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Nadir Keval

Poem: The World Within Me
Poem: The World Within Me 1600 1202 Nadir Keval

The world within me.

It is so distant.

It is so close.

It is surreal to the degree of leaving me speechless.

Not due to a lack of air, but because this air is beyond my norm.

 

I am not used to this.

I don’t know what to do.

So, I take a risk.

I breathe in deep,

Hoping that my exhale will not leave me dead.

 

I do it once…I’m still alive.

I do it again…I’m still alive.

I do it a third time…I’m still.

 

What is happening?

Am I finally reaching this new, grown phase of my life?

The same phase that I’ve always sought?

To be able to live in my own world, in my own mind,

So that I will not be afflicted by the ignorance and insincerity of the world…

My world.

…in which I will be in control?

 

Nonchalant, I began to build my home, my perfect home.

I drove my dream car, knowing that I’m still dreaming…but what does that matter?

I had the most incredible wife. She was perfect. (I didn’t know that even existed…even in dreams)

Everyone was kind, everyone was sincere.

Love flourished with purity, and everyone’s struggle was seen in an optimistic light.

 

But.

 

All of this lasted merely five minutes, before…

The nature of man infected my dreams as well.

And the people in the world of my mind became people.

I felt as though my eyes must have been beginning to open,

As that made it all make sense.

 

But as I checked my conscience to see if my eyes were really opening,

I learned that they weren’t.

 

This opened my eyes in a different way though.

It opened my eyes to see the truth of life.

That instead of trying to create and live in a world in my mind,

I had to learn that the nature man could never evade me,

Or I it.

But, that instead, I had to learn, in my mind’s world,

How to be the saviour of my own soul.

So that when I truly awoke into this world of pronounced misery and hidden happiness,

I could face it with optimism, hope, and a somewhat faded, yet never lost,

drive towards bringing about peace.

 

Copyright © Nadir Keval

My First Real Vacation Ever!
My First Real Vacation Ever! 640 480 Nadir Keval

Last week, I took the opportunity to finally go on a vacation. Never before have I gone on a trip without thinking about work, school, or any other responsibilities of my every day life. This was an opportunity to just get away from everything and really take some time out to relax, reflect, and come back stronger, more focused and centred.

I went with my best friend and his younger brother (who is like a brother to me as well – known him since he was born). We drove down to Portland, Oregon to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps play against the Portland Timbers. But that was just the cherry on top of the incredible weekend we had! High quality hotel overlooking a small lake, great food for REALLY cheap prices, food trucks, incredible scenery, and shopping with no sales tax!

I’ll be posting more pics on Instagram (follow me: nadirkeval) tonight of the things I bought there, but in the meantime, check out some of these pictures from our trip by clicking on the image below 🙂

Note: Yes, I like greenery, nature, and clouds, so expect a bunch of pics of those things 😛 haha

 

The Hiatus Is Over!
The Hiatus Is Over! 720 500 Nadir Keval

Hey everyone!

It’s been quite a while, eh? Life has been a crazy rollercoaster, but I’m finally back, and am ready with much more to share with you! In the last little while, I’ve been through a bunch of ups and downs, have grown a lot, and have really worked towards finding myself again. Sounds cliche, I know. But, the truth of the matter is, I’ve been on a path towards accomplishing my goals, and though it hasn’t been easy, every moment of it has been worth it.

“There is no difficulty or calamity that strikes a believer, even as small as the prick of a thorn, except that it expiates the sins of that believer.”

– Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him)

So, here’s what the plan is. I will be posting at least one new post every day. What that post will be depends on my mood, what I experience, or whatever comes to mind. As time progresses, I may organize a schedule for the post categories and days of the week, but that will come later. I’d really like to just get the ball rolling. Right now, you may find that the blog is pretty empty, but rest assured that it will quickly be filling up with more and more content for you to enjoy, and for me to enjoy sharing with you 🙂

Poem: Featherless
Poem: Featherless 1920 1200 Nadir Keval

Many years have passed,
and in that time, I have filled my heart.
Experiences of love, hate, pain, pleasure, confusion, disillusion.
And in them all, I have removed the negativity,
building knowledge, wisdom, and sincere love.
All of this has been in preparation.
Constructing a heart so strong,
that it would be willing to take a leap of faith,
a leap of love, a leap of sake.

