The pandemic of Coronavirus that has wrecked havoc in entire world has in India this year shown less cases . Last year the second wave of Covid had wrecked tragedies in country. The massive vaccination drive against Covid has helped to curb the disease in the country
Now in other bright development related to it,
HarGharDastak campaign 2.0” to accelerate the pace and coverage of COVID19 vaccination across States and UTs has commenced across the country. Being implemented in a ‘Mission Mode’, States and UTs have been advised to give an intensive push towards full COVID19 vaccination coverage by vaccinating all eligible beneficiaries. This was communicated to all States and UTs by Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary as he reviewed the status of COVID vaccination with Health Secretaries and NHM MDs of States and UTs last week.
Incorporating the experience & learning from “HarGharDastak campaign” launched in Nov 2021, ‘HarGharDastak 2.0’ will be implemented from 1st June 2022 to 31st July 2022. The objective of the ‘Har GharDastak2.0’ Abhiyan is to vaccinate and cover the eligible population groups for first, second and precaution doses through door-to-door campaigns. Major focus will also remain on improving sub-optimal coverage of persons aged ≥ 60years with precaution dose, along with considerably slower speed of coverage in the 12-14 years cohort by focussed campaigns for old age homes, schools/colleges including the out-of-school children (for focussed coverage of children aged 12-18 years population), prisons, brick kilns, etc. States/UTs have been urged to undertake effective monitoring with respective micro-plans based on due-lists of all eligible beneficiaries. They were also urged to review administration of precaution dose to 18-59 years age-group with the private hospitals on a regular basis.
The national COVID-19 vaccination drive has witnessed
Every Human is Born with Unique Talent : Dr. Sumaiya Rafiq Zargar
Mir Sabeen Gulrez Founder of DotEducation and Ambassdor of SACO(Save All Children Organization),INSPAD(Institute of Peace And Development) and Chairperson NHRSJC(National Human Rights Social Justice Council), Dr Sumaiya Rafiq Zargar is an Educational Researcher and is also a Social Worker.Having hundred(100+) plus awards like national and international with her,like Honorary Doctorate Award from US , Excellence Award In Peace Education and many more. Dr. Sumaiya is a renowned professional in the field of holistic educational services. She is very popular amongst students and parents for her presentations and workshops. Through her various presentations, and workshop she has guided many students and parents on topics like holistic healing and educational awarness She has a special passion to contribute in the field of educational field and spread literacy to underprivileged children. Working with different NGOs Voluntarily. She believes that every individual can be easily motivated & inspired to reach their goal by proper guidance. Dr. Sumaiya believes that every human is born with bright inside , that needs to be shaped in the perfect way. DR Sumaiya is holding Masters, skill certifications Honorary Doctorates from the USA and other countries, with multiple awards for her contribution and benevolent work in field of social services.Having a sixteen (16) years of experience in media , holistic education , events , marketing , stress management . Dr SumaiyaIs a Presenter , writer,Poet, Ambassador of peace . She is author of books like Peace World Book,The Beginning , Men To Women.When asked about Dot Education Dr Sumaiya Rafiq said that,”Dot education is UK based company with the vision to empower every individual with skill developmental programs. Our aim is to provide every individual learning as well as earning opportunities through our platform. Dot educations impact is evident in its skill based programs that enable students to attain successful careers, become community leaders and live independent with earning opportunities and meaningful lives”. For under-resourced students, opportunities for a better life is priority. Therefore ,Dot education aims to provides support to such individuals through our skillset programs to benefit such individuals worldwide through learning and earning module, she futher added .In an Exclusive Interview with New Kashmir Magazine Dr Sumaiaya on being asked How did you get the idea for your business?Education is something that powers my dreams and passions into action, I always love to do something that advances innovation, enhances productivity, and improves myself. Through my experience in Media, Events, Marketing, and Holistic educational industry, I innovated the cornerstone of creating an educational platform called Dot education which is based in the UK and acts as a virtual platform to represent the Globe by not only providing skills but enterprise holistic educational systems with earning opportunities around the world. Being an educational researcher, social activist, Global Goodwill Ambassadors SACO, and Chairperson of NHRSJC. We have been doing a lot in terms of educating and Supporting Underserved children in 132 countries. We facilitate holistic educational support, workshops, Skill developmental programs, and mental health programs to support individuals around us.What makes an effective leader?To me, my definition of effective leadership is to bring out the best in every individual. I believe every human is born with a unique talent that needs to be nurtured by providing the right direction, inspiration, and guidance. It can be exhibited only if the leader is honest, effective courageous, passionate, confident, committed, and