• Creative writing,  Relationships

    Curtains down, 2014.

    2014. I have so much to write and express about this year yet words fail me when I am deeply emotional. “There are years that ask questions and years that answer” – Zora Neale Hurston. Definitely this has been a year of answers. Alhamdulilah. I wrote this on Jan 1, 2014. It’s wonderful to look back at your old posts and realize  you have everything you wanted back then. 2 out of these Three wishes have been granted. Alhamdulilah. Yet, Scotland Dreams did not materialize. But then, that is how life is. We achieve some dreams, we fail in some of our goals and sometimes we lost track of some…

  • Creative writing,  Faith,  NaBloPoMo,  Relationships

    The sound of “M”

    Out of the blue, my affairs are being set alright. The professional life I so dearly wanted. The personal life I have yearned for, for so long. Everything is just turning out as the way I want it. Alhamdulilah I know, there is someone praying for me, early morning or late night. Near me or across the oceans, I know her duas are there for me. Maybe, all my achievements are due to her sincere plea to God. I wouldn’t be here if not for her. Mother. A dua from a person under whose feet lies Jannah is never unheard by the Lord. Alhamdulilah for mother’s duas. Alhamdulilah for mothers.…

  • Creative writing,  Faith,  NaBloPoMo

    His words

    Prompt : Write about the three most important songs in your life — what do they mean to you?  Edited Prompt : Songs —> Surah ( Chapters of the Holy Qur’an) I cannot classify three of the 114 chapters as important since all are equally important and beneficial, but I ‘ll try to list three chapters which helped me during difficult phases of my life. Surah Maryam. The chapter starts with a father’s (Prophet Zakariyyah) intense desire for a child and his sincere duas though he has attained old age. Lessons I learnt : Make dua intensely even if it seems impossible to you. Impossible is merely concepts of the mind.…

  • Creative writing,  NaBloPoMo,  Write Tribe,  Writing 101

    The season of March

    It was March. The season of in between.The spring of the Arabian desert. I was in front of the Kaabah. Standing besides me were my parents. Exactly above was the Baitul Maa’moor in the heavens…where 70, 000 angels visit everday. Bliss ! Tears streaming down from my face, I raised my hands in prayer to my Lord, the Most High. My heart silently whispered to the heavens it’s deepest fears and troubles. It’s innermost secrets and stories. It’s dreams and hopes. That no creation has heard. Only the Creator. There is a peace that descends upon us when we are in the presence of Divine. The tranquillity that arises knowing…

  • Creative writing,  NaBloPoMo,  Relationships,  Write Tribe

    Writing 101 – Unlock the mind

    The past weekend was a challenging one and it ended up with me being dissolved in a fit of tears in my man’s hands. Some time life overwhelms you so much that you cannot bear to move forward any longer… and yet you want to push ahead of all the adversities for the person in front of you. Do we cease becoming a daughter to our parents the minute we get married? Or is it just my overactive-crazy-hormone filled imaginative mind making it’s weird stories? Or are we a “child” to our parents forever? My head is constantly filled with a thousand questions, doubts and ‘what-if’ scenarios! I have a new venture…

  • Books,  NaBloPoMo,  Write Tribe

    Ten Favourite Books

    There is a trend going on over Facebook asking for ‘Your ten favourite books’. I came across this IndiSpire post and decided to write down my own list. Mornings in Jenin by Susan Abul Hawa – Humanizes the struggle of Palestinians and deals with universal need of a homeland, security, safety and sense of belonging. Don’t be Sad by Aidh ibn Abdullah al Qarni– I read this book at a time in my life when I truly needed it. Verses from the Holy Qur’an,  instances from Seerah, and beautiful poetry all merged together to help us overcome sadness and anxiety. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – Everyone’s favourite. Mine…

  • Creative writing,  NaBloPoMo,  Write Tribe

    Me !

    Every single one of us have a story to tell. A story of happiness,  success, joy, triumphs, sadness and tests.Our situations of life are tailor made for us. What we perceive as important or beautiful might not be so, in the eyes of another person. What piques our interest would not be noticed by another individual. What frightens us or what saddens us could be considered as frivolous matter by some one else. Our every emotion is uniquely our own. Validated by another individual or not, we should never be in a position where we have to justify our emotions and thoughts. Some people prefer to tell their story through…

  • Creative writing,  NaBloPoMo,  Write Tribe

    The tweets of survival.

    Prompt : What is the most helpful post/hashtag you read about the recent attacks on Gaza? (Prompt slightly modified!)   In early July, while casually browsing through Twitter I came across the Twitter hashtag #Gazaunderattack. Since I was out of touch with International news, I didn’t know the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had escalated. Treading through the hashtag made me aware of the growing number of civilian casualties especially young children.   Four boys who were playing football on the beach, killed by fighter shells. A father who couldn’t have children for 24 years lost his child in the attacks. A sister lost her dear younger brother. A fiance never lived until…

  • Creative writing,  NaBloPoMo,  Write Tribe

    Written words > Spoken words

    Prompt : How do you communicate better? Speaking or writing? The picture answers it all. Journals over the years. (Some are missing though!) Sharing our stories can also be a means of healing. Grief and loss may isolate us, and anger may alienate us. Shared with others, these emotions can be powerfully uniting, as we see that we are not alone, and realize that others weep with us. Susan Wittig Albert Linking it to NaBloPoMo and Write Tribe Pro Blogger Challenge

  • Creative writing,  NaBloPoMo,  Prompts,  Write Tribe

    Healing through words.

    Nearly two months since I showed my presence on the blogosphere. Life happened! Yet, I feel a piece of the puzzle missing. …there are two ways in which I find my healing and patience : Prayer and Writing. My time constraints and roller-coaster changes of past few months made me to lack in both, sadly. I found myself constantly anxious and frustrated. I realized I have kept myself away from the same things that gives me serenity and peace : God. Words. Here I am trying to get back on to my rails when I found the NaBloPoMo theme for the month of September : Healing. Voila ! I just…

  • Creative writing,  Relationships

    Beautiful Beginnings

    Hello ! Do people read me here anymore? The April A to Z Challenge bought in many new readers for my blog yet ironically I have been missing in action on my blog since then ! Over the course of past few months my life changed completely. Alhamdulilah. I met, fell in love and got married to a wonderful man. As I go through the first few steps of my married life, I cannot help but wonder how immensely blessed I am. To have a family I was heartbroken to leave, yet, to be blessed with another family who openly and wholeheartedly welcomed me into their midst. Alhamdulilah. It’s not…

  • A to Z April Challenge

    Zero to Hero !

    This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. The digit which in itself has no value yet increases the value of another digit manifold, when placed after it. Yes, I finish my A to Z Challenge with ZERO ! (I shall catch up on all the comments and blog posts in the next few weeks, iA! Thank you all for stopping by over my blog and leaving your encouraging comments)

  • A to Z April Challenge

    Yemen

    This post is part of the A to Z Challenge. My theme for the month is A to Z of words in English with an Arabic origin. ….we are nearly at the end of this long 26 days Challenge ! Today’s post is about the name of a Middle Eastern country. (Possibly,  the name suggests the georgraphic location of Yemen on the southernmost tip of Arabian Peninsula. Another tradition suggests the word derives from the expression al-Yumn which means grace and blessing.)