We often hear of violence against muslims in India and at a time where tensions and secular oppression is at an all time high, the example of Aarif Khan donated blood to a fellow Hindu leprosy patient is a prime example of humanity reigniting hope. We believe it is important to highlight instances that show we are humans first, then people who follow different faiths.

Aarif Khan received a message on Whatsapp for an urgent donation of A+ for a leprosy patient Ajay Bilawalam. Leprosy is a contagious disease that affects the skin, mucous membranes, and nerves, causing discoloration and lumps on the skin and, in severe cases, disfigurement and deformities. Leprosy is now mainly confined to tropical Africa and Asia. Due to the illness, Ajay’s platelets in his blood began to fall rapidly and to a dangerously low level, reported by media sources.

Ajay is a A+ blood group. Upon witnessing his son’s deteriorating condition, his father posted a plea and pinned his hopes on the power of social media urging people to either donate blood or ask somebody willing to do so. In this instance, our hero Aarif came across the message and decided to donate blood.

Upon reaching the hospital, he tried to donate blood without eating anything but on the insistence of the doctors he decided to break his fast early and donate blood to help the young man get proper treatment and ultimately help in saving his life. The doctors at the hospital too had to convince him to eat something before donating, as they were concerned that a blood donation and a fast would prove to be injurious to his own health. Aarif ultimately relented and was then allowed to donate his blood.

This small step that proves there are always two sides to a story. Where the news might show us divided there are stories like Aarif’s that display a different story. Media generally likes to highlight stories of fear, violence to keep the public in check and not allow hope to be reignited. But the story of Aarif proves them all wrong.

That is how Imam Al-Dhahabi described our Mother Khadijah.” (Abu ‘Aziz 511)

She is one of the four best women in the world. And she was Prophet Muhammad’s first (and, in her lifetime, only) wife, and she was also the first Muslim. She was sent special greeting from Allah, conveyed by Angel Gabriel who added his own greeting too. Thus, she was given the glad tidings of a golden house in Paradise in her lifetime.

She is our Mother and we are proud of her.

Daughters learn homemaking from their mothers, whether they actively teach them or not. Our mothers are our role models that we follow when we start our own family. And our Mother Khadijah is the best role model for us to follow.

Here are some of the virtuous traits in Khadijah that became manifest in her relationship with Prophet Muhammad, and what we can learn from them.

Being Like Khadijah – Some Traits of a Good Wife

1- She is the One Who Selects Her Husband with Wisdom and Care

Our Mother Khadijah rejected several proposals of marriage before she finally married Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Just getting married wasn’t her goal, nor was it just money or lineage. She wanted a virtuous husband, and she was not going to compromise in her choice. And Allah sent her the man who could win her pure heart. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had the virtues that she valued the most in a husband.

Making a wise selection is a crucial first step towards being a supportive and loving wife, because you can only truly love with all your heart a person whom you admire and respect, not a person who has millions nor one who has a famous dad.

2- She is the Person whom He Goes to when in Problem

Imagine having a surprise encounter with a strange creature as vast as the sky. You’ve never seen the likes of this creature before, or even imagined such things can exist. What do you do? How do you feel? Shocked, terrified, weirded out?

Such was the encounter of the Prophet with Angel Gabriel in his true form. And whom did he go to for support after this shocking encounter? Not to his best friend, Abu Bakr, nor to his uncle, nor to a doctor, nor to a spiritual leader. He went to his wife.

“… and he informed her of the incident, saying:

‘I fear for myself.’

She said to him: ‘It can’t be. Be happy. I swear by Allah that He shall never humiliate you. By Allah, you join ties of kinship, you speak the truth, you bear people’s burden, you help the destitute, you entertain guests, and you help against the hardships which affect people.’” (Ibid. 514-515)

Her response makes it clear why he sought her out in his need of psychological support. It’s kind, loving, and positive.

A wife should possess certain qualities to make her the pillar of support in his times of distress – empathy, optimism, warmth, a generous heart, a loving nature, like a mother.

She said to him: ‘It can’t be. Be happy. I swear by Allah that He shall never humiliate you. By Allah, you join ties of kinship, you speak the truth, you bear people’s burden, you help the destitute, you entertain guests, and you help against the hardships which affect people.’” (Ibid. 514-515)

Her response makes it clear why he sought her out in his need of psychological support. It’s kind, loving, and positive.

