From The Quill

 In popular culture, Sufism is an off branch of Islam because it was initiated by Islamic saints. In reality, it is not only about Islamic influence. Sufism is an amalgamation of many spiritual ideas into one and is a wide perspective beyond one religion or path. It is a way of life through monotheism. Sufism believes in the idea of a personal God; it is a popular saying, " If you don't have a God, find Yours." Your God can be an idea, ideology, path, religion, field of work, place, person, or all of it culminated into one. There is no definite directive to reach God. Like other religious ways, Sufism also has sub-branches, created by the great mystics when they came in contact with different places, cultures and religions. One of the easiest ways of concentration and meditation (the chief practices of spirituality) under the Chishti order is through art and music. Spirituality channels one's faith towards their innermost being, the soul. Sufism is a branch of spiritu...

 We have a popular term in the millennial "Karma is a bitch." Now, what is this Karma? Unlike the popular use of the word, in Hinduism, Karma literally translates to "Action". According to science, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Karma too works like that. Whatever good we do comes back to us in the forms we need it to. And the bad we do takes away from us something which was perhaps precious in some other form. It is a concept of people to take the meaning of "You get what you do" in a literal sense. We do not get what we do back exactly the same way. But every action is accounted for by some reaction in a way. Good Karma and Bad Karma are both equally impactful, and they do not nullify each other. Even when you commit one sin, knowingly, and do a thousand other good deeds later, they never take away your sins. Mistakes, on the other hand, are a human nature. We continue to make mistakes until we get things right and learn our lessons. If...

Would you care if I told you we were drifting apart? Slowly, silently and perhaps effortlessly, We are moving away from each other. Would you care if I told you, none of us care?  That we have grown out of love,  That once seemed like a dream? How many days, months or years? Exactly how long is forever?  For I had written my forever with you,  Believed in fairytales like faith,  Wished upon shooting stars,  Knowing the sciences. I had written fate with you,  Deciding on destiny for us against all odds,  Naive as I was, not knowing,  That forever could also be a never,  And upon fate, even time couldn't write over. ~ Suranya

 The most popular conception is that travel enriches the soul. It is because the more we explore nature - different places, people, culture, and tradition, the more our vision can be widened. We can find out how even contrasting lifestyles or ideologies can be equally right and how there are endless possibilities in the world. Nature, in no two places on this planet, is exactly the same, and that's where the beauty of the flora and fauna lies. With a wider view, more of a bird's eye view of the world, we can understand how nature, in its completely unique and different qualities, still coexist in harmony without losing their elements. A more spiritual reason to travel would be to explore ourselves and people, and places. We often connect to a place or person more than others in strange ways. And while we travel, we find out our preferences a bit more specifically. While the most popular choices lie between seas and mountains, there is perhaps this one place you feel connected t...

The blue skies are gone,  The white clouds have faded into black ones. Now the vision is blurred in grey hues. The air is claustrophobic. We shut the doors and windows to it now. The rains that once were welcome breath  Now most harmful even to trees. Heavens turn to hell in ear-deafening gunshots. Blood soaks the valleys that once nurtured mystics, They are now a glory of the past. Mothers and cubs are killed with promises of protection,  Forests are cut down for industrialisation. The birds find no holes for their nests. Men who build monuments of marble  It could provide not a tiny gap for these poor creatures. Those houses on the streets,  Where wine flows free, and sumptuous food is laid, Where clothes and houses are status symbols,  Pictures posted for validation, Dreams are shallow  And relationships astray. Selfish, hated, cruel, intolerant,  Humanity is breathing its last. Where is the hope we had in the past?  Is there a Saviour com...

 We often hear, "What is meant to be always finds a way." And also "Man makes his own destiny." Now, one may think these are contradictory statements. On one hand, we leave our life on faith, astrology, numerology, palmistry and every other possible way that can determine our future. On the other hand, we find it hard to believe that hard work can't change our destiny. Now, the first statement talks of Fate and the second about Destiny. There is a basic difference between Fate and Destiny. Fate is our destination, where we inevitably reach. The predictions, hence, give us such points in our lives, like stoppages for a bus, where we will reach because of Fate. It is predetermined. But how we reach, which road we take and how hard life is, is in our hands. The journey is made through our thoughts, ideas, decisions and actions. Even the smallest of actions can change our destiny and determine bliss or pain. In a broader perspective, we all have the same destiny. Al...

We learn about Past, Present and Future Tenses in school. What has been, what is, and what will be. What creates moments? The word 'moment' in general refers to a short span of time that one remembers because of the good or bad occurrences that may change one's course of life. Moments of the past create memories, and that in the future, create Dreams. It is the decisions and actions of these moments that define the bigger picture of life. The key is in NOW. We often plan ahead and overthink the scenarios so much that it ruins our present. And when things do not go as planned, we regret the entire planning process we wasted our past time in. Hence, both the present and either the future or the past time are wasted. Materialistic planning, like career, money or property investment, is needed, and these plans often work on calculative measures, but planning our future situations only leads to unwanted expectations and disappointment. We should never overthink scenarios and sit...

 Suppose we are on a road. We come across a crossroad with many pathways. We all know that if we choose one out of two or more roads, it means we shut out the option of using others. Even if all the paths travel to the same destination, we choose the one best suited for us, preferably short and easy. But the natural beauty and struggles of the other paths remain a mystery to us then. Following any faith blindly without understanding its significance is like following one road and shunning the rest. Spirituality is like the heart of faith. It gives us a broader and more tolerant view of all the paths, like a bird's eye view from where we can see and understand all the paths, their lessons and that all lead us to the same destination, with their own sets of norms and rituals and wonderful scientific reasoning behind each faith. This wider perspective of life makes us choose to learn and be aware without choosing a definite path to follow. Because we know, no matter which path we choo...

 Since we were children, we have asked questions about the unknown. We try and learn everything we do not know. We are eager. The unknown attracts our curiosity. But as we grow up, we develop a fear of being vulnerable, use a mask of ego, of knowing everything under the sun, and refuse to accept that we may not know of something relevant. Hence, we stop asking questions. The most common thought is What are the right questions. The answer is simple. Anything you want to know and understand is the right question. It can be as simple as what colour the wall is or as complex as what a soul is. As long as you ask something because you want to know from within, it is the right question. As long as it is not influenced by ideas of making an impression and asking because people expect you to ask the right question, curiosity is not wrong. That is how a soul grows. It is a mystery that directs us to our fate with instinct. What our instincts make us do is always the right choice or an impor...

 WHEN WE SEE THE PRESENT IN THE FUTURE IT IS ACTUALLY THE PAST. -SURANYA

How two people read a book is perhaps the same. How they understand it is always different. ~ Suranya

Mujhe yoon Tumse dur maat karo.  Kisi aur ke kareeb jane ke liye  Tumse door hona manzoor nahi mujhe. - Suranya

 I went in search of heaven. I looked across all lands. Hills, seas, snow-clad peaks,  Deserts and sand. I looked across concrete jungles,  And beautiful ruins of the past. Heaven was far from sight,  Sad, I stopped at last. Then You smiled at my attempts. Held my hand and took me there. A room full of mirrors. Thousands of reflections. Millions of You and I. You looked at my tanned skin,  My weary eyes and bags under them. Wiser I was, yet not awakened. You held my hand and whispered with a smile  "There you go, your heaven." And I looked in deeper to find  That You and I were one in them. And enlightened I was for  I understood Heaven had been in  Me all along,  So were You. ~ Suranya