When There's No Tomorrow Release!

A few months ago I mentioned that I was my book 'When There's No Tomorrow' was getting published. I am proud to announce that it is now on sale on various online bookstores. It's my goal to get it into local bookstores over the next few months as well. 

You can find my book on the Angus and Robertson, Amazon, Book Depository, Xlibris and Barnes and Noble bookstore sites. It's also available on Kindle, Kobo and Nook if you'd like it as a e-book.

If you missed my previous post, here's a look at the front and the blurb.  You can also check out this website for more info on the book.

The economy has collapsed, Earth’s population has been reduced to practically nothing and the world is split between two factions – The Nationals and the Forgotten.

80 years ago the worst war in human history began. 10 years ago it ended. At least that's what the history books say. But everyone knows; history books lie. The war never ended. It's still going; there just aren’t enough people alive anymore to dispute it. 

My name is Kalina. My father is chief of my people, the Forgotten. The rebel scum, you may know us as. Pirates and swindlers. But we're not. We're just people fighting together to make a stand against injustice. Making a stand for our freedom. 

But it's not that simple though; freedom and justice. Who chooses what is and what isn't right? Who chooses who lives and who dies? 

Someone once asked me, who are we to stop a war? I ask you, who are we not to? 

Sound good? I hope so! Feel free to comment or ask any questions. 

Caring for others, Caring for yourself

Sometimes...

You try so hard to take care of everyone else

That you forget to take care of yourself

*****

Me right now, and honestly... most of the time. So many people need help, and yet no one seems to care. It feels like the world is on your shoulders, and everyone needs some of your time, or love, or assistance. But then when you need help, no one looks twice. Somewhere along the line, you stop caring too.    

Finding your Muslim Identity - How? When? Why?

Your Muslim Identity.

    What do these words mean??? Is it referring to how you dress and act or is it in relation to something more?? And how do we manage our Muslim identity? How does it define who we are?

     Being a Muslim can sometimes be tough, especially whilst living in a western society where Haraam acts are the norm and in many cases considered ‘cool’. Many kids see being Muslim as a curse, a constant sign over their head declaring them as lame and no fun. Some Muslim kids and even Muslim adults will put on a disguise of sorts around non-Muslims; acting more like the people with which they are interacting.

   So how can we feel comfortable around all people, of all faiths, as a Muslim? How can we pull on our Muslim ’skin’ and keep it on with no disguises? How can we be the Muslim we ought to be but still be the person we want to be?

     So many kids nowadays will look at others and think, ’I wish I could do that’ or ’I  wish I could wear those clothes’ and maybe even more commonly, I wish I looked pretty like that; sometimes thinking this without realising that whatever they are missing out on isn’t actually that great a deal and that they look stunning just the way they are, even in their ‘Muslim wraps.’

     How many times have you looked out at the world and wished yourself someone else? How many times have you lain awake at night day-dreaming about being a stranger? However, why would you want to be a stranger, someone who is as strange to you as living on the bottom of the sea is? What is the popular saying? Grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? But it’s not really. Everything seems better as something else, someone else, someday else; it’s human nature to never be satisfied.

     Yet it is our obligation to be satisfied. Allah (swt) has given us so much and yet we are always ungrateful, trying to get more. Why? What is the purpose? Sure, we should always try our best in life but we should try for the sake of Allah, for the sake of ourselves. How will indulging ourselves in the Dunya serve us? How will shedding our Muslim skins help us in the Hereafter?

     So it’s time to take off the masks and put on the shining shroud of Islam. No more hanging around people who just don’t want to know about the truth. No more acting like a Western delinquent. It’s time to embrace the inner Muslim and show it to the world.

     How though? It can be scary to fully show yourself to the world. How can we be a Muslim without cutting ourselves off from everything? Easy!

* Keep a reminder with you, either mental or written down and whenever you find yourself longing over things from the Dunya, things which are anti-Islam or just some small thing which isn't necessary, take your reminder and cleanse your heart.

* Read a lot. Islamic books are extremely useful for expanding knowledge and growing inside. With knowledge comes wisdom and with wisdom comes faith. But don't stop with just Islamic books! There are many, many books out there which are beneficial, you just need to find them and keep an open mind.   

