As a parent, I worry about the amount of exposure available to my children.
In my parent’s generation, it was less.
Me growing up it was more.
My kids growing up, it seems almost unavoidable.
I don’t have answers. I think it’ll depend from place to place, culture to culture, family to family, individual to individual. However, there’s something about this quote that gives guidance:
The eyes are yearning for beauty, but when the eyes feast, it leads to a hollow feeling. It’s like we were looking for something but in the wrong place.
There lies a beauty beyond the eyes, which is so encompassing. In accessing it, it elevates the soul.
I pray for my children and the coming generation to make the right choices to experience not just beauty, but the source of beauty.
I used to think to be humble you have to put yourself down, privately and publicly. It’s something that you do by sharing your shortcomings in conversations.
However on further reflection, it seems by criticizing yourself you’re trying to show people how “humble” you are.
Is that really humility? It seems like pride disguised as humility.
It reminds of a quote I once read: “Donβt act so humble; you not that great.”
A man who overtly criticizes himself, is secretly praising himself. ~ Imam Ali
So what is humility?
I don’t think we need to “be humble.” Humility is a natural result of recognizing the truth, that God is the originator of all good. We merely reflect God’s attributes.
Humility will naturally arise as a way of life, by bringing this truth in our awareness.
Our blog has been quiet for the last several months, but we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to publish our next book “40 Sufi Comics – Volume 2”.
We just finalized the cover page!
This book will be a collection of 40 Sufi Comics, along with verses of the Qur’an and reflections from us (Arif & Ali).
We will be officially launching the book on November 16th at Comic-Con Bangalore.Β
Soon after it’ll be available for sale internationally on Amazon and our website.
Keep watching this space.Β More updates coming soon!
The Prophet (SAW) said, βAllah, most High, has receptacles on the earth, and verily they are the hearts. The most beloved of hearts to Allah are the softest ones, the purest ones, and the firmest ones: those that are the softest to their brothers, those that are the most pure from sins, and those that are the firmest [at containing] the essence of Allah.β
Prophet Jesus (AS) said, βAs long as the hearts are not punctured with desires and polluted with greed and hardened by bounties, they will be vessels of wisdom’
They asked βIsa (βa), ‘With whom shall we sit, O Spirit of Allah?’ ‘With one the sight of whom reminds you of Allah,’ he replied, ‘and whose speech increases you in knowledge, and whose actions make you desire the next world.’
A man said to the Messenger of God, “Tell me of some actions I could do which would make me beloved of Allah in heaven and beloved of the people on earth. He replied, “Desire what is with Allah, and Allah will love you, and do without what is with the people, and they will love you