ŷ������

“REMEMBER: Prayer is not about punishment or reward; it is about cultivating a genuine connection with God. The deep purpose of prayer is not to obtain a certain outcome; rather, it is about having an intimate conversation with your Lord.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“REMEMBER: No matter what happens in your life, if it turns you towards Allah, it is a blessing. Whether Allah is testing you to strengthen you or holding you accountable for a sin you may have committed, the response is the same: turn to Allah and ask for His help and guidance.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“Prayer, then is a means of undressing the ego of its superficiality and coming to the Divine presence with all of our neediness and humility.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“Ramadan is not only to stay thirsty and hungry; it is also to realize the real thirsty and hungry ones to help; it is true worship.”
― Ehsan Sehgal

“The greatest iftar is
to break the fast of apathy,
with the feast of affection.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Visvavictor: Kanima Akiyor Kainat

“The Qur’an is a divine map, a flashlight in the dark night, a compass that leads us back to the home we left so long ago.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“When we are humbled before Allah, we taste something of His greatness. When we focus on our shortcomings, our sins, and mistakes it is easy to lose hope, but when we focus our attention on Allah’s forgiveness, mercy, and love we are able to traverse whatever challenge or obstacle is in our way.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“We do not need to understand every element of our sin to let go of it. The seed doesn’t need to understand the nature of the sun’s light to be moved and transformed by it.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“Ramadan is a time to detach from worldly pleasures and focus on our spiritual growth and connection with Allah”
― Rasti Bahadin

“Tawba is not about our sins as much as it is about Allah’s forgiveness. When we seek refuge in Allah’s mercy we are turning from our human qualities towards His divine attributes. Whether we wrong ourselves or others wrong us, tawba is the vehicle that turns us from our pain, blame and disappointment back toward Allah, who is the source of all hope, mercy, and peace.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“Prayer helps strip us from the false weights of the ego allowing us to be vulnerable enough to receive the blessings Allah has always been pouring upon us.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“We are called to pray like rain, to pour our spirits into the soil of humility as we plant our heads in prostration upon the ground of faith. In prayer, we water the earth of our existence with the cleansing, pure water of God’s own words.”
― A. Helwa, Secrets of Divine Love Journal: Insightful Reflections that Inspire Hope and Revive Faith

“Happy Holidays (The Sonnet)

Spirit of Christmas doesn't grow on a fir tree,
Christmas blooms wherever the heart is hatefree.
Ramadan isn't fulfilled by feasting on some tasty beef,
The greatest of feast is haram if others go hungry.
Hanukkah's miracle isn't about the oil lasting 8 days,
Rather it's about the resilience of light amidst darkness.
Fireworks may be diwali for those still in kindergarten,
Everyday is diwali for an existence rooted in kindness.
The will to love and the will to lift are the backbone,
Of all human celebration, tradition and communion.
Take that fundamental will out of the equation,
All you have left are rituals without meaning and mission.
Fasting, feasting and decorating are step two of any festival.
First and foremost, at our altar within, we gotta light a candle.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Sin Dios Sí Hay Divinidad: The Pastor Who Never Was

“Chrismadan (The Sonnet)

What happens when two ancient cultures come together!
They create a spectacular specimen called dervish advaitin.
When mistletoe and menorrah combine, heart shines brighter,
Beyond belief 'n disbelief, there's a land most enlightening.

Keep your outdated sectarian identities to yourself,
I am Jewistian, Hinduslim, or simply Human Universal.
Be the next civilized step of humankind's evolution,
Not just another savage vessel of mistakes ancestral.

Revitalized by Ramadan, humanized by Christmas,
Let's celebrate Chrismadan, as well as Hanukkawali.
Instead of carrying on as second-hand savages,
Habibi come, let us start living with humanity!

When all religions combine, a modern human is born.
Without integration there is no dawn, just endless mourn.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşk Mafia: Armor of The World

“In Brussel hangt nu Ramadan verlichting in de straten�� De omvolking volgens het boekje: ons volk wordt vervangen door een ander volk en samen met het verdwijnende volk wordt ook de cultuur, manier van leven, tradities en identiteit vervangen��”
― Filip Dewinter

“Fasting and feasting all turn mere futile choir,
If, for whatever reason, life is distant from life.
Celebration of Ramadan is celebration of rahmat*,
Ramadan without *compassion is Ramadan without life.

Ramadan is not a muslim festival,
Ramadan is a human festival.
Ramadan is a reminder to rekindle our light,
Ramadan is the end of all feelings uncharitable.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşk Mafia: Armor of The World

“Ramadan Sonnet

Le jeûne et les festins deviennent
un chœur futile si la vie
est éloignée de la vie.
La célébration du Ramadan est
la célébration du rahmat*,
le Ramadan sans la *compassion
est le Ramadan sans vie.

Le Ramadan n'est pas une fête
musulmane, c'est une fête humaine.
Le Ramadan est un rappel
pour raviver notre lumière,
Le Ramadan met fin à tous
les sentiments peu charitables.

Le plus grand iftar est
de rompre le jeûne de l’apathie,
avec la fête de l’affection.
Pour celui qui vit avec bonté,
chaque jour est le Ramadan.”
― Abhijit Naskar, L'humain Impossible: Cent Sonnets pour Ma Famille Mondiale

“Le plus grand iftar est de rompre le jeûne de l’apathie, avec la fête de l’affection.”
― Abhijit Naskar, L'humain Impossible: Cent Sonnets pour Ma Famille Mondiale

“Sonetto Ramadan

Il digiuno e il banchetto
diventano rituali futili, se
la vita viene separata dalla vita.
La celebrazione del Ramadan
è la celebrazione di rahmat*,
Il Ramadan senza *compassione
è il Ramadan senza vita.

