Solace

well-written, was fun 2 read...thanx for sharing!!

``I explain to myself that such talk is part of the many compromises I have to make to fit in and I do my best to pretend I agree. ``
A very true statement :) Sometimes we have to do things to prove ourselves to others who are labeled as the `cool` people and there, our religious values take a place in the background.We forget who we are and try to be who we are not-
I like the article on the whole and truly believe in Sadqa and for sure there is solace in praying to Allah.Congratulations to you if you have realized that and this story encouraged me to reach out to my Allah and find solace in prayer.
May Allah bless you for you effort.

very nice rozaiba, rabia`s character is very real...good effort
fiz

very nice rozaiba, rabia`s character is very real...good effort
fiz

semi! so surprised to find you here. as for where she is, in another cliched manner, `jehaan bhi ho ge, khush ho gee` :D

...rozaiba...even though the ending was a bit cliched, i like...so where is rabia now?;)

acha. i forgive you now.

R,

Its not the Chic-flic element.
Its the ending.

/I hear a soft voice inquiring if I’m all right. I look up to find Rabia in a dark blue hijaab with a concerned expression, standing in front of me carrying the class literature book pressed against her chest.

“You can always talk to me you know.” /

storyteller: I also liked the main character in the story.

acloudysky, shahrukh khan movies? are you suggesting this is a quasi-chic-flic story? please retract! glad you liked it...Isphaphani, I like you, :D :D

i like the main character in your story.......

I explain to myself that such talk is part of the many compromises I have to make to fit in and I do my best to pretend I agree.
.........my favorite line

well written rozaiba

R,

I couldn`t help but think of Shahrukh Khan movies when I read the end.
Maybe it is the romanticism. Everything has to go right huh.
But it wasn`t really the story I was reading, it was your style of writing.
How you put the events together and the situations you created in that space.
A well-knit story with a natural flow. Quite enjoyable!

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Sobia, yes, my middle name is ‘road rage’- stay away from me when I’m driving. Punjabizulu, I liked the ending too : ) temporal, those grammatical errors are annoying. My fault. Faiza, thanks for the help! Dreamz, rakapo$h, and goddess, glad you enjoyed it. Godot, rituals can get very cumbersome. ZahraJ, this was of course a ‘fictional’ tale- but yes have had to give a sadqa for something similar. Humairsha, some people have a gift for being selfless. Ahsanshamim, I agree with you there : ) fara, thanks. actually I should have been mindful of those typos. Heavenly, Muhammed Ali once said, ‘All I need is a prayer!’ : ) badtameez, nothing like aloo ka paratha with orange juice for breakfast! Storyteller, after reading it did you go like ‘aata hai yaad mujh ko guzra hua zamana?’ why did you sigh? Urstruly, well we’re glad your ears are fine and dandy. For some reasons teachers have a fascination with pulling ears. Echoboom, at some level I agree with you. Johnny_bravo, well Ispahani’s posts are always a treat now and then. It’s hard to figure out what’s being said but I’m sure he is trying to say something- one day the truth of it may just hit us! : ) Ras, yeah, should have recited the prayer Rabia had adviced! Darn! I’ll try to remember it for the next test match1 Solace, thanks for the comments.

it has a very south east asian touch to it, somehow it seems like a conscious effort to insinuate the words which are identifiable to our culture.

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Whenever i need a good hearty laugh.....i read MBZI....
*roars of laughter*

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

I really liked this one Rozaiba.

But....

``She even has a prayer for the Pakistan cricket team!
“Offer this prayer when you go watch the match.” And she recites it to me.``

was right on the money especially tonight with the innings defeat looming.

Someone sure forgot about their prayers....

Indians are about to break out the bubbly....

What the heck! I`ll join them!


Ras

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Well written!
..and there is solace in prayer....i`ve always found it...and that is a personal opinion...so dont start bashing me on that point if any of you dont agree.
And rozaiba...dont ponder too much on MBZIXYZblahblahblahs posts...Ive seen enough of them to reach the conclusion that he is an old man whose lost his mind...alzheimer,s or parkinsons i suppose...tsk tsk...he needs solace(prayer would be the correct place since his legs are in the proverbial grave)..:-D
TC..

Rozaiba:
A good narration. It is such cultural backdrops which lends authenticity and value to such writings. This is the kind of stuff which should become part of english language texts in our schools rather than the alienish and slave-driver garbage being rammed down the throats of the unwitting innocents.

Rozaiba: That story reminded me of two things.

One of these two is the sore ears; my parents for some strange reason hated my ears and tried their best to pull them out of my sides throughout mychildhhod, adolescent, and teenage years. They stopped as I started standing on my own feet. or may be I had become the disciplined and prudent son that they always wanted - it is hard to tell. I was a chain smoker as long as dad was giving me the pocket money but I quit smoking as soon as I started working.

The second thing it reminds me of is a story by Ashfaq Ahmad, where he narrates a village life in the pre-Partition days. He describes how the son of village moulvi sahib brought a phonogram from the city, to the village. But to be safe from his father`s anger on this device of devil he played Quranic recitation from an Arabian sheikh in the chopaal; everybody liked it but the next day when a Quranic recitation in a female voice (probably by Umm-e-Kalsum) was played it became hard to find a place even to stand in the chopaal.

(sigh)

Your mother and Rabia both were right in the first place. and to conclude the thing with a positive note, would you tell us where the sadqa has gone anyway?-:) We all need such mothers and Rabias in our lives.

overall, good stuff.

Ahsan

Your mother and Rabia both were right in the first place. and to conclude the thing with a positive note, would you tell us where the sadqa has gone anyway?-:) We all need such mothers and Rabias in our lives.

overall, good stuff.

Ahsan

rozaiba:

loved the descriptions you`ve used in the story. there were however a few typos which the editors have overlooked.

Well Its about time you realised the power of prayer my friend.

Hope this accident makes you devoted. (To pryayer that is).

aloo ka parathas for breakfast? what wa ay to start your day. no wonder the day ended in an accident and abba ji`s phainti...

it is nice one...
it was a common story of winning others in price of ourself.
aur haan. there is solace in prayers the true solace

Rozaiba,

That was very sweet.

So, did you give the sadqa ?

thanks all!

Ispahani, I`m still going over your response.

Rozaiba

Yes, there’s great solace in prayer...but one has to have a mindset for it. Rituals without connecting with God is pointless and a waste of time.

Chemistry is what matters...everything else is secondary...the point of your very well written story. Enjoyed it.

Enjoyable throughout!
“There is great solace in prayer.”
And ended beautifully!

very enjoyable read Rozaiba !!

Its simply worth an applause :))

=== Interact Filtered ===
view this users filtered interacts

Hello Rozaiba Sahib
Finally, `Solace` at front page. As I have said it earlier, simple words weaved into absorbing/touching narration. There indeed is ``great solace in prayer`` and the eyes of your beloved:). Take care.
Faiza Hussain

Rozaiba:

i chuckled at this keen observation:

Mom has watched the proceedings yet has said nothing. Though she has been thanking Allah that I was all right after the accident, she doesn’t realize that I’m going through worse pains from the beatings by Dad. Instead she is waiting for this part of the punishment to be over so that she can get me to place my hand on the goat’s head before it is sacrificed as sadqa.

...good narration and observations marred by a few typos:)...keep checking:)

more later

rgds,

t

rozaiba, very well written and absorbing, as usual. Remind me never to ride with u ;)

I loved it.

I loved the ending.

Brought a smile to my lips.

:-)