Would you permit me? – a thought-provoking poem for all

  A muslim gentleman sent me this poem via email. It’s beautifully written and his words of wisdom can be applied to all religions.  

Nizar Kabbani 

Born: 21 March  1923 Damascus,  Syria
Died: 30 April  1998 London,  England 

  Occupation: Diplomat,  Poet,  Writer,  Publisher
Nationality: Syrian

 

 Would You Permit Me?
  
 
 نزار قباني
Nizar Kabbani
 
وتحرق الكتب، في مجتمعات ترفض الآخر، وتفرض الصمت على الافواه والحجر على الافكار، 
وتكفر اي سؤال، كان لابد ان استأذنكم ان تسمحوا لي..
In a country where thinkers are assassinated, and writers are considered infidels and books are burnt, in societies that refuse the other, and force silence on mouths and thoughts forbidden, and to question is a sin, I must beg your pardon, would you permit me?
فهل تسمحون لي
ان اربي اطفالي كما اريد، وألا تملوا علي
اهواءكم واوامركم؟
Would you permit me to bring up my children as I want, and not to dictate on me your whims and orders?

 
ان اعلم اطفالي ان الدين لله اولا، وليس
للمشايخ والفقهاء والناس؟
Would you permit me to teach my children that the religion is first to God, and not for religious leaders or scholars or people?
 ·       
هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم صغيرتي ان الدين هو اخلاق وأدب وتهذيب
وامانة وصدق، قبل ان اعلمها بأي قدم تدخل الحمام وبأي  يد

 Would you permit me to teach my little one that religion is about good manners, good behaviour, good conduct, honesty and truthfulness, before I teach her with which foot to enter the bathroom or with which hand she should eat?
·       
هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم ابنتي ان الله محبة، وانها تستطيع ان
تحاوره وتسأله ما تشاء، بعيدا عن تعاليم أي أحد؟
Would you permit me to teach my daughter that God is about love, and she can dialogue with Him and ask Him anything she wants, far away from the teachings of anyone?
هل تسمحون لي الا اذكر عذاب القبر لاولادي،
الذين لم يعرفوا ما هو الموت بعد؟
Would you permit me not to mention the torture of the grave to my children, who do not know about death yet?
< STRONG> ·        
هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم ابنتي اصول الدين وادبه واخلاقه، قبل 
ان افرض عليها الحجاب؟ 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

Would you permit me to teach my daughter the tenets of the religion and its culture and manners, before I force on her the ‘Hijab’ (the veil)?
·       
هل تسمحون لي
ان اقول لابني الشاب ان ايذاء الناس وتحقيرهم
لجنسيتهم ولونهم ودينهم، هو ذنب كبير عند الله؟
Would you permit me to tell my young son that hurting people and degrading them because of their nationality, colour or religion, is considered a big sin by God?
هل تسمحون لي
ان اقول لابنتي ان مراجعة دروسها والاهتمام بتعليمها
انفع واهم عند الله من حفظ آيات القرآن عن ظهر قلب دون تدبر معانيها؟
Would you permit me to tell my daughter that revising her homework and paying attention to her learning is considered by God as more useful and important than learning by heart Ayahs from the Quran without knowing their meaning?
·       
هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم ابني ان الاقتداء بالرسول الكريم يبدأ
بنزاهته وامانته وصدقه، قبل لحيته وقصر ثوبه؟
Would you permit me to teach my son that following the footsteps of the Honourable Prophet begins with his honesty, loyalty and truthfulness, before his beard or how short his thobe (long shirt/dress) is?
 ·       
هل تسمحون لي
ان اقول ل7بنتي ان صديقتها المسيحية ليست
كافرة، والا تبكي خوفا عليها من دخول النار؟ 
Would you permit me to tell my daughter that her Christian friend is not an infidel, and ask her not to cry fearing her friend will go to Hell?
 ·        
 