Il Ramadan non è una festa musulmana,
Il Ramadan è una festa umana.
Il Ramadan è un promemoria
per riaccendere la nostra luce,
Il Ramadan pone fine a tutti
i sentimenti scortesi.

L'iftar più grande è rompere il digiuno
dell'apatia, con la festa dell'affetto.
Per chi vive con gentilezza,
il Ramadan viene ogni giorno.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Yüz Şiirlerin Yüzüğü (Ring of 100 Poems, Bilingual Edition): 100 Turkish Poems with Translations

“Le jeûne et les festins deviennent
un chœur futile si la vie
est éloignée de la vie.
La célébration du Ramadan est
la célébration du rahmat*,
le Ramadan sans la *compassion
est le Ramadan sans vie.

Le Ramadan n'est pas une fête
musulmane, c'est une fête humaine.
Le Ramadan est un rappel
pour raviver notre lumière,
Le Ramadan met fin à tous
les sentiments peu charitables.”
― Abhijit Naskar, L'humain Impossible: Cent Sonnets pour Ma Famille Mondiale

“For one who lives with kindness, every day is Ramadan.”
― Abhijit Naskar, L'humain Impossible: Cent Sonnets pour Ma Famille Mondiale

“Ramadhan bukan tentang hari raya; ini tentang kasih sayang.”
― Abhijit Naskar

“Mind begins at the wake of chains,
Life begins at the wake of sect.
A hundred hajj won't make you holy,
If your heart is ever cold and dead.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Dervis Vadisi: 100 Promissory Sonnets

“Rahmat is an act of azan, Rahmat is what makes us holy. When Rahmat and Azan manifest as one, that's the beginning of Ramazan, Christmas and Deepavali.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Vande Vasudhaivam: 100 Sonnets for Our Planetary Pueblo

“الاحتفال برمضان يعني الاحتفال بالرحمة.”
― Abhijit Naskar, Aşk Mafia: Armor of The World

“30 Days of Ramadan (Sufi Sonnet)

On the 1st day of Ramadan I say to thee,
celebration of Ramadan is celebration of rahmat.
On the 2nd day of Ramadan I say to thee,
the greatest iftar is to lift up another.

On the 3rd day of Ramadan I say to thee,
kindness makes moments holy, not date and time.
On the 4th day I say to thee, till we renounce
apathy, refusing 'interest' counts for nothing.

On the 5th day of Ramadan I say to thee,
helping a human is worth a hundred Hajj.
On the 6th day of Ramadan I say to thee,
service to humanity is service to Allah/God.

On 7th I say, true mercy waits for no month.
On 8th I say, mercy exclusive to month is fake mercy.
9. There is nothing uglier than happiness hoarded.
10. Light shared, is amplified, when hoarded, it's lost.
11. Breaking fast while the world starves, is no holy.

12. Dua without deeds is dua (prayer) of the dead.
13. Only kafir is the one who lacks kindness.
14. Real divinity knows no distinction of faith.
15. The opposite of sacredness is prejudice.

16. Heart is the first and final mosque.
17. Heart set on prejudice tantamount to Quran set on fire.
18. Abandon fundamentalism, and adopt tolerance.
19. What's fanatic is dead, what's tolerant is alive.
20. Tolerance is the awakening of divine desire.

21. Condemn none, convert none, for all are equal.
22. All streams spring from the human heart.
23. Reflections though vary, the sun is the same.
24. Tolerate no more bigotry to poison the world.

25. Surpass all fear, and share a date.
26. Date shared is bloodshed spared.
27. Dogma deserted is harmony harvested.
28. Ramadan is the end of fear and hatred.

On the eve of Eid, I bear reminder - for one
who lives with kindness, everyday is Ramadan.
On Eid al-Fitr, I stand as a promise -
in celebrating each other we rise human.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology

“Surpass all fear, and share a date.
Date shared is bloodshed spared.
Dogma deserted is harmony harvested.
Ramadan is the end of fear and hatred.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology

“Surpass all fear, and share a date. Date shared is bloodshed spared.”
― Abhijit Naskar, The God Sonnets: Naskar Art of Theology

“Het is zomer. We vieren Eid al-Fitr, het Suikerfeest, zonder baba.
Het is de eerste keer dat ik me echt eenzaam voel in mijn ei-gen land. Niet alleen omdat baba er niet is. Ik weet dat hij veilig is in België en daar een nieuw en beter leven voor ons zoekt.

Ik voel me eenzaam omdat ik voel en zie dat mama verdrietig is en omdat ze er niet over praat.
Ik voel me eenzaam omdat mijn broers, en zeker de kleine Yasmina, uitkijken naar het Suikerfeest. Soms denk ik dat zij baba niet missen, maar ik weet dat het geen echt feest zal zijn zonder hem.”
― Erik Wouters, Malak

“Als de zon eindelijk onder is en je mag eten, is dat vaak heel gezellig. Die vastenmaaltijd noemen we de iftar. We eten, samen met familie of vrienden.
Maar de ramadan is veel meer dan dat. De ramadan is de heilige maand voor moslims, een maand van verdraagzaamheid, samenhorigheid en houden van elkaar. Dat vind ik mooi.”
― Erik Wouters, Malak