Category Archives: The Sigh Symphony

One of the most soothing sounds..

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وَهُوَ الَّذِي يُرْسِلُ الرِّيَاحَ بُشْرًا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ رَحْمَتِهِ ۖ حَتَّىٰ إِذَا أَقَلَّتْ سَحَابًا ثِقَالًا سُقْنَاهُ لِبَلَدٍ مَّيِّتٍ فَأَنزَلْنَا بِهِ الْمَاءَ فَأَخْرَجْنَا بِهِ مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ نُخْرِجُ الْمَوْتَىٰ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَذَكَّرُونَ

“And it is He who sends the winds as good tidings before His mercy until, when they have carried heavy rainclouds, We drive them to a dead land and We send down rain therein and bring forth thereby [some] of all the fruits. Thus will We bring forth the dead; perhaps you may be reminded.“

I absolutely LOVE rain. The sound of soft and steady rain has an amazingly soothing effect on the brain. Gentle sounds of nature generally have this affect but rain [and a little thunder] tops the list for me. I usually listen to it on my way from uni [after long hours in the lab!] or at work, and especially when I’m studying.

Anyway, here’s a few clips and sites for rain crazies like me out there:

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It blew like the strong wind..

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It blew like the strong wind;

It burst like a bright flame;

It became like a youth in its determination;

It flew like a hawk, with pride;

Welcome, my caravan;

My caravan of wisdom;

O generation of the future, let’s go;

Let’s exert ourselves and work hard;

Let’s always rise to the top;

And never accept to be less than the best;

My friends, let’s go about;

And learn different fields of knowledge;

Let’s excel in five or six;

And help a brother or sister;

Leave your laziness and slumber;

The lazy person has never succeeded;

And stop criticizing and blaming;

As Allah is the Helper of people;

Revive the glory of this Ummah;

When it was at its peak;

And brush this dark cloud away from it;

With your high aspirations…

[Translated by our dear Abu Sabaya]

Even if it takes a lifetime, I’ll wait.

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On every journey you take, you are met with options. At every fork in the road, you make a choice. These are the decisions that shape your life. – Mark DeWine

Sometimes.. you don’t know where your decision will lead you, but you take the risk, that leap of faith, simply because you believe – Not only in yourself but in the Wisdom of Allaah, His Power and His Plans. When I read these words below, written by a prisoner, I found them to be quite uplifting and it helped renew my faith in my own decisions.

First, what waiting accomplishes: Waiting isn’t just something you have to do in order to get what you want. No, waiting produces patience, understanding, maturity, and character. What God accomplishes in you while you’re waiting is often more important than the thing you’re waiting for. It also forces any potential weakness to the surface. The truth is that time spent waiting is time spent learning and growing!

Second, what waiting isn’t: Waiting is not an excuse for dodging reality, shirking responsibility, or not doing the right thing.

Above all else, waiting means making a daily decision to trust and obey God, even when things aren’t going the way you planned.

My Heart is Free

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They say I’m a butterfly
I say, what with clipped wings?
They say I’m a nightingale
I say, slashed chords can’t sing!


They say I’m a velvety rose
I say, then why fear my thorns?
They say I’m like the moon
I say, because my light is a loan?


They pierced my wings
“To protect you, my love”, said they
They confined me to a cage
“So your enemies can’t hurt you”, said they


I say I’m a bird, born to fly free
I’m a mountain standing tall and high
I say, in humble dignity, why can’t you see
Bowing to only One Who’s ever-nigh


I want to soar over the highest top
Through the strongest wind, glide
I want to burn and melt
Like a candle, to spread the light


I want to devour every verse
Of my Most Beloved, His every word
I want to walk through His Garden
And sail in the heart of a green bird


So clip my wings, chain me up
My heart is free, it knows no slavery
Except to the One, the Majestic
With Him as my Patron, I have no worry

