The King and His Wives

Once upon a time there was a rich King who had four wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to the finest of delicacies. He gave her nothing but the best. He also loved the 3rd wife very much and was always showing her off to neighboring kingdoms. However, he feared that one day she would leave him for another. He also loved his 2nd wife. She was his confidant, and was always kind, considerate and patient with him. Whenever the King faced a problem, he could confide in her, and she would help him get through the difficult times.

The King’s 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and kingdom. However, he did not love the first wife. Although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her! One day, the King fell ill and he knew his time was short. He thought of his luxurious life and wondered, “I ! now have four wives with me, but when I die, I’ll be all alone.”Thus, he asked the 4th wife, “I have loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?”

“No way!”, replied the 4th wife, and she walked away without another word. Her answer cut like a sharp knife right into his heart.

The sad King then asked the 3rd wife, “I have loved you all my life. Now that I’m dying, will you follow me and keep me company?” “No!”, replied the 3rd wife. “Life is too good! When you die, I’m going to remarry!” His heart sank and turned cold.

He then asked the 2nd wife, “I have always turned to you for help and you’ve always been there for me. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?” “I’m sorry, I can’t help you out this time!”, replied the 2nd wife. “At the very most, I can only send you to your grave.” Her answer came like a bolt of lightning, and the King was devastated.

Then a voice called out: “I’ll leave with you and follow you no matter where you go.” The King looked up, and there was his first wife. She was so skinny as she suffered from malnutrition and neglect. Greatly grieved, the King said, “I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!”

In truth, we all have 4 wives in our lives: Our 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it will leave us when we die.

Our 3rd wife is our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, it will all go to others.

Our 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.

And our 1st wife is our Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, our Soul is the only thing that will follow us wherever we go.

The Cold Stone

Up the hill, behind the tree, a cold and lonely stone.

Felt the warmth when the sun shone

Glowed remarkably with a gesture

Nudging the whole of green pasture

It came in the blink of an eye

A moment's ecstasy, a year's fallacy,

The gesture that melted the ice within

Disappeared before being seen.

The cold and lonely stone, lay there in wait

For the warmth that it longed to embrace

To defy the the ice, to melt the heart,

For the sun to shine on it always

An Illusion

"An illusion in this virtual realm!!!" This is how I like to express myself in any social networking site or here out on my blog!

Thatz what I am, right? What I write here, what I do here could just be a plain lie and can be deleted in an instant.

But then, what are we in reality? In this tech savvy world, when we rarely mingle with "real" people, we find solace in the virtual realm. But, do they really see what they are supposed to see? Could this virtual world be a substitute for our reality? The direct conversation, when the eyes see your thoughts even before you express them, can the virtual realm substitute them?

In the end, I am just an illusion out here. I don't write what I want to say, I don't say what I feel and you don't read my thoughts either.......

If I did disappear from the virtual realm, no one would realize it and well, I bet not many can find another way of contacting me....."Blink once I could disappear"

What the Little Boy Lost

Today its a story for us......>>>>May be a reality for SOME ONE ELSE. A message from a forward email....

I was walking around in a Big Bazar store making shopping, when I saw a Cashier talking to a boy couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old.

The Cashier said, 'I'm sorry, but you don't have enough money to buy this doll. Then the little boy turned to me and asked: ''Uncle, are you sure I don't have enough money?''

I counted his cash and replied: ''You know that you don't have enough money to buy the doll, my dear.'' The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I walked toward him and I asked him who he wished to give this doll to. 'It's the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much . I wanted to Gift her for her BIRTHDAY.

I have to give the doll to my mommy so that she can give it to my sister when she goes there.' His eyes were so sad while sa ying this. 'My Sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mommy is going to see God very soon too, so I thought that she could take the doll with her to give it to my sister..''

My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy to tell mommy not to go yet. I need her to wait until I come back from the mall.' Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He then told me 'I want mommy to take my picture with her so my sister won't forget me.' 'I love my mommy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me, but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister.' Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly..

I quickly reached for my wallet and said to the boy. 'Suppose we check again, just in case you do have enough money for the doll?''

'OK' he said, 'I hope I do have enough.' I added some of my money to his with out him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll and even some spare money.

The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough money!'

Then he looked at me and added, 'I asked last night before I went to sleep for God to make sure I had enough money to buy this doll, so that mommy could give It to my sister. He heard me!'' 'I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mommy, but I didn't dare to ask God for too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and a white rose. My mommy loves white roses.'

I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I remembered a local

news paper article two days ago, which mentioned a drunk man in a truck, who hit a car occupied by a young woman and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-sustaining machine, because the young woman would not be able to recover from the coma. Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the news paper that the young woman had passed away.. I couldn't stop myself as I bought a bunch of white roses and I went to the funeral home where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wishes before her burial. She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place, teary-eyed, feeling that my life had been changed for ever..

The love that the little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to this day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk driver had taken all this away from him.

Please DO NOT DRINK & DRIVE.

