Announcing the birth of The Author’s Pen

Let me take this opportunity to announce the birth of The Author’s Pen, my new blog to accommodate my creative work. Readers are welcome to read and leave comments but please note that all pieces of writing are copyrighted.

Link to The Author’s Pen can be found on the Visit These column on the right. Look for My Writings.

Dear God….

Dear God, what have I become? For months I have asked myself why…why have I become numb that I am incapable of feeling love? Is this my justice? Is this my punishment?

Dear God, I can hardly cry…I cannot shed a tear the way I used to be able to, to relieve myself of my sorrow. I feel the stress, I feel the sadness growing like a diseased tumour in me, yet I am unable to cry. Instead I feel that my heart has become almost as cold as steel, tampered by my unending trials and tribulations.

Dear God, I bear witness that the trials that I am experiencing are your trials and I am being tested for reasons beyond my comprehension. I can only ask that I be given the patience and the means to see through my trials. At the same time, I have my fears and I pray for comfort, my Lord. You are my Comforter. I have lost the affections of people around me, those who once profess love for me. Please do not forsake me and deprive me of your blessings and love. My Lord, forgive me for my sins and transgressions against you and please allow me to seek redemption. You have given me the steely determination to see me through my trials and I thank you for that gift but I seem to have lost the ability to love.

Dear God, I am typing this after my prayers for I seemingly cannot say anything without feeling but I can feel what I write. So I hope that you would not mind me doing this.

I hope that my small request for you to bequeath love and affection back into my heart is not too much for me to ask.

Before I end, once again in Allah’s name I seek forgiveness, redemption, comfort and protection. There is no God worthy of worship but Allah and Muhammad s.a.w is His messenger. To those, I bear witness.

I need a muse…

I am stuck in a deep rut. I have never had such a bad case of writer’s block. Very often I could write something quite easily. But not this time. I am speechless, wordless.

I am frankly quite enamoured with the theme of love right now. It’s just that I could not find that object of affection to coax the words out of me. The ideas are growing, but I just cannot pen the words down.

Is there only a single purpose in life?

To address this question, we have to first establish the viewpoint in which we are going to look at it. It is possible for us to look at from a religious viewpoint. At the same time, we can also consider it at a strictly secular level.

From a religious viewpoint, as Muslims, we are aware that the sole purpose for which Allah has created us is for us to worship and to glorify Him. That is His intention for our creation. Therefore, from that angle, our single, most important purpose in life is to worship and to glorify Allah. 

In worshipping and glorifying Him, we fulfill His commandments and shy away from His prohibitions to prepare ourselves for the inevitable. This inevitable event, is His promise made to Adam a.s. on his expulsion from Paradise. We are all preparing ourselves for our deaths. In that, we can consider it to be our single purpose in life.

It could be argued that our time on earth is filled with many challenges and difficulties. In leading our daily lives, there are many things that require our attention. We also have many roles to play. However, every single action in our lives, if done with the intention to seek the pleasure and blessings of Allah, becomes an act of worship and devotion. I believe that worship and devotion should never be associated with a ritual. It should form the basis of every single thought and action. We could be reading, studying, playing with our friends and siblings, sleeping; the list goes on. In Islam, we are taught and encouraged to dedicate every single action of ours to Allah and to seek his blessings.

In doing so, we may feel that in our lives we may have many different purposes, but in reality we are really fulfilling that one single purpose, which is to worship and glorify Allah. At the same time we are also preparing ourselves for our inevitable deaths. With His blessings, one day we will return to Him in the best possible condition and be rewarded with a place in His Paradise that he has promised to “people of the right hand”.    

Response to Comment by Megafreak

I wrote this in response to Megafreak.

“In response to megafreak’s last comment, I would like to first commend him for having thought deeply about what I wrote.

All of us would have particular areas of interest. All of us would also have our own reasons why we read. The same line of reasoning goes for why we write.

The common denominator in all these is the pursuit and sharing of knowledge. We are strongly encouraged to pursue and share knowledge that is beneficial.

Knowledge that is not beneficial to us, is useless and the time spent is a waste. So if you want to read, read something beneficial.

We also may have some opinions or views that may not be acceptable from the viewpoint of our religion. If it is frowned upon by Allah, then it is best to avoid it.

Sometimes the community may not accept a writer’s message because it does not conform to their cultural or social beliefs. They may not be ready to accept what you have to say. Seek guidance from Allah. If the message that you have is beneficial to your community, then your responsibility is to use your ability and skill as a writer to attract your audience to your message.

Ultimately, remember our purpose – lillahi Ta’ala!”

The Writing Process… What’s your Purpose?

Here is a little guide to explain the writing process to you aspiring writers.

As a writer, you must have a sense of purpose before you even start to write. Your purpose will decide what and how you will write. If your purpose is to inform your reader, then you will probably write in an informative style. You definitely won’t be writing a fairy tale or even poetry.

So how do you find a purpose? You may been assigned a task. Analyse the task and find out exactly what is expected out of you. That is not very difficult to do. All you have to do now is to do what it says.  Another rule is: When in doubt, ask!

The biggest challenge is faced by creative writers. For creative writers, there are virtually no boundaries to rein in their creativity. Very often, the limitation is in the minds of the writers themselves. So how do you find a purpose?

The purpose should come from the ”heart” of the writer. You will find it easier to write about something that interests you. You will also find it easier to write about things that you are especially knowledgeable about.

Finally, do research. Read widely. Talk to people who write and do not be afraid to seek advice from those who know.