"The tears of men"
On this Remembrance Day, and in this year of tragedies, let's take a minute to think about why we go to war and about the value of human life.
ودمع الرجال غالي، لكن لو نزل تدرون شو معناه
"The tears of men are dear, but only when they fall do you know their true meaning"
(Apologies for the bad translation)
"The tears of men are dear, but only when they fall do you know their true meaning"
(Apologies for the bad translation)
14 comments:
I think a lot was lost in translation (and due to my poor ability to translate). But what this line is saying is that men (as opposed to women) rarely shed tears, so when they do you know that it is not over something insignificant.
Sexist? Maybe. This is the Arab world after all. But I don't think it's that far off the mark.
They didnt fight for the sake of Allah I think this 'remembrance' affair is well suited for the non-muslims. NO Disrespect! May they be happy where they are :)
However if we remember the real soldiers of Allah (Swt) and make dua for them and send peace upon them and feel blessed for if they had not sacrificed their lives for the sake of Allah (Swt) we would not have Islam today, thats a different remembrance.
Those soldiers that had such eminence in their devotion to Allah azza wa jaal that during war times, even upon loosing their limbs, they would drag themselves back to the battle field from the nursing docks with help of their swords.
Now THAT is love of Allah. How can we claim to love him when we find it difficult to do the smallest and the easiest of tasks?
Insh'allah May Allah (Swt) give us a chance to be amongst the shaheed. Ameen.
To be honest, I'm not really sure why we use poppies to honour the troops.
The signing of the Peace Treaty on November 11 was supposed to be about never having to go to war again. On Remembrance Day, I think it more fitting that we reflect on the follies of war.
tcOf course I am Muslim first but I am also Canadian. I was born and raised in Canada, and have an affinity with this country that I have with no other place in the world. This is my home.
It seems hypocritical for any one of us to say that we need not be grateful for the sacrifices made by soldiers during the World Wars, or that Remembrance Day is only "suited for non-Muslims", considering the fact that we enjoy the rights and freedoms that these very soldiers fought and died for. Rights and freedoms that we wouldn't be afforded in some Arab/Muslim countries.
By the way, who is Faray, and are you part of Hizb-ut-Tahrir? Because I'm sorry to say that your comments are eerily reminiscent of bullshit HT mentality.
To add to what Omair said, Canadian and other soldiers during the World Wars fought and died to protect their countries and peoples from unjust, evil agressors. That is something worth remembering and honouring, no matter who does it.
There isn't a mutual distinction between Muslims and non-Muslims in that what applies to one necessarily does not apply to other. This is a fatal error that many of us commit on a regular basis.
Finally, having a simple criteria like "fighting for the sake of Allah" is erroneous in itself. For one, we often cannot know people's intentions and for another, many (e.g. Al-Qaeda) could supposedly have the intention for fighting for God but do what is completely wrong and evil.
Well, time for the comment of a white guy on this issue.
My Great Grandfather fought in the First World War, which is where the symbol of the poppy originated. Omar is right, I have heard the interpretation that it symbolized the blood shed of that notorious war. Also, the poppy seemed to grow in the most desolate of places. The First World War was fought on lanfd completely destroyed; foliage was non-existent. But amongst all this death, both human and environmental, one plant seemed to grow, despite the horrible landscape. This plant was obviously the poppy. So it also symbolizes hope; a chance for life amidst all that death.
I would have to agree with everyone else on what faray had to say. Again, such a statement completely disregards people like me (a growing population, by the way) and simply contradicts the idea of brotherhood. That statement simply did not Consider me at all.
I am fourth generation Canadaian and my great grandfather lied his age (he was seventeen) to fight in the First World War. He was in the artillery and fought at famous Canadian battles such as Ypres and Vimy Ridge. He and his fellow soldiers were shelled relentlessly in their trenches and he was subjected to German gas attacks. He was exposed to death as close as anyone possibly could be and managed to return to Canada to lead a semi-normal life.
This heritage is directly linked to the type of person that I am now and guess what, I am Muslim. So to say this is simply a concern for non-Muslim Canadians is wrong. What has also been forgotten is that many white and other Canadians are converts and to state this completely excludes them from generalized idea of what it is to be Muslim. All Muslims must remeber that they decend from converts of other religions; that is the beauty of Islam, all are welcome.
So we must be careful before we start assuming that all Muslims are first generation Canadians. Some of us, as Omair stated, have an affinity with Canada and in my case a direct connection to its history. By the way, two of my other grandfathers participated in the Second World War, one being the son of the veteran of the First World War.
No I am not apart of the Hizb, But jazakallah for being so nicely frank in your comment! :D
All right, I accept that the soldiers who sacrificed their life for this country should be remembered and respected, however, I do think that we are very much neglecting in remembering the soldiers of our past..
And focus too much on Rambo, and The Gladiator and the sort.
You need to be moderate in your emotions as this polarity of emotion might cause you distress in the future.
I liked Ali's responce as it helps me see why we should respect their sacrifice and not only the sacrifice of out ancestors.
Jazakallah for clearing that point :D
One more thing I would like to add..Sorry to keep responding :D lol..
I know nothing and am very poor in knowledge. Insh'allah I am learning though :D
Jazakallah for helping :)
I hadnt seen brother Liam's comment until you, Bhaijan, wrote about what he had said.
That was such an amazing response, Mash'allah, Liam I really appreciate that you took the time to respond and consider my comment worth replying.
I am glad that I made that comment otherwise I would have never realized that the sacrifices that the Canadian soldiers made are not their's alone and that they are our heritage as well since we are all one.
Forgive me, I am sorry for offending u all.
I think my blog is going to be monitered by special people from now on..hehe..before only 32 people had seen my profile and now its like 74.. I wonder how many inteligence people are monitoring me now..
These are exceptional individuals...
Omar, thanks for the compliment. I'm flattered. :)
Liam, awesome piece.
May they rest in peace. insh'allah.
Faray:
Don't worry honey :) We have all gone through this. We wouldn't have had this 20 comment blog if you hadn't said anything!
Omar: ... meany !
Ali : look up 'Omar' on dictionary.com :)
Post a Comment