Happy Father's Day ... The birthday of Imam Ali (Peace Be Upon Him) ...

The birthday of the "real human", he who devoted all his divine life to support the truth, to be the truth and to spread the truth ...

A divine soul who was born inside the Ka'aba and raised learning many good values from the messenger of God ... He who was an advanced human comparing to the time he was living in ... He who was the truth by all his words and more importantly by all his deeds ...

The birthday of Imam Ali ibn Abi-Talib (Peace be upon him) ...
The birthday of a man whose heart was so attached to the heavens for whom this life and this world was so small ...

A devoted companion for the prophet (Peace be upon him) ... A great leader symbolizing justice and fairness ... Loving father for his children and caring husband for his wife ...

A scientist of his time and a wise man of all times ... a great writer ... absolutely advanced thinker ...

A real symbol of bravery for all the athletes afterwards ... A hard working person to support his family ... The one who also was feeding and supporting the needy through all his life ...

The "Brave Lion" of the days and the "Crying Whisperer" of the nights to the Almighty ... Imam Ali (Peace be upon him forever) ...



Everlasting Quotes of Wisdom by Imam Ali:

Inability is a disaster; patience is bravery; abstinence is a treasure, self-restrain is a shield; and the best companion is submission to Divine Will ...

He who adopts greed devalues himself; he who discloses his hardships to others will face humiliation ...

Socialize with people in such a manner that when you die, they should weep for you and as long as you live, they should long for your company ...

Two kinds of greedy people never get satisfied; the seeker of knowledge and the seeker of this world ...

The worst sin is that which the sinner takes lightly ...

Contentment is a wealth that is not exhausted ...

Greed is a permanent slavery [of oneself by his own]...

Submission to God's will is the cure of the misery of the heart ...

He, who does not know his own worth is doomed to destruction ...

Opportunity moves quickly and rarely comes back ...

Abstention from wrongdoing is easier than seeking help afterwards ...



***
[Photos: "Imama Ali" calligraphy writing, Quotes: courtesy of www.sufiblog.com/Imam-Ali-quotes.php]

Beautiful Smile ...

Is it the beauty of your face or the purity of your smile? ...

Is it the depth of your innocent look or the greatness and tranquility of your soul that makes me believe that tomorrow will be a brighter day for you and me ...

Makes me believe that the future is yours ... That you will have a whole world of beauties in front of you ...

May I have the honor of having your hand in mine? ...


***
[Photo: A needy child selling things in the streets of Tehran, Courtesy of BBC Persian]

قصه‌ را كه‌ مي‌داني؟ قصه‌ مرغان‌ و كوه‌ قاف‌ را، قصه‌ رفتن‌ و آن‌ هفت‌ وادي‌ صعب‌ را، قصه‌ سيمرغ‌ و آينه‌ را؟
قصه‌ نيست؛ حكايت‌ تقدير است‌ كه‌ بر پيشاني‌ام‌ نوشته‌اند. هزار سال‌ است‌ كه‌ تقدير را تأ‌خير مي‌كنم

اما چه‌ كنم‌ با هدهد، هدهدي‌ كه‌ از عهد سليمان‌ تا امروز هر بامداد صدايم‌ مي‌زند؛ و من‌ همان‌ گنجشك‌ كوچك‌ عذرخواهم‌ كه‌ هرروزبهانه‌اي‌ مي‌آورد، بهانه‌هاي‌ كوچك‌ بي‌مقدار
تنم‌ نازك‌ است‌ و بال‌هايم‌ نحيف. من‌ از راه‌ سخت‌ و سنگ‌ و سنگلاخ‌ مي‌ترسم. من‌ از گم‌ شدن، من‌ از تشنگي، من‌ از تاريك‌ و دور واهمه‌ دارم

گفتي‌ قرار است‌ بال‌هايمان‌ را توي‌ حوض‌ داغ‌ خورشيد بشوييم؟ گفتي‌ كه‌ اين‌ تازه‌ اول‌ قصه‌ است؟ گفتي‌ كه‌ بعد نوبت‌ معرفت‌ است‌ و توحيد؟ گفتي‌ كه‌ حيرت، بار درخت‌ توحيد است؟ گفتي‌ بي‌ نيازي...؟
گفتي‌ كه‌ فقر...؟ گفتي‌ كه‌ آخرش‌ محو است‌ و عدم...؟

