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Interesting facts about Islam

Posted on 16 February 2012 by Tea Server



Interesting Facts About Islam;

1.Islam” means “peace through the submission to God”.

2.”Muslim” means “anyone or anything that submits itself to the will
of God”.

3.Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life:
moral, spiritual, social, political, economical, intellectual, etc.

4.Allah is not the God of Muslims only. He is the God of all people
and all creation. Just because people refer to God using different
terms does not mean that they are different gods. Spanish people refer to
God as “Dios” and French people refer to God as “Dieu”, yet they are all
the same God. Interestingly, most Arab Jews and Arab Christians refer
to God as “Allah”. And the word Allah in Arabic appears on the walls of
many Arab churches.

5.he Islamic concept of God is that He is loving, merciful, and
compassionate. But Islam also teaches that He is just and swift in
punishment. Nevertheless, Allah once said to Prophet Muhammad, “My mercy
prevails over my wrath.” Islam teaches a balance between fear and hope,
protecting one from both complacency and despair.

6.Muslims do not believe in the concept of “vicarious atonement”
but rather believe in the law of personal responsibility. Islam teaches
that each person is responsible for his or her own actions. On the Day
of Judgment Muslims believe that every person will be resurrected and
will have to answer to God for their every word, thought, and deed.
Consequently, a practicing Muslim is always striving to be righteous

7.The word “jihad” does not mean “holy war”. Instead, it means the
inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the
will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for “jihad” when
fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only
say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous
struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad, which are more relevant to
the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness,
arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against
the temptation of Satan, or against one’s own ego, etc.

8. Zaid RadiAllahu Anhu is the only Sahabi whose name is mentioned in the
Quran (Surah Ahzaab)

9. Rasulullah (SAW) made duaa to Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala that, He strenghten Islam with Umar bin Al-Khattab or Umar bin Hisham i.e. Abu Jahl. Allah accepted the duaa in favour of Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA).

10. Abu Bakr (RA) received the title ‘As-Siddeeq’ on readily saying that he accepted Rasulullah (SAW)’s Night Journey (Mairaaj) to the Heavens when the Kuffar asked for his opinion.


11. Ali bin Abi Talib (RA) walked all the way from Makkah to Madeenah, at the time of Hijrah, while hiding from the pursuing Quraish.

12. Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (RA) was blessed by Allah to be the first host of Rasulullah (SAW) in Madeenah.

13. Rasulullah (SAW) called Yahya (AS) son of Zakariyyah (AS) ‘Shaheed bin Shaheed’ meaning ‘Martyr son of Martyr’.

14. Uthman bin Affan (RA) did not fight in the battle of Badr as he stayed home to take care of his sick wife Ruqayyah (RA), daughter of Rasulullah (SAW). She died shortly before Madeenah received the news of Victory for the Muslims in the battlefield.

15. All of Rasulullah (SAW)’s children died before him except for his daughter, Fatimah (RA).

16. Amr bin Thabit (RA) became a muslim during the battle of Uhud, and died as a martyr in the same battle. When asked about him, Rasulullah (SAW) said that he was from the People of Paradise, even though he had not prayed a single salaah.

17. Zaid bin Harith (RA) accompanied Rasulullah (SAW)when he went Taif.
18. The cause of Abu Lahab’s death was the wife of his brother Abbas (RA), Umul-Fadl (RA). on hearing about the defeat of non-muslims at Badr, he started abusing a muslim servant, so she took a log and hit him, which caused his skull to crack. He died a few days later because of it.

19. Ameer ul Mumineen Uthman RA. had given the duty of collecting and compiling the first holy Quran to Zaid Ibn Thaabit RA., who fulfilled it by the help of other companions and off course the help of Allah. Zaid RA. once said that “By Allah, if they had asked me to move a whole mountain from its place, it would have been easier than the task of compiling the Quran which they ordered me to fulfill”.

20. Abdullah Ibn Masood RA. was the first Muslim to read the Quran publicly near the Kaaba in Makkah, after the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Waa Sallam.

