একটি বাংলাদেশ তুমি জাগ্রত জনতার, সারা বিশ্বের বিস্ময় তুমি আমার অহংকার

The preamble of our Constitution states: "We, the people of Bangladesh, having proclaimed our independence on the 26th day of March and through a historic war for national independence, established the independent, sovereign People's Republic of Bangladesh."

On the 39th anniversary of this day, one of the greatest in our history, let us all unite in praying for a truly independent, peaceful, prosperous, powerful, just and proud Bangladesh in days to come.

Let us all work towards betterment of our beloved motherland. Let us do whatever we can, large or small, in serving this glorious land of ours. Let us love Bangladesh, our fellow Bangladeshis, and all that bring betterment for our country. And last but no least, let us pray for God Almighty's special mercy and blessings for her and all her children in this turbulent time of ours.

The SONAR BANGLADESH of our dreams is not far away...

[photo credit: the daily star]

ammu

it was not until my visit home last Christmas that i realized how much sacrifice a mother makes in letting her children go. until then, going away, both for studies and work, has always been an entry to a new world - with all the thrill and excitement making me too blind to notice the sad cry and deep sorrow hidden in my mom's eyes.

this time however things were different. it was a full house with all but one of her seventeen member family gathered under a single roof, a roof that otherwise silently cries out for inhabitants. and for two long weeks, it was just food, fun, and fervor for us grown ups; and quarrels and make ups for the little ones. we all wished time stood still in that little house of ours with nobody ever having to return to the real world. but like all things mortal - and there is nothing worldly that is immortal - there came the time for the dream to end; and for the harsh reality to once again steal us away from our beloved mother's lap. i had a few more days of leave, and thus it was i, alone with my parents and not so little youngest sister.

its these very few days that opened my eyes to a mother's heart. a heart that is so tender, yet so strong. a heart that every single mother have so successfully hidden away from the rest of the world. a heart that we, the children (esp. us men), will never learn to appreciate. a heart that would do anything and everything to hold on to us, yet lets us go because her well-wishes outweigh her love for us. and above all, a heart that will always be there for us - no matter what.

i pray Allah gives all mothers strength to persevere, and that their gone away children grow up to be men and women whom the whole world are proud of.

[photo credit]

what on earth is on with these people?

i wonder how much benefit is there in reading news from bangladesh. but stil i do, at least every now and then. after all, home is home...

just came across this (see image). clash over who will lead the prayer. its simply beyond me how people can argue, let alone fight with fists, in a masjid, and still call themselves devout muslims. masjids are supposed to be houses of GOD Almighty, a place of worship and spiritual strengthening. a place for one to escape the hues of cries and endless selfishness of this mortal world.

everybody has their way of seeing things. so why does it matter what viewpoint prof salahuddin (the newly appointed national khatib) holds, as long as it doesn't unequivocally contradict the fundamental message of islam? if you cant bear him, pray elsewhere. i remember learning dhaka is the city of mosques.

the very same people who outburst with rage over the carnage against humanity in gaza, are the ones violating the sanctity of the house of God - a crime against God Himself. its a funny world, isnt it?

how i dearly wish we all had a little respect for others, a little more toleration for different views, and a lot more introspection for the stances we take.

[photo credit]

today its Gaza. where will it be tommorrow?

today Gaza is being attacked and sane people all over the world are showing their frustration and sympathizing with them. But there is a veiled sense of security, and in the back of our mind we continue to think that this is a conflict too far away from to be much concerned about.

but is that really so... With the recent mumbai attacks be sure that war on terror is much closer to home (in Bangladesh). And every conscious individual knows that this war on terror is just another name of the all out efforts by select few at world domination and subsequent economic, political, cultural, and most importantly mental subjugation of most people.

The one and only way of avoiding such a miserable life is to wake up from our slumber and question ourselves: who are we? where do we come from? and where are we heading to?

today's Gaza can be far from home, but be sure that Gaza of tomorrow will be much closer to home than we can imagine. May GOD be with us.

Best of the best days

In norway, there is a day of the year called crazy day, where most stuffs are given off at rock bottom prices. Almost everyone prepare from months ahead for this crazy day, and shop like crazy when the day arrives. That is how our psychology works, we always want to get more for less.

Allah being our Creator knows this even better, and that is why He has some days of the year better than others. For us to score a few extra points with our regular daily acts of worship, and bag a lot more rewards with minimal added efforts. One such example are the days of Ramadhan where an obligatory act of worship (fardh) is rewarded 700 times or more.

Just as there different degrees of sale (30%, 50%, or 90%), some of these special days are better than others, with the most blessed of them being the days we are going through now - the first ten days of the month of Hajj. The Prophet (pbuh) said that "There are no deeds as excellent as those done in these ten days.[1]”

So dear brothers and sisters, just as we do all within our means to not miss any big sale or offers, let us try our utmost to make best use of these best of the best of days. According to Hadith, some recommended acts of worship for these days are:

1. Fasting, especially on the 9th day (the day of Arafah - i.e. the day before Eid - which is 7th dec in Norway & Saudi Arabia, and 8th dec in Bangladesh). The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Fasting the day of `Arafah I seek from Allah to make it expiate the sins of the year before and the year after"[2]
(note: this fast can be done with dual intention of making up missed fast of Ramadhan as well)

2. Tahajjud prayers - an easy task now with long winter nights.

3. Remembering Allah alot by Tahlil (saying la ilaha illa Allah, i.e. None has the right to be worshiped except Allah), Takbir (saying Allahu Akbar, i.e Allah is the greatest); and Tahmid (saying al-hamdu lillah, i.e. All praise be to Allah) [3]

Of course, it is not limited to these acts of worship only.

P.S.: For those who are offering sacrifice (Qurbani), it is recommended (not compulsory) that they should not cut their hair, nails or skin [4] (I am not sure about trimming / shaving beard / moustache). It is not compulsory, and thus will not effect the sacrifice in any way.

May Allah help us to make best use of these most blessed of days. Ameen.

Source:
[1] Bukhari
[2] Ibn Majah
[3] Ahmad
[4] Ibn Majah

learn more here

[image source: IOL]