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Choco coat-it

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Everything sounds good when it's choco-coated!

Anti-Slavery International and Lean Mean Fighting Machine are raising awareness of the most bitter of issues with a sweet site that turns your vile utterances into chocolatey goodness.

The site's aim is to put the spotlight on child slavery in the Ivory Coast's cocoa production industry. Like marketers who greenwash rather than actually institute sustainable practices, according to ASI, cocoa traders choco-coat their anti-child slavery measures. So, LMFM invites Twitterers to choco-coat their tweets. Just type in your politically incorrect, profanity-laden outburst and tweet. Friends who see your tweet will be able to click to get more info on choco-coating (as well as see the un-coated version of what you wrote, so, you know, use your best judgment).

Ahlulbayt TV Gala Dinner

Al Zahra - Gala Dinner from rizviGrafiks on Vimeo.

For more information, click here

Magnetism

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The idea is simple and, like its central element, forcefully attractive. Ahmed Mater gives a twist to a magnet and sets in motion tens of thousands of particles of iron, a multitude of tiny satellites that forms a single swirling nimbus. Even if we have not taken part in it, we have all seen images of the Hajj, the great annual pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca. Ahmed's black cuboid magnet is a small simulacrum of the black-draped Ka'bah, the 'Cube', that central element of the Meccan rites. His circumambulating whirl of metallic filings mirrors in miniature the concentric tawaf of the pilgrims, their sevenfold circling of the Ka'bah.

To read more, click here

Ayyam-e-Fatimiyyah

Find below a beautiful write-up of a hawza student from Qum. She has managed to capture the essence and true meaning of these Ayyam through her experience in the Holy City of Qum.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

اللهم صل علی صدیقة فاطمة الزکیة، حبیبة حبیبك و نبيّك، ام احبائك و اصفيائك التي انتجبتها و فضلتها و اخترتها على نساء العالمين اللهم كن الطالب لها ممن ظلمها و استخف بحقها و كن الثائر اللهم بدم اولادها

Signs of Ayyame Fatimiya are everywhere we go. From posters on Jamiah notice boards, flags and banners in the streets to the black cloth draped all over the walls of the Haram of Hazrat Fatimah Masoomah (s.a.). Today’s Dua Nudba was just unbearable, all the ‘before/after & between dua narrations’ these days are the heart wrenching narrations of the evils that took place after the death of the Holy Prophet (s) and injustice done to his holy household- especially to his daughter who is ‘a part of’ him (Fatimah Zahra s.a.) and to the his brother and successor, for whom faith is mixed in his blood and flesh just as it is for the Prophet (Ali ibne Abi Talib a.s.).   I never knew about Ayyame Fatimiya until I came to Qum and experienced the uproar first hand.

Ayyame Fatimiya is the name given to the 20 days of mourning Hazrat Zahra (s.a.)’s death anniversary.  Its 20 days long because of the two varying narrations of her death date; the first one being 75 days after and besides it’s an excuse to educate and make people aware of the great lady! There are lectures and azadari held in all the mosques in every area. The second Fatimiya (the second narration- 95 days after the Holy Prophets death), especially, is as commemorated as big as Ashura here – the whole country is mourning- especially Qum, as they say if you want to perform the Ziyarat of Hazrat Zahra then do so at the Haram of her granddaughter Fatima Masoomah! 

There’s a Farsi saying “قبری که در مدینه شد گم، پیدا شد در مدینه قم” – The grave that was lost in Madina, has been found in the city of Qum.  

Groups of mourning men and boys come to the Haram in turns with their drums and flags, barefooted, beating their heads and chests, to pay their respect to Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) and Hazrat Masoomah (s.a.), but this time it’s not only the regular boys and men, on the Shahadat day Maraje Taqleed – Ayatullah Waheed Khorasani, Ayatullah Safi Gulpaygani and the likes of them, walk from the homes to the Haram of Hazrat Masoomah barefooted, mourning and performing matam and are followed by huge crowds of Tulab (students of hawza) and other people.  You will see regular Ruhanis (scholars), having taken their amamas (turbans) off their heads - rubbing dust on their shoulders to show their sorrow.  There are stalls of ‘salawati’ tea or sherbet, ‘nazri’ food is given out to all.

But these are just the physical signs you see everywhere, if we open the eyes and ears of our heart, I am sure we would be able to see every existent, the birds, insects, trees, flowers, walls and doors, crying and wailing for the atrocities that befell this great lady of light! It’s a pity we don’t know her and definitely don’t understand her worth!

