Bringing authenticity into your life and it's consequences.

As we look at the world around us, we see that no two things are identical. No two snowflakes are ever the same – nor are they intended to be. Rather, each form is a distinct expression, and this applies to us as well. The universe does not intend our life to be a copy of someone else’s life. We are each magnificently unique, and the inner impulse to express this is what drives us to be authentic. - 

A move into greater authenticity is always a move into greater levels of empowerment, creative self-expression, and overall wellbeing

This is because we are moving towards our truer and greater self. Our interactions with the world and with others become more fulfilling and more alive. Our joy and fulfillment rise to higher levels -

 See more at: http://www.chopra.com/ccl/authenticity-a-closer-look?utm_source=October%20Newsletter%20&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=October_2013_Newsletter#sthash.x5oIWswU.dpuf 

Love of the Beloved of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) Mercy for the multiverse.

Beautiful tale of the Love of the Beloved of God, Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W), The Mercy for the universe and Multiverse, How the Prophetic Companions (Sihabah) loved him.

A companion came to meet the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) and said: " Oh Prophet of Allah! By God! You are dearer to me than my own life. You are dearer to me than my own family. And you're dearer to me than my children. Whenever I am at home and do not see you, it becomes difficult for me to endure, so I come to see you. Whenever I think of the time when you and I will pass away, It disturbs me that You will be among the Prophets in higher abodes in jannah and even if I enter jannah, I will not be able to see you."
The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) did not immediately reply him and soon this Ayah was revealed:
(Nisa:69) "وَمَنْ يُطِعِ اللَّهَ وَالرَّسُولَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ مَعَ الَّذِينَ أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالصِّدِّيقِينَ وَالشُّهَدَاءِ وَالصَّالِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُولَٰئِكَ رَفِيقًا
69. اور جو کوئی اللہ اور رسول(صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) کی اطاعت کرے تو یہی لوگ (روزِ قیامت) ان (ہستیوں) کے ساتھ ہوں گے جن پر اللہ نے (خاص) انعام فرمایا ہے جو کہ انبیاء، صدیقین، شہداءاور صالحین ہیں، اور یہ بہت اچھے ساتھی ہیں

And whoever obeys Allah and His Messenger (blessings and peace be upon him) are the people who will be in the company of those (spiritual dignitaries on the Last Day) whom Allah has blessed with His (special) favour: the Prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the most pious. And how excellent these companions are!

(Tabrani: Mu'jam-ul-Aosat
Haissami: Majma'uz-Zavaid 7:7
Qazi Ayaz: As-Shifa 2:566
Mullah Ali Qari: Sharh-ush-Shifa, 2:39,40)

Bekhudi Besabab nahiin Ghalib.. in the mesmerising voice of Abida Perveen

Phir Kuch Is Dil Ko Beqarari Hai
Sina Zoya-e-zakhm-e-kari Hai


Phir Usi Bewafa Pe Marte Hain
Phir Wahi Zindagi Hamari Hai

Phir Diya Para-e-jigar Ne Sawal
Ek Fariyad-o-ah-o-zari Hai

Phir Hue Hain Gawah-e-ishq Talab
Ashqbari Ka Hukm jari Hai

Dil-o-mizshgan Ka Jo Muqadma Tha
Aj Phir Us Ki Rubqari Hai

Bekhudi Besabab Nahi 'ghalib'
Kuch To Hai Jis Ki Pardadari Hai 

The Sufi gratitude

Whatever happens in your life, no matter how

troubling things might seem, do not enter the

neighbourhood of despair. Even when all doors

remain closed, God will open up a new path only for

you. Be thankful!It is easy to be thankful when all is

well. A Sufi is thankful not only for what he has

been given but also for all that he has been denied.

(Forty Rules of Love: Elif Shafak)

Moving towards higher consciousness..

The possibility of achieving the highest level of actualization exists only if we are surrounded on a regular basis with others moving towards higher consciousness.

In the face of overwhelming challenges all around us, the only thing we can do is make our little corner of the world more safe, welcoming, friendly, kind, caring and loving.

Read full article at:
http://blogs.psychcentral.com/relationship-skills/2013/09/breaking-the-cycle-of-loneliness/

Playing your instrument..

"Your Destiny is the level where you will play your time. You might not change your instrument, but how well to play is entirely in your hands."
(Elif Shafak, Forty Rules of Love)

Misleading Myth about education!

