“It is often said that people who cohabitate for long periods begin to acquire physical similarities: they begin to look alike. Facial expressions are subconsciously mimicked, body language is mirrored and vernacular is imitated. This process is known as trait assimilation.”
There are many people who have physically died but their character has kept them alive, and there are also many people who are physically alive but their sins have destroyed them.
A man said to Ibn Abbas, “The Jews say that Shaytan does not whisper in their hearts, is this true?” Ibn Abbas replied, “Of course, what would a thief want in an empty house!”
The sons of the Sultan are brave men and bold
And quite unaccustomed to fear.
But the bravest by far in the ranks of the Shah
Was Abdul Abulbul Ameer.
Now the heroes were plenty and well known to fame
In the troops that were led by the Tsar.
And the bravest of these was a man by the name
Of Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
One day this bold Russian had shouldered his gun,
And donned his most truculent sneer.
Downtown he did go, where he trod on the toe
Of Abdul Abulbul Ameer.
“Young man,” quoth Abdul, “Has life grown so dull,
That you wish to end your career?
Vile infidel, know, you have trod on the toe
Of Abdul Abulbul Ameer.”
Said Ivan, “My friend, your remarks, in the end,
Will avail you but little, I fear.”
“For you never will survive to repeat them alive.
Mr. Abdul Abulbul Ameer.”
“So take your last look at sunshine and brook.
And send your regrets to the Tsar.
For by this I imply, you are going to die
Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.”
Then this bold Mameluke drew his trusty skibouk.
With a cry of, “Allah-Akbar!”
And with murderous intent, he ferociously went
For Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
They fought all that night, beneath the pale yellow moon.
The din, it was heard from afar.
And huge multitudes came, so great was the fame,
Of Abdul and Ivan Skavar.
As Abdul’s long knife was extracting the life —
in fact he was shouting “Huzzah!”
He felt himself struck by that wily Kalmuck,
Count Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
The Sultan drove by in his red-crested fly,
Expecting the victor to cheer.
But he only drew nigh, to hear the last sigh,
Of Abdul Abulbul Ameer.
Tsar Petrovich too, in his spectacles blue,
Rode up in his new crested car.
He arrived just in time to exchange a last line,
With Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
There’s a tomb rises up, where the blue Danube flows,
Engraved there in characters clear:
“Ah, stranger when passing, oh pray for the soul
Of Abdul Abulbul Ameer.”
A Muscovite maiden her lone vigil keeps
Beneath the light of the pale polar star
And the name that she murmurs as oft as she weeps,
Is Ivan Skavinsky Skavar.
– William Percy French
When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons, what the hell am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give YOU lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the man who’s gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I’m gonna get my engineers to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down.
(Inspired by Quote from Portal 2)
Once as the prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam was sitting in a room with ‘Aisha raḍyAllāhu ‘anha fixing his own shoes, ‘Aisha happened to look to his blessed forehead and noticed that there were beads of sweat on it. Mesmerised by the majesty of that sight she remained transfixed staring at him long enough for him to notice.
The Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, “What’s the matter?” She replied, “If Abu Bukair Al-Huthali, the poet, saw you, he would know that his poem was written for you.” The Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam asked, “What did he say?” She replied,
“Abu Bukair said that if you looked to the majesty of the moon, it twinkles and lights up the world for everybody to see.”
So the Prophet ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam got up, walked to ‘Aisha, kissed her between the eyes, and said,
“Wallahi ya ‘Aisha, you are like that to me and more.”
“If you know yourself, then you’ll not be harmed by what is said about you.”
— Imam Sufyaan at-Thawree.
In September 1931, when Allama Iqbal was in England to attend the second round table conference, Italian Government sent its emissaries and requested him to visit Italy. While in Italy sometime in November 1931, Allama Iqbal received a message through Dr. Scorpa, the Italian Councilor in Mumbai that Mussolini wanted to meet him. Dr. Iqbal accepted his invitation and met the Italian Dictator on November 27 in his ‘famous hall’.
During the course of the meeting Mussolini asked Iqbal, “You’re a Muslim, What do you except we Italians to do?”
Dr. Iqbal replied, “Europe has left with no moral values. Stop blindly following Europe and learn lessons from the East.”
Mussolini then requested Dr. Iqbal to give few more suggestions. Iqbal said, “Limit the size of the population of a city and don’t allow overcrowding of the cities. After a city reaches this limit, create new settlements and cities for the people.”
A bemused Mussolini requested Iqbal to elaborate further. Iqbal said, “As population of a city increases, its moral values and economic power start waning. Worst, immoral activities start challenging the cultural strength.”
Mussolini looked at Allama Iqbal in disbelief for a moment but in the next moment stood from his chair, struck his staff to the ground and shouted in excitement, “What an excellent idea!”
‘Ali raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu came home one day from a journey that he had been dispatched on by the Prophet Muhammed ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to find his wife, Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet, raḍyAllāhu ‘anha brushing her teeth with a siwak – twig of an Arak (Salvadoran persica) tree used for brushing teeth. Spontaneously, Ali raḍyAllāhu ‘anhu, spouted out poetic endearment:
هنئت يا عود الأراك بثغرها
أما خشيت يا أراكُ أراك؟
لو كان غيرك يا سواك قتلته
ما فاز منى يا سواكُ سواك
Fortunate are you O twig of the Arak tree,
Have you no fear of me observing you in this embrace?
If it were other than you, O Siwak! I would have killed you!
None found this fortune of embrace before me, but you.
Imagine you are standing in one of those long queues in Primark. The woman in front of you has forgotten her purse, and you realise that you have too. However, your friend is at the back of the queue and she has your purse. Before you can jump in front of the girl without her purse, your mate needs to throw you your purse. Only when you’ve got your purse in your hand can you then go in front of her and pay for your stuff.