* Be yourself. Most importantly you need to be yourself. Don’t do something drastically Islamic as such if you yourself don’t feel it in your heart. Life is short, yet it is full of time. Use your time to grow, to learn and to embrace the inner Muslim that is there in everyone of us. 

Because then, you’ll be ready to show yourself to the world.

You ask why I am a Muslim

You ask why I am a Muslim

Without taking into account the signs

You ask why I devote myself to something strange and alien

Without looking at the bigger picture

So don’t look at me and ask

Why I stand and proudly declare

That I am a Muslim

Without stopping and looking around

At the shining sun

At the light of the full moon

At the leaves as they twirl and dance in the evening breeze

Look around and see the miracles of the everyday world

And think…

Why am I a Muslim?

Don’t ask me why I am what I am

Why I insist on a different fashion and belief

Without closing your eyes and listening

To the wail of the wind

To the crack of approaching thunder

To the cry of a newborn child

Listen to the sounds of life

Of the amazing world around you

And ponder…

Why am I a Muslim?

Don’t accuse me of not knowing right from wrong

Don’t say that I don’t know the truth

Without reaching out your arms

And embracing the world

Feel the brush of the carpet as you prostrate to your Lord

Feel the smoothness of the paper as you read the words of your provider

Feel the prickle of the grass underfoot

Feel the tide of the water as you face the vast oceans

And ask yourself…

Why am I a Muslim?

With such a magnificent world

So beautiful,

So amazing,

So perfect,

How can I not believe in a creator?

A Lord of the worlds

A King over all Kings?

How can I look at such a world?

At how perfectly constructed it is?

And not be a Muslim?

So don’t look me in the eyes

And ask me why I am a Muslim

When the wonders of the world

And its faultless structure

It’s right in front of you

As perfect examples

Without an ounce of suspicion

Of doubt in the glory of Allah (swt)

Of the magnificence of the Al-Mighty One

And the perfectness of our existence

Ask me why I am a Muslim?

I tell you to look around you at the world

And see how pristine and flawless it really is

Uncontested in its creation

I am a Muslim

Because the world as perfect as ours needs a creator

And the creator can be no other than

The one and only god

Uncontested in his might and power

The best of protectors

 Allah (swt)

The Fasting and the Starving

Here is a beautiful poem written by a brother in faith. It is truly a tribute as to how little we suffer and how much we complain. Worth some pondering, especially as it is now Ramadan and we are experiencing a small part of the trials the poor face daily.   

The Fasting and the Starving

- Imran Ali

I awake in the morning,
From the warmth of my bed.
He sleeps not, due to hunger,
He has no tears to shed.

I descend my stairs,
Food I can smell.
He struggles to stand,
As he walks to the well.

I have so much to choose,
There is food to spare.
He gathers water with dirt,
And drinks without care.

I am full from my feast,
The rest goes to waste.
He ate nothing, drank filth,
He has nothing to taste.

I make my intention.
Then to prayer I stand.
There is no water left,
Instead he uses sand.

My stomach is full,
Satisfied, I sleep.
His stomach is empty,
In pain he weeps.

I awake later on,
My sleep, satisfactory.
He has not sleeped at all,
And now works in a factory.

I relax in my home,
With the leisures of the West.
From dawn 'till dusk,
He has no rest.

I read the Qur'aan,
And Hadiths of my Prophet.
He yearns for such knowledge,
But only works for a profit.

I enjoy the holidays,
Time away from school.
He would cherish education,
As it is Life's greatest tool.

The Sun is setting,
I help prepare the meal.
He returns from work, exhausted,
His fingers can no longer feel.

I break my fast with my family,
We complain how it was tough.
He shares a date with his Sister and Mother,
For now, it has to be enough.

I finish the banquet prepared,
Taking it all for granted.
He says "Shukran Alhamdulillah"
And thus his fast has ended.

Later I turn on the TV,
To see images of poverty.
He is monitored by patrolling cameras,
That come from a higher economy.