21. Bilaal RA./was an African. His name was Bilal ibn Rabah, or Bilal the Abyssinian… was the first Muezzin chosen by RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

22. RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam had four daughters ZAINAB, RUQQAYYAH, UMM KULTHOOM AND FATIMA RadiAllahu Taala Anhun and three sons QASIM, TAYYAB OR TAHIR, AND IBRAHIM, but all the sons died in their infancy.

23. Did you know that the original name of the holy city of Madinah was “YATHRIB”

24. Rasool Allah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallams’ father’s name was ABDULLAH and his mother’s name was AAMINAH.

25. Khadijah RadiAllahu Anha was the first person and the first woman to take shahada and accept Mohammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam as the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, followed by Zaid Bin Haritha RA., Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA. and Abu Bakar Siddique RA.

26. The first Hafiz of Quran was Uthman bin Affan (RA, offcourse after RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam.

27. Ali RadiAllahu Anhu Said that he heard The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam say “TALHA(RA) AND ZUBAIR(RA) ARE MY NEIGHBORS IN PARADISE”

28. Did you know that Rasoolallah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam performed only one Hajj in his lifetime.

29. Usamah Bin Zaid(RA) was the son of Zaid Bin Harith(RA)and his wife Barakah(RA)(known also by the name of Umm Ayman(RA))

30. If all Quraans in the world today were destroyed, the original Arabic would still remain, because millions of Muslims, called Huffaz have memorized the text of the Quraan letter for letter from beginning to end, every word and syllable. Also, chapters from the Qur’an are precisely recited from memory by every Muslim in each of the five daily prayers.

31. The Islamic calender is based on the phases of the moon, with it being approximately 11 days shorter than the 365 days of the year in the Georgian calender. Hence, the dates of our festivals (Eid -ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha) move through the year.

32. Adam Alayhis salam was approximately 30 Ziraa tall. Ziraa is a measurement and one Ziraa is approximately half a metre.

33. The Majority of muslims do not live in the middle East. The most populous muslim country is Indonesia, the 4th largest country in the world with approximately 184 million muslims

34. The splitting of the Moon was was one of the greatest miracle of RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa sallam. When Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) was 52 years old, the leaders of the disbelievers of the Quraish tribe came to him and said, “If you are a Prophet, then split the moon into two parts.” Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) dearly wanted the people to convert to Islam, especially his close friends and relatives. He prayed, raising up his hands, and the moon split into two equal halves. Each part of the moon was seen above different mountains. The disbelievers said, “Muhammad (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) has performed magic.” They did not accept Islam.

35. The Ummah of Sayyiduna Rasulullah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam), are more than that of all the Ummahs of all the other Ambiya put together.

36. It is obligatory on every Muslim to love Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi wasallam). The sign of love for him is to adapt his way of life and always remember him.

37. According to the Qur’an, the Kaaba was first built by the Ibrahim Alaihi Salaam and and his son Ismail Alaihi Salaam.

38. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer ordered by Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala..

39. Prominent Kuffar like Abu Jahl would secretly listen to the verses of the Holy Quran because they were fascinated by it.

40.According to Islamic governments there are over 1.2 billion Muslims in the world today. The Muslim population of Russia alone is over 50 million. In other words, at least one out of every six persons in the world is Muslim, which is one of the reasons why

41.the name “Muhammad” is the most common name in the world…

42.At least one of Prophet Muhammad’s wives was African. Her name was Maria the Copt. Two of the Prophet’s wives were Jewish…their names were Raihanah and Safiyah…

43.Albania is the only European country whose population is over 90% Muslim. It is on the Adriatic Sea, and borders Greece and Yugoslavia…

44.Former pop star Cat Stevens is an Islamic scholar currently living in England. His Muslim name is Yusuf Islam.
and loads of people ther are lots of popular people who converted too!

45.To find the Gregorian equivalent to any Muslim calendar date (i.e., 1 Muharram of any year), multiply 970,224 by the Muslim year, point off six decimals, and add 621.5774. The whole number will be the Gregorian year and the decimal multiplied by 365.24 will be the first day of the Muslim year.

46.The Majority of Muslims do not live in the middle East. The most populous muslim country is Indonesia, the 4th largest country in the world with 184 million muslims. There are more muslims in India than the combined population of Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine and the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.

