Why I Don't Care About Caitlyn Jenner's Gender

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Magazines…everywhere on the social media you’ll find people gossiping about Caitlyn Jenner’s gender, her past, her present, the support she got, the criticism she had and discussing all aspects, they can, of her personal life. The news of Bruce Jenner becoming Caitlyn Jenner has created much of a hype and her name has been trending everywhere. But, what if I told you: I DON’T CARE. I don’t care why she changed her gender or how many hormones did she get injected! You want a reason? I’ll give you more than one! ....

Read more at :
http://www.buzzfeed.com/asmarasoolpeerzada/why-i-dont-care-about-caitlyn-bruce-jenners-ge-1lr6r

And don't forget to give it a 'WIN'. :)

23 Images That Will Make You Love ‘Great Expectations’!

Read 23 heart-touching quotes from my favourite classic; Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
(Just made me realize after all, I'm not that bad at photography!)

Here:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/asmarasoolpeerzada/23-images-that-will-make-you-love-great-expectati-1lr6r


And don't forget to give it a 'WIN'! :)

About time?

Isn't it about time, ladies and gentlemen, the 6 and a half decades old dispute is put to an end? Isn't it about time, the generations get an identity? Isn't it about time, the oppressed people get reward for their suffering? Isn't it about time, the orphans see the blood of their fathers being rendered useful? Isn't it about time, the lonely widows and half-widows get surrounded by the emotions of satisfaction? Isn't it about time, the raped women get justice?

Isn't it about time, Kashmiris get the right of self determination?

Indifferent and deaf though India has been, for decades, towards all the low-pitched voices rising from different corners of the valley, now and then, the voices of the oppressed demanding their rights, but the tactic will not work anymore. Those powerless voices of then have grown strong now - their pitch and frequency increased. Not only have the sources of the slogans immensely increased in number, the number of listeners have too. And what made this wave rise again was the energetic boost given by the release of Masrat Alam - a former freedom fighter.

Since his release, a new thrill has been seen flaming to height in the hearts of Kashmiris. Instead of sitting at homes, compromising on their freedom, more precisely: giving up, Kashmiris have decided to give it a go and once again stand up for their rights! The brave souls of the valley have decided to tread upon a very dull, dark and vague path but this path, like a dark tunnel, leads to light. In the leadership of Syed Ali Shah Gillani, Masrat Alam and other Separatist leaders, the people have fearlessly chosen their destiny to be the right of self-determination.

   It's general human nature, a person or a nation chooses fear as a way to minimize the harm it can get from the other. But when one has gone through enough harm already, he leaves behind fear, considering it a mere worthless tool. Same is the case with Kashmiris. After dealing with killings, bombs, fires, curfews, mass graves and what not, this nation has come out of its shell, has left fear behind and has stood alongside its leaders to pave the way to the right of self determination!

After decades of suffering, reward doesn't just become a desire. It becomes a yearning. Kashmiris are ready to take this new enthusiastic movement to whole new level in order to quench their thirst of self-determination.

I've not, even once, used the word 'freedom' but 'self-determination'. Because, I believe, freedom doesn't just come from the illegal occupant vacating a land, the real freedom comes from deep with in, it comes from freeing your soul of fear! The people who've chosen to stand up for their rights have already, by all standards, become free. They have known the taste of freedom because their mind and heart is free of fear, and mind you, fear is the worst occupant.

So, Kashmir has risen. The people have woken up. The slogans have been raised, the flags hoisted. The only nation that has to wake up in connection to this, now, is India. Indians need to open their ears, heads and hearts and realize the severity of the situation. They need to see it, not just as a crowd demanding their rights from the world's biggest democracy ( this makes me laugh, hah!), but as a psychological war that Kashmiris are winning, for sure. And what makes me say that, is Indians’ reaction to all this. They're literally freaking out and going for the use of force - a tactic that is further weakening their stance. They must come to the realization that they're losing this war of nerves and the more they use force, the quicker they'll lose.