My screen then shows a boy,
I am told he is my age.
He stares into the camera,
Pondering deeply like a sage.

Our eyes now meet,
We stare at each other.
His eyes see through me,
Just like a brother.

In his eyes I see pain,
I see hunger and poverty.
In mine he can see hope,
A land of opportunity.

I realise that we are brothers,
We belong to one Ummah,
I hear words of my Nabi,
And the echoes of his Sunnah.

I whine when I am hungry,
I have not felt his hunger.
I cry when I am hurt,
Yet he has heard cries like thunder.

Tears stream down at his sight,
As his tears, in my heart, are carving.
Oh Allah, diminsh the difference between,
The Fasting and the Starving. 

Tell Me Why

Just a poem I wrote while pondering the state of modern society. 

Sitting in my house

I watch TV with growing pain

Feeling sick and afraid

In my own house

I watch battles unfold

Between politicians and ordinary people

Over me and my family

I switch channel, again and again

The same is on everywhere: Hatred

Tell Me Why…

 

I watch a girl being beaten

Abused and cursed at

Just because of a single cloth

That sits upon her head

She tries to fight

But there’s too many

Men and women, both

Laughing at her distress

At her pain

 

Tell Me Why…

They grab at her scarf

She clutches at it helplessly

“Leave me alone,” she pleads

Tears run down her face

I cry too, for my sisters

My brothers, my family

All in danger, for nothing

I get up and turn off the TV

Just as they strip away her heart

Tell Me Why…

I collapse, my head throbs

Tears stream down my face

I don’t understand

My heart aches, burns

Crying out to speak

To get up and fight

I can’t, I’ve lost hope

Why are they doing this to us?

Why can’t I be me?

Please…

Just Tell Me Why

Why does this have to happen when in fact, the people who are attacked, be it a muslim sister, a scrawny college kid or even just a person with an unusual opinion, are just trying to keep their identity??? Just a random thought.

Why do you stare?

Why do you stare

Just because I cover my hair

Why do you glower

Just because of my attire

Why do you seem to think

That I don’t care

That I have no feelings

No sense of compassion

No sense of fashion

No sense of what’s right

And for whom I fight

So just listen to me

Truly… I’m free

I’m part of mortality

Not an alien freak

And this hostility

Is hurting me

Deep inside,

I’m burning

Yearning to break free

Of this stupidity

Why can’t you listen?

Why can’t you open your eyes?

See my tears

See me cry

See me and open your heart

I’m not a strange being

I’m not an invading force

I’m just a human girl

And you have no right

To mess with my affairs

To make rules and laws

That goes against my way of life

Against my sense of what’s true

No matter what you think

I’m not in need of a rescue

I’m happy with what I choose

I don’t need liberating

And I’m not giving up

I don’t need your blessing

To follow my heart

To live my life

But just listen

I’m asking you… listen

See me for who I am

See me for what I am

Please… I’m asking you

 Just for a second

Open your hearts

See the truth

See me for who I am

See me for what I am

Look past the screen

Look past the barrier you see

And look at my personality

I’m not a murderer

I’m not a beggar

I’m not a failure

I’m just a human being

And I just want you to see

Me for who I am

Underneath my scarf

Underneath my hijab

I’m just an ordinary girl

With hopes and dreams

And I want to be free

Of you discriminating me

Because I’ve done nothing wrong

And you shouldn’t convict me

For breaking a law

That doesn’t exist

Leave me in peace

Stop trying to “assist”

Because it’s not helping

It’s just breaking

Our souls

By locking us up

In a jail of hate and scorn

And of adversity

As if we have some fatal disease

And it hurts

So please

Listen to me

When I say

We are already free

We have no desire

No want to shed our attire

We just want to be let free

Of this cage of misery

Of hate

This boundary

That you have helped create

Pay attention to me

Because instead of liberating me

You have thrown me to the lions

And I’m tired of being torn at

I’m tired of being an outcast

I just want to be me

And I want you to see

That you haven’t helped me to be free

Instead you’ve taken that away

Face it… you’ve imprisoned me

And I hope you’re happy

Because I’ve lost my liberty

Why couldn’t you see?

That I was already free…