ambitious. What do you find most challenging about this work?The future is challenging itself but at the same time, it’s exciting as well. In the current circumstance like a pandemic, it is even more challenging because we are navigating uncertainty in terms of the world economy as well as advanced technology. At the same time, we are very positive that online and technology-based teaching has continued to grow and the education system is getting more hybrid, as well as blended programs, are emerging. This has raised new business models as well as new teaching environments with different types of solutions, advanced virtual reality, immersive learning, and simulations. It has also prepared us to be ready for new unpredictable challenges.What has been your most significant achievement?So far, my significant achievement in terms of my personal life is that I’m getting closer to the Almighty by understanding the facts of life, good and bad energies along with the people surrounding me. As far as my professional life is considered I am an honest human with some skill sets as a leader, communicator, presenter, analyst, motivator, and educator. I consider this as my greatest accomplishment because people value my efforts to make them grow and be happy.What goals are you still working towards achieving?I am all set for Dot education to be a leading educational platform where every individual gets skill sets to learn and earn same time What marketing tactics do you find most effective for reaching dot education?It All Starts with passion, vision, and the right strategy. I along with my team especially my younger brother and Dot tech partner (UmotKose) try not to leave a single chance to make our marketing tactics weak, we consider using and understanding the importance of all aspects be it inbound as well outbound marketing with suggestions and feedbackWhat motivates you?My father’s advice developed an internal wish inside me to be different and die as a legend. My father is no doubt a legend and his trait are transferred to me as well. What challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning of your journey?Well, that’s a very good question. If I talk from my personal perspective then it being a Mother of 4 years and balancing between my passion and responsibility as a mother and house maker then as an entrepreneur of virtual business the first thing I was going to struggle with is traffic.It was like I along with my team created a beautiful educational platform, we had appealing trainers but no one to avail of opportunities. And that’s because, in the beginning, our website is like a drop in the ocean where we have to attract our target audience in our niche.How I overcome this is only because we searched for the right affiliates in our niche to promote our platform and send traffic. It’s a win-win situation: the affiliate gets somewhere between 25-30% profit and we get the difference and traffic in our store.Your message? I really wanted you people should stand and I am ready to help those who actually wanted . If you have skills utilize that connect with us and we will help you.
Girls should not be rendered as fragile flowers: Bilquis Mir Bilquis Mir is a global sports sensation from Kashmir , a global water sports star . She has her roots in Downtown Srinagar .Bilquis is the first water sports coach, globally acclaimed Sports Judge from Kashmir and the first Olympic-level women’s kayaking and canoeing player from the Kashmir region. She is Director J&K Water Sports .In an exclusive interview with News Kashmir, she talks to Rameez Makhdoomi and Farzana Mumtaz . Tell us a bit about your journey and the hardships you faced?I started my sports career from 5th class and depicted interest and participated in Water sports especially Kyaking sport . The field of water sports is seen as men dominated and I took this challenge head on being a woman. Dawning a track suit and structure of this sport is challenging for girls. I started my participation from 1998 in a tournament organized by Police Department. I stood first but was beaten at home when I went with Trophy and rupees 15000 . They too were unaware and thus acted harshly . I believe the struggle of girl starts from the door of the house. My journey was like that because I was not having direction or having any role model thus convincing family became difficult.
A bit about your sports achievements?I have played more than 20 Nationals and bagged more than 20 medals . My highest achievement was participation in 2009 world cup held in Hungary , I was lone girl from country . I made my way upto Semifinal. I was India team Chief Coach for 8 years and made transition as Judge in an international panel . I was Judge in the prestigious Asian Games.I broke many a times during my journey but I didn’t felt defeated. I have visited more than 25 countries in my sports journey. Me and my mother felt that had I got defeated it would have been defeat of all girls. The society cursed me a lot due to their unawareness. I also fell into depression during the zenith of my career as I felt my achievements were not being recognized duly but my well wishers kept me motivated. I believe the more negative approach you face it encourages you to excel further. The struggles make your life polished. Here in Kashmir and also in many parts of the world pale of gloom descends when daughter is born and treated as liability. The sons are treated as blessing . Why such cruel bais exists in the Society? Woman in our part of the world is neither given identity nor home. We need to invest in girls, don’t make girls the fragile flower but a tough human ready to face every struggle.