Martin Luther King said, "Unearned suffering is redemptive."

Sooner or later the unearned suffering of Kashmiris will prove to be redemptive, India will be compelled to hold referendum and give Kashmiris, the right of self determination.

It better be NOW......because, it IS about time.

I Care!

I care for your tears,
for your fears, for your tears.

It hurts seeing you in pain,
I feel it in each and every vein.

When I think of those old eyes
and those lips with loud cries,
looking for their young one,
who, they know, will never return.

When I think of that child,
"My world's lost 'cause my father died"
who cries, who cries!

It hurts me more than anything,
In the flood of sorrows, my heart sinks
'cause;

I care for your tears,
for your fears, for your tears.

It's an old piece of poetry by me, wrote it when I was a seventh grader. The poem was written for the oppressed Kashmiris striving for not only their right of self-determination but their right to LIVE! 

What Is Hijab?

Literally the Arabic word Hijab means “Screen” or “Curtain” and so its purpose is to shield. Hijab is generally taken as a piece of cloth used by Muslim women to cover their heads. It is also called a head scarf.

PURPOSE OF HIJAB

Hijab, to many of us, may just seem a small piece cloth but it , in itself, means complete dignity. Women wearing Hijab feel a sense of protection of their dignities and graces from evil eyes. Hijab makes one feel, secure as the main purpose of Hijab is to make a women feel very precious so that she remains protected. A woman in Hijab is just like a pearl in a shell, it’s in the shell because it is special! In fact, today’s woman has become a show piece and so she has to make over herself in such a way that she looks attractive, to avoid being pinpointed in the society but Muslim women are freed from such pressures. Islam always teaches simplicity and so hijab frees one from such social pressures and barriers, to have simplicity under the veil and live a graceful life. That is the reason Hijab in any form (with or without Abaya) is and should be very simple, so that it does not become a source of attraction.

IMPORTANCE AND OBLIGATION OF HIJAB

If we go keenly through the Holy Qur’an and the Ahadith of Prophet Muhammad (SallAllaahu Alaiyhi Wasallam), we find very obvious instructions about the importance of Hijab.
 
In the Light of Qur’an
  In Surah Noor, Allah(Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) says,

“And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent and to draw their veils all over Juyoobihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, or their fathers, or their husband’s fathers, or their sons, or their husband’s sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons, or their sisters’ sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islam), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigor, or small children. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allaah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.”                                                                              [al-Noor 24:31]

In Surah al-Ahzab ayah 59, Allah(Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala) says:

"O Prophet! Say to your wives and your daughters and the women of the faithful to draw their outer garments (jilbabs) close around themselves; that is better that they will be recognized and not annoyed. And God is ever Forgiving, Gentle."

All these Ayaat (verses) tell us that Hijab is an obligation by Allah Almighty for all the Muslim women. They make us realize that when Islam started to spread, the Muslim women did not wear Hijab and it was later that Allah revealed an Ayah [al-Noor 24:31] making Hijab compulsory. That is the answer to all those who term Hijab just as a part of ‘Arabic cultural dress’! If after reading the above verses, one does not wear a Hijab, she’ll surely be disobeying Allah by not following His orders.

    In the Light of Ahadith
We also come to know about the Hijab being an obligation from the Ahadith.
When Allah’s Apostle used to offer the Fajr prayer, some believing women covered with their veiling sheets used to attend the Fajr prayer with him and then they would return to their homes unrecognized.
      It was narrated from ‘A’ ishah(May Allah be pleased with her) that Asma’ bint Abi Bakr (Allah be pleased with them both) entered upon the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) while wearing thin clothing, so he turned away from her and said,
“O Asma! Indeed when a woman reaches [the age of] puberty, it is not proper that anything should be shown except this and this”, and he pointed to his face and hands. (Abu Dawud transmitted it)

So from the light of Quran and Sunnah, it is quite obvious that Hijab is an obligation and all Muslim women must observe Hijab, covering their entire body.

