias everywhere (from hawkers at the street to the public transport, from police to public). Everyone has been selfish lately. Concerned about their trivial individual daily matters, least caring about Pakistan. When a nation is at such a stage, the only saviour can be 'ME'. Be the change that I want to see. We all have a responsibility to this state, no matter how much we ignore it. It is time to redeem and respond to the call! We all must do more than we expect of ourselves. That is the only way towards positive change. We've gone numb by all the wrongdoings our entire life that we don't expect much. We'd break the traffic rules because we won't be reprimanded, we'll trash our homeland because we don't consider it our home any more. Make yourself exceed your own expectations. Prioritize Pakistan. Put Pakistan as a major factor in your decision-making. Only then you are patriotic. Only then you are a Pakistani.

There's a tide in the affairs of men,

Which, taken at the flood,

Leads on to fortune,

But ommitted, and the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and miseries,

On such a full sea are we now afloat,

And we must take the current when it serves,

Or lose the ventures before us.

This post is dedicated to the person who made me realize I had not yet truly taken Pakistan into account in any of my decisions throughout my life.

Football Is Life

I had learnt what it means to play football. It's not just about the sports. It's a metaphor for life, not only the most watched sports in the world; it's the most exalting and heartbreaking and potentially tragic. It poses every conceivable element to the player, and more; disappointment, adrenaline, unspeakably bad luck, unthinkable beauty, unmatchable elation, hopelessness, helplessness, and above all a great, deep self-questioning. During our lives we're faced with so many different elements as well, we experience so many setbacks, and fight such a hand-to-hand battle with failure, head down in the rain, just trying to stay upright and to have a little hope. Football is not just a sport, not at all! It is a test. It tests you physically, it tests you mentally, and it even tests you morally. (excerpt taken and edited from It's Not About The Bike - My Journey Back to Life by Lance Armstrong)
In football, as in life; you've got a goal to achieve and you've got companions who share the same dream. In football, as in life; you'll meet resistance in the face of opponents who are determined to not let you succeed. In football, as in life; you'd sometimes need a moment of individual brilliance. Other times, you'd have your companions who'd help you win. In football, as in life; there'll be moments that take your breath away! In football, as in life; when you achieve your purpose, you are complete and you have your companions to celebrate with you. In football, as in life; you've individuals by your side who will always be willing to go the extra mile with you, to throw their bodies on the line for you. In football, as in life; you'd need assists and you'd need to assist others. In football, as in life; you'd have the moment of glory and you'd have your days of gloom. If there's a defining characteristic of football as opposed to life, maybe it's that football makes sense.

That letter 'f' in life stands for football. Without it, life remains just a lie.

Mere Mortals

Mortality is such a blessing. Time flies, death urges, knells call, heaven invites, hell threatens. Being mortal gives meaning to our existence. What we do while we are here is of value. Every action has an impact. Imagine never dying- you can continue to make mistakes, continue your ways of living, no consequences, no regret or guilt because we will be without direction and at ease, existing forever and ever, our doings without any accountability because we can never die; never dying is never living! Fear of death or harm makes us 'human', immortality is 'inhuman'. No purpose of existence, just being there and doing things. Thank God that we are limited! Eyes that can not see everything, ears designed to hear within a range, mind that functions up to a certain limit; our limits make us the most superior creation of God. We are limited so that what we do has a value, so that we are important, so that we may have a chance to show compassion to the weak, rise against tyranny, let ourselves be count! We are limited so that we can make our mark.

Seek not, my soul, the life of the immortals; but enjoy to the full the resources that are within thy reach.
- Pindar

Deserving Education

I had the opportunity to visit a revamped government school in a backward are few days back. The school used to be a dumpster and a place for drugsters. Now it's home to many young aspiring girls having dreams and hopes clearly glimmered in their eyes. The classes were small but enthusiasm high. The room was crowded but students were not complaining as each bench was shared by 3 to 4 students. The students were divided into groups of threes and fours in the playground but organized in classrooms as they innocently answered the raised questions in one voice. The classes were really vibrant and full of energy. Students were not 'pushed' to learn rather they were 'pulled' towards it as was evident from their excitement in the classrooms. They wanted to learn more and do more. They corrected the teacher that there were 8 maths questions given as homework as opposed to 5. They asked why they were to practice ONLY 10 questions in class and not more. They were eager to get their practice answers checked by the teacher and get approval and appreciation. Such students deserve scholarships, sponsorships and support. Such students deserve opportunities and platform. Such students deserve education and not just literacy. Such students deserve a bright future.

“The aim of education should be to teach us rather how to think, than what to think—rather to improve our minds, so as to enable us to think for ourselves, than to load the memory with the thoughts of other men.” 