A wife should possess certain qualities to make her the pillar of support in his times of distress – empathy, optimism, warmth, a generous heart, a loving nature, like a mother.

3- She is a Wise Counsel

Khadijah didn’t stop at consoling the Prophet. She gave him the best advice – ‘go to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, an old scholar who was an expert in this sort of stuff’. Waraqah listened to the whole incident, explained it to the Prophet and even predicted what would happen in future.

Be a well-educated and up-to-date Muslimah. Take interest in things that matter. Especially study topics that interest him. And when he needs it, be ready to share with him your ideas that aren’t silly girly remarks but wise, well-informed observations

4- She is Someone to whom Sacrifice is Second Nature

The Prophet said about her:

She believed in me when the rest of the people disbelieved. She gave me a share in her wealth when the rest of the people denied me (theirs). Allah provided me children from her while He denied me by other than her. (Ahmad, qtd. in Abu ‘Aziz 517)

Despite suffering the whole life after revelation started on her husband – social stigma, loss of wealth and finally social boycott and extreme hunger – her respect for her husband never wavered. She remained a pillar of strength for our Prophet until her death.

Have faith in your husband. Never let hearsay affect your trust on him. Be patient through his adversities and trials. Even if the whole world turns against him, be his pillar of support, just like Khadijah.

According to Dr. Michael Mosley – author of The Fast Diet books – this eating plan can not only help people lose weight, but it offers an array of other health benefits.

“Studies of intermittent fasting show that not only do people see improvements in blood pressure and their cholesterol levels, but also in their insulin sensitivity,” he adds.

Another study, conducted by Dr. Valter Longo and colleagues from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, found longer periods of fasting – 2-4 days – may even “reboot” the immune system, clearing out old immune cells and regenerating new ones – a process they say could protect against cell damage caused by factors such as aging and chemotherapy.

The potential benefits of intermittent fasting

Since the body is unable to get its energy from food during fasting, it dips into glucose that is stored in the liver and muscles. This begins around 8 hours after the last meal is consumed. When the stored glucose has been used up, the body then begins to burn fat as a source of energy, which can result in weight loss. As well as aiding weight loss, Dr. Razeen Mahroof, of the University of Oxford in the UK, explains that the use of fat for energy can help preserve muscle and reduce cholesterol levels.

What makes fasting seem so novel is that, with all the diet advice out there, the easiest might be to simply not eat. Of course, fasting isn’t the same as starving yourself, which is what many people think when they hear “fasting.” And yet, fasting isn’t a diet, either. If you’re eating processed foods and potato chips, it’s unlikely you’ll reap the benefits of fasting. If that’s you, I encourage you to examine your diet before trying a fast. But if you practice fasting and stick to a mostly whole food diet, rich in fruits, veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats and raw dairy, you will see changes — and those occasional splurges on chocolate or cheese won’t have as big of an impact as they might if you were on a calorie-restrictive diet.

According to media reports, the search and rescue operation is still undergoing. Pakistan Army has assisted a hand in the operation and so far 6 people have been recovered out of which 3 people are in critical condition. 4 people have died as well.

On top of the uproar this has caused on social media, the debate of who is at fault is rampant. People are on the fence about whether to blame the local government for not actively strengthening the bridge as locals say that the bridge only had the capacity to hold 5 or 6 people at most. The incident is truly unfortunate and exemplary of always following proper caution on warning signs and to take serious note of them.

However, one person on facebook took the cake home with her argument of why and how the bridge collapsed and who is at fault.

Guys meet Humna Nadeem. Pakistan’s premiere conspiracy theorists and analyst on issues well beyond her control or domain. Since posting this obnoxious post, she has since deleted it but the fact that there are people in Pakistan with his mindset is troubling and alarming for many of us.

I would like to point out that she is not a run of the mill woman. She is well educated, learned and has travelled countries as a speaker, trainer and educationist. She has met people from other countries, experienced various cultures and holds an impressive amount of professional accolades. But despite all of these, it is saddening to see what she wrote as her reasons for the bridge collapsing.

Humna goes to say the bridge collapsed because of the girls who were on the retreat were there without “Non Mehrams” and as such God grew angry and the Almighty punished the women along with the men in the shape of collapsing the bridge. She also goes on to say alot of things detrimental to the respect of the dead by justifying her argument using contextual snippets of Islamic law that we as Pakistanis like to throw around. We have only managed to screenshot a snippet of the part of the argument she made public on her facebook profile.

