a grain of rice is a lot bigger than an atom

I hate it when I go to websites and learn that if I donate money, I'll feed _____ amount of children. I hate it when I see all these great things people are doing, such as Sami Yusuf, WFP, etc. because I, too, really want to just do something. I wanna help and get involved and be like the other active youngsters around the world. I wish I could just help the world so much that I alone make a big difference. It's annoying when you see things on the internet asking if you want to help a little girl in Afghanistan or Nigeria or Bangladesh or Palestine or Somalia, or wherever achieve her dreams - get her an education to be the journalist she's always wanted to become. I hate it when I see that because I'm like "YES! YES, I DO WANT TO HELP!" And I click it, and it asks me to donate. I feel like I'll never get anything done until I am an adult out of college with a job with my own pay. I can't do anything because I'm not making money myself. It's so...disappointing, upsetting, obnoxious even, that I just have to wait. Life (mine and the chilld's) is slipping away, I want to help, but oh, I can't do anything about it. Ugh! I want to be active. There needs to be some alternative than just donating. I would give up much of my time if I could help any other way.





If anyone at all knows websites or programs/foundations that have other ways of doing this please let me know. The only one I know of is FreeRice. Sometimes people feel like they're not actually making a difference by playing but they ARE.
 [Then shall anyone who has done an atom's weight of good, see it!]—Holy Qur'an, sura 99 Az-Zalzala, ayat 7-8

[Surely God does not do injustice to the weight of an atom, and if it is a good deed He multiplies it and gives from Himself a great reward.]—Holy Qur'an, sura 4 An-Nisa, ayah 40

You can play here.

Allah Hafiz. [May God be with you.]

Smile - It's Friday! :)

I've been waiting all week for it to be Friday so I could post this video.
Gain a good deed - spread this video. Make someone smile with this cute video & tell them to pass it on. Soon everyone will be smiling, and you'll receive a a good deed in your record for every person who smiled after you, plus yourself.
Smiling is Sunnah & charity. :) Happy Jumuah!

peace.love.
-Aysha! :)

Rainbows

By Aysha Adrees

What will it take

For us to look past

Differences and faults

And enjoy individuality?

Do we all have to be color blind

To get along?

‘Rainbows’

Should not be hated

For they are a creation of God

And they keep the world smiling.

Brown dirt is needed for the green grass to grow.

White clouds

Complement the blue sky very well.

If the world was colorless – water,

We’d all blend together

In a puddle of invisibility.

On Pain

On Pain

Your Pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses

your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its

heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the

daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem

less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart,

even as you have always accepted the seasons that

pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the

winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.

It is the bitter potion by which the physician within

you heals your sick self.

Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy

in silence and tranquility:

For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by

the tender hand of the Unseen,

And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has

been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has

moistened with His own sacred tears.

–Khalil Gibran

Just Watch it.

I'm telling you.
You seriously need to watch this. It's facetious. It's funny. And it's the hard cold truth. :)

"But that's okay." :D Best line.

peace+love.
Aysha

the reward of Love

Of all the follies the greatest is to love the world. - Ali ibn Abu Talib

If you've ever suppressed your dislike for someone, looked past faults, felt something besides the differences - to please your Lord,
If you've ever loved anyone, your mom, your dad, a sister, a brother, a friend,
be grateful. Just as I always thought,
In the end it benefits you.

Narrated Abu Huraira (رضى الله عنه): The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Certainly, Allah will say on the Day of Resurrection: Where are those who love each other for the sake of My Glory? Today, I will shelter them in My shade; a Day when there is no shade but Mine.”
(Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6225)

Reward of love? Shade of God.


love.n'peace,
Aysha.

Support

Asalaamu Alaikum, everyone!

I just wanted to say that everybody should check out Hisham al Hadi's youtube videos, facebook, or twitter page! Hisham al Hadi is a knowledgeable 16-year-old guy that makes some really funny videos with great messages. He is quite popular and has even been on the Geo TV show "Maa aur Beta." (Means Mother and Son.) My mom actually knew his mother (the quite-known Farhat Hashmi) from college which I thought was pretty cool. He talks about the youth a lot.