47.The following English words are borrowed from Arabic: Algebra, Zero, Cotton, Sofa, Rice, Candy, Safron, Balcony. And even ‘alchohol’ derives from Arabic : al-kuhl meaning powder. These are just a few mentioned here.

48.The first treatise on smallpox and measles was written by Abu Bakr alrazi (c.864-925,known to Europe as Rhazes). (Due to this) Inoculation agianst smallpox became a common practise in muslim lands. Despite this , Scientific text book credit the invention of a smallpox vaccine to Edward Jenner.(1749-1823).

49.Early Oxbridge students studied books written by muslims on mathematics, medicine, chemistry, optics and astronomy.

50.Adelard of Bath (a city in the UK) was a leading scholar of the middle ages. what made him famous was translating the word of muslim scientists from Arabic to Latin!

51.The 1860 city records of Cardiff (UK) show a masjid in operation in a converted building at 2 Glynrhondda St. Yemani sea men on their trips between Aden (in Yemen) and Cardiff founded this masjid.

52.The first purpose built masjid is claimed to be in Woking (South of England) with money provided by the ruler of Bhopal, in India (the Shah Jehan masjid was built in 1889).

53.The grand doors of our prophets (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) masjid in Medina weigh 2 and half tonnes each! Enormous quantities of “sag wood” was gathered from all over the world and shipped to the united kingdom to be dryed in computerised furnaces (the traditional drying process would have taken many years!). Even then , it took 5 months to dry the wood! the wood was then shipped to Barcelona (Spain), Where the main body of the doors where made. And finally the French even paid their little part, as the brass ornamentation was carried out in the city of Roi (France). Next time you visit the holy masjid, keep this entirely in mind!

54.# It was only in 1932 the Kiswah (cloth of the Ka’bah) was wholly made by Saudis (citizens of Saudi Arabia).

55.The roof top of our Prophet’s (SalAllahu alayhi wasalam) masjid in Madina is designed to be strong enough to carry addtional floors in the future.

56.Some verses in the Koran refer to man being equal to woman. Mathematically, the number of times the word “man” appears in the Koran is 24. The number of times the word “woman” appears in the Koran is also 24.

57. The Holy Quran has 30 parts

58.The Holy Quran has 114 surahs

59.Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem is repeated 114 times in the Quran.

60.All except for Surat “Al Tawbah” start with Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem.and Surat “Al Namel, No. 27” has Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Raheem in its body

61.Al-Baqarah is the longest surah in the Quran while Al-Kawthar is the shortest surah in the Quran

62.Milk is the best drink mentioned in the Quran while, Honey is the best food thing mentioned in the Quran

63.The best month is Ramadan while,The best night is the Night of Power in Ramadan (Laylat al Qadr)

64.———————–

65.Quran was revealed over 23 years: 13 in Mecca and 10 in Madina!

66.Surat Al-Dahr was revealed in respect to Ahlul Bayt (P)

67.Surat Al Nissa speaks about laws of marriage

68.Whoever reads one letter of the Quran gets 10 Rewards.Surat Al-Ikhlas is considered 1/3 of the Quran

69.Reading 1 verse in Ramadan is equal to reading the entire Quran in other months

70.Ramadan is the Spring of the Holy Quran

71.The Quran will intercede for people who recited it on Judgment Day

72.The Quran will complain of people who didn’t recite it on Judgment Day

73.Summiyyah RadiAllahu Anha mother of Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu and wife of Yassir RadiAllahu anhu was the first to meet martyrdom for the cause of Islam.
She was killed by Abu Jahl the enemy of Islam.

74.Two of the Ummahatul Mu’mineen (Mothers of the Ummah), (RasoolAllah Sallallahu Wa Sallam’ wives) died before him, they are Khadija RadiAllahu Anha and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah RadiAllahu Anha.

75.Salmaan Farsi RadiAllahu Anhu was the one who suggested to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam about digging a trench around the city of Madina at the time of the battle of Khandakh (trench)

76.Rasulullah (SAW) made duaa to Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala that, He strenghten Islam with Umar bin Al-Khattab or Umar bin Hisham i.e. Abu Jahl. Allah accepted the duaa in favour of Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA).