The irk and criticism she drew on her post grew steadily and significantly as people poured in their comments and views. Some called her right but admonished her still for disrespecting the dead while others were a little more harsh in their opinions.

Pakistan has still to unfortunately shake off the post Zia regime Islamist laws. These laws and the strict turn around of the country to become an Islamic republic is still haunted us to this day with hate crime against religious minorities on the rise, using religion as a power tool to committ acts of terrorism, and justifying laws that discriminate against non muslims residing in the country becoming quite normal. The country is steadily becoming cesspool of extremist ideologies and religious oppression.

So when highly educated, sane and knowledgeable people give rise to these kinds of narratives, it is very trouble for a country like Pakistan. But then again narratives like these provide a stark reality of the difference between education and knowledge.

Humna has since then deleted the post she made public. Maybe she had a change of perspective or she grew tired of the criticism and irk she drew over her words.

Correction: Pakiholic will ask her to comment TODAY and is hoping she will respond.

A rescue operation was initiated, that successfully rescued six people. However, due to the rapid flow of the river, the rescue teams said that the chances of rescuing people out of the water alive were minimum. Rescue authorities have till now recovered three dead bodies of  students, reportedly of PIP’s College Faisalabad who have been identified as Shahzeb, Abdul Rehman and Mohammad Nayyer. However, three  students of the same college were rescued with injuries. The rescued were identified as Anam daughter of Matloob, Aleena bibi and Waleed Sajid.

“Though we are yet to confirm an exact figure, it is believed that between 20 to 25 persons were standing on the footbridge when it collapsed,” said Mirza Zahid Hussain, the superintendent of police in Neelum Valley.

The Neelum valley deputy commissioner, however, said more than 40 tourists took a stop to take pictures on the bridge, when it collapsed as it could not withstand the weight. Some locals suggested on social media that “the pedestrian suspension bridge could not bear the load of more than five people at a time.”

“The students were enjoying the view of the green water and taking selfies when suddenly it collapsed” Raja Mubasher, who witnessed the footbridge’s collapse, was quoted as saying. Local residents said the victims were likely students of two medical colleges from Lahore and Faisalabad touring the scenic valley.

Local police official Saleem Durrani confirmed the toll and said that the authorities had posted a warning near the bridge, telling visitors to walk across it in small numbers because it was only designed to accommodate five people at a time. The Neelum Valley is a popular tourist destination in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir.

A special SSG divers’ team was sent for search operation and army troops along with doctors and paramedics are taking part in the rescue efforts.On July 7 last year, a tourist family from Rawalpindi also faced a similar tragedy when three of its young members were swept away around the same spot.

Mansoor Ahmed played three consecutive World Cups and won 1994 World Cup Hockey Championship (world Cup). He also holds a silver medal in 1990 world cup hockey championship. He played ten Champions Trophies and secured a Gold medal in 1994 as well as three Asian Games and won gold in 1990 Beijing (China). In his career, he has earned 12 gold,12 silver and 8 bronze medals in international hockey tournaments.

The 49-year-old had been suffering from complications stemming from a pacemaker and stents implanted in his heart.He was admitted to the hospital on Saturday morning and was put on ventilator, but didn’t survive since his heart was functioning with only 20 per cent efficiency.

“I may have broken a lot of Indian hearts on the field of play by beating India in the Indira Gandhi Cup (1989) and in other events but that was sport,” Ahmed told AFP. “Now I need a heart transplant in India and for that I need support from the Indian government.”

“Humanity is paramount and I too would be obliged if I get a visa and other help in India,” said Ahmed.

He was declared All Asian Stars Hockey Team member in 1996 and also declared World Eleven Hockey team member in 1994.His glories made him rise above the sky by becoming World’s best goalkeeper and declared by F.I.H in 1994. Mansoor stood 4 times as best goalkeeper of the tournament in his lifetime career. He was the flag carrier of the Pakistani Contingent in 1996 Atlanta (U.S.A) Olympics. In his outstanding performance in the field of hockey Govt of Pakistan awarded President Award 1988.He also Awarded, Pride of Performance,(Highest civil award) in 1994.