HijabiBengaliSisters also make youtube videos, and they have a facebook page. They share their struggles and advice pertaining to Islam presented in a humorous way. They are also veryy popular. Link to their youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/HijabiBengaliSisters

Here's a good one about hijab.

Here's an extremely inspiring one:



This one is just straight up HILARIOUS.



ANNNNND, last but not least, my absolute favorite of all time.





So just please please check them out and support them!
Allah Hafiz.
-Aysha

New Poems?

This title is misleading...It really should be "Poems I wrote a while back that I forgot to put up a long time ago that I am putting up now." :D

Oblivion.AyshaAdrees.

Each person in this world

His whole life

Runs around

Searching, here there, in people

in deserted streets

In piles of rubble in alleyways

In materials like gold, silver

Dollars

Rupees

Liras

Pesos.

Money & Wealth.

In books,

In gardens,

In pets,

In drunkenness and parties. “Fun.”

In socializing

In traveling to foreign lands

In food

In sand as well as sea

For what they call “peace”

‘Serenity”

“Happiness.”

But why do they do waste so much time searching, scavenging, trying again and again

And again

And again

And again

Til it becomes so very old, driving us humans crazy,

When we’re clearly told, and deep inside we are aware that,

True happiness

Comes only from remembering

The Beloved, our Lord

Even

Again and again and again

And a million plus times over.

 -----------------------------------------------

Flying Insects.AyshaAdrees.

As the horse treads through grass gracefully

Daintily, unintentionally catching flowers

On its hoof

I wonder

Can you, my dear horse,

Catch the insect-infested mud, too?

The sky catches

Luminous stars twinkling, glittering in the moonlight,

The sun proudly lighting the day,

Wispy clouds,

Planet Earth…

Just as it catches

Dirt.

Smoke.

Rubble.

Debris. And flying

Insects.


peace.love,aysha.

Lecture in 'The Hand of Poetry: Five Mystic Poets of Persia'

“There is only one thing in the world, and that is pure, unselfish love, which shows the sign of heaven, which shows the divine sign, which gives the proof of God. For all the noble qualities which are hidden in the soul will spring forth and come to bloom when love helps them and nurtures them. Man may have a great good in him, and he may be very intelligent, but as long as his heart is closed he cannot show that nobleness, that goodness, which is hidden in his heart…
…Love sees the Beloved and nothing else. As Rumi says, ‘Whether you love a human being or you love God, there will come a day when all lovers, either of man or of God, will be brought before the throne of Love and the presence of that only Beloved will reign there.’ What does this show? In loving our friend, in loving our neighbour, even in the love that one shows to one’s enemy, one only loves God. And the one who says, ‘I love God, but I cannot love man,’ he does not love God; he cannot. It is like saying, ‘I love you very much, but I do not like to look at your face.”
– Hazrat Inayat Khan


love.peace.
-aysha

      I am dust particles in sunlight.

I am the round sun.

To the bits of dust I say, ‘Stay.’
To the sun, ‘Keep moving.’

I am morning mist,
and the beginning of evening.

I am wind in the top of a grove,
and surf on the cliff.

Mast, rudder, helmsman, and keel,
I am also the coral reef they founder on.

I am a tree with a trained parrot in its branches.
Silence, thought, and voice.

The musical air coming through a flute,
a spark off a stone, a flickering

in metal. Both candle,
and the moth crazy around it.

Rose, and the nightingale
lost in the fragrance.

I am all orders of being, the circling galaxy,
the evolutionary intelligence, the lift,

and the falling away. What is,
and what isn’t. You who know

Jelaluddin, You the One
in all, say who

I am. Say I 
am You.”

- Rumi, from THE HAND OF POETRY: FIVE MYSTIC POETS OF PERSIA

Spread the Word

Hey guys!

