A friend of mine, not very old, but very close one, came to see me Wednesday morning. Right after morning salaat, I have his text saying saad milo (Saad, let's meet) and I say yeah sure, the time was decided, 6 am. Well, I hadn't slept the entire night, so I was Very sleepy, and tired. And cranky. And I hoped he would go soon. But we talked for Three hours. He left around. Anyway. The talk was... okay. Not hear to heart, per se. He said many things. Basically it was a scold I needed. On all the things I was doing wrong. Basically, he was telling me to get my shit together. He said many, almost all, things right. Except a few. Here's a recalled-from-my-kind-of-memory except from the conversation:
Him: What have you done in the last 2 years? You have wasted your life. No progress. Nothing. You haven't got a place. You haven't got a car. You haven't got a promotion. You just wasted time. If you would have a car right now tumhara style he alag hota (You would have been awesome!) tumhain koi tensionen nahin hotin (You'd be in peace) ....
There are very very few friends in life, who will muster the courage to come to you, and say to your face this kind of things. The kind of things you need to hear, and the people who are already telling them, you totally ignore. So he has the perception to see it, the honesty to know it, the courage to say it, and the importance to be listened to. The scold went on for 3 hours... well not exactly. It was we both talking mostly. It would have been 0.75 - 1 hour probably, and he highlighted many mistakes I was making. I thank him for those things.
Later that day, I go to masjid. And there, one of my friends is giving a small small talk, just 4 or 5 people sitting. Motivating them. That these times are tricky times, and if we don't sacrifice our own plans, walk individually to people and invite them to live their lives in line with values etc, then these things will get worse and start to affect us. Well, something along those lines. But he said something, the tableeghi people often say kamyabi maal, mulk, banglay, gari digri main main nahin hai, kamyabi tou poray k poray deen main hai
And that kinda introduces a conflict, a contradiction. No? So me being a Muslim, think of what does the most authentic sources have to say on this?
Quran (13:2): "Verily, in the remembrance of Allah swt do hearts find rest."
Case dismissed.
What others say and I like.
Mostly an archive of internet articles I want in one place, with some of my writing and rumination sprinkled here and there.
Thursday 25 July 2013
Last 4 months
These days I am in hurry, all the time. Why? Good question. First, some really really really good news. I got Fulbright scholarship, Alhamdulillah! I got admission into North Carolina State University, I am going there for MS in Computer Science. I will specialize in Network Security and/or Discrete Mathematics inshAllah. Yes my Visa has arrived, and I am leaving inshAllah on August 13, right after Eid. If you have any tips for packing etc, or any advice at All, I need it.
Before that, in the last ten days of Ramadan, I am sitting in ehtakaf (I don't know how it's said in English, in Urdu it's said ehtakaf main bethna so that's what I have translated :). I am going to Zambia, Africa for Ehtakaf. Why? Because Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad and Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed are going there, and I got an opportunity to spend time with them, and I took the opportunity.
'But but, why the hurry Saad?' you might say. Well, that's because I had resigned from work in February 2013. I had gone on tableegh for 4 months. And boy, what an experience it was! It was Wonderuful! It changed me. Though I am still more or less the same still :P but yes, the travelling experience was awesommme!
I have so many stories from there. So many. But the truth is, not one of them is inspirational. And quite a few might be biased too. Either way, point is, I have some stories, which are otherwise innocent incidents. But the way I went through them, the way I experienced them, they seem majestic! As if the God Himself was communication to me! That Look, let me show, I am the God, the Almighty, and I do everything! I run the entire show!
Calling it an Enlightening experience would be an apt description. It didn't make me more knowledgable per se, but it gave me more realizations. Realization that how much I need to learn!
As you can tell from the tone of the passage, I am writing this done in a hurry too. I will be over it. Perhaps the next few posts will be like this. Till I finally settle? I don't know.
I am leaving on Saturday for Africa, and then for United Stated on August 13.
I will also inshallah make a post on my entire Fulbright journey and how smooth it was :)
Before that, in the last ten days of Ramadan, I am sitting in ehtakaf (I don't know how it's said in English, in Urdu it's said ehtakaf main bethna so that's what I have translated :). I am going to Zambia, Africa for Ehtakaf. Why? Because Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad and Shaykh Kamaluddin Ahmed are going there, and I got an opportunity to spend time with them, and I took the opportunity.