WHAT IF A MUSLIMAH DOES NOT WEAR HIJAB?

When we look around us, we see so many Muslim women who do not wear Hijab.It is the responsibility of those who know, to tell them about the importance of Hijab because if a Muslimah does not wear Hijab, it may cost her much in the world hereafter.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verses 13-14:

    13      Those are limits set by Allah: those who obey Allah and His Messenger will be admitted to Gardens with rivers flowing beneath to abide therein (for ever); and that will be the Supreme Achievement.
   14      But those who disobey Allah and His Messenger and transgress His limits will be admitted to a Fire to abide therein: and they shall have a humiliating punishment.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6840,Narrated by Abu Hurayrah
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“There are two types of the people of Hell that I have not seen yet: men with whips like the tails of cattle, with which they strike the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, walking with an enticing gait, with something on their heads that looks like the humps of camels, leaning to one side. They will never enter Paradise or even smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be detected from such and such a distance.”

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,

                         ”Ballighu ‘anni wa lau ayah”
“If you listen even one verse from me , spread it.” (Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 2838)

So now it’s our duty to spread the message to those who do not know and Allah will surely reward us for our efforts.

The Elusiveness Of Hope

Every morning I get up, offer my prayer, get ready and leave for my school to begin a new day of my daily routine. On the way to school, I observe different phenomena taking place all around including the natural phenomenon of the rising of sun and physical phenomenon of beginning of all the business of life. Every morning, this hustle and bustle leaves me in a confused state. It confuses me, whether to be happy or grieved because it’s not as hopeful as it seems!

It pleases me so much when I see the red, purple and golden shades of sunlight appearing on the sky just as the sun emerges from behind high mountains. As the fresh cool breeze touches my face, it gives me strength and hope to start my day as an entirely new journey towards a destination of which neither I nor this innocent breeze knows! Just as I’m feeling the cool breeze and shaping my destination in my head, all of my imagination is shattered and disrupted because of the black smoke given out by a vehicle which just passed by mine. May be, it’s the reason why I’ve not known of my destination yet.

I try to cheer myself up a little and am so thankful to the cool street art pieces which help me so much in bettering my mood! I always love seeing those beautiful pieces of street and wall art with such precious messages hidden behind them. The amazing combination of colors makes my morning so colorful as a painter’s platter! But it all becomes as dark as a painter’s old apron when the vehicle takes a turn and I see the most precious pieces of art turned into an unworthy combination of colors by all those wall chocking that a group of spoiled youth did just for fun, the abuses sprayed all over the walls and the hatred spreading material. This might have seemed just an adventure to them but proves to be an art lover’s nightmare or of him who searches such patty reasons to smile in this world over whelmed by too many complexities!

When I reach my school gate and enter the school with my school bag and all the heavy folders in my hand, I could see disappointment in the eyes of the gatekeepers and peons. All the teachers who are too overwhelmed by the load of making some earning to get themselves bread and butter instead of really enjoying their duty. And the students, the dark circles around whose eyes presented their exact emotions .They seemed to be feeling like the animals that just came to school to unload all the knowledge they brought from home and load some new and unload it at home and repeat the process, loosing all their taste of it.

I’ve always prayed for a better world and have always wanted to present the picture of the world that’s hopeful and bright. I don’t know should I call it my pessimism or my inability to lie, I cannot talk about hope anymore because it seems to me as if I’m fooling myself and those whom I’m telling those hopeful stories to. Our air, our streets, our people and our institutes, all have become a source of disappointment for us, they’re all killing any of hope a person can develop.

But, as I close my eyes at night, I always know a day will come when I’ll be able to shape my destination without any thought of getting interrupted by a smoky vehicle or the cries of a beggar in any single portion of my brain and who knows to what good this destination leads me. I never know, it may be the next day!

(Published In Rising Kashmir - December, 2013)

A Bad Hijab Day?

