Appreciating what we have(reminisces of our hajj)

From air conditioned rooms of aziziah to cushioned tents of Mina ..then to the only carpeted tents of arafat..and then finally sleeping under the open sky in Muzdalfah.

At every single place we thought..'would we able to sleep here..and every single time that we proceeded to next place ..we realized we had so much comfort at the previous place.

We do take things for granted. The blessings, comfort ,health, family,friends.Probably we do not realize their worth until they are no more.
After the five days of Hajj , you do learn the art of being content and grateful. Appreciate people, comfort ,love and gifts you have in present. (P.s. Be it a simple tent or open sky..one thing was though common at each of the place .....'a sound sleep'!)

beating hate and hatred

As you walk to long stretches in scorching heat for your pilgrimage, you can see after every few steps.. people in uniforms, volunteers ,teenagers and even school children..ready to sprinkle water over you to beat the heat .They defeat heat along with hatred.They spread love ,kindness and lots of smiles.

While focussing on non-issues ,we frequently tangle ourselves in the differences.

We forget these lines from the last sermon:

"O people: your lives and your property and your honour are inviolable to each other."
Yet we take lives for property and in the name of honour.
Lets beat this heat and hatred by accepting people for what they are.

The devil within

photo courtesy:islamclandmarks

The real devil we have to beat is within us.
It stops us ..
from forgiving,
from loving
and from accepting our differences .

If we beat this devil..we will find peace.