- John Dewey

Purpose Of Life

We all have good and evil in ourselves. That's what makes us human; we have the potential to be good and are also prone to err. One cares about his/her outlook because it can be observed but what about the inner self? No one but oneself can be sure about that. One has a mirror that reflects the true image about oneself- conscience! One is always at war. The battle to choose good and be on the right path. This is the constant inner battle that each of us go through. Life is a struggle and the most important endeavour is to differentiate between right and wrong. This is the purpose of life. To shun the evils and to embrace the goodness. People often lose sight or never really have any clue in the first place about the purpose of their existence. They set for themselves achievable short term goals which define their lives. Great job, great company, comfortable living; all these can't possibly be the purpose of life simply because you can always achieve these targets. Purpose of life is endless. If one believes his/her life purpose to be materialistic then what after he achieves this target? Once s/he has achieved this materialistic purpose of life, the life is meaningless as the purpose is fulfilled BUT the life goes on. That is why I believe that true purpose of life is endless and has to be a constant battle; the most important battle, the inner battle!

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends. To appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

No Pain No Gain

Hardships are opportunity cost if not learnt from. One can learn from tough times and rough patches; build resilience to sufferings and show character in the face of hardships. Pleasure makes us complacent and thankless, pain makes us considerate and compassionate. We tend to think about others after we've been through suffering. We can relate to them. We are more wary of how testing times can reduce one to helplessness and hopelessness. As we make it through the difficulty, through the dark tunnel into the light; we emerge as more compassionate, more grateful and more 'human'. It helps us realize our vulnerability and fragility so that we seek God's help to show us the direction of ultimate success and save us from the path of absolute harm. So that we may seek salvation and hope for redemption. Pain makes a believer out of us.

"Behind every trial and sorrow that He makes us shoulder, God has a reason." 
— Khaled Hosseini (A Thousand Splendid Suns)

Kids Are Teachers

When they laugh, they laugh with all their heart
When they cry, they don't hold back their tears
When they believe in something, doubts don't creep in
Injuries don't hold them back
They never get drained out of energy
They can enjoy alone, all by themselves
They scream with all their might and whisper so gently
Their eyes gleam with dreams and hope
They love rewards and fear punishment
They listen to their heart and live in the moment
They insist, persist and get what they want
They live as there was no yesterday and there is no tomorrow; each day starts with a clean slate
They don't waste time, keep themselves engaged
When they hold your hand with their little fingers, they give you the best feeling in the world!
They are a great source of joy,
They are a greater source of inspiration.

A child can ask questions that a wise man cannot answer.

Humans - An Epitome of Failure

One lusts for material but forgets to love what matters
One has become literate but not educated, educated but not wise
One desires comfort and despises change
One responds to temptation but has stopped responding to the call of conscience
One prefers expensive junk food over delicious home-made food
One drives fast but learns slow
One forgets to share but never fails to show-off
One flies high in the sky but dives dark deep for selfish interests
One sails in deep waters but has shallow moral grounds
One connects to the world through internet but avoids the neighbours
One has made nuclear bombs and disregarded nuclear families
One hangs out with friends but can't find time for parents
Heroes are confined to movies and villains in reality are far worse than fiction
One trades peace for pleasure
One exists and not live
One demonstrates cruelty and not compassion
One aims at popularity rather than piety
One asks for fame rather than forgiveness
Simplicity is viewed as stupidity
Clarity of objective as crime
Humans are failure;
Having blurred their purpose,
Distorted their image,
Confused their ideals,
Misused their success,
Overlooked their failures.
A long way from being the best they can be!

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less well...ness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies and pills that do every-thing from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stock room. A time when technology can bring this letter to you.

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

Education - A Curse

Education is suppose to liberate us so that we can realize our potential but sadly in Pakistan, it only limits us from fulfilling that potential. We have a multiplistic educational system in Pakistan. Syllabus wise the system is divided into Matriculation, Madressahs and O'Levels and structure wise we have the elite, public and private schools. Education is discriminatory in Pakistan. Education develops our underdevelopment. Only rich can afford quality education and poor are left to study in unsupervised, under-resourced schools. Rich acquire quality education and excel in their fields of interest whereas the poor settle for low-waged jobs due to their unsatisfactory quality of education. Rich becomes richer, poor remains poor. Education divides our people and promotes inequality. We are divided on so many fronts and education is the most subtlest of them and perhaps the most dangerous too! It's time we rectify our systems of the state because these are the foundation of the country and can make or break Pakistan.

Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained
- James A. Garfield

Want Your Needs

We often fail to realize that our wants and needs are not the same. 'Wants' and 'needs' are not interchangeable. Understand the difference between your wants and  needs. Always prioritize needs over wants. Heart can be tempted towards lavish luxuries, fantasies and extravagance. But these wants are often at the expense of your needs. Don't be short-sighted. Never trade off your needs for wants. You should want your needs and not necessarily need your wants. A relevant example here would be that of a student. One in his/her student life 'needs' to learn but 'wants' to enjoy. There is no harm in enjoying but when it is at the expense of studies; you are at loss. Take care of your studies, you'll have more fun while enjoying because there won't be any worries to trouble you in the back of your mind. Don't lose focus on what's more important. In situations that may have a considerable impact on your future, it is wise to listen to your mind than your heart; be rational most of the times and leave the whims for rare occasions.

"That same night, I wrote my first short story. It took me thirty minutes. It was a dark little tale about a man who found a magic cup and learned that if he wept into the cup, his tears turned into pearls. But even though he had always been poor, he was a happy man and rarely shed a tear. So he found ways to make himself sad so that his tears could make him rich. As the pearls piled up, so did his greed grow. The story ended with the man sitting on a mountain of pearls, knife in hand, weeping helplessly into the cup with his beloved wife's slain body in his arms."
— Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner)

Time Is Ticking

Have you ever known a person who had cancer or aids? A person who knew he'd die sooner or later? Have you imagined how'd he feel every day? Knowing his days were numbered. His time would soon be up. He'd soon be dead! Wouldn't you wish he'd live to the fullest with what he was left? Waking up with a smile, laughing through out the day, going to sleep with the dream to have more better days ahead. Wouldn't you try to give that person your best? Well, everybody deserves that best from you because we all have that disease that's going to exhaust us up someday! It's called age. We age to dust. We all have to fade away with time. Why do we need a disease like cancer or aids to realize how fragile our lives are or how temporary our existence in this world is? We need to make the most of every day. We need to LIVE our life. Be grateful for 'today', learn from 'yesterday' and be hopeful for 'tomorrow'. Do good. Inspire and be inspired. We need to stop fearing failure, ignore the ifs and buts and focus on can and will! We need to live in the moment cause the clock is a ticking time bomb!

Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.
- Will Rogers

Defending Imran Khan

My dear friend has been very critical of the recent Jalsa that PTI arranged. He put forward some of his objections. Just an attempt to answer his criticism.

Well yes u have guessed it right that i am gonna write in critics of Imran Khan yes i write everytime because he never disappoint me he always comes to his expectations and show his political immaturity every time.
Now if i start my talk with the traffic jam issue you won't listen it because its Imran Khan if it would have been any other political party you would have abused it for traffic jams which usually happens in Karachi. So avoiding that first thing that i don't understand about the Imran Khan jalsa is Why The Hell one need 16,132 chairs in a jalsa i mean a jalsa is a place where people are required to stand or sit on ground traditionally this has happened which actually saves a lot of money now we all know that Imran Khan won't be as rich as Shareef brothers as if we ask him where did he bought this money from he will say that people paid it in his charity wing so my friend you need to spend your money wisely.


Great to see you being critical on the minutest of details of the Jalsa. This seems more like an attempt to criticize just for the sake of criticizing. It wasn’t upto IMRAN KHAN to arrange for logistics but sure, put everything on him! This blame hardly surprises me, that’s what his adversaries have been upto lately. Blame him for anything and everything! Oh and good to know you care so much for the party and its management!

Secondly i always read this in books that a leader is someone who actually motivate the crowd he doesn't need any help of strings or shahzad roy or veena malik a leader is himself motivation for the people his speeches are motivation for the people when England was in a state of war Sir Winston Churchill gave a speech which turned off the war he didn't need any dance party or concert to motivate the crowd he himself was the soul piece of motivation for the crowd.


It was categorically stated on media channels that Strings or Shahzad Roy came to support the cause. When asked to step up on stage, they were reluctant and said that they’d prefer staying with the crowd and showing their support among the commoners. This is a success rather than a failure at motivation if you ask me. He got GENUINE (and not paid) support of renowned, well-followed, credible and patriotic personnel in Pakistan!