Roaming in the streets of a famous commercial area, you keep adjusting your newly bought Turkish silk scarf covering one third of your forehead and ending in a triangle at your back. With a brooch in one hand and some straight pins in the other, you are trying to make the skin-coloured scarf stay on your head in this windy evening of January. This evening of January is not like any evening of the previous January or like any other evening of the Januaries before! Although, throughout the 17 years of your life you've roamed about these streets thousands of times in your long boots, furry coat and warm jeans with a muffler on, carrying shopping bags in one hand and a cup of hot coffee in the other but this day is particularly different. You are roaming about the same streets as a different person ( or may be the same person with a different appearance!). A black, warm yet loose, long gown covers you from top to bottom except for your head, the skin coloured Turkish scarf with beautiful black and maroon antique patterns is taking a good care of it (or struggling to take the care of it!).
You have a sudden flashback. The same you, the same streets and about the same part of the month.  A blow of chilly wind dispersed your twisted and pinned red hair and spread them over your face.
The wind has always made you struggle to keep your hair in place and now,  your Hijab! You smile unintentionally and come to a halt. The café on the right catches your eye. Excited on the thought of hot coffee and fruit cake, you enter the cafe with a thrill running through your body, the thrill shatters the cold already! It is your first time ever to be at your favourite coffee place with the Hijab on and with no company. Many workers at the cafe have formed an acquaintance with you because of your frequent visits and so have many regular coffee lovers .Although you have been trying to avoid the eyes of people on the street, the eye contact here is inevitable and so is the realization that people, even your acquaintance, are eyeing you out with a grim air. Pretending not to have noticed, you hide your nose in the menu for a few minutes (each minute feels like an hour under the circumstance) and call the waiter. Passing a smile, you order exactly the same coffee and cake as you always do (you are a person particularly sensitive to change, or perhaps were?).Noticing that the normally well-mannered waiter replied your smile with rather a grimace, you pretend to be busy with your smart phone. And another flashback strikes you hard like a solid steel rod...rather pierces you like a sharp knife...
A social person as you were, your entrance in the cafe filled it with a lively air. Receiving and returning greetings from and to everyone, be it the waiters or the visitors, and accompanied on the table by a friend or a to-be friend! Those chats, gossips and liveliness!
And here you are now, waiting for a greeting to return. How isolated you feel!
Returning to your phone, you press the button and a colourful screen swirls in sight cutting through the darkness, demanding an 8 alphabet password. With hard, cold fingers you fill the 8 squares one by one with the letters: M U H A M M A D.
"Sallallahu alaihi wasallam", you whisper. You don't know what strength these words contain. All you know is that with reciting these words warmth has flowed through your heart. You feel no more isolated. You realize that someone is there for you. Always. The omnipresent Allah, watching over you and Muhammad(SAW)'s everlasting love and dua'as guiding you. Satisfied, you thank the waiter for delivering the order and enjoy the evening coffee, wishing for it to last forever!
With fast steps, you proceed towards home, a small apartment just a few steps from the hustle and bustle of the commercial area. You used to live in a big house with a beautiful garden, in the same area. When you were 15, your parents had to move to another city leaving you behind for your studies and selling the big house, they bought you this apartment and the luxuries of life to have a care-free educational life.
Entering the cozy environment of your apartment, you take off the gown, perform ablution and offer Salah. It's Esha time. 'The best part of being home is, I can continue the book where I left it!', you think and slip into the comfortable armchair just beside the fireplace in your study. ‘Page number 394.’ You open the book (which has now become your new personal favorite), read the page with your mind wandering in some other dimensions, the dimensions you cannot locate, all you know is that they are far, far away from where you are now! You quit the aimless reading, advance towards the top most shelf, get a hold of Holy Quran, open a random page and reading the first line on which your eyes set makes you feel free of all the burdens of the day!
"إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ"
"InnAllaha ma as sabirin”
(Indeed, Allah is with the patient)
You feel light as a feather under the supervision of someone Who has a love for you 70 times greater than your mother's, instead of feeling like a vulnerable sheet of paper relying on a sudden gust of wind.
Half an hour of reciting (or half an hour of peace of mind) and you start wrapping the gift you bought for your friend. She has always been a source of inspiration for you, the friend that brought you towards spirituality and Islam. The only 'good' friend you have (since you don't believe in having more than one best friend, your own self is enough!).You stick the last piece of tape on the beautiful pink wrapping paper that holds an expensive, simple but elegantly stitched gown and a colourful Pashmina scarf when the phone bell rings.
"Assalam o alaikum child! It's mom. How are you doing?"
"Wa'alaikum Salam. As good as ever! How are you? How's Dad?"
 Happy as you are, you hold the receiver in one and drag a chair from the other to sit comfortably and talk.
"How was your 29th Hijab day? I was so eager to hear from you! I hope you didn't stay inside, reading books in these vacations of yours but went outside too!"
"Mom, I went shopping today and then to my favourite coffee place. I was in Hijab."
"May Allah reward you for your effort . It must have been hard. I know you don't like change, much."
"It was about to be a bad Hijab day but Allah showed me in time that he loved me and it became a pretty pleasant experience."
"Even if it had been nasty, you would still have coped with it nicely. I know my daughter not as the bravest girl but the most determined little sugarplum!"
"Love you Mom! Take care."
"I know you will! Fi Amanillah."
"Say my Salam to Dad, Fi Amanillah!"
You've always considered your mother  the biggest blessing from the Providence! And here she is today, encouraging you on your first day of shopping with a Hijab on. She's not a Hijabi herself but more consoling than any fellow Hijabi. Happy after hearing the sweetest of the voices, you place the gift on the table merrily, grab your diary and a calligraphy marker and advance to bed.
"InnAllaha ma as sabireen".You smile, re-reading the verse beautifully penned down by you with the fragrant marker on the page of an old dear diary whose pages contain that particular vanilla-like smell that old books possess.
                                                                                         (2)
Your eyelids are brightened by the thin beams of sunlight, making their way in through the small gaps in the blinds covering the windows. You open your eyes, unconsciously push the blinds to expose the window. The sun is already up. You look at the clock decorating the light pink-coloured wall. ‘Damn it! I missed the Fajr! Such a careless person I am!’, murmuring under your breath you wash your face with the icy cold water (it's somehow more difficult to wash your face with this cold water at the time of fajr) and eat your simple breakfast consisting of egg, bread and pomegranate juice. "Six days without missing fajr and here's the last day of the week! Poor me! Allah forgive me." A tear rolls down your red cheek. No matter how much you struggle to be regular in your prayer, some irregularity always comes. You check the mobile phone, in case it didn't ring the alarm. It did! No excuse left, no way to console yourself. You must have been deep in sleep when it rang. "Allah is the Forgiving", you make another attempt to console yourself, go to the study and spend an hour reciting Quran. It feels so much better now!
Stimulated by seeing the wrapped gift on the table, you send a text message to your friend asking her to meet you in the cafe at a particular time in the evening. Meanwhile, the sort of nerd you are, you cannot resist spending time in your study burning your socks in front of fireplace and exploring further adventures of the main character.
Modestly dressed in a gown and a long simple head-cloth tightly pinned over your head, you rush towards the cafe carrying a light velvet purse containing the gift and money. Your friend is already there. She is a thin brunette girl with a beautiful face, her long brown hair somewhat covered with a transparent white head cloth and the rest falling from her shoulders to her back like a stream of brown water. You greet each other happily. You notice her eyeing you from head to toe, probably surprised at your get up. You call the waiter, place the order and she speaks out in her heavy voice, "I was eager to see you in your new get up from the day you told me about your Hijab!" You don't know how to answer so you just look at her and try to curl your lips into a smile but fail! Seeing the confused sort of an expression, she continues, "Not that you look bad, it's just..." She thinks for a while and says abruptly, "You are looking nice, anyway!"