A lot of the ulema and shuhada that I have heard or read stories of had a very special connection with Hazrat.  Ayatullah Waheed advised us once to recite Sura Yasin every day after we finished our work, and gift it to Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) – I guess if you want special attention from someone, you are going to have to do something special for them. Here in Jamiah every evening for 40 days the Salawat of Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) (which can be found in the Mafatih and was recommended by Khanum Jafari) is being recited for the quick reappearance of Imam Zaman (a.s.).  In that salawat it is stated that Hazrat Zahra is the mother of anyone who has even a bit of love for her in their hearts, therefore a lot times here you will hear her being called ‘Madar’ meaning mother in Farsi and this helps you make a closer connection. 

We need to increase our maarifat for this Bibi by reading history, reading about the religious and sociopolitical situation in Madina at the time of the Prophet, reading about how Hazrat Zahra (s.a.) lived her life and how we can apply it to our lives today, understanding the super amazing role of women in Islam through this great lady, understanding how she didn’t protect her husband rather she defended her Wali, the Imam of her time. 

We as women need to be religiously and politically aware to avoid falling into the traps and tricks of the enemy and we are able to easily decipher between the truth and the falsehood dressed in the clothing of the truth. And when the time comes we are able defend the truth just as our ‘Mother’ did! 

During these days we should take some time out to read and try to understand Hazrat’s the sermons she gave in the Mosque of the Prophet and see how eloquently she shut the mouths of deceptive ones.  We should remind ourselves that reading alone will not get us very far, for knowledge without two very important factors - practicing it and tawasul (seeking intercession) from her and her pure household – is useless. 

I pray to Allah (SWT) that He helps us understand and follow our ultimate role model, Hazrat Fatimah al-Zahra(s.a.) and may she be our intercessor and we be her companions on the Day of Regret! 

Ikea:365

So much stuff, so many spots!

One commercial can't come close to describing the oodles of goodies you'd find at your local Ikea, so Dutch agency Lemz decided to take a full year to showcase the furniture giant's wares in 365. The campaign, which lives online, features a new spot everyday, each one promoting different goods in the store. The effort is still running and you can check out the films that have launched so far here.

Adventures of a Qur'anic Family

How great would it be if we, as families, could learn at least some of the verses from the Holy Qur'an and apply them in our daily situations. This would be a big step in helping our children to understand the Holy Book and apply its teachings in their lives, thus utilising the Qur'an for what it is meant for.

For more information about this book and to place orders, click here

Broken Glass Rainbow Jello

With Summer round the corner, what's more beautiful than Rainbow Jello :)

Find recipe for jello and many other cool eats here 

Every fils counts: Customers seek, but don't get it

Whether you ask for your spare change or not, shops and tellers must give you your right change.

According to top officials at the Consumer Protection Department at the UAE's Ministry of Economy, retailers who don't provide the correct change are breaking UAE law and can be prosecuted.

This legal reality is in stark contrast to the findings of a poll of more than 3,700 people at gulfnews.com.

For more stories, click here & here.

Fontable - typography furniture

Fontable is cool! A new line of alphanumeric modular furniture that can be rearranged and repositioned in creative writing. The tables are cut from sheet steel with a lacquered finish in black, white or red, and the legs, in anodized steel, are height adjustable, so the tables can be overlapped and layered. 

Anatomy of a Cupcake

A little girl's Aunt & Uncle couldn't be there for her birthday, So - they sent her a lil surprise via mail.

The below is a poster.

Junior Weekly

A Children's Newspaper aimed at ages 7-14 .... 


Check it out @ http://www.juniorweekly.co.uk/

Kids say the cheesiest things!

On giving out smileys after some classwork at my Islamic School yesterday, a little girl takes an ample amount of time to pick out the smiley she wants. Suddenly, she looks clumsily lost and asks me "Teacher, you don't have angry face? I want angry face, because me and my sister both get angry with each other everytime ..... " :O

Baligh Booth 5

Coming soon

"My Hajj Diary"

"In the Gulleys of Zanzibar"

Keep an eye out!

Happy Viewing!

The 'Where I'm From Poem'

I am from the khanga, from the African tribal women and the masai.


I am from grill bars by the window (always gathering dust no matter how many times the maid scrubs it).


I am from incense that fragrances my house every morning.


I am from tea and biscuits at 4 pm and traditional family meals, from Abdulhusein and Ramzanali.


I am from the tube lights and the ones with the melodious voices.

From 'fanya upesi' and 'duniya ana kimbiya'.

I am from the suras I have by-hearted from the age of 3 and islamic class I attended every Tuesday and Thursday.

I'm from Dar-es-salaam and the Damji family, from kukupaka and muhogo.

I am from the gazillion photo albums that lie in the bottom drawer in the living room, each getting thicker with time, as special moments and people in my life keep coming ans going, each day, throughout the year.