First of all, I forgot to say that a while back I got my essay published on the This I Believe website! You can check it out here:
http://thisibelieve.org/essay/98461/
I would also recommend reading essays by others. I remember that I reeeally liked Helen Keller's and Muhammad Ali's.

Also, I am going to be guest writing for another website called DharmaDeen which is about the alliance of Muslims and Hindus. The articles seem extremely effective in my opinion. They have great messages. Here's a video I saw that the website made.



DharmaDeen is a great blog but it is in lack of Muslim writers, so if you're interested, contact them. They also have a facebook page.

Peace*Love
-Aysha

Reflection

Repenting erases past sins. Please never give up, lose hope. Don't ever think, "There's no point now." God willing, you will be forgiven if your apology is sincere. Think about the next two quotes for a while.

In reality, our actions (which we perceive as righteous) are sins, but due to Allah’s immense mercy and generosity, He accepts them as good deeds. [Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi]


Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “You do things which in your eyes are less significant than a hair, but at the time of the Messenger of Allah(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), we used to count them as things that could destroy a man.”


It's a short straight-forward notion, but obviously, like Anas, peace be upon him, said, needs to be processed for man today.
Pray in fear of God for yourself, your beloved ones, me, and the rest of humanity.
JazakAllah Khair. [[May God reward you goodness.]]


Thanks. Peace.

Aysha

Original Free Verse

Hey guys! I just came up with some poems last night. I went to sleep real late so please read them so my effort won't go to waste! :) Ponder them, comment and tell me your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks!

Difference

Snow rain

Sun moon

Tear dimple

Bland color

Shiver comfort

You me

Writing is Secret

The tip of a pen

Carries an impatient drop of ink.

The  writing utensil is used for

Only my most deep thoughts,

emotions are attached

to its drop

for it to spill

and bleed to spread to form letters, words,

to fill a page.

My feelings.

Solitude is

Best.

Spoken

Hearing yourself

Speak the insightful words aloud of The Holy Book

Is not a coat button,

Does not obligate strained effort

But a zipper,

For which the motions of the mouth

Flow easily when said and savor,

relish each phrase.

A zipper

may get stuck when confused

But, God willing,

Will fix and continue again

To stop at the end

Of the coat.

- Of the Book.

Kindness

Warmth radiates

From yourself

By one thing.

Warmth of the soul

Mind

Body

And heart

Comes not from a mere blanket

Or a funny saying

Or a good book.

Not unless

Warmth radiates from you

Out of you

Transferring around you.

Wild Animals

I can endure

Anything

Everything

But most certainly not a broken heart.

Whip me, put my finger in the flame

But really

Do.

Not.

Demoralize His name -

Cause worry or grief of any of the various sickening kinds

 to the creation of God.

Call me soft, if that is an insult in your terms

Though I wonder the logic if everyone knows what it’s like, how it feels .

We are no different than wild animals.

No

I’m wrong.

Not even boars, poisonous snakes do this

I cannot stand to see another human,

The most sensitive creature

Of which only and only Lord knows its insides

Whoever he or she shall be, righteous or not,

In mental pain.

For that is what causes God much pain,

And me the same.

Unexpected

Planted a seed

In a cloud

Until out of it grew a tree.

I watered it

Watered it

Watered it

Till it rained.

Gardens below, on earth, flourished

Overpopulating, multiplying

Till I needed another cloud.

I Can Do What I Want To

I want to be able to

Keep up

Remember

Freeze time

As every splash from the grey sky

Hits the lake.

As every leaf from a dry branch of fig

Lands on

Cold dirt.

But then again

I could witness the departure of each petal of a tulip

From its stem

By taking it apart

Myself.