Your take on rise in crime against women?Domestic violence in Kashmir is increasing and also in many parts of the world as right from her home girl is taught to be familiar with oppression and not raising voice. This entails serious aftermath on them and as a result in laws often dominate them brutally .There are many sportspersons in both genders but very little have ambitions to become Judges. How did that transition happen?I had witnessed in the world cup from start to end and also in many events very rare women judges in panel. When I was Judge in 18th Asian Games, I saw very few women judges and that was dream come true. I qualified the world Judge exams of Kayaking and got second rank . We talk of women Empowerment but there are very few women in decision making and this motivated me to be Judge. A bit about Kayaking Game that you have shined ?The Kayaking Game has its roots in Canada in 1924 and then later on it became Olympic event in 1937. We people in Kashmir are blessed with scores of water bodies , we have both flat water and wild water . We in Kashmir can achieve zenith both in water and winter sports. Kyaking is becoming popular in Kashmir and world too .In month of June we are holding first ever rowing championship here and the Government is taking steps to promote it .We have 13 events in it like Canoe Sprint , Canoe polo , and Canoe slalom in wild waters. We have dragon boat which is famous in Kerala. I was more interested and shined in Canoe Sprint of 500 Meters as Single .
What is future of water sports in Kashmir?I have a dream that we shine in world of water sports. We need to make sports compulsory on school level. Sports as important as Math or English. We can fight social menace like drug addiction through water sports. I am sure in coming times we will have hundreds of Bilquis .Mobile addiction is dangerous as drug addiction and fit youth can be achieved only through sports.
Are schools approaching you for training ? Yes we are training scores of school students in water sports and participation in sports these days generates innumerable jobs for our youth both in the Government and private sector. Your inspiration?Initially I didn’t had many icons , but yes as I moved ahead Mangte Chungneijang Mary Kom became my icon as I came to know how struggles shaped her to be global icon . Your message to women ?
My message to women is don’t get discouraged after failures. A women should not feel ashamed when she cries or faces failures but she should get up after every cry or failure to conquer the challenges .
News Kashmir Exclusive In the back drop of ragging pandemic Coronavirus since past three years and a recent devastating wars between Ukraine and Russia have brought to fore the importance of Food Security. The inflation of food items is proving the need to take the issue of food security seriously. Food security is the measure of the availability of food and individuals’ ability to access it. According to the United Nations’ Committee on World Food Security, food security is defined as meaning that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.The availability of food irrespective of class, gender or region is another one. There is evidence of food security being a concern many thousands of years ago, with central authorities in ancient China and ancient Egypt being known to release food from storage in times of famine. At the 1974 World Food Conference, the term “food security” was defined with an emphasis on supply; food security is defined as the “availability at all times of adequate, nourishing, diverse, balanced and moderate world food supplies of basic foodstuffs to sustain a steady expansion of food consumption and to offset fluctuations in production and prices”.On the other hand, According to UN-India, there are nearly 195 million undernourished people in India, which is a quarter of the world’s hunger burden. Also, roughly 43% of children in India are chronically undernourished. India ranks 71 out of 113 major countries in terms of food security index 2020.In an important development, India has expressed concern over global food insecurity and underlined need for collective work to alleviate suffering of most affected. Addressing a high-level ministerial meeting on Global Food Security Call to action in New York, Minister of state for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflict between Russia-Ukraine have impacted the developing countries, with spiraling energy and commodity prices and disruption in global logistical supply chains.Mr. Muraleedharan pointed out the Global Report on Food Crises and said according to the 2022 report, 139 million people had suffered across the world from conflict-induced acute food insecurity.The need of the hour is that we in Jammu and Kashmir preserve the agricultural land and don’t let its further havoc to tackle the food security fears in coming times .