List of words with meanings:

Khanga - traditional Tanzanian cloth used as a local dress

Masai - local tribe in Tanzania

Fanya upesi - hurry up in Kiswahili (Tanzanian language)

Duniya ana kimbiya - the world is running

Suras - chapters of the Holy Quran

Kukupaka - Coconut Chicken Curry

Muhogo - Cassava

Living challenges in Dar-es-salaam

In a word, Dar is gradually becoming an expensive city relative to the level of income of its population. According to latest government statistics annual inflation at October 2010 was 12.1%. Many new increases are in the pipeline. Electricity rates went up by 19% on January 1, 2011. Cooking gas filled in canisters will go up by 9% in January.
Typical office salaries for non-professionals range between $600 and $800 per month and salary increases have been very modest, no where near the rate of inflation. House helpers (i.e. domestic servants) make roughly US$70 per month. Excluding housing costs, a couple needs anywhere between US$800 to US$1,000 per month to survive in the City centre.

Housing in this crowded city fall into three categories:
government-owned apartment units that were confiscated from the previous Asian landlords at the peak of the Arusha Declaration in 1967 and referred to as "Nyumba Ya Msajili"; individually owned units; the new multi-storey apartments that dwarf the old buildings of Dar. These new constructions offer the most luxurious living that are comparable to the North American standards. However, they are in Dar and not in Toronto or Manhattan.

For example, a 12 storey buildings comprised of 24 apartments would have only one elevator to service potentially 72 residents with a load factor of 8 at a time. A tenant should be prepared for a long wait for a ‘lift’ at peak times. With electricity problems and lack of qualified technicians, I observed one such 11-storey building did not have its only elevator for over 72 hours. Some folks were confined to their apartments for 3 days.
One apartment building presently under construction boasts underground parking; but here is the catch. It offers a car elevator that can carry your car to the basement since the builder has avoided building a ramp into the basement to save buildable space. You can park your car at the risk that the elevator would be working when you wish to retrieve your car.

The old ‘Msajili’ units command the lowest rents – between $200 and $400 per month. The owned units can fetch monthly rents of about US$500 to $800 depending on location and size. The newest constructions can rent for between $1200 and $2000 per month. These newest construction provide a bonus that the older units do not, an uninterrupted supply of water and power. These buildings have industrial generators to provide electricity and huge water tanks or bore wells to supply water when the rest of Dar is struggling through electricity and water rationing, a reality here.

The constant and debilitating power and water rationing is a symptom of government’s mismanagement. The excuse offered unashamedly by officials include breakdown of power generating turbines, dwindling river levels due to lack of rain, supply problems from natural gas providers to fire the grid and delays in shipment of spare parts from Europe. Tanzanians accept these excuses without even a murmur with occasional letters to the press. By nature, Tanzanian happen to be a docile people who have endured in the past a life worse than what they face today.
Tanzanian shilling is trading at around 1,470 to the US dollar. As a visitor, I moved around with my calculator to be astounded constantly by the price demanded.

A litre of gas costs shillings 1,730 which converts to US$1.18. That is roughly what I pay in Toronto.
A coconut costs 700 shillings or 48 cents, a glass of khungu juice costs 3,500 shillings or $2, an ice-cream faluda costs 6,000 shillings or $4 a glass.  A meal of barbequed chicken and chips at a street vendor costs $6. Paan costs 1,500 shillings or about US$1.

To enjoy life in Dar, you have to be really rich. For the poor and middle class, life is difficult.
For majority of our Asians life is a struggle. The wives have to supplement family income by either supplying cooked food to the rich, sewing clothes for others or carrying out small scale trading out of their homes.
Dar city centre does not have a single park system that one can stroll in during its beautiful sun down.
I pity the energetic children of the city. Their growth is stunted in the arms of the ayahs or in their car seats.
There are no pavements that one can walk along safely without fear of tripping oneself. The pavements are generally cracked and become the parking spaces for the SUVs.

