Skip to main content

Balance is the best key

Image
By
Last Ramadan I resolved to soften my heart and I wrote about it in my blog post. This Ramadan I resolve to find balance. I am a big proponent of holistic living. I think that everything has advantages and disadvantages and we are always trying to balance both of these. I did not know what I would set as my theme this year but then I remembered my favorite prayer (or dua).

Rabbana atina fid dunya hasanatan wa fil akhirati hasanatan wa qina azaban naar.

Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the punishment of the Fire!

Sometimes we are attracted to that which is not good for us. Sometimes we want and ask for things that are not good for us. Sometimes we end up on the wrong path going in the wrong direction. Sometimes we focus on this world and neglect the next life. Finding balance means wanting good in this life and the next life and working towards this. Life is a test and we endeavor our best to pass this test. We can be tested with both good things and bad things. Finding balance means being humbled by our imperfections and making the best of what we have.

If I see balance as the key then what is the door that is being opened? I think the door leads to God's mercy and favors. My original title was "balance is the key" then I figured out I could make it 19 letters and 23 with spaces by adding the word best. But why would I want to add the word best? Maybe there are multiple doors and different levels and this is a master key that can open all of these? Maybe this is the key that leads to all the other keys? Maybe this is the best one for me. Maybe my mind is trying to tell me something through rhyme like "life is a test and to get the best out of it you need balance and leave the rest up to God and you will be blest". That might be the best way to end this blog post and I could say that's a w-rap!

*Ahsan is an Arabic word meaning best and I read that Ahsan is the superlative of Hassan

*Surah 2 verse 143 tells us: Thus, have We made of you an Ummat justly balanced, that ye might be witnesses over the nations, and the Messenger (saw) a witness over yourselves;

*Some translation say "middle nation"

*143 is exactly half (the middle) of the 286 verses of that surah
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cup of coffee

By
This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . The cool morning breeze blew the hat off the tourist passing the coffee shop. We sat at the table waiting for our order of coffee and bagels. I had stayed up late writing and was now needing caffeine to stay awake. On entering the veranda of the coffee shop, the sign reads "happiness is a cup of coffee" and "sip your troubles away". This had me thinking about what is happiness? And was the theme of my chat with Chatty as we enjoyed our breakfast in Tobago. I told my friend Chatty that if we could put happiness in a bottle and sell it we would be rich. My friend Chatty then told me that money cannot buy happiness but it was a good idea to make a living. If according to the sign, happiness is a cup of coffee then maybe happiness is coffee in a bottle then. We could call it Caffibean, a taste of the Caribbean in Tobago, a blend of the happiest coffee beans from Tobago. Tobago is not known for its coffee p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sandy beaches

By
This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . This story begins on a cool Friday evening in May. Fridays are the best days. Already a great start. It had rained earlier in the day and the clouds were moving away and the sun peeking through. I walked from the apartment where I was staying to Pigeon Point beach. Along the way I stopped for coconut water freshly extracted from the nut and straight into my mouth leaving traces on my cotton jersey. They say that coconut water is the drink of God—fresh from the nut, sweet with a hint of salt, a liquid reminder that paradise can exist in small and simple things. They did not say that but my friend Chatty did. It is my friend Chatty's first trip to Tobago. I asked him what he thinks of Tobago so far? He grinned, wiping a drop of coconut water from the corner of his mouth. "Man… it is like stepping into a painting. The air, the colors, the way everything smells after the rain—it is unreal. I did not know paradise cam...
Post a Comment
Read more

Under the lights

By
This is a chapter from my latest book called Breezes of Tobago . Today we stumbled upon a game of night football at the recreational ground. There was a red card and a penalty. Somehow the striker was able to bend the ball into the corner of the net and with what looked to me like help from a strong breeze. I was a neutral supporter and was just waiting for goals to be scored. Tobago has produced the famous Man United player in Dwight Yorke. My friend Chatty says that there is something special about local football where the breeze, the crowd noise, and pure instinct all become part of the play. Maybe we are here watching the next Dwight Yorke in the making, his story just beginning to unfold under the lights. Maybe the next famous Tobagonian footballer will play for the noisy neighbors of Man City. I spoke to a young lad selling juices from a cooler and he had to agree. He wiped his hands on his shorts and looked out at the pitch with a seriousness beyond his years. The ice clinked in...
Post a Comment
Read more