For more, go to the Poetry page. :)
Peace & love.
Aysha

Bulleh Shah

Abdullah, more commonly known as Bulleh, Shah was a Sufi poet, humanist, and philosopher from the Punjab province of modern-day Pakistan. (Lived c. 1680-1757.) His family claimed to be direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. His poetry is similar to those of Baba Farid, Shah Hussain, Sachal Sarmast - [[by pen name]], literally meaning Truthful Mystic, and Shah Sharaf amongst others. The style of poetry used by these individuals is called Kafi. Kafi is said to be derived from the Arabic poetry genre and includes great heroic tales metaphorical for/symbolizing mystical truths and spiritual longings. It is a classical form of Sufi poetry, mostly in Punjabi, Sindhi, and Seraiki languages.

According to Wikipedia, "Bulleh Shah's time was marked with communal strife between Muslims and Sikhs. But in that age Baba Bulleh Shah was a beacon of hope and peace for the citizens of Punjab. While Bulleh Shah was in Pandoke, Muslims killed a young Sikh man who was riding through their village in retaliation for murder of some Muslims by Sikhs. Baba Bulleh Shah denounced the murder of an innocent Sikh and was censured by the mullas and muftis of Pandoke. Bulleh Shah maintained that violence was not the answer to violence."

Shah's writings described problems of life of that time in his motherland, Punjab, alongside searching for God. His advice provided solutions to those problems through the power of his pen. Many, many bands and artists today sing his words, from classical to hard rock to alternative. Two of my favorite include the song Bandya in the 2007 movie Khuda Kay Liye, or In the Name of God [[which was a reeeeeally great movie]] and the famous Bulla Ki Jaana Main Kaun. My favorite version of that song is by the Sikh Indian, Rabbi Shergill.
You can watch its creative music video here.

Bulla Ki Jaana Main Kaun
Bulla, ki jaana main kaun
Bulla, ki jaana main kaun

Na main moman vich maseetan
Na main vich kufar dian reetan
Na main pakan vich paleetan

Na main andar bed kitaban
Na main rehnda bhaang sharaban
Na main rehnda mast kharaban

Na main shadi na ghamnaki
Na main vich paleetan pakeen
Na main aaabi na main khaki

Na main aatish na paun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun

Na main arabi na lahori
Na main hindi shehar nagaori
Na hindu na turk pashauri

Na main bhet mazhab de paya
Na main aadam hawwa jaya
Na koi apna naam dharaya

Avval-aakhar aap nu jana
Na koi dooja hor pacchana
Maithon na koi har syana

Bulle shauh Kharha hai kaun
Bulla ki jaana main kaun


Translation -

Says Bulla,
who knows who I am!
I am not in the mosque of the believer,
Nor in false rites.
I am not in the pure or the impure.
Neither Moses nor Pharaoh.
Says Bulla, who knows who I am!

I am not in the Vedas or holy books,
Not in drug or wine.
Not in the drunkards wasted intoxication,
Not in wakefulness or sleep.
Says Bulla, who knows who I am!

I am not in sorrow nor in joy,
Neither in clean nor unclean.
I am not water, I am not earth,
I am not fire, I am not air.
Says Bulla, who knows who I am!

I am not from Arabia or Lahore,
Nor from India or Nagaur.
Neither a hindu or muslim from Peshawar,
Nor do I live in Nadaun.
Says Bulla, who knows who I am!
I cannot be unearthed in the mysteries of religion.

I was not born of Adam and Eve.
I am not the name I assume.
I am not in stillness, not in movement.
Finally, I only know myself.
I cannot know any other.
Who could be wiser than I?
Bulla asks, who then, stands here?
Says Bulla, who knows who I am!

--Aysha

Rumi

Asalaamu Alaikum (May the peace and blessings of God be upon you.)

We were assigned a project in World History II class, the topic being "Revolution, Reaction, Reform."

Who did I pick for this great assignment in which I was surprisingly ecstatic about?

Rumi, of course.

Rumi is not just America's, but the world's best selling poet. And I am definitely one of his bajillion fans. Jalal ud Din Rumi was a Sufi Muslim born on September 30, 1207 in Balkh, a city of the Persian Empire or modern-day Afghanistan. This mystical whirling dervish was also known as "Melvana" or "Mawlana." Melvana was known for his tolerance of all religions :

"Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river,

each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged."