Without space programs, we wouldn’t have GPS, accurate weather prediction, solar cells, or the ultraviolet filters in sunglasses and cameras. There’s also medical research happening in space right now that could cure diseases and prolong human lives, and these experiments can’t be done on Earth.The Space Programme of India under ISRO is making right noise. Over 55 Start-ups have registered with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Department of Space, in just about two years since the Indian Space Department and the ISRO were opened to the private sector, on the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In addition, 75 Students’ satellites are scheduled for launch this year to coincide with Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, celebrating 75th year of India’s Independence.This was informed here today by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (Independent Charge) Earth Sciences; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh while chairing the 4th joint meeting of all the Science Ministries and departments.The Minister said, this in itself is a great and a pathbreaking progress considering the fact that for all these years, the Department of Space and the ISRO were working without being accessible to others and over two years back, the announcement to open them to private players was hailed by the media as “Unlocking” of the Indian Space sector. This, he said, could be possible only because PM Modi has the courage and the conviction to take out of the box decisions in the interest of the nation and to break the obsolete taboos of the past.Dr Jitendra Singh further informed that out of 55 proposals, 29 are Satellite related, 10 for Space Applications and Products, 8 related to Launch Vehicle and 8 about Ground Systems and Research. He said, 9 proposals from the Start-ups are expected to be completed by 2022-23.
Arif Mir, Paragon of Successful Audio Engineer Mir Sabeen Gulrez
Srinagar
In recent years music industry of Kashmir has changed the scenario in Kashmiri Youth whether it’s Rap Music, Folk or Sufiyana . But when we see the quality music it’s not only the voice but the struggle and hard work of the audio engineer which they do while others enjoy just music.Various Kashmiri Artists got fame in the music industry by releasing various number of tracks which give a different sooth of music that give goosebumps.Arif Mir 23 , from North Kashmiri’s Bandipora district has been an audio engineer for a number of songs which were in trend. Started audio engineering and fixing audio with his own songs when he was just 17.Trending songs like Lolan which became a sensational hit song in youth , Jingle, MBA,One side Up,One side Down and several other songs which were done by him as an audio engineer.You Tube who was his first guide for learning Audio Mixing helped him to make impossible an possible effort. AR Rehman who is an Indian Film Composer ,record producer, song writer is always considered as an idol by him in this very field .”Since childhood I used listen songs on cassettes and I developed an ear for sound and if I am a sound Technician is just because of Rehman Sir whom I always considered my Guru”. “Every time I used to hear the music from his production I went deep down in this ocean “.Not only here but the songs on which he has worked were also released on big cast Zee Music,Azaadi Records and local platforms.Starting his career by famous song “lolan” which not only gave him fame in this industry but a name which took him more hundred steps as an audio engineer and a temporary studio which helped me to work on different tracks. In my studio the first hit record was the Down Town.I got requests to record their music when musicians actually heard the recordings, Arif said.Student of Cluster University who is doing Bachelor in Computer Application(BCA) and who already has done his schooling from his home town Hajin and later moved to Srinagar.Not only Audio Engineering Arif has been a Tabla Player and Piano. He never learned the duo .While talking to News Kashmir Magazine Arif said,“It’s my passion and love towards my work that’s keep me going , I wanted to get into music composition ,he explains”.For getting a government job which is always on priority for a Kashmiri to earn a livelihood ,Arif said,”In Kashmir,people’s first priority is the running after Govrnment Jobs, which is totally insane and no one is willing to identify their creative side and try to make their livelihoods in other ways that too lavishly”.Initially Arif faced resentment which is very common here from the people around but Arif believed on himself that with passion and hardwork , one can create a space and earn for his livelihood.“When I first started doing audio engineering , some people told me that I was wasting my time but God had a better plan for me . BY doing this work , I am earning a handsome amount . And I am pretty hopeful that the more time I devote to it , the more I will learn , he further added.Full support from his family in present is helping him to develop new learning skills to make himself betterwhich will further advance him in his career.He told to News Kashmir Magazine that ,”All I need to do now is invest time in learning new skills . I have worked very hard on these songs . It took me weeks to complete the projects . At present , I am not facing any issue with my work”.Having high credence that one day his struggles and hardwork will pay off and he will get an opportunity to work with the top music organizations in the country said Arif.”When I started this audio engineering I didn’t know the ABC of this,but I was dedicated towards this thing that I would become a reputed audio engineering who will touch the sky of success In future”.Five specialized roles are their in the realms of audio engineering : Recording Engineering ,Mixing Engineering,Mastering Engineering,Live Sound Engineering and Multimedia Sound Engineering.Every function has a distinct function to play in the music industry , and the path to each career is distinct as well.“Parents spend a huge amount of money on their children’s education and to make them doctors and engineers but there are few people who think beyond these professions ,”he further added. Talking about music Audio engineers play a crucial role . A work in audio engineering impacts each part of the music industry,from capturing live sound to mixing music recordings to managing the technical aspects of audio equipmet.“A music producer’s major duty is to provide artistic direction for a recording session , but an audio engineer’s role is substantially different . Audio Engineering can also be producer’s, but they must first grasp the principles of audio creation, he further told News Kashmir”.While concluding he said,”In every field,people are facing problems,and most of them give up early , which is not good. If people will give everything to their passion , they will get good results sooner or later.
