Jeewan Chanika
Jeewan Chanicka accepted Islam at the age of 11. His journey to Islam and continual learning has enabled him to understand its beauty and compassion for all peoples regardless of differences. He has been married for 14 years and has been blessed with two wonderful sons.
Jeewan was born in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains in Calgary, Alberta and went on from there to live with his family in the beautiful Caribbean island of Trinidad. He lived in Trinidad for approximately 15 years and completed his highschool A Levels there before returning to Canada. It is in Trinidad that he began to sing and this would lead to his first nasheed album, "The Prophet's Song". He has a Masters Degree in Education.
While working as a teacher in the public school system, he lectured and ran workshops across North America on various issues of Islamic relevance: youth, domestic violence, family, self-esteem, conflict-resolution, and da`wah, among other issues. Jeewan has counseled both youth and adults in areas dealing with employment, housing, mental health, suicide, drugs, racism, physical and sexual abuse, immigration and integration issues, marriage, and family problems.
Jeewan has won several awards for his work in the field of education as well as community work. Most recently, he was participated in a project with the United Nations University of Peace to develop a curriculum framework around Peace in the Islamic Context. It is being implemented from madrassahs to universities across South Asia. Jeewan has been fortunate to travel to Tobago, Barbados and St. Vincent and has the privilege of having two Guyanese sisters-in-law :)
For more information on Jeewan please visit www.jeewanc.com
Travelers and Destinations
- By Jeewan Chanika
- Published 08/31/2009
Oh dusty traveler, worn out by life’s trials, stand up and walk with
us as we continue on this journey. Your journey is like my journey-
short. For a small period of time we have been placed here to elevate
our souls. Ask any traveler at the end of their journey, they will tell
you that they saw their entire journey flash before their eyes “in the
blink of an eye”. More than one week of Ramadan has passed, how have
you prospered? How did you honour this noble guest with your thoughts,
words and actions? Have you belittled her and only endured hunger and
thirst? or have you tried to pacify the physical and elevate your souls?
Stand up and dust yourself off, drink from the well of God’s
forgiveness and seek shade in His Mercy. Call on Him to help you,
because even though you left Him, He never abandoned you. You taste of
His mercy each day when you rise, each moment you rest, the beating of
your heart, the blinking of your eyes. Beg Him for His forgiveness,
because He is most forgiving and loves to forgive.
Let this be the beginning of a chance to restore yourself, balance your mind and soul, breathe the truth that exists all around you in signs that are ever present to guide those who seek guidance. This life is like a continuous race. Not one of gathering wealth and amassing treasures and trinkets which we hoard in our homes or bank accounts and which in turn imprison our hearts.
Oh traveler, own this world with your hands but not with your hearts.
The truth of your creation, the reality of your purpose- to worship He in Whose hands lies control of all things, through ritual acts and through service to humanity.
Dust yourself off and throw away the cloak, “I have no time”..dispense of it before you have no time and your life was full of pleasures and routines that brought you no real profit. Arise and awaken your soul and commit to this journey. It is merely a transition from one phase of life to another.
Do not lose sight of your intended destination because you may end up where you never intended.
His Mercy exists around you, in the breath you take, in your ability to read, in the many things and people you take for granted. Why not then, humble yourself, quiet your ego and free yourself from the oppression of the creation, instead find solace and peace in the Creator because He created us and to Him is our eventual return. He has promised true and eternal success for those who sacrifice their time and live in accordance with His will.
He wants you to be successful, has always been there for you when
you were alone, guiding you in your darkest hours and with you when you
enjoyed your successes. Allah is most Merciful and most Loving. His
love for His creation is greater than the love of a mother for her
newborn child. Let us find our truth, in the truth of His love and live
up to the promise and potential that He created within us.
This Ramadan, let us, let Allah help us become all that we were truly meant to be.