Now, I have found reason for this leap,
and at my very core, I am left floating.
And as I float, I enjoy the feeling of freedom,
drifting amongst the clouds, the wind caressing my face,
and the pleasure of nothingness to clench my worries…
except the fear of falling,
of losing fluidity, of losing grasp on serenity.

The weight of all that I have faced,
the depth of each cut and scar,
pulls me down faster.
So today, my love, I give you my heart.
Please give it wings,
and help me take flight.

Copyright 2011 © Nadir Keval
Picture Source: Wallpaper-s.org

The world is a REALLY BIG library….
The world is a REALLY BIG library…. 2480 1910 Nadir Keval

Spending my work days in the library, getting lots done, I’m noticing how many different stories there are in the lives of people. For example, I just saw a man put away a “Do-It-Yourself” Divorce Kit book. I wonder what he’s going through. Is he contemplating getting a divorce? Or, maybe he’s just trying to help someone else out? Who knows what his story is. Makes you think, how many libraries we could fill with the story of everyone’s individual lives.

So, that was just a few words for a blog post, but the weight it holds seems monumental. Anyways, I’d love to hear what you think of my thought. And hey, if you have a story you’d like to share, or if you’d like to just vent out something your experiencing, leave a comment and just make it anonymous. OR, email me at mail@nadirkeval.com, and I’d be more than willing to hear you out and be that shoulder to lean on, as much as I can. Looking forward to hearing back from you guys and girls! 🙂

Overwhelming Beauty
Overwhelming Beauty 2560 1920 Nadir Keval

As I sit in the library, working away, I look out the window and see a rose bush that brought the words, “Overwhelming Beauty” to mind. It made me realize how often, if we place too much effort or emphasis on physical beauty, it can become overwhelming and return to its roots of natural appeal. Just as this bunch of roses fell to the ground due to possessing too much beauty (ie. too many roses in one bunch), eventually, too much “stuff” on our skin in attempts of making ourselves appear more beautiful or handsome will eventually hurt our skin. And that effect on the skin will begin to show, regardless of what we do.

I have NO IDEA if any of that made sense hahaha but I thought I’d just share my random thought with you guys haha. I included the original picture I took of the bush, and then an edited version. It was a quick edit, and my amateur attempt at editing a picture haha.

Original

 

Edit

Vancouver – There’s no place more amazing!
Vancouver – There’s no place more amazing! 2560 1920 Nadir Keval

So, my cousin’s in town, and we’ve been doing a bunch of fun stuff with him. On Saturday, I took him and my sisters to a place on Commercial Drive in Vancouver called Brado Pizza. These guys have HALAL poutine, and it’s probably the best poutine I’ve ever tasted in my life! I’ve heard nothing but great reviews about this place. They’ve got everything you could want, they’re open late, and if I’m not mistaken, they deliver! Anyways, I’ll stop promoting the place haha. It was just THAT good, I couldn’t help but tell you guys about it!

After devouring the poutines, we wanted to eat some more just because we could haha, so, I had a sub sandwich, my cousin had a bacon cheeseburger, and my sisters had some pizza slices. AND, it was ALL halal! Because we’re talking about food here, I’ll admit that we went for some gelato and for some cupcakes (which were INCREDIBLE considering they were the ones from the Women’s Network show, “The Cupcake Girls“).

Anyways, we then decided to walk around the city (did us good, with all that we’d been eating that day), checking out the great weather, the scenery, and all the sculptures we climbed haha. Honestly, even though I’ve been living in Vancouver for almost my entire life (born in Toronto, moved here in ’92), this incredible city never ceases to amaze me.

Check out more pics from my day enjoying beautiful Vancouver on my Flickr page here.

Relationships: What If?
Relationships: What If? 1280 800 Nadir Keval

So, I was sifting through YouTube when I fell upon this video. I’d say it’s pretty well done, considering I would say that many of us have experienced something similar to this in our lives. At first, I thought, wow, what a great depiction of relationships. Then, I realized that there is much more we could do to approach relationships in a more mature, responsible and stress-free way.