One of the most dangerous and misleading myths that still endures in the field of education is the idea that tests used to measure and compare students to one another are scientifically objective. They are not, in my opinion, absolutely not. 

Young people are not inert rocks or chemicals in a test tube, and they are not machines. They are curious, creative and continuously changing living beings. As such, the use of high-stakes testing to sort and compare children with one another can be very misleading and potentially destructive. 

That doesn't mean that assessments play no role in education, they most definitely do. What experienced teachers understand is that whenever you provide a child with an assessment on their abilities you must be very careful about it. 

Well designed assessments are given to help students become aware of their weaknesses, so that they can improve in those areas. 

This is how the best teachers and coaches motivate and inspire their students. They are constantly giving the learner feedback on little details of their progress, with the shared goal of helping them improve their skills and abilities, to master what they are learning. 

Assessment of learning is key, but the subjective component is always in the forefront of the teacher's mind. Feedback given in this way promotes growth, motivation and greater learning. It is a key component of the student/teacher relationship, grounded in trust, respect and an awareness of the learner's potential.

The care, flexibility and personal support the teacher demonstrates is a crucial component of the process. This is why teaching is more an art form then a science, as is also true of learning. 

Every child is different, with different strengths, weaknesses, motivations, learning styles and interests. If you use standardized test results to compare them to one another the effect is to decrease motivation for those who fall into the bottom of your assessment basket. 

The result is that schooling becomes "miseducative" for far too many children, as John Dewey described it.

~Christopher
The Art of Learning

Beautiful Scene of ducks in small pond in Islamabad

beautiful scene of ducks in a small pond in Islamabad, Pakistan. 

Dr. Moiz Hussain's lecture 20th June 2013..

Dr. Moiz's lecture.. Discussion on Third Eye, intuition, Cosmos Energy, Reiki, and Compromise and Sacrifice.

drmoizhussain on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Education is different from indoctrination.

A good education is one that liberates, empowers, and enhances individuals, not one that imposes and instills what external agencies believe individuals should learn. Education is different from indoctrination.

Don't hold grudges!

"Don’t hold grudges, even if you feel you are being treated badly, be the first to apologize.Don’t let the dunya (life) and little things hold you back, keep reminding yourself of your destination and where you want to get to. 
The heat and the fire of revenge you feel in your heart is the biggest whisper of Satan, don’t ignite the fire further put a stop to it. 
Don’t be a stone, become water, that changes directions when obstacles are put in its way and always reaches its destination."

-Shaykh Muhammad Saqib bin Iqbal al-Shaam

Muhammad (S.A.W), The Perfection Of Character

The personality of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W) is the best example for us in every aspect and dimension. So when you study the Seerah of the Prophet(S.A.W.) you get a complete picture of perfection of human character. His beautiful character, social life, bravery and courage, patience and perseverance, truthfulness and trustworthiness, thought and vision, justice and jurisprudence, benevolence, and mercy paint the picture of an ideal human being. 

The student of Seerah will see the Prophet (S.A.W) as the great leader , flawless thinker and administrator, a great judge and provider of justice, unmatchable law-giver and legislator, exemplary leader of war, the most trustworthy businessman, a perfect citizen, the best husband and head of the family, a successful head of the state and thus a perfect human being in every possible way.

(Muqaddima Seerat-ur-Rasool (S.A.W) by Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri)

When you Spoke the truth, they hated you!

It was always like this. When you spoke the truth,

they hated you. The more you talked about love, the

more they hated you.

(Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak)

Loss of spiritual energy.

"I turned back and walked toward him, looking hard

into his burning eyes. Instinctively, distrustfully, he

flinched. Still, when I grabbed his right hand and turned

his palm up, he didn’t push me away. I inspected the

lines and found them deep, cracked, marking uneven

paths. Bit by bit, the colors in his aura appeared to me:

a rusty brown and a blue so pale as to be almost gray.

His spiritual energy was hollowed out and thinned

around the edges, as if it had no more strength to

defend itself against the outside world. Deep inside, the

Man was no more alive  than a wilting plant. To make up

for the loss of his spiritual  energy, he had doubled up his physical energy, which he used in excess."

Words from "the Forty Rules of Love" by elif Shafak..

a single word can brighten the face..

