Allhumdolillah! I am at a much better place since my last post with series of lab tests, utlrasounds, a mammogram and some other really scary tests, and a gut wrenching anxiety of results. I am doing well thankfully everything was clear except low iron levels with vitamin d3 deficiency. These deficiencies are now on their way to recovery. It is worth noting that I have been struggling with intense brain and physical fatigue since 2019 but not a single doctor was able to identify my problem. Once somebody is diagnosed with depression or anxiety then every health issue they complain about is looked from the psychological lenses. Nobody asked me to check iron, vitamin b12 or vitamin d3 deficiencies even my mum who is a dermatologist always assured me that I am fine and this weakness is just a phase. It was a phase alright, it engulfed almost 8 years of my life pushed back my career and research ambitions. This is not the case alone with me but there are many people who silentl...
Tired exhausted can't even think
properly, for two weeks now I have been running around finishing one task only to find out something new needs to be handled. Actually the work is not that
exhaustive but I am a bit of Delicate Darling. You take me to shopping and
within an hour I am hungry or thirsty to the point of fainting. Everyone around
me feels fine although slightly tired; but me, I have to feel the extremes.
A large cup of coffee might do
the trick, it might take me out of my current state and enliven me.
We human are strange entities
even though we believe that we far apart and have no verbal connection with
each other yet at our very core we are all connected. We can feel each others
pain, fears or happiness without even knowing that what we feel at times
doesn’t even belong to us.
As I write this post today I could hear the
distant voices of cows, goats, sheep that are bought for the great sacrifice.
Entire neighborhood is bursting with the excited voices of children who are
enjoying company of the animals which their elders have bought for Eid ul azha
or the Greater Eid, which is around the corner.
However this year there are fewer
animals than compared to the last year, which is mostly because this time more
and more people are opting for collective sacrifice in mosques. Collective
sacrifice is gradually becoming a popular practice due to its
cost-effectiveness and ease.
Eid ul Azha is observed on the 10th of
Duhl Hajj, last month of Islamic calendar, and on the conclusion of the Hajj. The
festival is held in the remembrance of the Prophet Ibrahim's (AS) willingness to
sacrifice his son when God ordered him to.
“Allah
appeared to Prophet Ibrahim (AS) in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son Prophet
Isma'il as an act of obedience to God.
Prophet
Ibrahim went through this painful moment where on one hand he had the Divine
Order and on the other he had his beloved son whom he was about to sacrifice to
fulfill the command of Lord Almighty.
He told his son Prophet Ismail about his
dream and that he needed to fulfill what God has ordered him to. Prophet Ismail
consoled his father and encouraged him to perform his duty.
On the way to Mina where Prophet
Ibrahim (AS) was to sacrifice his son the devil appeared in the form of an
old advising man and tempted Prophet
Ibrahim to disobey God and spare his son. But he was steadfast in his
faith thus he rejected devil's provocation.
Just as Prophet
Ibrahim (AS) was about to do the sacrifice God showed his mercy and instead of
Prophet Ismail a lamb was sacrificed.”
This story is also found in Jewish Torah and
Christianity's Old Testament.
This event is not merely about a father
sacrificing his son on the order of God but it has far more depth to it.
"It is not their flesh or their blood that reaches Allah. Rather it is
your piety that reaches Him. Thus has He disposed them for your benefit
so that you may magnify Allah for His guiding you. And give good news to
the virtuous.'' Quran.
God’s Orders
in reality symbolizes His commands to mankind, which are to be honest; to be
fair in our everyday dealings; to give the needy their due and to be at peace
ourselves and to spread peace and joy to others.
Sacrificing of a son by his father is truly sacrificing our wealth, our job, our rank, our power, our lust, our greed, our hidden agendas, the shortcuts we take to
quickly move up the socio-economic ladder.
Eid ul Azha is not be limited to one day but it
requires us to do what is right and just throughout our lives.
The devil is always with us in the form of our
ego, or as the constant stream of negative thoughts in our mind, as the
unnecessary remembrance of our painful past and anxiety about future. And the
only power which can fight this inner devil is awareness. Awareness of the many
faces and forms of devil.
On this and on every Eid year after year may the joy and blessings remain
with you all.
Sonya. (Day 362)
Comments