He took on the responsibility of the National hockey coach of Pakistan junior hockey team in 2000. He was appointed as specialist goal keeper coach of Bangladesh national hockey team in 2014. He also appointed director of Pakistan hockey federation hockey Academies in 2010.

He is holding the degree of High Performance Coaching Diploma. Besides a player, Mansoor Ahmad is a social activist and work as ambassador with different organizations like “Right to Play” and “Athlete Ambassador”. He also works as ambassador for No smoking campaign by Government of Pakistan. He has the honor to be announced as speaker for Doha Football world cup 2022 Qatar. He was also invited as a guest for special Olympics Los Angeles 2015.

While most of their videos provide embarrassingly accurate and relatable moments to enjoy, the competition is indeed getting more challenging. Just like any other online platform, YouTube is not far behind in it’s fair share of drama and controversy and just recently it has boiled over in the feud between a Youtuber Shaam Idress and Ducky Bhai.

Pakistan faced a complete blanket ban on YouTube and about 2 years or so, along with Googles renewed interest in the country as a possible market for online advertisements the trend has picked up again.

The Controversy

Shaam Idress, a popular Pakistani YouTuber with almost 1 million following, has been dragged for using plagiarized content from smaller youtubers, creating fake/clickbait videos, doing scripted vlogs and planted pranks.

However, he is not the only one to be called out with Adam Saleh making headlines for his Delta Air prank. The YouTuber was escorted off a plane for creating a ruckus but turned the video around on a different angle. This created outrage from the YouTube community, sparking a series of videos from fellow youtubers who called him out on a failed attempt to film and endanger people on the airplane.

The allegations against Shaam Idrees are of a similar claim. The Youtuber is accused of copying smaller youtubers work, stealing their ideas, using click bait videos to churn views and just being overall annoying. His relationship with his wife, “Froggy” is also a mystery, where some reports claim they have seperated but they still appear in videos together to answer back or react to the hate videos being made to address the allegations against them.

Froggy and Shaam Idress are also accused of cashing in “Punish A Muslim Day” by making clickbait titled video of a prank gone wrong only to change it to a different title later on. The duo have also exchanged a number of heated tweets with people sharing their opinions and have resorted to alleged Pakistani bashing.

The Challenger

Ducky bhai is a Pakistani Youtuber with around 300k followers who has released a slew of videos on his channel levelling the allegations against Shaam Idrees. Although he operates from inside Pakistan, he also makes other “meme” type videos. However, with No.1 on trending right on YouTube, he has called out Shaam Idrees for being fake and scripted.

His claims are that Shaam Idrees has banned certain words on his channels comment bar, that make it impossible for people to criticize or give an opinion about the quality of videos being produced. He also brings up the fact that the duo (Shaam & Froggy) have flagged smaller youtubers which has shut down their channels or taken down some of their videos.

The Verdict

Drama is part of an online life. While the veil of anonymity enables a inconsequential life, trolling has its downside. Youtube is a huge video sharing platform with billions of videos being shared on it daily. Its only natural for the competition to get to you and you end up resorting to underhanded tactics to generate views and drive channel engagement.

The Challenger and accused raise significant points against each other, but to us its seems more a childrens quarrel being fought by grown men who could definitely use the time to create more engaging content than just diss tracks and spat videos. The challenger in his video brings up very plausible points, but towards the end the fact he starts to use “islam” and “hijab” as a means of throwing shade at the other party is off putting and uninteresting as a debatable point.

Some points that Shaam Idrees makes are valid as well such as “Pakistanis like to drag other Pakistanis down”. It could be a weak attempt to generate views because that equals money, but we feel the spat will die down eventually much like everything in Pakistan.

They Clean Up After Us

Even though my mom has always maintained that the boys in the family have to help around the home chores, she still makes an extra effort to keep things tidy and organized in our absence. Of course, it usually means treasure hunting for certain things

Special Parathas All The Way

No matter what time of the day it is, if you come up to your mom and ask for a paratha shell fire up the “choola” and get busy. Also her ingenious ideas to make parathas from leftovers is truly God send.

Desi Totkai For The Win

Nothing can beat our desi moms “totkai” for sore throats, headaches and even broken hearts. Forget Panadol, Paracetamol a healthy infusion of our mom herbs and “duaien” is all that we need sometimes.

Calls After Nightfall

“Beta Kidhar Ho” are the first words we hear as soon as the sun sets. Its like a natural alarm clock that follows us around. Our very own personal pager.