Now when i talk about PTI one thing is for sure to say and that is political immaturity. Why i say that i have a solid reason every time, for an instance i accept that the jalsa was super awsum and it had everything in it and now Pakistan would change but wait a minute what was the central idea or the reason for this jalsa ? yes Imran Khan said it in the end that he wants civil disobedience against politicians who haven't declare their assets. Now this is where political immaturity takes place, If PTI knows it or not there is a rule in constitution that before a MNA or MPA submit his papers of nomination and election commission of Pakistan makes sure that the following MNA or MPA declare his assets and if one doesn't declare them he is unable to stand for any elections. There is also a rule in constitution that every year all the MNAs and MPAs have to submit their list of assets and this is done every year.
Now if PTI and Imran should have known this they should have gone in court to make sure that Supreme Court make sure that we obey this law and that it is imposed efficiently but Imran has his own ideas he wants dharna on things which are already in constitution.


This is actually naivety on your part rather than PTI. What Imran Khan wants is declaration of true figures of assets and not fabricated figures. I mean if you are sensible enough and not on blind-folds you’d definitely object to Nawaz Shareef paying only 5000 PKR in tax. Imran Khan stated that he’d form a cell to investigate the TRUE asset of politicians in Pakistan. He is well-aware of the constitutions but is concerned about their implementation.

Even if i consider that his demand for civil disobedience is against declaring one's assets is right now i take a look at the time and i see stats that at this time in our country a record of more then 1600 suicides have taken place because of unemployment and poverty. As a leader i should have my priorities correct what is my priority making people declare assets or making more and more employment programs to stop people dieing of poverty and hunger.

You are talking out of short-sightedness here. Tax evasion is one of the BIGGEST issues in Pakistan which handicaps the country. A country’s capability to do well financially depends greatly on its ability to collect tax; this collected tax then is converted into subsidies, social benefits and other welfare for the society. If the government is in deficit (expenses more than revenues) how can you even imagine that it could put money to elevate the poorest in the society? This is the long-term, real solution for the depravation in the country.

And in the end i know how all this Threek for civil disobedience will end, it will be same like as drone, one to make people out he will bring on Dharnas and he will do dharnas at every possible place he can do to ask government to stop drones and when Hilary Clinton comes and the Chief of CIA Mullen comes this is the time to show the Americans our anger and everyone is expecting a dharna to stop the CIA's head and Dharna out side American consulate Imran Khan will run away and suddenly all those drones stance goes in the end of the day Dollars count and Imran too has to run a Threek how can it work without the American support ? and how will he become lovely in eyes of America by delaying the stop drone demands just when all important Americans come to Pakistan.

This is bizarre! Even wikileaks have confirmed Imran Khan to be the only personnel in Pakistan who had the guts to dictate his opinions without fear of consequences to all his meetings with American officials. NATO supplies were disrupted; ACTIONS were taken to stop the drone attacks, not just words.

This is Politics my friend and everyone is same in it no matter it is Imran or Zardari or Shareef

Putting Zardari, Altaf and Shareef in one bracket is acceptable and understandable. Imran Khan doesn’t need dirty politics to reach and motivate people. The Jalsa is evidence of that. Families, youth, students, policemen, federal government workers, opposition party workers; these people came for change. Not brought forcibly by unknown bikers in government transports. It takes time to accept the change. You are in a state of denial. Happens at first. Your knee-jerk reaction is quite similar to our politicians. Your blames are quite radical just like Nawaz group, you overlooking the turn-up at the Jalsa is just like that of MQM who have decided to stay quiet on the matter.

Hope to have answered the criticism.

Appreciate Your Life

You may have had a hard time. You may be going through a rough patch. You may be tired of your problems. You may feel hopeless about how life, time or people have been treating you or how you deserve better. Just be grateful. You are blessed. Appreciate what you are given. Everyone's got problems, we just look and observe those who 'look' better off than us. You may be upset about not getting what you WANT but there are people who don't seem to be getting what they NEED! Take out time to appreciate what you have. An opportunity to educate yourself, a home to live in, a comfy bed to sleep in, food to eat; list goes on and on. Every time something goes wrong, remind yourself how much rights you have! You break a glass; you have hands to hold objects, strength to pick them up, you can feel them, see them, use them.
I was discussing the welcoming Ayat of this blog "O Allah! Possessor of the kingdom, You give the kingdom to whom You will, and You take the kingdom from whom You will, and You endue with honour whom You will, and You humiliate whom You will. In Your Hand is the good. Verily, You are Able to do all things." (Surah Aal-e-Imran: 26) with my friend Rafay. I told him that the Ayat made me feel insignificant. I don't have control anything. I can't earn anything. I can't gauge how much I deserve my possessions. His perspective was more positive than mine. The Ayat made him feel significant. He is nothing yet he is so much blessed. He doesn't deserve anything yet he is provided with a lot. He is worthless yet taken care of. His needs are fulfilled, his wants are granted. We do so wrong, falter on every step, fail on occassions but still we are given so much! God loves us. Next time you think life has been unfair on you, remind yourself of the limitless favours that it has bestowed upon you.