77.Rasulullah (SAW) called Yahya (AS) son of Zakariyyah (AS) ‘Shaheed bin Shaheed’ meaning ‘Martyr son of Martyr’.

78.Zaid bin Harith (RA) accompanied Rasulullah (SAW)when he went Taif.

79.Khadijah RadiAllahu Anha was the first person and the first woman to take shahada and accept Mohammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa Sallam as the Prophet and Messenger of Allah, followed by Zaid Bin Haritha RA., Ali Ibn Abi Talib RA. and Abu Bakar Siddique RA.

80.Ali RadiAllahu Anhu Said that he heard The Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam say “TALHA(RA) AND ZUBAIR(RA) ARE MY NEIGHBORS IN PARADISE”
81.Muslims do not worship the Kaaba; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer ordered by Allah Subhanaho Wa Taala..

82.The Zam Zam well came into existance at the time of prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (alayhum salam). It then “dissapeared” for nearly 26 centuries (2600 years) due to the certain events and was rediscovered and dug by the grandfather of our beloved prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam). The location of the well was revealed to him in a dream.

83.The black stone (as it is known), Cannot really be described in full, because the parts we touch with our hands and “Kiss” , are eight small pieces, the biggest of which is the size of a date.

84.Narrated ‘Abdullah bin Mas’us: “The Prophet (saw) recited Surah An Najm (No. 53) at Makkah and prostrated while reciting it and those who were with him did the same except an old man who took a handful of small stones or earth and lifted it to his forehead and said, This is sufficient for me. Later on, I saw him killed as a disbeliever.” [Hadeeth 569, al Tajrid al Sarih, Sahih Bukhari]

85. and it’s the FASTEST growing religeon according to many sources…it is projected that Islam will be the #1 religeon by the year 2030. INSHALLAH

86. Did you know that the Prophet (PBuH) went up to the sky..

87.Summiyyah RadiAllahu Anha mother of Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu and wife of Yassir RadiAllahu anhu was the first to meet martyrdom for the cause of Islam. She was killed by Abu Jahl the enemy of Islam.

88.The 10 Sahabah who were promised Paradise during their lifetime were Abubakr Siddique, Umar bin Khattab, Uthman bin Affan, Ali bin Abi Talib, Talha Bin Ubaidullah, Saeed Bin Zaid, Abu Ubaidah Bin Jarrah, Zubair bin Awwam, Saad Bin Abi Waqqas, and Abdur Rahman Bin Auf RadiAllahu Anhum Ajmaeen.

89..Did you know that Imam Bokhari Rahmatullah Alaih compiled his collection of 7,275 Ahadith by selection from 600,000. Before writing each Hadith he would make 2 Rakaat nafl Salaat.

90.Ammar RadiAllahu Anhu Built the First Masjid at the request of RasoolAllah Alaihi Wa Sallam. It was the Masjid in Quba.

91.Prior to 2001 most reports seem to have the number roughly around 25,000 American converts per year

92.Two of the Ummahatul Mu’mineen (Mothers of the Ummah), (RasoolAllah Sallallahu Wa Sallam’ wives) died before him, they are Khadija RadiAllahu Anha and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah RadiAllahu Anha.

93.The Holy Qur’an has no flaws or contradictions. The original
Arabic scriptures have never been changed or tampered with.(**obviously**)

94.Salmaan Farsi RadiAllahu Anhu was the one who suggested to RasoolAllah Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam about digging a trench around the city of Madina at the time of the battle of Khandakh (trench)

94.Islam is not “spread by the sword”. It is spread by the word
(Islamic teachings) and the example of its followers. Islam teaches that
there is no compulsion in religion (the Holy Qur’an 2:256 and 10:99).

