#beautiful perspective

[kauanhuc]

[gardenofreminders]

Salah - A Beautiful Reminder  Our five daily prayers are a way to curb over-attachment to anything material. The five prayers regulate our lives with their specific timings to teach us that indeed Allah is greater than anything else that we might be occupied in at that moment. The dawn prayer teaches us that the most beloved thing to us, comfort and sleep, should not control us – so we rise up in the cold morning, wash ourselves and pray in an acknowledgement that Allah is greater than our love of comfort and sleep. The midday and afternoon prayer teaches us that no matter how engrossed we are with work or the short lunch hour that we so highly value, it’s not the purpose of our existence. So we leave it for a few minutes and stand and pray testifying that Allah is indeed greater. On Friday, we dedicate most, if not all of our lunch hour to attend the Friday sermon and prayer. The dusk prayer, that time when we’re finally home and about to spend time with our family, eat dinner or simply relax – we get up and pray together to confirm that Allah is Greater than any of that. Finally the night prayer, Isha’ – when we’re tired after a long day of work and responsibilities ready to fall into bed and sleep, we pray again proving that submitting to Allah is greater than falling into the warm bed. All these serve as constant reminders to us that as much as we love life, we live for a higher purpose. (Mansoor Ahmed)

[noenemieswithin]

So don’t feel bad for me, because I live in bed. Don’t assume that life is passing me by, or that there’s some sort of richness to the world that can only be experienced by moving around all the time, never by staying still. Don’t assume that I would be happier if I could go out dancing, socializing, or shopping. And don’t expect me to apologize for my happiness in a world that expects me to be miserable to the point of suicide. This is who I am, this is how I live, and my life has plenty of meaning as I am now, not as you imagine I could be in a non-existent world where I was cured. ... And nobody ever talks about this kind of thing. Everyone talks about life passing you by. But life is not passing me by. Life is flowing through me and around me, and doing all the normal things life actually does. The idea of life passing you by is an illusion. A powerful and dangerous illusion, but still an illusion. Life is right here, all the time, strong and powerful, wherever you happen to be. It’s there whether you feel it or not. It is strong and it will fill you up with everything you need in life.

youneedacat

[hotbloodedwomanchild]

“Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”

-Anne Frank