Attitude in Life

Ates vardir somunu yakar kul eder.  

Ates vardir somunu pisirir

Senin dustugun yeri o gosterdi

Isyan etmek ne sana ne de obadakilere duser

Bu Cenabi Allah'in bir sinavi

Bu sinavda kul olmak da var, pismek de

Onun icin icindeki vesveeselere de

The fire can burn a dough and turn it into ash...

or it may cook the dough into bread 

it was He who took you to that place you fell.

You don't have the right to protest His decision, nor does the tribe

This is a test from the Great God

In this test we can either turn to ash...

or transform into bread.  So don't listen to those whispers inside you..

This was Hayme ana's advice to his son, when a commander threatened to kill the whole tribe after Ertugrul saved  Halime and her family and brought them to the tribe.  

She put it so eloquently.  

'The fire can burn a dough and turn it to ash or it may cook the dough into bread'

All of us will have challenges and problems in life.  It is what we do with them that will determine our end.  It's the attitude we take with every hurdle that comes our way.  Do we complain and despair or do we find the other precious things that are going right and stay grateful.  The same problem can build a person's character or destroy a person.  

The Prophet,upon him be peace, said: "Wondrous is the affair of the Mu'min (the believer); verily all his affairs are good for him.  If something pleasing befalls him he thanks Allah and it becomes better for him.  And if something harmful befalls him he is patient and it becomes better for him.  

I'm Back.

I had so much fun reading my posts that I had written 10 years ago, that I feel I must write again.  If I hadn't written about the kids at that time, I would have forgotten so many things that were so precious.

Thus, I will write about mundane and extraordinary things, so that one day my kids might enjoy reading about the past and perhaps learn about what things inspired their mother.

Hayme Ana, the Mother of Ertugrul, is such a strong and important figure in the show Ertugrul.  Many of her words inspire us to see and learn from the wisdom of our traditions. 

When the tribesmen were stoning the tent of Halime after they learnt many of their sons had died, Hayme Ana stopped them, reminding them:

"Bu obadaki herkes benim evladim, benim yuregim
Oba dedigin, birlik ve beraberligin oldugu zaman ayakta kalir birlik bozulmussa dusmanin karsisinda yenilmeye, yok olmaya mahkumsunuzdur"

"Everyone in this tribe is my child, my heart!
A tribe can only stand strong when they are united.  If there is no unity, you would be condemned to lose against the enemy and be wiped out."

This was so important for her to say.  Even though her child did not die, she reminded them that for a leader, everyone's child is like her own.  She cared and loved each of them, which you can see from the beys in the tribe.  They treated each other as family.  Someone's joy or sorrow was their joy and sorrow. 
Every family/community/country can stay strong when they are united.  They can accomplish so much when they are in harmony and take care of each other. When they take care of their strong and weak among themselves.  Once we lose that unity, people from both within and from the outside can harm and destroy us.  And that enemy does not have to be physical.  Staying united and connected in a community might help us ward off hidden enemies like depression.  When one of us gets hit with a calamity, the community needs to unite to support and bring that person up again.  That's what Muhammad, upon him be peace, taught us about 'brotherhood' and the 'ummah'.  

I love Hayme Ana's strength and confidence in the show.  It is what helps her tribe stay strong many times when things/people try tearing it apart.  

But I also see the pain and hardship she has to go through in the show.  It's not easy to be a leader.  When you realize, your directions can hurt someone.  But you must give them for the benefit of the whole tribe/community.  

May the Most Gracious give us wisdom and patience to stay united and wisdom to lead in the best of ways.