TRIBAL PROBLEMS IN INDIA By Monalisa Parida India is a vast country having a land area of nearly 33 lakhs square kilometres stretched from the mighty Himalayas in the north to the tropical rainforest in the south, from the Thar desert of the west to the chain of hills in the east. In this vast country live people of several communities, ethnic groups and religious beliefs. Tribals are scattered in various parts of India though largely found in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, parts of Jharkhand, Bihar and the eastern states. As the name suggests they belong to certain tribes-mainly nomadic gatherers and hunters, and other settlers around dense forests or water bodies. These Tribes are self-sufficient, physically strong and have their own lifestyle. Those who live on the peripheries of forests depend mainly on forest products-fruits, roots, herbs and timber. They gather these things at great risk to their lives. They hunt wild animals for food. Some tribes, who have made their settlements around towns and cities, may do casual labour. Some of the Tribals of Rajasthan are quite skilful in making iron tools like sickles, knives, tongs, spades, etc. They sell these things in the towns and cities where they often settle in slums on the roadside. Elsewhere, they also sell forest products like resin, honey, medicinal herbs, etc. The Tribals are facing several serious problems. The major among these are……..1. The problem of Geographic separation 2. Cultural problems 3. Social problems4. Economic problems i) Exploitation ii) Unprofitable Agriculture iii) Problem of land ownership iv) Unemployment and underemployment v) Non- availability of banking facilities 5. Educational problems i) The problem of language ii) The curriculum of education 6. Problem of health and sanitation 7. Problem of separatism i) Tribal revolts and uprisings ii) Smuggling, infiltration and drug addiction 8. Gender issues 9. Problems of health and nutrition Because of economic backwardness and insecure livelihood, the Tribals face health problems, such as prevalence of disease, like malaria, cholera, tuberculosis, diarrhoea and jaundice, problems associated with malnutrition like iron deficiency and anaemia, high infant mortality rates, low levels of life expectancy, etc. Present day, problems faced by Adivasis are militarization, urbanisation, construction of dams, industrialisation which cause deforestation. Unlawful grabbing of tribal lands has been going on these days.
JK got impressive Hajj Quota : Abdul Salam Mir Abdul Salam Mir executive officer J&K Hajj Committee and Director, FCS&CA, in an exclusive interview with News Kashmir talks to Farzana Mumtaz and Rameez Makhdoomi. Tell us a bit about Hajj 2022 participation of Kashmiri pilgrims?
We had initially received 12000 applications but due to the age bar imposed by the Saudi Government only 10000 applications were eligible. After draw of lots we were able to select the pilgrims as we got total 5281 quota , which was about 2200 more than deserving quota as due to Muslim majority Union territory we got this special treatment. We were able to take 700 pilgrims from Srinagar District but here the applications were about 2100.We also kept waiting list and if any one drops there would be draw of lots for that. We are also looking into arrangements of Ladakh UT pilgrims. What are the procedures since this first Haj after Pandemic Coronavirus?The guidelines at the time of depositing Hajj Form were at that time the aspiring Haj pilgrims should have dons both doses of covid Vaccine and then they should also have negative report of Covid in form of RTCPR before 72 hours of proceeding to the journey . How many Khadim-ul-Hujjaj (KuH) are going this year ?