آي‌ هدهد! آي‌ هدهد! بايست؛ نه، من‌ طاقتش‌ را ندارم

...
بهار كه‌ بيايد، ديگر رفته‌ام. بهار، بهانه‌ رفتن‌ است. حق‌ با هدهد است‌ كه‌ مي‌گفت: رفتن‌ زيباتر است، ماندن‌ شكوهي‌ ندارد؛ آن‌ هم‌ پشت‌ اين‌ سنگريزه‌هاي‌ طلب

گيرم‌ كه‌ ماندم‌ و باز بال‌بال‌ زدم، توي‌ خاك‌ و خاطره، توي‌ گذشته‌ و گل. گيرم‌ كه‌ بالم‌ را هزار سال‌ ديگر هم‌ بسته‌ نگه‌ داشتم، بال‌هاي‌ بسته‌ اما طعم‌ اوج‌ را كي‌ خواهد چشيد؟

مي‌روم، بايد رفت؛ در خون‌ تپيده‌ و پرپر. سيمرغ، مرغان‌ را در خون‌ تپيده‌ دوست‌تر دارد. هدهد بود كه‌ اين‌ را به‌ من‌ گفت.
راستي، اگر ديگر نيامدم، يعني‌ كه‌ آتش‌ گرفته‌ام؛ يعني‌ كه‌ شعله‌ورم! يعني‌ سوختم؛ يعني‌ خاكسترم‌ را هم‌ باد برده‌ است
مي‌روم‌ اما هر جا كه‌ رسيدم، پري‌ به‌ يادگار برايت‌ خواهم‌ گذاشت. مي‌دانم، اين‌ كمترين‌ شرط‌ جوانمردي‌ است
بدرود، رفيق‌ روزهاي‌ بي‌قراري‌ام! قرارمان‌ اما در حوالي‌ قاف، پشت‌ آشيانه‌ سيمرغ، آنجا كه‌ جز بال‌ و پر سوخته، نشاني‌ ندارد...

عرفان‌ نظرآهاري

It was one of those hot days in summer ... the heavy traffic in the streets full of cars honking and yelling at each other of not moving forward ...
Deep in his thoughts with his child on his shoulders ... Noise, pollution and the crowded streets have made him extremely tired.

"Hey! You [...] moron, watch out!" ... A man yelled at him angrily from his car's window ... He did not hear anything ... or maybe he pretended so ... He was just so deep in his thoughts that barely could he hear anything from the crowd passing by him in the walkways ...

"When was it?" he was thinking with himself ... just had passed like yesterday ... or no ... wait a minute ... It had been an exhausting experience for them all ... like a nightmare you see and scream in bed while you are asleep ... Trying to get up, but you can not ...

- "Baba Rahman! Is that you?" ...
- "Yes, my dear ... what happened?" ...
- "Come with me! You need to see it yourself"
- "Any news from my son Ali?" ...

It was then three nights that his son had not been back home ... He usually took the net and the boat for fishing to win bread for the family ... sometimes he went for one night out in the nearby island to get more fish but it was rare that he be away for this long ...

It was hard for him to see what was going on near the beach ...

- "Dad! It is so hot ... when we gonna be back home?" Child on his shoulder whispered ...
- "It is OK my dear ... wait a little ... Here, people are more caring to us ... do not worry!"

That night, when he had seen his beloved son Ali... lying with his eyes open and broken pieces of his boat here and there on the beach ...

- "God! ... This is not my Ali ... My Ali was not like this ... Where have you been son? ... If you do not think of me and your little brother, think about your mom! ..."
He was crying ... crying like a child ...

- "Dad! I feel sick ... can we get some water?"
- "Wait son! let me see what can I do for you"

His wife had lost her sight crying for Ali all day and night after then ...

- "Baba Rahman! take very good care of her ... she is getting more and more depressed ..."
- "I heard you, Doctor! What can I do for her? ... "

It was one of those hot summer days ...