 Smiling, you slip your hands into your purse and take out the beautifully wrapped gift shinning in the numerous lights of the cafe. "Happy birthday!", you say and the waiter lays the big cake and coffee cups on the table. She responds thankfully and compassionately. You begin to enjoy the meal and the lively company of your friend! It seems like a treat; gossiping, chatting, laughing and spending a quality time with your friend. So far, it looks like the best day of the week!
"Let's see what have you brought for me. It will show how well you know my taste!", laughing , she speaks and a sudden wave of nervousness engulfs you. Biting your lips, you murmur, “I hope you like it."
With a 'kraasssssh' sound she tears the wrapping paper and your heart beat rises. Considering that she is not a Hijabi, you hope she doesn't mind your gift. For a moment you think about your old friendship and swallow. Only if that feeling in the pit of your stomach wasn't there!
She stares at the gift for a while and trying to sound courteous, utters with a smiling face, "Thank you so much! It must be expensive, you didn't need to spend so much money."
You can see the grimace behind her smile."Why not? I'll be pleased to see you in these."
"Haha you're hilarious, Hun!", she replies, laughing. Finding you perplexed, with no sign of laughter on your face, she continues, 'Seriously, don't tell me you mean it! Buddy, you know how much I hate the gown thing! I like it as a gift coming from you but.....God! You know me so well Hun, don't you?"
And true she is! Although deeply connected to spirituality and Islam, she never liked gowns and hijabs. She has always believed she is modest enough without them, thinking that modesty comes from within and a head-cloth loosely covering some part of head is for enough to express it. You and her were old friends but there was always a formality in your friendship. You never judged her, in fact, always deeply inspired and moved by her, you just wanted to add another good virtue to the bouquet of virtues she possessed.
You have a discussion with her just like you used to have in your non-Hijabi days. She keeps insisting how this way of dressing looks meaningless to her and you keep telling her how significant you think it is. Her statements offend you but you try not to argue. You narrate a Hadith summarized as:
"Hazrat Muhammad SAW said that he(SAW) saw a women hung by her hair suspended in the depth of Jahannam(hell), her brains were boiling. Hazrat Fatima (RA) asked the reason and he(SAW) replied that the woman walked outside freely, exposing and revealing her hair to strange men."
Hearing this, your 'good' friends grabs her purse and stands up in a fit of fury leaving the gift on the table. You realize that the discussion has turned into an argument - the thing you feared the most! She leaves the table with her words echoing in your ears, "Okay, end this up, I AM A KAFIR AND YOU ARE THE PIOUS OF ALL.WHY ON THE WIDE EARTH DO YOU JUDGE ME? YOU'VE GOT A HIJAB THING ON AND A BLACK GOWN AND YOU THINK THE REST OF PEOPLE ARE NOT MUSLIMS HERE."
Paying the bill and leaving the gift shining in the cafe light, you rush after her. But alas! She's nowhere to be seen. You stand still for a moment realizing what wrong have you done. "I missed my Fajr today. No wonder my day ended so badly!"
You remember having religious discussions with her even before but this time she labeled you as a 'judging person' just because you had a Hijab on. Warm tears roll down your cold cheeks and become ice cold. What if you weren't dressed this way? You wouldn't have to face people popping their eyes out at you. But you are all covered, what can they see staring at you? How long can they stare at you? Ultimately, getting bored they're going to turn to some other direction. ‘But my friendship wouldn’t have broken!” At the very thought, a fresh stream of tears flows.
You hurry to your apartment and hearing some melodious voice, come to a halt. A car passes by and you hear closely. "God bless the fellow!" you whisper. The car deck plays a recitation of Holy Quran and the clearest part that you hear is:
"Inna ma al usri yusra.”
(Indeed with hardship comes ease.)
Looking up at the dark sky you smile and see a bright star twinkling back! On reaching home, you offer Salah and directly go to your bed. There on the side table lies your diary, exposing a page beautifully engraved with:
"InAllaha ma as sabireen."