About 35 Khadim ul Hujjaj are going this year who will aid and train the Hajj pilgrims of our region.Why has quota been less ?The quota has been less due to pandemic Coronavirus which has not yet abated totally. If other States and UTs receive less response we would be able to accommodate more from waiting list .Still considering the situation and also population vise our quota is much large and impressive.
What is your message to the Hajj aspiring pilgrims?
The aspiring selected pilgrims should take utmost care of their health and be aware if they catch covid before journey especially 72 hours before then they can’t proceed . FOLLOW all the Covid protocols during Haj Journey . Any demands from Saudi Government of having booster Dose of Hajis ?
No there is no such demand of having booster Dose of Haj pilgrims.
Painful killing of Rahul Bhat The killing of young Kashmiri Pandit Employee Rahul Bhat at Chadoora Budgam on May 12, 2022 has saddened entire Kashmir Valley. The departed soul was an employee of the Revenue Department. Series of attacks on non locals and minorities are continuing in Kashmir is causing much pain and sorrow in the Kashmir valley. Soon after the killing of Rahul Bhat, Kashmiri Pandits staged Candle light Protest against Budgam Killing at Srinagar-Jammu National Highway Qazigund in South Kashmir.As a matter of fact, Migrant Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), majority of them government employees working under Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package, on Thursday 12 May 2022 hit roads at various places across Kashmir to register their protest against the killing of their colleague Rahul Bhat at Chadoora, Budgam.On the otherhand, The LG of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha condemned the attack and said, ”I strongly condemn the barbaric killing of Rahul Bhat by terrorists at Budgam. Those behind this despicable terror attack will not go unpunished. J&K Govt stands in solidarity with the bereaved family in this hour of grief”. The killing of young Rahul Bhat has pained every human heart and dented the reputation of Kashmir . We all need to introspect over these crimes against humanity and think how we can end the ugly cycle of violence in Jammu and Kashmir. One hopes that heinous elements beind this dastardly act are brought to book soon . The killing of Young Rahul Bhat has saddened entire country and questions are being asked . We need a multi pronged approach to come out of this Bleak situation. One can only hope that no more innocent killings take place. Every heart is bruised over killing of Rahul Bhat.
FAILURE AND SUCCESS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
Dr Suhaib Ashraf Bhat
Peace of mind, contentment, happiness and freedom from worries and anxiety, these are what everyone wants, and these are the ways in which people can have a good life and find complete happiness and joy. There are religious means of achieving this, and natural and practical means, but no one can combine all of them except the believers; although other people may achieve some of them, they will miss out on others.The name of failure is enough to put us off it and strive for success, regardless of the material gains that a man may attain as the result of his success, because failure is a word that implies shortcomings and loss, and success is a word that implies perfection and praise. Failure and success are two sides of the same coin, although they may seem to contradict one another at first glance. But in fact they are interconnected if you think about it, based on experience and real life.You might often come across a conversation pertaining to things like “sadness is shaytan’s doing” or that “a believer never gets sad” or even that “sadness is an indication of weak or incomplete faith”. Nothing, and I mean nothing, could be further from the truth. Statements like these only escalate the process of drowning for individuals who suffer from depression, anxiety or hopelessness. It is of the utmost importance that people know the difference between sadness and depression; sadness is a typical human emotion and depression is a much more damaging and longer lasting condition of hopelessness, despair, and dejection. Sadness is a part of what makes us human. No living soul is unfamiliar with it; even our Prophets faced multiple episodes of sadness. For example, Yaqub (Alahisalam) wept until he lost his vision and even our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah swt be upon him) experienced bouts of sadness upon the loss of his wife and uncle. Hence, sadness is not a sign of weakness in any form. To experience sadness is to be human. Having strong faith, or Imaan, does not render a believer to be an exception to the emotion of sadness. Depression is majorly defined by a sense of hopelessness- in yourself and in the world around you. It is rooted in a sense of sheer helplessness where you feel like nothing is in your control. But that is the truth; nothing IS in your control. It is in Allah’s (swt) control. Take a moment, embrace your lack of control over your circumstances, and know that the one in control is the best of planners and loves you more