Waiting Up For The Last Person Before Locking Up

Be it 1 am or 5, our desi moms make sure to stay up late waiting for the last person to arrive before locking. Also they’d always ask if we’re hungry or need something before heading off to bed.

Removing The Evil Eye

Our desi moms are really overprotective of us. Not just physically but also spiritually. Which is why a cleanse of the evil eye is ensued when an achievement is made or just generally whenever there “superstitious senses” tingle.

Celebrating Birthdays In Style

Its your birthday? Fret not. Desi moms are always prepared in advance to throw the most awesome birthday bash, topping your expectations from last year. Dishes upon dishes of moms once in a lifetime amazing cuisine that no other restaurant can beat at your fingertips! If that isnt love I dont know what is.

Saving Your Butt Being Kicked By Dad

Did something wrong and now youre afraid to get scolded? Desi moms always step in and save the day. They are our superheros with invisible capes.

Kissing Scrapres And Bruises

Who remembers getting “baboos” in their childhood. Our desi mom would only have to kiss it to make the pain go away and the tear to stop. Better than any damn tetanus shot to be honest.

Carrying Us For 9 Months

In the end, the ultimate fact of life for all mothers to love their children unconditionally is their journey of 9 months through mood swings, labor pains, body aches, morning sickness to deliver us to this world.

Here are our top picks for you to decide what gifts you can give to your moms this Mothers Day.

Jewelry

A fancy set of gold jewelry should do the trick just about right. All our moms keep collecting little bits of jewelry anyway to give away at their children’s wedding so its nice for a change to give her something that can be actually hers. It does not have to spectacularly fancy. Most desi mothers are prone to detail and the thought behind the gift so dont worry too much if you cant gift her a “Sonai Ka Kara” like your CEO did. Not everyone has the same pockets.

Flowers

If youre a student or internee, or just generally low on cash this is a good way to show your sentiments to your mother. Desi mom have a natural green thumb and they can keep the flowers alive way longer than you can. Besides it gives them something to take care of which we all know desi mothers enjoy a lot.

Chocolates

Unless your mother isnt diabetic, a little sweet tooth can help lighten up the mood. Even though youre very sure your mom is going to “hide” them away and then forget about it, its still a lovely thing to give to show a little sentiment. If not chocolates, she must be partial to some “Mithai” which you can get her. There’s always a desi solution to thing dont you worry.

Dinner

Take her out of the house and break her routine. She will enjoy the time spent with you and also feel refreshed after a day out. Driving her around is also a great way for her to get updates about the city and also get chores done because we all know there is a never ending list of that.

Perfume

Desi mom’s love perfume. Theyre attracted to it like bees to flowers. Even though they will use it very sparingly and only one special occassions, gifting a perfume is a nice way to thank her for all her efforts. Besides everytime she wears it she will think of you.

Gadgets

Most desi moms distrust gadgets and technology and love doing things the old fashioned way but if youre smart about it you could probably find something to buy that will ease her load in the kitchen. Theres a million gadget for cutting, slicing & dicing now that will help tremendously with her work load in the kitchen. No compromise on taste though!

Kitchen Utensils

Another thing desi mom’s do is to love their cutlery even more than their children. Break something and you can expect an inquisition, followed by almost a trial. We’ve all seen stacks upon stacks of “bartan” probably even older than our eldest siblings. Gifting her utensils that she can probably replace the old ones with is a nice idea that will save her time and cash. Be careful though, it has to be from the same company and the same make.

Spa Day

I cant speak for everyone’s mom but a spa day can help her relax and unwind. Sometimes a good massage that relieves a knot in her back or calves can help her relax for more than anything else. Plus she can get pampered and looked after completely and she can come back glowing like a queen she truly is!

Movie Night

Who remembers the phrase “Yai Hamarai Zamanai Ki Film Hai”. With the power technology and social media, gather a tub of popcorns and snacks and a good oldie film. Be fully prepared though since these were usually 3-4 hour spectacles! Pre plan for the bathroom breaks.

Spring Cleaning

You know what makes desi moms like doing the best? Cleaning. So help her out in that and make her day. Wipe the tables, scrub the floor, rub the bannisters, dust the furniture. Nothing and I mean nothing will absolutely make her more happy than you being a tidy little kid folding sheets and putting away your clothes on hangers.