95.Abdullah Ibn Zubair (RA) was the first baby boy to be born after Hijrah. His Father was Zubair (RA) and his mother was Asma (RA). His aunt (mother’s sister) was none other than Ummul Mu’mineen Aaiysha (RA) and his grand father was Abu Bakr Siddique (RA)

96.Muslim women wear the head covering (hijab) in fulfillment of
God’s decree to dress modestly. From a practical standpoint, it serves to
identify one as attempting to follow God in daily life and, therefore,
protects women from unwanted advances from men. Righteous women
throughout history have worn this type of modest dress. Prominent examples are
traditional Catholic Nuns, Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary, mother of
Jesus.

97.Interestingly, the inside of the Kaaba is empty.

98.Hindus believe that inside the Kabba, ther is 1 of their Gods:asta ig:called shiva lingam ( lol lol lol) and if you look up what lingam means ,you will be shocked!!!!

99.English translations of the Quran head the American best-seller list…

100. The word “jihad” does not mean “holy war”. Instead, it means the
inner struggle that one endures in trying to submit their will to the
will of God. Some Muslims may say they are going for “jihad” when
fighting in a war to defend themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only
say this because they are conceding that it will be a tremendous
struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad, which are more relevant to
the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles against laziness,
arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against
the temptation of Satan, or against one’s own ego, etc.

101.Islam is not a “race”, it is a religion.

Collected From:http://www.turntoislam.com

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Last Words of Nabi Kareem S.A.W

Posted on 10 February 2012 by Tea Server



Suddenly, there was a person, he said salaam.

‘May I come in?’ he asked.

But Fatimah(rt.anha) did not allow him enter the room.

‘I’m sorry, my father is ill,’ said Fatimah(rt,Anha), turned her body back and closed the door.

She went back to her father who had opened his eyes and asked Fatimah(rt.Anha), ‘Who was he, my daughter?’

‘I don’t know, my father. It was the first time for me to see him,’ Fatimah(rt.Anha) said gently.

Then, Rasulullah(s.a.w) looked at his daughter with trembled look, as if he wanted to reminisce about every part of her daughter’s face.

‘Know one thing! He is who erases the temporary pleasure; he is who separates the companionship in the world.

He is the death angel,’ said Rasulullah (s.a.w).

Fatimah(rt.Anha) bore the bomb of her cry. The death angel came toward him, But Rasulullah(s.a.w) asked why Jibril(alahsalam) did not come along with him..

Then, Jibril(alahsalam) was called. Jibril(alehslam) was ready in the sky to welcome the soul of Habibullah and the leader of the earth.

‘O Jibril, explain me about my rights in front of ALLAH?’ Rasulullah(s.a.w) asked with a weakest voice.

‘The doors of sky have opened, the angels are waiting for your soul.’

‘All jannats open widely waiting for you,’ Jibril(alehsalam) said..

But, in fact, all this did not make Rasulullah(s.a.w) relieved, his eyes were still full of worry..

‘You are not happy to hear this news?’ asked Jibril(alehsalam).

‘Tell me about the destiny of my people in future?’

‘Don’t worry, O Rasul ALLAH(s.a.w). I heard ALLAH tell me: ‘I make jannat haram for every one, except the people of Muhammad(s..a.w) who are inside it,’ Jibril(alehsalam) said.

It became closer and closer, the time for Malaekat Izrail(alehsalam) to do his work.

Slowly, Rasulullah’s (s.a.w)soul was pulled. It was seemed that the body of Rasulullah (s.a.w)was full of sweat; the nerves of his neck became tight.

‘Jibril(alehsalam), how painful this sakaratul maut is!’

Rasulullah(s.a.w) uttered a groan slowly. Fatimah(rt.anha) closed her eyes, Ali(rt.anho) sat beside her bowed deeply and Jibril(alehsalam) turned his face back.

‘Am I repugnant to you that you turn your face back o Jibril?’(alehsalam)
Rasulullah(s.a.w) asked the Deliverer of Wahy.

‘Who is the one who could see the Habibullah in his condition of sakaratul maut,’ Jibril(alehsalam) said..

Not for a while, Rasulullah(s.a..w) uttered a groan because of unbearable pain.

‘O ALLAH, how great is this sakaratul maut. Give me all these pains, don’t give it to my people.’

The body of Rasulullah(s..a.w) became cold, his feet and chest did not move anymore….