God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

Decide To Change For Good

Change is inevitable. The more you resist, the more you change. Don't trade change for cold comfort. Because you are still changing but for worse. Choose to change for the better. Every opportunity you let go to bring about a desired change in yourself is pushing you towards the edge. Every chance wasted leads you to shallows of human character. Don't let yourself be indifferent. Know what you need and work for it. You can not afford to leave change to time. With time, it becomes more difficult to change your ways. Try for the positive change. Look for opportunities, get inspired; positive change can be brought about through conscious effort only. No one can help you with it. Not friends, family, consultants. You need to rekindle the desire to change from within. Define the positive change, decide in favour of it, desire it; only then can you develop it.

Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark.

In the hopeless swaps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all.

Do not let the hero in your soul perish.

In lonely frustration for the life you deserved.

And have never been able to reach.

The world you desire can be won.

It exists.

It is real.

It is possible.

It is yours.

Guilt Is Good

We all have evils in ourselves but the actual challenge is to come to terms with our conscience and make conscious efforts to do away with these evils. Guilt should be taken as a sign of hope. Guilt serves as a calling to amend things, a calling to restore integrity. Guilt is the silent recognition of your faults, silent admittance of your mistakes. Don't try to run away from your guilt, it is there for a reason. You can't run away from your wrongdoings. Betrayal, inconsideration, apathy, atrocities, ill-will. They'll always come back to haunt you. Guilt reminds you that you are better than that. You have a strong conscience. Take this guilt as a helping tool to come to terms with the conscience. Set things right, apologize for wrongdoings and mean them, compensate for any loss adequately and be at peace. Guilt can set you free. It can help you be a better person. Stop burying the guilt because you are burying a chance at redemption.

Realization is the first step towards restoration

Mean Your Prayers

Don't just say your prayers, mean them. Don't just act your prayers, be involved in them. When you say Allaho Akbar; mean it. Allah is Great! Nothing else matters. You have had the honour and opportunity of praising The Great! The Only Great! By virtue of just chance. You were lucky to be born in a Muslim family, make the luck count or it'll be truly pity. Convert this 'chance' into your 'choice'!
Praise your Lord like you need it. He doesn't. YOU do! Alhamdulillahe Rab'bil Aa-lameen, Ar'Rahmaanir Raheem, Maliki Youmid'deen; Be grateful to the Sustainer of this universe. Be grateful to your Creator who has been infinitely Merciful and Beneficent. Iyyaka Na'budu wa Iyyaka Nasta'een; know what this means. Make Him your Guide, your Saviour. He truly is more than enough. Feel it. Nothing can harm you if He is on your side. Nothing goes against His will. Subhaan'a Rab'bial Aalaa; He is The Best. You prostrate yourself to Absolute Truth. You submit to His will. You bow down to His command. It is said that a person is the closest to Allah when in prostration. Make sure you make the most of it. You are blessed to have such an opportunity. Pay attention to what you recite in prayers, know what it means to recite them. It'll calm your presence, relieve your mind and soothe your heart!

The whole purpose of Salat is to be ever conscious of Allah, the Creator, Lord and Sustainer of all things.

Why Imran Khan?

I've to put forward the following reasons why I support Imran Khan;

• He has worked for the welfare of the people; what the head of a state should primarily focus upon. Two world class institutions in the fields of health and education (where we needed welfare the most)
• He is widely accepted as a visionary leader; we have our shares of leaders who can turn back on their words (The Infamous My-Promises-Aren't-The-Words-Of-The-Prophet, those who quit and join the government for the sake of so-called democracy), who have blamed others for their mistakes. In Imran Khan, we have a leader who actually has a clear idea of what's wrong and how it can be fixed. In Imran Khan, we have a leader who is man enough to admit where he was wrong. In Imran Khan, we have a leader who is stern on his principles.
• Imran Khan can't be manipulated, blackmailed or coerced by other parties because his record is clean.
• Imran Khan is a genuine stakeholder of Pakistan. His residence, property, heart, mind, past, present and future is in Pakistan.
• I support Imran Khan's stance on War Against Terror; military can never settle this problem, even Americans have realized and opened back-door negotiations with those terrorists. In a country where we have basic problems such as energy and food; we can't afford to engage in a never-ending battle
• Imran Khan not only professes his dislike for feudalistic mind-set, he shuns it. His party can depict true image of democracy (unlike the Bhuttos and Shareefs hereditary political power regimes where the party power is just being transferred within one family)

What most people didn't realize in the Western countries is that here its not a question of having supporters, its a question of getting these votes to the polling stations.
- Imran Khan