Your smile is all I see

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I look into your eyes and I see
I can’t sleep
I see pain and screaming memories
flickers of hope dying but burning
I see,
I see a child’s struggle for undying amity
I can’t sleep
I can’t dream because all I see
is pain and misery
I see shackles around your feet
Your feet, that tread the path of integrity
pillars of strength, valor and humility
handcuffed wrists, sore but sturdy
I can’t sleep
because I see your smile
your smile, a facade shrouding the agony
screaming memories, my mind they pierce
this smile I see, my safe haven, my sanctuary
my tears blurring, like a rainy scenery
I’ll hold on, hold onto your faith
We’ll rise from this calamity
They can clip our broken wings, but
we’ll hold on, hold onto our faith,
fearless, we’ll keep the flicker alive, they’ll see
we’ll unite, unite in everlasting felicity

“Is He not the One Who responds?” Part I

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Allaah mentions in soorat an-Naml:

أَمَّن يُجِيبُ الْمُضْطَرَّ إِذَا دَعَاهُ وَيَكْشِفُ السُّوءَ وَيَجْعَلُكُمْ خُلَفَاء الْأَرْضِ أَإِلَهٌ مَّعَ اللَّهِ قَلِيلاً مَّا تَذَكَّرُونَ

Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations. Is there any ilah (god) with Allah? Little is that you remember!

الْمُضْطَرَّ is from the root ض ر ر which means damage. الْمُضْطَرَّ is one who’s trust has been damaged to the extent that he/she loses all hope in every living thing. Its that all too familiar feeling of being completely abandoned, where no soul on the face of this planet can comfort you, where even the familiar faces seem estranged. At a time like this, nothing can fill the emptiness within. You come to a point where even `ibaadah seems like a toil, a burden. Your life becomes nothing but a hollow grave.

And then, something inside pushes you to leave the creation and to turn to your Creator, placing your hope in Him, beseeching Him, begging for His closeness. That, is when Allaah responds to our distress. And that is when our hearts can truly taste the sweetness of faith and tranquility. Because turning to Him, the Lord of the Universe, the Most Loving, Most Merciful, guarantees us safety from every evil, every pain, every distress.

Ibn al-Qayyim mentions in his book al-Fawaa’id: “The secret and the reality of trust in Allaah is the reliance of the heart on Allaah alone. The person who relies on Allaah, and not on any other person or thing, will not be harmed.”

Were it not for Allaah’s Mercy, we would have been deprived of this blessing.Like Yusuf `alayhissalaam said in response to the accusation against him with regards to the wife of al-`Azeez:

وَمَا أُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِي إِنَّ النَّفْسَ لأَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ إِلاَّ مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّيَ إِنَّ رَبِّي غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

“And I free not myself (from the blame). Verily, the (human) self is inclined to evil, except when my Lord bestows His Mercy (upon whom He wills). Verily, my Lord is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” {Yusuf; 53}

How many stories have we heard of people who when they lose all hope, lose their sanity or commit suicide? Countless of them. Alhamdulillaah for His guidance. Alhamdulillaah for the company of Qur’aan.

[to continue..]

..And for a moment she isn’t scared

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Sarah Beth is scared to death
To hear what the doctor will say
She hasn’t been well
Since the day that she fell
And the bruise, just won’t go away
So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad
Flips through an old magazine
Till a the nurse with a smile
Stands at the door
And says will you please come with me

Sarah Beth is scared to death
Cause the doctor just told her the news
Between the red cells and white
Something’s not right
But we’re gonna take care of you
Six chances in ten it won’t come back again
With the therapy were gonna try
It’s just been approved
It’s the strongest there is
I think we caught it in time

Sarah Beth closes her eyes
And she dreams she’s dancing
Around and around without any cares
And her very first love is holding her close
And the soft wind is blowing her hair

Sarah Beth is scared to death
As she sits holding her mom
Cause it would be a mistake
For someone to take a girl with no hair to the prom
For, just this morning right there on her pillow
Was the cruelest of any surprise
And she cried when she gathered it all in her hands
The proof that she couldn’t deny

Sarah Beth closes her eyes
And she dreams she’s dancing
Around and around without any cares
And her very first love was holding her close
And the soft wind is blowing her hair

Its quarter to seven
That boys at the door
And her daddy ushers him in
And when he takes off his cap
They all start to cry
Cause this mornin where his hair had been
Softly she touches just skin

And they go dancin
Around and around without any cares
And her very first true love is holding her close
And for a moment she isn’t scared

-RF