His lips vibrated as if he wanted to say something, Ali(rt.anho) took his ear close to Rasulullah(s.a.w).

‘Uushiikum bis shalati, wa maa malakat aimanuku – take care of the saalat and take care the weak people among you.’

Outside the room, there were cries shouted each other, sahabah held each other. Fatimah(rt.anha) closed her face with her hands and, again, Ali(rt.anho) took his ear close to Rasulullah’s(s.a.w) mouth which became bluish.

‘Ummatii, ummatii, ummatii?’ – ‘My people, my people, my people.’

And the life of the noble man ended.

Could we love each other like him? Allahumma salle ‘ala Muhammad wa baarik wa salim ‘alaihi. How deep is Rasulullah’s(s.a.w) love to us.

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Perfection

Posted on 19 December 2011 by Tea Server

Maria’s fingers groped along thewall, skimming lightly over the smooth surface of the tiles. They encountered aprotruding object, a light switch. She flipped it, and illumination flooded thebathroom, chasing away obscurity instantaneously. Pushing open the door, Mariastood motionless on the threshold, her expression curiously unreadable. Secondsslowly trickled by; yet movement did not course through her limbs.

Far away, somewhere in the depthsof the expansive, spacious house, a telephone began ringing shrilly. Thecacophonous sound jarred the unbroken silence that had permeated the house, settlingover it like a thick, billowing blanket, both suffocating and placating hersimultaneously. She ached to escape the silence, flee from its clutches; yet apart of her yearned to embrace it, found in the silence an omnipotent,unparalleled source of ultimate salvation.

The telephone pealed again, apersistent commotion. It roused her out of her epiphany. In one fluid motion,she tugged at the strings of her night-dress; let it fall to the ground in apuddle of silk. Naked, her body free of any restrictions, she stepped into thebathroom. Closed the door behind her; letting it fall shut with a gentle, briskclick.

                                *             *             *

Tanya’s craving for her native cuisinewas growing unbearably overwhelming. Her stomach grumbled, urgently demandingfood – Pakistani food. Her eyes swept the crowded streets, searching in vainfor any sight of a restaurant or a stall serving eastern dishes.

Her husband turned to face her,raising his tone to be audible over the din and noise of traffic, cars andpassersby. “I’m starving, let’s get a burger!”

Tanya sighed miserably, a frownmarring her forehead. Another meal comprising of fast food, and she might justscream!

“There’s an In-N-Out Burger justa few blocks ahead,” Abdullah prattled on, oblivious to his wife’sfrustrations.

“No. I want some Pakistani food,”stated Tanya decisively.

“But you can have Pakistani foodany day back home!” protested Abdullah. “I thought we decided to vacation hereso we could ‘indulge in a total foreign experience; let ourselves be swept awayby the culture of another country.’” He raised an eyebrow, making quotations marks inthe air with his fingers.

“Yes,” admitted Tanya. “I did saythat, but now I want desi food. It’s been two weeks, and everything I’ve eatenjust tastes so – bland.”

“Fine,” agreed Abdullah,accustomed to giving in to his wife’s impulses. “There’s this thing up ahead.Harold told me.” Harold was the name of the landlord of the rented apartmentwhere the two of them were staying.

“What thing?” she queried.

“Um, this kind of fair, he said.It’s a bunch of different stalls, showcasing items from different countries.And of course, selling them too. We might get some kind of desi food from aPakistani stall.”

“Yeah, that sounds good to me.How far is it?”

“Just a few blocks,” he replied.“You want to walk it?”

“Okay.”

They began striding forwards,lengthening their pace, sometimes jostling against passersby. Abdullah’s cellphone vibrated in his pocket, and he drew it out, squinted at the brightlyglowing screen. Shooting a quick glance at Tanya to indicate it was awork-related call, he flipped the cell phone open. “Abdullah Rehman,” heaffirmed, and then fell quiet, evidently listening to what the person on theother end had to say.