'But but, why the hurry Saad?' you might say. Well, that's because I had resigned from work in February 2013. I had gone on tableegh for 4 months. And boy, what an experience it was! It was Wonderuful! It changed me. Though I am still more or less the same still :P but yes, the travelling experience was awesommme!
I have so many stories from there. So many. But the truth is, not one of them is inspirational. And quite a few might be biased too. Either way, point is, I have some stories, which are otherwise innocent incidents. But the way I went through them, the way I experienced them, they seem majestic! As if the God Himself was communication to me! That Look, let me show, I am the God, the Almighty, and I do everything! I run the entire show!
Calling it an Enlightening experience would be an apt description. It didn't make me more knowledgable per se, but it gave me more realizations. Realization that how much I need to learn!
As you can tell from the tone of the passage, I am writing this done in a hurry too. I will be over it. Perhaps the next few posts will be like this. Till I finally settle? I don't know.
I am leaving on Saturday for Africa, and then for United Stated on August 13.
I will also inshallah make a post on my entire Fulbright journey and how smooth it was :)
Wednesday 24 July 2013
Password Fuss
Important information from Ubuntuforums.org
Hello,
You are receiving this message because you have an account registered with this address on ubuntuforums.org.
The Ubuntu forums software was compromised by an external attacker. As a result, the attacker has gained access to read your username, email address and an encrypted copy of your password from the forum database.
If you have used this password and email address to authenticate at any other website, you are urged to reset the password on those accounts immediately as the attacker may be able to use the compromised personal information to access these other accounts. It is important to have a distinct password for different accounts.
The ubuntuforums.org website is currently offline and we are working to restore this service. Please take the time to change your ubuntuforums.orgaccount password when service is restored.
We apologize for any inconvenience to the Ubuntu community, thank you for your understanding.
The Canonical Sysadmins.
I recieved this email today. I made an account on these forums, and I never used it. And I don't remember which password I used. I think I used the password that I use on all forums. But not on other sevices.
And then people ask me, why I make such a fuss over having a different password for all my web services.
You are receiving this message because you have an account registered with this address on ubuntuforums.org.
The Ubuntu forums software was compromised by an external attacker. As a result, the attacker has gained access to read your username, email address and an encrypted copy of your password from the forum database.
If you have used this password and email address to authenticate at any other website, you are urged to reset the password on those accounts immediately as the attacker may be able to use the compromised personal information to access these other accounts. It is important to have a distinct password for different accounts.
The ubuntuforums.org website is currently offline and we are working to restore this service. Please take the time to change your ubuntuforums.orgaccount password when service is restored.
We apologize for any inconvenience to the Ubuntu community, thank you for your understanding.
The Canonical Sysadmins.
I recieved this email today. I made an account on these forums, and I never used it. And I don't remember which password I used. I think I used the password that I use on all forums. But not on other sevices.
And then people ask me, why I make such a fuss over having a different password for all my web services.
Sunday 14 July 2013
Ghalib
تو اور آرائشِ خمِ کاکل
میں اور اندیشہہاۓ دور دراز
you-- and adornment of twists/knots of ringlets/curls
I-- and faraway-long thoughts/doubts/fears
Saturday 6 July 2013
Open
Where was I? What the heck was I up to? What's coming up?
Are there any stories?
Yes.
But later. Right now, I am too busy. And want to make note of just one thing, which is, that I will try this perfume next. Open by Roger and Gallet. It has only one note that I like (tobacco) but I like that it's in woody family, so it's a must.
Later Gator!
Edit (July 26): I went to the store. It was totally affordable, but it was packed, so they didn't let my try it. And I already have a couple of perfumes. So, I thought why buy more stuff and increase your luggage? Why not buy the same perfume in US? Just wait for 20 days to have it! So I didn't buy it, and didn't try it. See you later, Open! (More like Smell you later, but whatever.)
Are there any stories?
Yes.
But later. Right now, I am too busy. And want to make note of just one thing, which is, that I will try this perfume next. Open by Roger and Gallet. It has only one note that I like (tobacco) but I like that it's in woody family, so it's a must.
Later Gator!
Edit (July 26): I went to the store. It was totally affordable, but it was packed, so they didn't let my try it. And I already have a couple of perfumes. So, I thought why buy more stuff and increase your luggage? Why not buy the same perfume in US? Just wait for 20 days to have it! So I didn't buy it, and didn't try it. See you later, Open! (More like Smell you later, but whatever.)