Ignorant me! I have always thought of Marmaduke Pickthal;
translator of the first Qur’an I read in English when I was in college as a gentleman
from the Indian subcontinent. I didn’t know he was an English gentleman who
converted to Islam. This BBC documentary is so awe-inspiring; I just have to
embed it to my blog.
Monday, May 30, 2016
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
BELIEVE IT OR NOT; your name becomes you!
I chuckled; it’s good I just gulped the last stream from the
bottom of my cup of coffee or else I would have choked.
I heard from Karen Davila on HEADSTART what I thought I will
not hear on National Television. “You will now think about naming children.
Your name is Brilliantes (Ma’Rosa just won the Cannes Best Actress award). You
are brilliant. They say; YOUR NAME BECOMES YOU.” I thought I was the original
of that…twink!!! If I and others noticed it…there must be some truth in it.
Martina Hingis was one of the few who at very young age became world No. 1 on
the WTA tour. Her mother named her after Martina Navratilova.
I told my grown
up children to give their children meaningful names because…YOUR NAME BECOMES
YOU.
When I came to Manila from the south to pursue my studies;
my professors on the first day of school would always inquire what my
nationality is because of my name: NOSCA. If it doesn’t sound strange to you…you
must be strange.
My name; my children’s name – it must be true.
I gave my first born a meaningless name. I just heard it and
I liked the sound of it. I love poetry but huh! She is still on a journey
searching for meanings…
My second child’s name is “hope.” She is very successful in
her chosen field but we are still hoping that her family life will be…fine.
But my third daughter’s name is wow! It means shinning and
yes; I didn’t know that her name is Nigeria’s currency…money. In her wedding
last December; movie stars were among her guests in fact except the family
members, most of the guests were from the entertainment industry. She perfectly
blended and yes; she shines among the stars. Among my children; she is the one
who has no difficulty finding work as if money follows her around without even
trying hard.
I was on my way to the nursery. The nurses were asking for
me to come and fill up my son’s birth certificate. “Give me a name that begins
with letter ‘N’,” I asked a friend from Sudan that I met on the way. He is
close friend to this day. “Your only son,” he smiled. The birth of my son was
the talk of the hospital. “He is rare…Nader means rare.” If you know my son…you
know he is a rare breed LOL!
My youngest daughter’s name is “little flower” and yes…she is
a little flower to us all. She will be in the 7th grade come June at
Senator Cayetano Memorial Science and Technology High School in Taguig City.
…before I forget: my name!
My mother adopted my name from a well-known Muslim Scholar
at the time of my birth. I am not a Muslim scholar…or am I?
…and for prospective fathers!
Don’t name your children after prophets like Jesus or
Muhammad. Jesus will be righteous but will not strive enough in life to provide
for his family. Muhammad likewise will be righteous but similarly; he may have
more than one family that he cannot provide for. I know many.