ان اجاهر، ان الله لم يوكل احدا في الارض بعد الرسول لان يتحدث باسمه
ولم يخول احدا بمنح ‘صكوك الغفران‘ للناس؟
Would you permit me to argue, that God did not authorize anyone on earth after the Prophet to speak in his name nor did he vest any powers in anyone to issue ‘deeds of forgiveness’ to people?
 ·       
هل تسمحون لي
ان اقول، ان الله حرم قتل النفس البشرية، وان
من قتل نفسا بغير حق كأنما قتل الناس جميعا، وانه لا يحق لمسلم ان يروع مسلما؟ 
Would you permit me to say, that God has forbidden killing the human spirit, and who kills wrongly a human being is as if he killed all human kind, and no Moslem has the right to frighten another Moslem?
 ·       
هل تسمحون لي
ان اعلم اولادي ان الله اكبر واعدل وارحم من
كل فقهاء الارض مجتمعين؟ وان مقاييسه تختلف عن مقاييس المتاجرين بالدين، وان
حساباته أحن وارحم؟
Would you permit me to teach my children that God is greater, more just, and more merciful than all the (religious) scholars on earth combined? And that his standards are different from the standards of those trading the religion, and that his accountability is kinder and more merciful?
هل تسمحون لي
Would you permit me?
 
نزار قباني
Nizar Kabbani   

 

 

 

Nizar Qabbani 

 

 

 

 

What is Life?

This often-asked question pops up in my mind during the most trying times.  And this point in time is one of those times. Yes, there have been many ocassions when I have asked myself  ’what is life?’  Of course when you are younger, the question yields different answers. But at this point in life I ask myself – who do I live life for? who controls my life?   where is it supposed to lead me?

I thought I had control of my life. But looks like I was wrong. There are other forces out there which define the boundaries of my life. Many of us are so caught up with our work (mind you, I didn’t say careers) that it becomes one big force which controls everything you think you owned – your time, your thoughts, basically your whole life.

Why does it happen? Why do we allow ourselves to be caught up in this messy web from which there is no escape? Of course, some people say that it’s up to you to define the line where work stops and life starts. I wish the delineation was that clear. It’s not that simple, mind you. You can’t remove the cobwebs (of work) from your mind. You can’t tell your mind, “Hey, stop thinking! stop working!” Its not easy especially if work occupies your mind from 6.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.

You can’t sweep the cobwebs out. You can’t vacuum them out either. Any suggestions?

Sample answer – for weak students

Sample answer 2 below is for linguistically limited students. As stated earlier, weak students can be helped to cope with the Directed Writing task. Teachers can help them get marks for content by giving them ample practice in writing simple structures.

A very good morning to the principal of SMK Seberang Baki, teachers and fellow students. Today I am going to give a speech on the causes of stress among students. I am also going to offer you some suggestions on how to overcome this problem.     One of the causes of stress is the long hours spent at school. Many students spend between 6 – 8 hours at school. Another cause of stress is  too much homework. Many students complain that they cannot finish their homework. Students also complain that  too many projects  give them stress. They have projects for almost every subject. Some projects take up a lot of their time. Frequent exams also cause stress. Nowadays, students have to sit for monthly tests, diagnostic exams and trial exams. Many students do not have enough time to study for these exams.      Parents also give their children stress. This is because many parents have high expectations of their children.  They force their children to go for tuition classes. Some students feel very tired and they cannot concentrate on these lessons. They feel stressed when they have to attend tuition.  Finally,  lack of sleep causes stress. Students become angry and easily irritated when they do not get enough sleep.      To overcome stress you must have a positive outlook. You should plan a timetable to help you manage your time.  You must allocate time for homework, tuition, projects and revision.  You should also study consistently. You should never study at the eleventh hour.  You should aim for manageable goals. Finally, you should exercise regularly. Remember, you must not let stress ruin your life. Thank you.