His major themes are love and religion. According to wikipedia, "His poetry has influenced Persian literature as well as Urdu, Punjabi and other Pakistani languages written in Perso/Arabic script e.g. Pashto and Sindhi. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world's languages and transposed into various formats." His most famous works include Masnavi, Diwan-e-Shams-e-Tabrizi [[which was 35,000 couplets!]] and Fihi ma Fihi. He influenced many, many other great individuals including Sir Muhammad "Allama," or scholar, Iqbal. The most sketchy part of his life was that his best companion Shams-e-Tabrizi whom he never left behind, killed Rumi's son. If that has any truth to it, I find it quite creepy...

So for the project, I went to the public library [[which was renovated and it looks freaking amazing! I want to stay there all night in the comfy seats with a huge mug of hot chocolate]] to get two books, and my school library to get one.
From the public library: The Glance - Rumi translated by Coleman Barks; this one is so pretty, don't ya think? Rumi: The Big Red Book [Ah! I love this one. <3]
From the school library: Poetry Rocks!-World Poetry: "Evidence of Life," This one was aiiight. It barely had any Rumi, but it included Hafiz which was a plus.

 

So yeah. I am obsessed.

S u n l i g h t

Sunlight, fill this house again,

delighting friends, blinding enemies.

Come from behind the mountain.

Turn all stones red.

Ripen back the grapes gone sour.

Dress the fields, the garden, and the pasture,

with strands of every color.

Cure the lovers.

Let your face be openly here,

not covered with cloud.

Clarify what is

with direct, unfiltered, light.

From Rumi:The Big Red Book.

Also, I really want to praise this amazinggg blog - Faith786 . [[Click to see it.]] Her blog is a lot like mine except it's actually good...and people actually read it :D. She has the same interests, especially in poets (i.e. Hafiz and Rumi.) And she writes her own poems, and they're very good. Take a look at her blog if you want to see more poems by Rumi and others.

And last but not least, if you're looking for Islamic quotes, this site is so efficient. Just refresh the page for a new quote every time : Drops of Wisdom

PS - Please check out my newly updated Poetry page! Thanks :)

Khuda Hafiz (Translation: May God be your Guardian, or under the protection of God.) Always nice to greet and farewell someone with thoughtful words.

--Aysha

It is Friday.

I really do wish people would go to school to actually learn. I'd love to go to school then.

Sometimes I feel really annoyed of myself. I am constantly thinking of things that a normal teen wouldn't. That's not a bad thing at all. But being one of 'them' is so easy, and that's why I need to understand that that's exactly the point. The easy way out, is absolutely not the right way. Like the band. The Fray, said in their song All at Once, "Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same."

And it's weird to think about the shallow worthless lives of the people my age around me are living. In school, I think it to myself all the time:

Where the heck am I?
Everyone here is so dumb.
I need to get out of here.
Why are they all talking about the weirdest, most pointless things?
WHYYYY do I always sit at this lunch table of self-centered freaks only to regret it two seconds later?
Ewww.
What time is it? I can't wait until school's over today so I can get away from these people.
I can't wait until I am in college.
Scratch that; can't wait until I graduate college and move to Pakistan.

Because I have disgust for the adolescents of my town, I always just want to think about only change, inspiration, God.
And it doesn't get me anywhere. Why? Because hating people while praying to God Allmighty is useless if I am preventing exactly what I am asking from Him. I need to stop disliking people because it's wrong, and that's what I need to do before truly asking the Lord for help.

“Nothing is difficult if you seek it through your Lord, Nothing is easy if you seek it through yourself.”
-Ibn Ata’allah

So last night I came up with like 5 or 6 poems. Most of them just came to me. Here's a couple of them. Enjoy.

Raindrops & Disdain. Aysha Adrees. 10.6.11

                Raindrops of faith

                Fall into my palms

While I hold up my soaked hands

to make a prayer.

