WORDS

Words. So powerful. They can crush a heart, or heal it. They can shame a soul, or liberate it. They can shatter dreams, or energize them. They can obstruct connection, or invite it. They can create defenses, or melt them. We have to use words wisely.

From Bollywood to Islam!

From Bollywood to Islam!
She used to spend her days getting dolled up with the best of branded, glamorous outfits and makeup. Shopping in the expensive malls was her biggest passion. For this shopaholic (as she would call herself), Dubai was the most preferred shopping destination. But that was till 2012.

Born and brought up in Mumbai, house to India’s film industry, Murcyleen Peerzada, 23, worked as an assistant director for ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ while still in the last year of her college. Her father, Feroz Peerzada, a wealthy Kashmiri businessman who had known Yash Chopra for three decades, introduced her to the famous film director.

And her aim was to make it big at the silver screen.

But her life is a complete reverse to what it used to be.

Murcyleen, still based in Mumbai, has donated all her expensive outfits, branded accessories, and makeup to the orphanages to lead a simple and modest life. The dramatic turn over came with the death of the film director who was known for making romantic movies.

“I was very close to Yash Ji (Yash Chopra). His death shook me entirely, and I started thinking about life and the higher power that controls everything. I went into depression for three or four months. I used to do nothing,” Murcyleen told Kashmir Reader on phone from Mumbai.

“While looking for an answer on internet, I came across the videos of world renowned Islamic speakers like Nouman Ali Khan and Yasmin Mogahed,” she said.

“When I heard Khan for the first time, I was like ‘Oh My God! He is talking to me only’. I was a Muslim just by name, not by practice. But the knowledge I attained from Khan and Mogahed was awakening. That was the point of life where I started praying twice a day. And I used to ask Allah to guide me and show me the right path,” she said.

Murcyleen is now an Islamic orator with Zakir Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in Mumbai. Recently, she conducted a first-of-its-kind all-women Islamic Peace Conference here.

“I was 19 when I started working for Yash Raj Films (YRF) as an assistant director for ‘Ek Tha Tiger’. I took it as a stepping stone as my goal was to become an actor,” she said about her journey from Bollywood to Islam.

In her next film for YRF, ‘Shudh Desi Romance’, Murcyleen was offered a screen-test.

“The director of the movie is known to launch new faces, so he offered me a screen test. When I faced the camera, I don’t know what happened to me and I suddenly felt very exposed and vulnerable. I felt like an object with all eyes on me. I couldn’t take it, and I walked out saying ‘I don’t want to do this ever’,” she said.

“Yash Chopra was like a grandfather to me. When I told him about my decision, we talked about it for more than an hour. Then I decided that I will do costume, and Yash Ji recommended me to Manish Malhotra,” she said.

Murcyleen hadn’t joined Malhotra when the turning point in her life (Chopra’s death) came in her life October 2012.

While browsing internet for Islamic knowledge, she, while cleaning her house, found a pile of files with Allah written on the topmost one.

“It was transcript of a video of Zakir Naik on the topic ‘Women in Islam’. It instantly gripped me as if I found the purpose of my life. It was so enlightening that I read the whole bunch by the evening,” she said.
That very evening, she decided the future course of her life and got herself enrolled in IRF to learn about Islam under the guidance of Farah Naik, wife of Zakir Naik.

“People find Islam very strict, but I found it more liberal. During my initial months at IRF, I did not cover my head, and nobody would force me to do it. In fact, my colleagues would think that I was a revert to Islam.

“It was only after I myself understood the importance of hijab for a woman that I started covering my head. I am glad about my transformation and I want more and more people to turn towards Allah because that is the only truth,” she said.

Murcyleen is currently doing an advanced course in order to become an IRF orator. Besides, she is doing her Masters in Islamic Studies from the Islamic Online University in Qatar through correspondence. She intends to organize more Islamic conferences for women in Kashmir in near future.

“I found that Kashmiri women are more attracted to Westernisation. They are where I was some years ago. I know how exactly they feel. My generation cannot be inspired with angry speeches. Therefore, I want to connect with youth through more peace conferences where scholars talk at length about various things in a subtle way,” she added.

I CAN BREATHE

"New York residents came out onto the streets last night in support of the city’s police officers – and wearing t-shirt emblazoned with ‘I Can Breathe’

NASA

Once thought junk, this ‪#‎NASA‬ spacecraft is getting a new life:

Astronauts

Astronauts on the International Space Station have used their 3-D printer to make a wrench from instructions sent up in an email

BREAKING

BREAKING: The mother of seven of the eight children found dead in a house in Australia has been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said. She's under police guard at a hospital and in stable condition, they said.

Look beyond. See through.

Look beyond. See through. He is showing you His signs so that you never forget who gave you the beauty of the stars, the moon, and the sun. And then He showed you their setting. To teach you. Never 'face' anything, but Him. Never believe that power lies in anything, but Him. Never run. To anything, but Him. When you do, He'll give you the world! But, only when you stop chasing it. And let it go. 
Only when you 'throw the staff', and 'face' only Him.
These are not concepts. These are the truest Realities that exist. Outside of this Reality is only illusion.

School

In some parts of the world, school can be a hard-won luxury. Many children throughout the world have to take the most incredible and unimaginable routes in...

Free soul

There are thousands of doors. Some are real. Some are only illusions. Keep walking until you find the right one. How will you know? 
Because it'll open.
Until then, keep walking. Yasmin mogahed

‎Portland‬

Retweeted The Oregonian (@Oregonian):

‪#‎Portland‬ gets 2-page spread in National Geographic's "World's Best Cities.