Tanya pursed her lips, struggledto suppress the flow of resentment suffusing her. Though she acknowledged thather husband worked to maintain their luxurious lifestyle, at times she couldn’thelp despising her husband’s work and his buys lifestyle, remembering all thosehours she roamed the house alone; her children busy at school, husbandembroiled in his work. For all her comforts, there was one money couldn’tpurchase: the pleasure of companionship. It eluded her continuously, determinedto avoid her forever. And the more it was denied to her, the harder she desiredit.

Abdullah was speaking now,issuing clipped, proficient instructions, and Tanya found her mind wandering.It left the buzzing streets of San Francisco, floating upwards like a heliumballoon, landing, as it always did, upon her children. Bilal, Fatimah and Maria,the three people her life had revolved around since the past twenty five years,like the earth orbiting the sun. They were her centre, the one permanent thingkeeping her grounded, the anchor embedding her to the existential andpreventing her from being washed away. Bilal was now twenty-five and studiedeconomics at the University of Chicago, Fatimah approaching twenty-three andmajoring in Organic Chemistry at Cornell. Both had aced their O and A Level,winning hundred percent scholarships to pursue higher education. At eighteen, inher final year of A Level, Maria was still the ‘baby’ of the family, poised totake flight from the nest, just teetering on its very edge.  Though they had emerged from her womb, theylooked nothing like her, inheriting her husband’s paler skin, his jet blackhair, and his tall, lanky figure. 

They were grown up now, each ofthem adults, independent, no longer bound to her. She remembered them squirmingin her arms, suckling on her breasts, so vulnerable and fragile, her name thefirst words escaping through their lips after a nightmare, when they fell down,bruised a knee. Though she cherished their stupendous success – each of themevery parent and teacher’s dream – a part of her longed to unravel it, reversetime and start all over again. Like a string unwinding, unsnapping, falling tothe floor, free and uncontained; the process of being rolled up again yet tohappen then, and therefore holding limitless possibility.

But these were ramblings,pointless musings. The reflective ponderings of a woman growing old, a womanwhose life had been so busy, so full of things to do, to manage, to lookforward to; but despite that, a life that still felt wasted, ultimately endingin a summation of nothing concrete and valuable. She hoped – hoped greatly –that her children would never feel this way. They were content with theirlives, of that she was certain. Lately though, she had sensed a rising restlessnessbudding within her youngest Maria, a sense of dissatisfaction thrumming withinher like a discordant chord. She could feel it within her daughter, gainingmomentum with enough strength to gather Tanya’s attention. But before she couldfocus on it fully, begin to entirely acknowledge its existence, it would disappear,seeping out of her daughter like a plug had been pulled out, the emotionsswirling away like dirty water down a bathtub drain. Then Maria would return toher normal happy self, a smiling child with dreams that knew no boundaries, norestrictions.

She thought to giving it morenotice sometimes, probing and delving in deeper, investigating more. But shebanished that thought almost immediately when it occurred, dismissing itconfidently. She knew her children, did she not? She had spent years, endlesshours, making them the only point where her life converged. No one knew thembetter than her. No one was closer to them than her. I know my children, she would think to herself. I know my children inside and out, and Iknow they are happy. They had no reason not to be. She would not pickfaults, or find flaws where there were none. Perfection, many said, wasunattainable, but her life proved them wrong. She had perfection – had it inthe one aspect every parent wants – in her children.

                                *             *             *
The mirror showed a girl with apale, heart-shaped face, raven locks tumbling down to her shoulders in gentle,tousled waves. Green, almond-shaped eyes framed by long lashes stared out fromthe mirror. The nose was small and upturned; the lips pink and small, full tothe extent of being swollen – as though stung by a bee. “A rosebud mouth,” Omarhad often murmured in the whorls of the ear, before leaning down to kiss it.The girl had a slender neck, a voluptuous body. She would have been considereda vision, an epitome of pure, unadulterated beauty, had it not been for the redcuts slashing across the skin of her arms, her thighs. They were grotesque,cutting this way and that, marring the beauty of her image, crushing itentirely. They stood out, vivid scarlet stripes patterned into her ivory skin,the red harsh against the white.