A single word can brighten the face
of one who knows the value of words.
Ripened in silence, a single word
acquires a great energy for work.
War is cut short by a word,
and a word heals the wounds,
and there's a word that changes
poison into butter and honey.

{Yunus Emre}

Ya Nabi (S.A.W).. a beautiful naat

kamli walay mein qurban teri shan per,

sub ki bigri banana tera kaam hai,

thokrain kha ke girna mera kaam hai,

her qadam pe uthana tera kaam hai

Faiz jari tera ta qayamat rahay

teri nabiyon pe qaayam imamat rahay,

teri naatain sunana mera kaam hai,

mere gham ko mitana tera kaam hai ..

Saaqiya jaan qurban tere jaam per,

ho nigaah-e-karam apne khudaam per,

chor di hum ne kashti tere naam per,

ab kinaray lagana tera kaam hai.

tu ne qatray ko dekha gohar ker diya,

tu ne zarray ko dekha to zar ker diya,

tu ne habshi to rashk-e-Qamar ker diya

ulta sooraj phirana tera kaam hai. 

Intelligence!

Education is meant to be an active open-ended process of exploration and discovery.

"Education isn't something that happens to children. It's not a pre-packaged sequence of out-of-context skills and information and it's certainly not something that schools should be forcing large groups of age-segregated children to passively absorb at exactly the same time and in exactly the same way. All the while resorting to a whole bunch of external rewards and punishments to get them to do it. What education is meant to be is an active open-ended process of exploration and discovery. It's one that children are entirely capable of directing themselves.."

~Chris Mercogliano~

TED Talk: The Self-Organizing Child
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0fg73WnLWQ

What learning really is..

"I had incredible teachers. And as I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself — my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity — all of these things came from how I was parented and taught.

And none of these qualities that I’ve just mentioned — none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy, that have brought me so much professional success — none of these qualities that make me who I am ... can be tested.

I said before that I had incredible teachers. And that’s true. But it’s more than that. My teachers were EMPOWERED to teach me. Their time wasn’t taken up with a bunch of test prep — this silly drill and kill nonsense that any serious person knows doesn’t promote real learning. No, my teachers were free to approach me and every other kid in that classroom like an individual puzzle. They took so much care in figuring out who we were and how to best make the lessons resonate with each of us. They were empowered to unlock our potential. They were allowed to be teachers.

Now don’t get me wrong. I did have a brush with standardized tests at one point. I remember because my mom went to the principal’s office and said, ‘My kid ain’t taking that. It’s stupid, it won’t tell you anything and it’ll just make him nervous.’ That was in the ’70s when you could talk like that.

I shudder to think that these tests are being used today to control where funding goes.

I don’t know where I would be today if my teachers’ job security was based on how I performed on some standardized test. If their very survival as teachers was not based on whether I actually fell in love with the process of learning but rather if I could fill in the right bubble on a test. If they had to spend most of their time desperately drilling us and less time encouraging creativity and original ideas; less time knowing who we were, seeing our strengths and helping us realize our talents.

I honestly don’t know where I’d be today if that was the type of education I had. I sure as hell wouldn’t be here. I do know that.

This has been a horrible decade for teachers. I can’t imagine how demoralized you must feel. But I came here today to deliver an important message to you: As I get older, I appreciate more and more the teachers that I had growing up. And I’m not alone. There are millions of people just like me.

So the next time you’re feeling down, or exhausted, or unappreciated, or at the end of your rope; the next time you turn on the TV and see yourself called “overpaid;” the next time you encounter some simple-minded, punitive policy that’s been driven into your life by some corporate reformer who has literally never taught anyone anything. ... Please know that there are millions of us behind you. You have an army of regular people standing right behind you, and our appreciation for what you do is so deeply felt. We love you, we thank you and we will always have your back."

~ Matt Damon, Save Our Schools March 7/30/2011

A video of the full speech can be viewed here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Jh3Z52KV0

American Teacher (2011 documentary narrated by Matt)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24KHuunPogo

Never lose hope

My dear friend never lose hope
when the Beloved sends you away.

If you're abandoned if you're left hopeless
tomorrow for sure you'll be called again.

If the door is shut right in your face
keep waiting with patience don't leave right away.

Seeing your patience your love will soon
summon you with grace raise you like a champion.

And if all the roads end up in dead ends
you'll be shown the secret paths no one will comprehend. { Jelaluddin Rumi}