The raindrops must

evaporate

for the process

to start again.

----------------------------------

I was of desperation,

Left behind

the important.

Caught up
in frustration,
I do see.

And now, I am of
humiliation.

Hint. The raindrops symbolize, or are equivalent to, faith. The message is actually quite simple. (:

Much love,

      Aysha

I Changed my Mind Again

Okay, just a quick note today. I hope I won't sound like a very non-serious person when I say this, but I changed my mind. I am not dropping AP Chem, only because it would look bad on my transcript. I am going to try harder, and if I still hate it, then I'll think about quitting the class. But that absolutely does not change anything. I am still with my decision [[for now]] to not become a doctor, and do something that's more me. Of course I am and will still have doubts every now and then, but that's only very normal. I am in high spirits and ecstatic about my conclusion. I've decided that every time I get confused, I should just contemplate and digest this: I need to do what's right. Right means what's right for me.
Also, these words surely made me forget about my confusion. They made my heart so utterly comforted, ecstatic, thankful, in awe, and in love :

35: Be not weary and faint-hearted, crying for peace, when ye are the uppermost: for Allah (God) is with you, and will never put you in loss for your (good) deeds.

Visit ReadtheQuran.org for more.

--Aysha

P.S. Please check out the other pages of the blog. I add new stuff every so often! :)

Life Really is a Rollercoaster

Hi everyone!

So today I think I made a really really important decision. All these years, somewhere in my mind, there was this voice telling me that I just had to become a doctor. That this was the only way my parents and relatives would be pleased, I would be satisfied, and I could feel smart. I have no idea why I was after impressing others. It's my life. And I am so so happy when I think about the fact that God doesn't care what field you go in, if you make big bucks, if you're smart, if you like school, or whatever. You won't be judged on the Day of Judgement according to that. If He doesn't care then by fact, it does not matter. Everything I do in this life should be for God. Why waste it in killing myself mentally only to semi-please others? That's not my happiness. You see, my older sister Amna wants to be a doctor, and it's her passion. I think I wanted it to be mine, too. So I felt that people's expectations were that I would "follow my sister." I can't say that this idea was completely ridiculous, because as sad as it is, people think that. Once, a lady I met for the first time in my life told me that I should be dedicated like my sister. What?! She didn't know me. I didn't get it. How could she judge me in any possible way? People have this crazy image that if I am not exactly like the image they have for my sister, I was lacking in ability. Adults nowadays think that you aren't your own person, but rather a reflection of your sibling. That your abilities match your brother or sisters'. That, in my mind, is not just incorrect, but absurd. I am intelligent as well as intellectual, so I just don't understand where the disapproval was coming from. For example, my sister didn't take AP Chem as a sophomore like I did; does that make her dumber than me? No. Am I not as smart as her because I don't dress, talk, walk, act, take the exact same steps exactly like her?

Today started out very bad, and because of that, it ended up great. It's a bit hard to explain. Long story short, my stress led me to making the decision of dropping AP Chemistry not only because it is in fact the hardest class anyone will take, especially for a sophomore, but because I don't like it. It's not science in general, because I love Biology, but AP Chem. Seriously not my thing. Besides, Science is an interest, but not THE main passion of mine. I realized today that I am not dumb, I just like things apart from my sisters. That's a good thing. I like to be different. And I haven't told my mom yet, but I feel that a dominant part of her will internally sigh with relief like I did today. She knows the hard life doctors have. Becoming a doctor is tough work, an infinitely long process, and not worth it unless you absolutely love the field of medicine like my sister. So really, it was my own complex brought on by many individuals including strangers and even family, not my wonderful supporting parents' and sisters. Now I feel relaxed, even happy. Like a normal teenager, not the regular me with my overworked, too-mature mind.

Today I was once again saved by my awesome sisters. Amna [[aka my guidance counselor]] asked me what I wanted in life. When I told her my thoughts, it had nothing to do with education, which was exactly what she was trying to make me realize. That school is NOT life. Besides that, she also helped me [[well really, convinced]] make the decision in pursuing a career in what I love.