Maria gazed back at herreflection intently, unblinking, as though committing it to memory. A heavy,substantial weight had been settling down on her chest throughout the course ofthe day, stealing her breath, robbing her of energy. It was like a rock, toobig for her to push against. She needed to get rid of it, needed to get it offher chest before it killed her.

She reached for the button and flickedoff the light.

The silvery light of the moon filtereddistinctly through the windowsill, illuminating Maria dimly as she dropped downto her knees, eased gently onto the bathroom tiles. Her movements were carefuland wary, for contact of any surface with the cuts inevitably brought pain. Asthe floor met her mutilated skin, her wounds screamed in protest. She gaspedinvoluntarily at the agony, an agony that was as blessed as it was cursed. Shelay on her side, her face upturned towards the glow of the moon, likesunflowers embracing the sun’s glittering radiance. Maria curled up into afetus-like position, her knees digging into her stomach.

The memories came to her then,enveloping her as they always did. They overpowered her, consuming her peace ofmind mercilessly, like a hunter devouring the helpless prey. A picture of Omarswam in her mind. He was the most beautiful boy in the entire school,carelessly handsome, brilliant in academics, sports, everything. She couldhardly believe that he had wanted her – her, Maria! At times it had felt like ahallucination, a mirage just waiting to vanish, dissolve into thin air. Butthree years had passed, and he was still there, and her friends were stillchanting to her about how lucky she was.

And then, he graduated. Obviouslyhe was a year older than her so he was bound to graduate ahead of her. She hadknown he would go abroad, study in the US, but what she hadn’t anticipated wasthat he would want to end things then. In her mind, their future life togetherwas mapped out clearly, just waiting to be lived. Clearly though, that was notthe case with him.

“It’s not you, it’s me.” Thatclichéd line he had uttered, and then she knew, knew with undeniable certaintythat he was determined to leave her, that he had possibly never even intendedto stay. Before, she had been holding onto the belief that this was just aphase – a case of ‘cold feet’, so to speak – but with that line, that beliefwas demolished. She gave up after that.

Four months later, and his facestill floated before her, shocking in its vividness. She closed her eyes,swallowed. It was time to lessen the pain. It was time to decrease misery, toend suffering and gain control again, in the most effective solution discoveredby her.

The knife glittered in the lightof the moon as she raised it in the air, brought it down. In the distance, thetelephone began ringing again, the sound echoing over, reverberating throughoutthe house.

                                *             *             *

In San Francisco, thousands ofmiles away, Tanya licked her fingers, sucked on them in delight. “Oh my, wasn’tthat amazing!” she exclaimed, sighing with fulfilled satisfaction. The showarma she had just consumed from thePakistani food stall had been absolutely heavenly.

“I know,” moaned Abdullah, who’deaten three. “I’m so full I can barely move.”

“You shouldn’t have eaten thatmuch,” admonished Tanya, leveling a severe gaze at him. But even she herselffelt uncomfortably full, lethargy creeping over her. “Here, let’s sit for amoment.” She pointed to benches clustered together under the shade of a bunchof trees growing in the periphery, where the stalls ended.

Abdullah obliged, shufflingforwards and throwing himself onto the bench with abandon. Tanya perched on thenext one, opposite him. She rummaged through her handbag, drew out her cell phone.  Abdullah, who had been observing her, raisedan inquisitive eyebrow.

“I’m calling Maria,” she explained.“I rang the landline earlier, around thirty minutes ago, but nobody answered. SoI’m trying her cell phone now.”

She pressed the phone to her ear,listened to it ring. Nobody answered. A recorded voice announced clearly: “Hi,you’ve reached Maria! I’m not home right now, but leave your name and numberand I’ll get back as soon –” She hit the End Call button.

“She’s probably out with herfriends,” Tanya watched Abdullah yawn, one hand covering his mouth. He noddedin reply, and she put her cell phone back in her bag again.

She knew her daughter was toovivacious to ever be expected to sit home alone, when she could be out with herfriends. No, her daughter was too outgoing, too happy for that. She smiled,thinking of how engaging her daughter was, how bold and bright and colourful.Tanya closed her eyes and leaned back on the bench, letting the sunlight washover her.
Syndicated from: Random Ruminations

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