There is proliferation of Askaris to take care of these expensive vehicles.
An old man trying to make his way to the mosque for the evening prayers does so at his peril.
For Asians, Oyster Bay on Sunday is the only outlet. For others it is the over-rated Slipway a short ride from town. There is nowhere else to go.
Oyster Bay is generally teeming with cars jockeying for a spot to park. When there, nobody walks. Pssengers congregate
around their cars drinking madafu, popping karangas (peanuts) or just gazing at the occupants of other cars. Within half an hour, they pack themselves in the cars and head back home.
The half an hour outing is usually supplemented by a stop at Muchachu or Kachupi or Mamboz for a barbequed chicken leg, mishkaki and nundu washed down by ‘soda’.
Asians generally do not drink water with their meals. But, this is a typical outing for those who own a car. For those who do not have transportation, kabrastan (graveyard) is the outlet for a Sunday’s outing. I have not figured out what their women do.
The heat is stifling. In December, the temperature can reach as high as 33 Celsius in the day and 30 degrees in the evening.
Multiple showers a day and change of clothes is a norm. But remember water is scarce.
Fans or air-conditioning is a must for comfort. But, electricity is expensive when available. According to my calculation, cautious use of electricity can cost at least US$100 per month.
When in Dar, just pray you do not fall sick. Primary care attention involving blood test and medication can cost as much 40,000 shillings. There are a few clinics either owned privately or as part of the community charitable trust that provide basic primary care.
Anything more complicated has to be referred to hospitals that are struggling to rise to international standards. Even the once-renowed Aga Khan Hospital is said to have dropped its standard. Those few, who can afford, travel to Dubai or India for medical treatment.

So what has been the attraction of Dar for the return of Asians from the diaspora who are prepared to buy half-million dollar apartments?
Is it the promise of a boom brewing in the distant horizon?
Or is it the lack of ice cold temperatures of Europe and North America that the old and brittle bones can no longer tolerate?
Or is the thought that the monthly pension entitlements arising from years of toil in the west can provide a better life with servants at call and beckon?
Frankly, I do not know the answer.
But all said and done, Dar es Salaam can be an exciting city that offers easy access to beautiful beaches, a trip to Zanzibar, snorkelling in Mafia,
or a trip to Mikumi National Park. You can leave outside the downtown core in palatial homes facing the Indian Ocean.
You can afford multiple servants at home and a driver to chauffer you around in style and comfort.
The locals are excessively humble who will bend backwards to help you.
You can fly out to Dubai or India for a quick medical check-up or attention.
The hot and humid weather is bearable and the arthritic aches and pains common in Toronto or London just melt away in this heat.
You do not have to endure the cold winds or lonely confinement of Toronto winters.
You can live like a king in the confines of your kingdom provided your treasury can generate at least Canadian $4,000 per month, not an impossible amount for the successful retirees with no family commitments in the west who need a change; they exist.


Think about it.

Art Dubai 2011

I visited Art Dubai (an Annual Contemporary Art Exhibition held in Dubai every year) once again this year. It was very exciting and I couldn't resist taking some capturing some amazing art work. The work has definitely been better off in the past. But here's a peek at what they had in store:


Click on any of the pictures below to enlarge view :)

  

                                                        

                                                                                                         

                                                               

         

         

     

                

Using the right waseela

Dua Tawassul 

 
Najmus Saqib in Bihar-ul-Anwar states the story of Abu Wafa Shirazi. Abu Wafa Shirazi was a follower of Ahlul Bait and was wrongly imprisoned by Abu Ilyas for a crime he did not commit. He was confined to a cell and was on death row.  One Thursday night, Abu Wafa prays then falls asleep and in his dream he sees the Prophet who tells him how to ask for intercession, from each of the infallibles:

Imam Ali: When you are in need to take revenge from an enemy use the wasilah of Imam Ali (a.s).

Bibi Fatema, Imam Hassan and Imam Husayn (a.s): When you pray for your affairs of the next world and when you wish the blessings of Almighty Allah to be bestowed upon you, then you should supplicate these three infallibles.

Imam Zainul Abideen (a.s): When praying against oppression, injustice, tyranny and violence, and from the wickedness and mischief of the Shayateen, pray through the wasila of the 4th Imam.

 Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (a.s):  When seeking nearness and attaining the pleasure of Almighty Allah use the wasilah of these Imams.

Imam Kadhim (a.s): When praying for well being in your worldly affairs, pray through the wasilah of the 7th Imam.

Imam Ridha (a.s):  When departing on a journey, pray for your health, safe trip and safe return through the wasilah of the 8th Imam.

Imam Jawaad (a.s):  When praying for your livelihood and abundance in sustenance, pray through the wasilah of the 9th Imam.

Imam Haadi (a.s): ask for the acceptance of your Nawafil Prayers, and to be kind to your brothers in Islam for the pleasure of Allah, through the 10th Imam.

Imam Hassan Al Askeri (a.s): when praying for your Akhirat (The next world) use the wasilah of the 11th Imam.

Imam Hujjah (a.s):   When praying for any of your religious or worldly affairs or problems, and when you think there is no solution to a problem, call upon the Imam of our time, Imam Mahdi (atf).

Khan Academy

Check it out! 


A revolutionary concept and a future of education!


www.khanacademy.org

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