So I am happy, and I think we're going to go out in like 5 minutes to Walmart to buy some snacks because a break for the three of us is very much needed. Then we'll come home to watch a movie. Don't know what movie we're going to watch. We're contemplating between Becoming Jane and Pride & Prejudice, among a couple others that I don't really care about.

Here's a poem I whipped up for Amna as a thanks and expression of love in like less than 5 minutes. :)

The verses of life
Are like the sea
Difficult to measure,
Yet clear to see,
Of many reflections,
Of countless emotions,
The one which dominates them all
Is love.

--Aysha <3

What are the Verses of Life?

In Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, Verses of Life would be spoken "Zindagi ke Ayaatein." Zindangi means life, Ayaatein is the plural of Ayat, or verse. [[I am not a fluent speaker, so do not assume everything I tell you is exactly accurate.]] Ayat is also an Arabic word. When speaking of "ayat," it is usually being referred to a line of the book of Islam, the Holy Quran.

I found out today what the literal translation of ayat is. It blew my mind. It was bewildering yet made so much sense at the same time.
For me, the verses of life are the lines from the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran is [[a description of]] an exact way of life, the extremely detailed and clear poetic verses in it are extraordinarily beautiful, soothing, surprising, colorful, reassuring, and everything in between. To me, the verses of life include struggle, gratitude, and search of peace. Who is writing those verses? Well, obviously, you. The choices you make are being written in this massive book in which there is a score for the good and bad deeds you do. That book belongs to God. The verses of life [[the Holy Quran]] tells me that there is only One God who is so powerful, loving, and forgiving, and that the seal of the prophets was Muhammad, peace be upon him.

I research much about my religion. One day, I came to know that God forgives absolutely any and all sins, even the biggest sin of all - not believing in or associating/partnering God with another [[fake]] deity - if you just repent. That's all you have to do.
Ask for forgiveness and mean it.
Tears came to my eyes. We humans are not worthy. Of anything. My mom told me God is even more mericiful in the Afterlife than while we are living.Why would you not want to believe in the God who forgives anything for which you are sorry for?
So then, what is the literal translation of ayat?

Ayat means
Miracle.

--Aysha <3

An Introduction

Hi! I'm Aysha Adrees, the "Ay" in Aysha pronounced like the "ay" in papaya. [[Um, yeah. Papaya was the only word I could think of...]] I'm a 15-year-old Pakistani girl living in a very diverse-less town, which exclaims "monotony" and "nothing ever happens around here," that frankly, has no degree of interest or importance to me, including its inhabitants. I can say that I definitely see myself not looking back to this small city in the upcoming years of my life. I can't say I have any hobbies, because while I'd love to be able to play piano or violin, or take at least halfway impressive photos, I don't.

That's why literature is kind of my life. I am very into my academics and all, but lit. is not just a value but something that I actually like, or rather, love to do. And so I obsess and invest much time in reading lyrics to songs, writing in my journal, very occasionally composing a poem, reading and writing quotes from books, songs, and people, researching old writers, poets, playwrights etcetera, etcetera. Some of my faves are, by the way, [[Jalal ud Din]] Rumi, Hafez, Bulleh Shah as well as the Western poets, Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, Khalil Gibran, and the like.

I plan to take Journalism all four years of high school. In Journalism as a freshman last year, I was publicity manager of our school newspaper. And once in 8th grade, I somehow managed to get a poem I wrote about snow in the yearbook. But now, I am not really concerned about pursuing my own passion in perfecting or publishing my writing, but rather learning and gathering info about famous as well as not-so-known, preferably historical, poets and authors. This blog will be a complilation essentially. I will find the rarest, most beautiful quotes. Give reference to the best books. Attempt to heal myself and others' with the composers' sweet lyrics. I hope you feel the most dominant emotion I feel when reading the ink of these verses :

Peace.
--Aysha