Sample question and answer – speech

Let’s take a look at a sample question.

Many students in your school complain that they are stressed. As the President of the Health Club in your school, you have been asked to give a speech during assembly. You have made a list of the reasons given by these students and you would like to give them some suggestions on how to cope with their problem.

Use the following notes to write your speech.

• Causes

-          long hours spent at school

-          too much homework

-          too many projects

-          frequent exams

-          tuition classes

-          high expectations from parents

-          lack of sleep

• Suggestions

-          have a positive outlook

-          plan a timetable

-          study consistently

-          have manageable goals

-          exercise regularly

When writing out your speech, you should remember to:

• address your audience
• state the purpose of the speech
• use  all the points given
• end your speech appropriately

Before you start writing, ask yourself these questions:

• what am I required to do?
• what is my role?
• who is my audience?
• how many points have been provided? Do I need to give any point of my own?

This task requires you to write a speech in your capacity as the President of the Health Club. You have been asked to address the students during assembly. This means that your audience includes teachers and students. As such, make sure your tone is formal and polite. A total of twelve points have been provided which means that twelve marks are for content and three marks for format. The marks for format are allocated as follows: 1mark for addressing the audience, 1 mark for stating the purpose of your talk and 1 mark for ending the speech appropriately.  

Sample Answer 1 – Sample of a good answer – for a linguistically competent student

     A very good morning to Pn Leela, the principal of SMK Seberang Baki, senior assistants, teachers and fellow students. I stand here today, in my capacity as the president of the Health Club, to give a speech on the causes of stress among students and to offer you some suggestions on how to overcome this problem.

     Friends, many of you have cited the long hours spent at school as one of the causes of stress. As students of a single session school, we spend longer hours at school compared to students in a double session school. On most days, we only finish at 2.30 p.m. unlike other schools which dismiss their students at 1.10p.m. Besides, some of you have complained that too much homework gives you stress.  In addition to daily homework, you now have to cope with weekend homework, which was introduced at the beginning of this year.

   Some of you have also mentioned that you are stressed because you are burdened with too many projects, all of which are compulsory. Worse still, most of these projects are due around the same time. The frequent exams are also one factor that cause stress, especially among students in exam classes. Besides the monthly tests and term examinations, many of you also have to sit for several trial examinations. The endless homework and numerous projects leave you with very little time to study for these exams.

     Friends, in this competitive age, many parents have high expectations of their children and so most students attend tuition classes in their quest to do well, if not better than their rivals and this, results in stress. Many students say that they have to stay up late to finish their homework and to revise their lessons. As a result, the lack of sleep not only reduces their efficiency levels but also adds to their stress levels. 

      I would now like to share with you some suggestions on how to overcome the stress caused by the above problems.  Firstly, you need to have a positive outlook. You should consider the plus points of the long hours spent at school and the benefits of homework.  Remember, you are at an advantage if you are in a single session school as you spend more time learning and homework helps to reinforce all that you have learnt. Secondly, you should plan a timetable to help you manage your time better so that you have ample time for all activities. You should allocate time for homework, tuition, projects and revision.  Besides, you could try to complete your homework in school whenever you have a free period or when a teacher is slightly delayed. Thirdly, you should study consistently so that you are well prepared for any exam. You should never study at the eleventh hour as you would not be able to cope with all that you have to study. Fourthly, you should aim for manageable goals. It is better to accomplish something small than to be disappointed for failing to achieve or accomplish something which is too ambitious. As the saying goes, “take baby steps.”  Finally, regular exercise can help you overcome stress. According to scientists, any physical activity that gets your heart pumping will result in the release of endorphins which help relieve stress.

     Remember, you must learn to overcome stress before it overpowers you. Thank you.

General Guidelines for Directed Writing

The focus of the SPM 1119 paper, which is the English Language paper, is mainly on the reading and writing skills. Paper 1 tests candidates on their writing skills while Paper 2 deals, for the most part, with the reading skills.