See, Islam’s way to approach a relationship is different, but unfortunately, today, people feel that this is a better approach. It’s a touching story, but in truth, Allah knows what is best, and His advice through the Quran and through the teachings of the Prophet (pbuh) is ultimately still more beneficial. If we all learned to just trust in Allah more, we’d find love much easier to find. Allah knows best, and it’s important we remember that we just need to bring our hearts closer to Him, and He will bring us the love we deserve, Insha Allah 🙂

We worry so often about what will happen if we get married to someone that’s not right for us. But, I guarantee that if we do things as Muslims, in the way that Islam has taught us to do things, we won’t lose. I know, I know, the divorce rate amongst Muslims is drastically increasing, but at the same time, have we ever considered that the reason is because we go about getting married in ways that displease Allah? He is the One that can either bless or curse our marriages, so why do we not focus on ensuring that we live out our lives, have our weddings, and build our marriages in ways that He has described as being the righteous and most beneficial way? How many times has Allah promised us that He will protect us if we solely rely on Him? That promise is stronger than any promise a person can give you. So, trust it!

What is there to fear? One of two things will happen if you consider someone: Allah will bring you closer to that person and make marriage come easy, or He will remove that person from your heart and replace them with someone that’s better for you. Either way, it’s a win-win Insha Allah. Focus on building yourself, and if someone is suggested to you, or you’re interested in someone, pray Isthikhaarah and make dua. Then, if you feel inclined towards that person, talk to them bluntly about things. Relationships in Islam are clear-cut. Either you’re into the person or you’re not. It doesn’t take months or years to know if a person is good for you to consider for marriage or not. It takes a moment to say, this person is someone I could consider, or that this person isn’t. Your Isthikhaarah will take effect insha Allah, and things will become clear to you. Do things with Allah in mind, and move forward from there.

Muslims aren’t wusses because we know that we have nothing to worry about except for seeking Allah’s pleasure. We know that Allah has our backs, so we’re supposed to be stress-free. Ever thought that if that’s how we Muslims should be, then all these doubts and concerns that enter our minds when we fear approaching marriage even when we find someone we think would be great for us, might just be the whispers of Shaitaan? Makes ya think, doesn’t it?

Regardless, be straightforward, tell a person how you feel, ask Allah to guide you, and then take steps forward. If the person’s right for you, Allah will make it clear to you if you are reliant on Him. If the person isn’t good for you, He will make it clear to you to steer clear of that person, once again IF you are reliant on Him.

Don’t spend too much time just hanging around. You’re just asking for fitna (temptation/tribulation). The Prophet (pbuh) even said that, “The best thing for two people who love one another is marriage.” (that was me paraphrasing, by the way) Now, I’m not saying that you’ll fall in love right away. Every relationship has its own time for that if it’s meant to be. What I AM saying though, is that if you think someone is good for you, and you’ve done your Isthikhaarah, take steps forward towards making it happen.

Sure, you may be engaged (in the halal way, of course!) for a while, so that you can prep yourself financially or so you can finish school, etc. but at least you will have protected yourself from the ridiculous amount of fitna there is in the world, you will have a confidant and someone you can rely on to be there for you Insha Allah. You will feel more secure too.

Either way, this is just me ranting now, but I truly believe that we should all be more active in approaching marriage in a more Islamically sound manner. Sure, times have changed and society approaches things differently now, but correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Allah say that He has perfected this religion for all of mankind (ie. the people at the time of the Prophet (pbuh), people now, and all those to come in the future until the Day of Judgment)? So, then, who are we to say that we know better than Allah? Right?

This is all just my thoughts. I’d love to hear what you think. And, I pray that Allah gives us all the strength, courage, patience, guidance, and all else we need in order for us to find ease in every step of marriage, and that you all are blessed with the best of spouses. Ameen.

Poem: Our Journey
Poem: Our Journey 1280 853 Nadir Keval

I’m a traveller,
loving every moment.
Every time I turn around,
I can say because of you, that it was all worth it.
We went through times,
some great, some tough,
but where’s the crime,
in feeling that’s what built our love?

See, on this journey,
we’ve been taking,
I thought we’d lose touch.
Sandstorms of confusion,
blinding us from seeing,
that our love is worth believing.
But, hurt us they couldn’t,
when the truth sheltered us.
Though we needed to be patient,
waiting for the storms to pass,
we still came out surviving.

On most days, we’ll be smiling,
and some when we won’t be able to help crying.
But, come tears or shine,
we can only be what we’re meant to be.
Let’s keep going on making our love grow,
and hope we never reach our destination.
I never want this trip to end,
so I can show you how much I love you more and more.
I’m certain that as we continue,
we’ll take steps forward and back,
but I can guarantee that as we lay our tracks,
there’s no other I’d want to have as my companion.

Copyright © Nadir Keval

 

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