than you can imagine. Surrender your attempts to control your life, leave it up to Allah (swt), and trust His plan for you. Sometimes, the human mind is unable to understand Allah’s (swt) ultimate wisdom behind every single thing that happens to us. However, by accepting that Allah (swt) is in control and welcoming His plans for us ultimately leads to the enrichment of our mind, body and soul.Steadfastness of heart and not being disturbed about the imaginary things that bad thoughts may bring to mind. For when a person gives in to his imagination and lets his mind be disturbed by these thoughts, such as fear of disease and the like, or anger and confusion stirred up by some grievous matter, or the expectation of bad things and the loss of good things, it will fill him with worries, distress, mental and physical illness and nervous breakdowns, which will have a bad effect on him and which causes a great deal of harm, as many people have seen. But when a person depends on Allah swt and puts his trust in Him, and does not give in to his imagination or let bad thoughts overwhelm him, and he relies on Allah swt and has hope of His bounty, this wards off his worries and distress, and relieves him of a great deal of mental and physical sickness. It gives indescribable strength, comfort and happiness to the heart. How many hospitals are filled with the mentally sick victims of illusions and harmful imagination; how often have these things had an effect upon the hearts of many strong people, let alone the weak ones; how often have they led to foolishness and insanity. It should be noted that your life will follow your train of thought. If your thoughts are of things that will bring you benefit in your spiritual or worldly affairs, then your life will be good and happy. Otherwise it will be the opposite.Have great hope in Allah swt, and do not let the Shaytaan cause you to despair of the vast mercy of Allah swt which He has guaranteed for His believing slaves. You need to increase your hope and trust in Allah swt Who forgives all sins, and who accepts the slave who seeks His protection and refuge, for He is the Most Merciful, the Oft-Forgiving and the Most Loving. You should increase your good deeds, upholding the ties of kinship, etc. The sadness which we feel also happens to others, for it is something natural. How many people were examples followed by others and had a great deal of drive and ambition, then they lost their drive and ambition for a long time, then it came back to them by the grace of Allah swt. Remember the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah swt be upon him): “Everybody has his time of energy, and every time of energy is followed by a time of lethargy. But if a person tries to follow a moderate path, then I have hope for him, but if he becomes one who is pointed out (in the street), then do not think anything of him.”(Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2453; classed as hasan (sound) by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1995). What is meant by “Everybody has his time of energy” is eagerness for a thing, energy and the desire to do good.What is meant by “every time of energy is followed by a time of lethargy” is tiredness, weakness and lack of movement.“But if a person tries to follow a moderate path” means that the one who has energy does his deeds in moderation and avoids going to extremes when he is feeling energetic and avoids being negligent when he is feeling lethargic.“Then I have hope for him” means, I have hope that he will be successful, for he can continue following a middle course, and the most beloved deeds to Allah swt are those which are continuous.“but if he becomes one who is pointed out (in the street)” means, if he strives hard and goes to extremes in doing good deeds so that he will become famous for his worship and asceticism, and he becomes famous and people point him out to one another,“then do not think anything of him” means, do not think that he is one of the righteous, because he is showing off. He did not say, “do not have hope for him,” as an indication that he has already fallen, and he will not be able to make up for what he has missed out on. Think about this hadeeth, and relate it to your own situation and the situation of others: you will see a clear similarity. This hadeeth clearly states that man goes through a stage of incomparable eagerness and great focus and ambition, and then suddenly he becomes weak and loses that focus and eagerness and ambition. When he reaches this stage, he must strive even harder to do obligatory duties and avoid haraam (impermissible) things. If he does that, then there is the hope that he will succeed and progress, but if he falls into haraam things and stops doing obligatory things, he will be lost and doomed.Don’t ever forget that Allah (swt) will never burden you with something that is beyond your capacity to deal with. Even on days when you feel as if you cannot take it anymore, know that you can survive it- for Allah (swt) knows us better than we know ourselves and whatever trial you’re facing in your life, know that He also gives you the strength to handle that trial. Suhaibbhatt85@gmail.com