 We’ll begin this series with the more difficult writing skill as it carries a significant portion of the marks for the whole paper. This paper consists of two compulsory questions:  Directed Writing and Continuous Writing.

The Directed Writing question carries a total of 35 marks – 15 marks for content and 20 marks for language. The marks for format, which can vary between 1-3 marks depending on the text type, are included in the 15 marks allocated for content. In this section, candidates are given only one question. This means that candidates do not have the luxury of choice which they are given in the Continuous Writing section.

 Most candidates find this question quite manageable. In fact, even weak candidates can be taught to cope with this question to a certain extent. Several factors make this question quite doable. Firstly, candidates are given help with content. This means candidates do not have to worry about what to write as content points are provided.  It is not difficult to score full marks for content.  In fact, candidates can score full marks for content if they are able to use the information given in grammatically sound sentences, irrespective of the sentence type or length.  It is also easy to get marks for format if they have been exposed to the formats of different text types.  Secondly, this question does not demand much linguistically unlike the continuous writing question. Most candidates are able to cope with this question, even if they are linguistically limited.  Thirdly, the question is usually set around the experiences of students. Hence, there is no reason for candidates not to attempt this question.

Over the years, teachers and students have become quite adept at predicting the type of question that might appear. Still, I would suggest that you familiarise yourself with the different text types. Below is an analysis of the questions which have appeared over the past few years:

Year	Text type	Purpose
2000	letter (informal)	To inform mother of choice of present for your brother and persuade mother to lend you some money
2001	Article	To inform students on ways of coping with stress
2002	Speech	To inform  students about road safety – causes of road accidents and suggestions to reduce them
2003	letter (formal)	To inform the class teacher about the choice of class trip
2004	Report	To inform the school principal about the conditions of the school canteen
2005	letter (informal)	To inform a friend about a holiday camp
2006	letter (informal)	To convince a friend to run for the post of head prefect
2007	Speech	To tell students about a science reference book
2008	Article	To inform students about a friend who has been chosen as the Best Group Leader

General Guidelines for Directed Writing

• Read the question carefully. Identify your task, your role and your audience.
• Use the 45 minutes allocated for this question wisely.
• Plan your essay and organize your thoughts (this includes what to write and how to elaborate on points)
• Include an introduction and a conclusion and make sure your paragraphs are well organized.
• Use all content points given. It is advisable to cross out the points you have used, so that no point is left out.
• Include points of your own only if you are asked to. Otherwise, do not waste precious time doing so because you will not get any extra marks.
• Elaborate on the points given. Write 2-3 sentences to elaborate on each point. Remember a crucial aspect of this paper is language and your ability to write can only be tested if you provide sufficient language for the examiner to gauge your linguistic ability.   
• Use a variety of sentence structures so that your essay is not dull and monotonous.
• Always read through what you have written. Correct grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.

 Common pitfalls

• Poor time management. Do not spend more than the allocated 45 minutes on this question. Otherwise you will not have enough time for the second question.
• Lengthy essays. Do not write too much. As mentioned earlier, this question does not make many demands on a candidate. Directed writing is a succinct piece of writing. All you have to do is use the given points and provide a sentence or two (maybe three) to elaborate on them. A response of  1 ½ – 2 pages is more than sufficient. After all, the more you write the more mistakes you might make. Some candidates make the mistake of writing one paragraph for each point.  If you do this, your essay is going to be very lengthy. Save the time and energy for Continuous writing.
• Usage of Informal language. This paper tests your written English. Do not use spoken language. Avoid using slang words (such as guys, …..), contractions, and informal language (such as informal idiomatic expressions or informal phrasal verbs).
• Poor punctuation. Some candidates do not punctuate their sentences correctly. Make sure you end your sentence with a full stop and not a comma. Also, make sure that the pronoun I is written in upper case and not lower case (i) as is the practice among some candidates.