Project 365

The sky was lit by the splendor of the moon
So powerful I fell to the ground 
Your love has made me sure 
I am ready to forsake this worldly life
and surrender to the magnificence of your Being

— Jalal ad-Din Rumi

So beautifully written. It makes me wonder, when will I find You? Yes, you, whose love made me sure to forsake this worldly life. And whose love made me surrender to the magnificence of your Being.

Whoever you are, don’t hide. Don’t walk away. Walk slowly so I can find your footpath. And eventually find You.

Forgiving someone who has wronged you won’t make yesterday’s pain disappear, but it will allow tomorrow’s happiness to grow.

— Yasir Qadhi

I got this quote from a friend and it kind of struck me. It made me question myself: why did I forgive you in the first place?

Was it because I wanted to let go of the past? Or was it because I didn’t want to give a damn about you anymore? Or was it because I wanted to throw away all the burdens I had?

The answers were: yes, to all of the above questions.

But then, the question continued: why should I forgive you when I didn’t even want to deal with you anymore?

Forgiveness was one thing. To keep in touch was another thing. I thought.

But did it make my forgiveness genuine?

Well, let’s refer to the dictionary to know what ‘forgive’ really means. To stop feeling angry or resentful toward (someone) for an offense, flaw, or mistake.

The truth was, I was no longer angry at you. If I was, I wouldn’t be care enough to reply your messages. Or to ask how you were doing.

That day when you asked me if I would forgive you, I said yes. Yes. With no questions asked. No uncertainties inquired. And no conditions told.

Perhaps, this was the quickest way to officially close the book. I may or may not open the book again and continue with a new chapter. But for now, I’d prefer it to be closed and be stored in a dusty place. Just like I always did for the other books.

I had never felt so relieved until that day! 🙂

Goodbye, you.

If anyone killed a person not in retaliation of murder, or (and) to spread mischief in the land – it would be as if he killed all mankind, and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of all mankind

Barangsiapa yang membunuh seorang manusia, bukan karena orang itu (membunuh) orang lain, atau bukan karena membuat kerusakan dimuka bumi, maka seakan-akan dia telah membunuh manusia seluruhnya. Dan barangsiapa yang memelihara kehidupan seorang manusia, maka seolah-olah dia telah memelihara kehidupan manusia semuanya.

Al-Qur’an 5:32

I wonder why nothing is mentioned about this verse in any of those articles, books, movies, and news which argue that our beloved Qur’an is the source of a violence.

And I wonder if any of those terrorists ever read this part of the verse.

They are all ignorant uneducated selfish people!

She was the wife who believed in me when others rejected me. When people gave me the lie, she affirmed my truthfulness. When I stood forsaken, she spent her wealth to lighten the burden of my sorrow.

— Prophet Muhammad SAW

Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul ‘afwa fa’fu anni

O Allah, You are Most Forgiving, and You love forgiveness; so forgive me.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; to return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips

— Kahlil Gibran

On this day, you read something that moved you and made you realise there were no more fears to fear. No tears to cry. No head to hang in shame. That every time you thought you’d offended someone, it was all just in your head and really, they love you with all their heart and nothing will ever change that. That everyone and everything lives on inside you. That that doesn’t make any of it any less real.

That soft touches will change you and stay with you longer than hard ones.

That being alone means you’re free. That old lovers miss you and new lovers want you and the one you’re with is the one you’re meant to be with. That the tingles running down your arms are angel feathers and they whisper in your ear, constantly, if you choose to hear them. That everything you want to happen, will happen, if you decide you want it enough. That every time you think a sad thought, you can think a happy one instead.

That you control that completely.

That the people who make you laugh are more beautiful than beautiful people. That you laugh more than you cry. That crying is good for you. That the people you hate wish you would stop and you do too.

That your friends are reflections of the best parts of you. That you are more than the sum total of the things you know and how you react to them. That dancing is sometimes more important than listening to the music.

That the most embarrassing, awkward moments of your life are only remembered by you and no one else. That no one judges you when you walk into a room and all they really want to know, is if you’re judging them. That what you make and what you do with your time is more important than you’ll ever fathom and should be treated as such. That the difference between a job and art is passion. That neither defines who you are. That talking to strangers is how you make friends.

That bad days end but a smile can go around the world. That life contradicts itself, constantly. That that’s why it’s worth living.

That the difference between pain and love is time. That love is only as real as you want it to be. That if you feel good, you look good but it doesn’t always work the other way around.

That the sun will rise each day and it’s up to you each day if you match it. That nothing matters up until this point. That what you decide now, in this moment, will change the future. Forever. That rain is beautiful.

And so are you.

* A beautiful piece by Iain Thomas @ I Wrote This For You.

And though the waves might bring you down and though the currents might pull you under, the sky is always still right above you. And your friends will show you the way.

— Iain Thomas @ I Wrote This For You

Yes, my friends will show me the way. They already did. I just can’t stop being thankful for their lovely presence :). For their ‘commitment’ on this friendship. For everything they have done to me. Though they always feel that they did nothing; trust me, it’s something significant to me.

And there’s him. Despite of our past, he’s somehow always there, appearing in front of my door every single time with his lovely smile, expecting nothing than a delightful moment together. We understood that it couldn’t go any further, for we sail to different directions. But we are in the same ship. And we’re going to cherish every memories of our friendship.

And that’s how a real grown-up is supposed to act. Don’t you agree? 🙂

* Got a lovely present and I’m happy! Thanks!

Literacy unlocks the door to learning throughout life, is essential to the development and health, and opens the way for democratic participation and active citizenship.

— Kofi Annan

… the most revered example of reconciling leadership is Nelson Mandela, who invited the men who guarded him in jail to his inauguration as president of South Africa, put leaders who had supported apartheid in his cabinet and set up the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to give people who had committed crimes during the apartheid era the chance to avoid imprisonment by confessing. Mandela decided that the only way he or the people of South Africa could be free to face the future was to let go of the past. Because of all that he had suffered, he had the credibility to do it.

— Bill Clinton in Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World

To be honest, I didn’t know much about Nelson Mandela, except that he was thrown into prison due to his anti-apartheid activities. So when I read this, I thought, “Wow!”. He’s indeed amazing! I should definitely read his autobiography.