The value of a man or woman resides in what he or she gives, not in what they are capable of receiving

Changing Seasons of Life

The onset of winter and winter is almost gone....the beginning of a new year and a month is almost over.....a beginning of a new phase in life and it keeps rolling...with all the ups and downs.....with a wish that it will not end.....the onset of the new season in my life......

It is quite surprizing to see where life takes us. To places we've never dreamt of, with people we've never thought about, at times that are the most unexpected!!! And if you are a person who likes changes.....it is always welcome!

Excerpt from a Speech by Chetan Bhagat

Don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
"Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die. ……………….
One thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? …………….
It's ok, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a few interviews, take leave from work, fall in love, little fights with your spouse. We are people, not programmed devices........." :)

"Don't be serious, be sincere."!

10 Ways to Increase Imaan: A Reminder for Myself

1. Recite and ponder on the meanings of the Quran. Tranquility then descends and our hearts become soft. To get optimum benefit, remind yourself that Allah is speaking to you. People are described in different categories in the Quran; think of which one you find yourself in.

2. Realize the greatness of Allah. Everything is under His control. There are signs in everything we see that points us to His greatness. Everything happens according to His permission. Allah keeps track and looks after everything, even a black ant on a black rock in a black moonless night.

3. Make an effort to gain knowledge, for at least the basic things in daily life e.g. how to make wudu properly. Know the meanings behind Allah's names and attributes. People who have taqwa are those who have knowledge.

4. Attend gatherings where Allah is remembered. In such gatherings we are surrounded by angels.

5. We have to increase our good deeds. One good deed leads to another good deed. Allah will make the way easy for someone who gives charity and also make it easy for him or her to do good deeds. Good deeds must be done continuously, not in spurts.

6. We must fear the miserable end to our lives; the remembrance of death is the destroyer of pleasures.

7. Remember the different levels of akhirah, for instance when we are put in our graves, when we are judged, whether we will be in paradise or hell.

8. Make du'a, realize that we need Allah. Be humble. Don't covet material things in this life.

9. Our love for Subhana Wa Ta'Ala must be shown in actions. We must hope Allah will accept our prayers, and be in constant fear that we do wrong. At night before going to sleep, we must think about what good we did during that day.

10. Realize the effects of sins and disobedience - one's iman is increased with good deeds and our iman is decreased by bad deeds. Everything that happens is because Allah wanted it. When calamity befalls us - it is also from Allah. It is a direct result of our disobedience to Allah or perhaps a test, But whatever it may be, It is for our Best.

Warm and Cool

I've always tried to figure out different patterns in pictures, paintings, numbers, words and even nature. The way they intertwine, complementing and supplementing each other.....like fire and ice, earth and sky, black and white, etc. is quite fascinating and the differences make us appreciate everything around us.

Well maybe I'm going off topic now, but then these differences is what makes things around you go in harmony and recently I realized more than ever how my parents, so different in their character, complement each other so well, that we felt we never missed a thing.

My dad is a bit strict, but quite cool too. Most of the times he likes to keep things for himself, but when he speaks, he does so frankly and it could hurt at times, but then, later you realize that it is all for your good. You know your flaws, then you learn how to overcome it.

My mom is quite the gentle and warm personality and she never keeps things in her head. She always speaks out what she thinks and what she thought about it before and what she thinks we must do about it. Always a smile and sometimes a frown.

Discussions during dinner is one of the best. We put forward our daily experiences, ask for suggestions, etc. and my dad puts forward his opinion and looks at us to make our own decisions and mom tells us what she thinks we must do.

I realized that their very differences complement them so much that we always thought we never missed a thing at home. And I should say that I'm reallly very lucky to have parents like them, Alhamdulillah. Being human beings they do have their flaws, but they are quite open to criticism as well. Well, it just doesn't feel alright when they are not together and even when we are not together. I miss you guys! Hope to see you soon!

Absent Minded Me

I don't know if I'm stupid or careless or dumb or reaaallllllyyyyy ABSENT MINDED.......but for a fact today when I got in my car I realized I had left my car window OPEN since yesterday evening!!!!

Hmmm.......this could be a car adventure ;)

Other adventures for the day

- Went at 130kmph today n realized my car gives the speeding alarm at 130 kmph n not 120 kmph

- I'm still not used to taking a turn at 80kmph

- My car is so noisy that people realize ITZ coming!!!!

For You, A Thousand Times Over.....

"Amir Agha, For you a thousand times over....", said Hassan

Well, a quote from The Kite Runner, which has been embedded in my mind for quite some time now. The Kite Runner was a very emotional book, I was in tears through out the book. What really touched me was the unconditional loyalty and trust of Hassan towards Amir. This day, this age, where do we find such loyalty? such sincerity? despite the way Amir treats Hassan?

Well, this quote really made me think.....will I be able to tell this to someone or anyone? 'For you, a thousand times over...' Is there anyone in my life that I place even before me and would do anything despite the consequences that may befall me? I dunno....But I do know that there are some people whom I would happily dedicate my actions to and then there are some people who make you want to do things for them...just because of their personality....

Maybe one day I would really and honestly say, 'For you, a thousand times over.....', to someone really special, someone whom I would place before myself, someone for whom I would be ready to sacrifice myself......God knows the best.....