- OK Son! let me ring the bell of one of these houses to get some water for you and maybe they also may need somebody to do gardening and cleaning for them...

- "Yes???!!! ..."
- "This is me! Baba Rahman! ..."
- "So!!!??? ..."
- "I need some water for my son, please for God's sake!"
- "What do you want? ... nobody is home!!!"
- "Do you need gardener or someone who can do house cleaning?"
- "Listen! ... If you do not get lost now, I gonna call the police"
- "I need some water for my son ... pleeaaase ..."
- "Get lost! You bastard ... You lazy [...] homeless people ..."

...

It was one of those hot days in summer ... the heavy traffic in the streets full of cars honking and yelling at each other of not moving forward ... Deep in his thoughts with his child on his shoulders ... Noise, pollution and the crowded streets have made him extremely tired...



***
[Short story "Another wrinkle on the forehead" by H. Ataei
Photo: Beautiful painting by Mr. Iman Maleki, Iranian contemporary painter]

We must be the change we want to see in the world ... [Gandhi, 1869 - 1948]

~~~

We must be peace itself both inside and outside (remember that not only "peaceful" but "peace" itself) in order to enjoy peace in the world ... If we look forward to having a safe, peaceful and beautiful world to live in with our children, friends and loved ones ... there is no other way for us except being peace and growing peace inside ourselves first and then spreading it out to the societies we live in ...

~~~

Reading the history books, those many many years ago, looking at the dark ages of brutalities, genocides and wars ... I was always thinking with myself, as a child, that how great it is to live in the world now which has been advanced significantly in terms of humanity, human rights, international laws and treaties and international peace and understanding ... But, is it really true?

Are we really living in a world that is very much advanced in terms of interpersonal and interfaith respects and international understanding and peace?
Can we claim this and be so proud of living with our loved ones and our kids on a planet which is a safe place to live in?

~~~

Every day, you open the newspaper with expectation of reading something tragic, something sad, something away from humanity belonging to those old old dark ages of brutalities ...
Every day, you turn on the TV and "news" is no longer "news" ... it is only and only ugly stories of genocides, killings and barbaric actions ...

~~~

Hellen Keller (1880 - 1968) said "The highest result of education is tolerance" ...
Are we really educated? ...
We have become people with zero-tolerance who can not bear with those who do not think like us or simply reject and refuse our way of thinking ...

We have even gone beyond, we not only tolerate the other thoughts but we judge them in the court that we are the sole judge, attorney and the police officer and sentence them for imprisonment, death, torture, genocide ... and more and more ...
Are we educated? ... Have we got the whole beautiful virtue of this simple but deep quote of Hellen Keller? ...

~~~

We, ourselves, have made this beautiful planet an uncomfortable place to live in ... Not a safer place to live and celebrate the life in but a place at every corner of which, there are tragic news of wars, killings, brutalities, genocides and inhumanities every day after day ...

You know ... although we have made significant progresses in creating and inventing better tools to facilitate daily life for ourselves ... but the sad truth is ... we have not been "advanced" much to practice "tolerance" in ourselves and to be the "peace" inside and outside to promise a peaceful world for the generations to come and celebrate a beautiful life on the same planet ...


***
[Photo: A child watching the soldiers march,
Courtesy of BBC Persian, www.bbc.co.uk/persian]

Happy Mother's Day ... The heavenly gift from God ...

The birthday of the light ... The human of whom all the universe, heavens and the angels are so proud ... and God who has made her "The light of the eyes" for his beloved messenger (Peace be upon him) ...

Dancing in the rain ...

Just like the rain that cleans the soul of the trees ... you have filled my heart with ... all ... light and hope ...

The green color of life ... the vibrant soul of the trees ... the beautiful dance of the trees cheek to cheek with the rain drops ...
Open up your eyes, the nature is calling us to join this dance ...


***
[Photo: Heavenly beautiful Niagara Falls State Park in Niagara Falls,NY.
Courtesy of "Rain" photoblog, Taken by Mr. Mehdi Ahmadizadeh]

Life ...