"Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth". -Rumi

Hello Ladies and Gentlemen,  

               
It's been quite a while since I've written anything on this blog. Studies, assignments and friends; The usual excuses for not having enough time for writing. That's very strange as reading and writing is the only thing I really enjoy doing but I end up doing things which I have to do, not what I want to do.

Like Mirza Ghalib says,

'The steed of life is galloping on, who knows where it stops.
Our hands don't control the reins, our feet are not stirrupped fast'

From our daily lives to our eductional system, everything is controlled. We are not masters of our own destinies, our own lives. Let us take our eductional system into consideration; What are we receiving in our schools, colleges and universities?

Knowledge or information? Are we getting educated or just becoming 'informed'?


My generation knows what is gravity and who discovered it. They know that Facebook is a social networking site and was made by Mark Zuckerberg. They have information about everything. But do they have the knowledge? Are they educated?


No. They aren't. The current system of eduction is just preparing the students to be good, skilled slaves for the cooperations. That's all. There are no Einsteins, Newtons or Ibn-e-Sinas in my generation. There aren't any thinkers like Rumi, Iqbal or Socrates either.


This not a post about how stupid we are. Nor am I pessimist. I'm just stating that we are not utilizing our time properly. We are not thinking out of the box. We are not asking those big, unanswered questions anymore. Where did we come from? Where will we go? Why are we here?

In this era of information when you can access to anything in seconds, we have stopped wondering. And that's sad. Not good at all.

As Rumi said:

“Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.”

Every other person you meet knows everything about everything. Remember when Moses thought he had aqquired the knowledge about everything? He met Khizer and realized that he was wrong.

I got a distintion in my Ordinary level Islamiyat paper but I don't even know the i of Islamiyat. How can these examinations judge our knowledge?

Who set these standards for us? Why did we limit ourselves? Why do we crawl through life when you were born with wings?










All around me are familiar faces 
Worn out places, worn out faces 
Bright and early for the daily races 
Going nowhere, going nowhere

                                                             -Mad World By Tears for Fears (1982)



I love this song. It inspires me, urges me to question the rules, the norms of the society. I do not want to join the crowd and be a slave of the cooperations. I want to wander around the world and seek. Seek the undiscovered.



Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. -Rumi


We need to start wondering once again. Stop reading those stories about how the apple fell on Newton's head. We need to go out and wander. Maybe there's an apple waiting to fall on our head too. Maybe there are more secrets, more mysteries to be solved. Don't cage yourself.

'The page is finished, but the praise is incomplete, 

One requires a boat to negotiate this boundless deep'.

There's so much I want to write. But I'm afraid I'd be too incoherent for people to understand. And I don't want that to happen. I want you to read, enjoy and leave comments on this post. Because I'm just an errant soul, a young man. I do everything for reward. Wish I could be like Ghalib;




I do not hanker after praise, nor seek reward,
If my verses make no sense, I do not care a jot.




Yours shamelessly,
HBL. 

What you personify is what you should become

You might have seen a young Pakistani boy fly a fighter jet using his hand, or drawing aircraft sketches on his notebooks. He imitates a pilot. He is thrilled by the sound or image of a fighter jet. He has, what psychatrists call, personified himself as a fighter pilot. The level of association surpasses every boundary and attains the rank of janoon, or craze. Such men, as per experts of mind & body, can only performed extraordinary things in their respective fields; who like crazy scientists "do not wish to go home from their work." Who want to do that thing whole day, 24/7, in one way or another.

The role of parents is not to come in their way, assuming the passion is not unIslamic or unethical. The role of school is to aid that passion by giving them opportunity to play such roles. It may be in form of an activity where the student can live that character. For instance, if a girl wants to be a teacher, she be given apron, a class and students to teach to. A student given all authorities of a principle, and is trained what to do on working day, and then given the task to run the school.

This way of learning is most effective. Its hands-on knowledge. When they grow up and actually come to perform these roles, they'd have confidence to do it inshaAllah.

Secondly. We should ask our children to solve our daily problems. If the gate cannot be locked from inside, ask them for a solution. Encourage them. Even if you know solution, make them to think, so that they can become problem solvers.

(These were some of the thoughts I gained from the company of my mentor Dr. Agha, who's trained in psychiatry from Royal College of Psychiatry, UK.)

Post-Colonial Muslim Mind & Qur’an

When Islamic ummah encountered modernity in 19th-20th century, it 'fragmented into disunited pieces', with profound and far-reaching consequences for their relation with Islam as a world-view, affecting all aspects of traditional Islamic societies, from education to politics, from governance to family systems. According to Burhan Ahmed Farooqi [1], this created two classes of mind-sets with distinct world-views: a Traditional Islamic mindset that traced its roots to divine revelation of Islam; and, a modernized mindset, trained in modern educational systems, which felt more at home with all things with Western. Modernized Muslims ascended to the ranks of power and rule Muslims masses with aspirations to westernize their countries in totality. Traditional Islam, and its political elite, lost its sway with the replacement of Shariah Law with Roman or English or French law; although cultural aspects of Muslim societies continued to survive, albeit with constant losing battles with the monoculture of West.

Leadership was transferred to modernized-Muslims who were completely hopeless of Quran as a source of minhaaj, a way of solving problems both at individual and societal levels [2]. With their utter hopelessness in Qur’anic worldview, modernized Muslims looked up to knowledge produced by human capacity as a way of solving all of their problems. The root cause of this hopelessness may be explained as a result of trauma that Muslims went through after their political subjugation at the hands of West that resulted in disbelief in the power of their own Tradition. During this process, Muslims developed deep sense of inferiority complex, which according to many scholars is the root problem of Muslims which stops them from realizing potential of being a Muslim and final revelation from Allah.

What led to this state of affairs? Syed Abu Hassan Nadvi (r.a.) argues [3] that following were main reasons that led to Westernization of many Muslim countries, especially India, Egypt and Turkey:

- Western educational system which indoctrinated in a more subtle way superiority of Western civilization as a poison that led to death of authentic worldview of Islam

- Orientalism modernized Muslim scholars relied a lot upon research and analysis done by Orientalists to understand Islam and its history – those eyeglasses were also contaminated that blurred the vision of Muslims

- Decline of Muslim Intellectuality Muslims, largely, failed to respond proactively to the change in their surroundings and could not respond to challenge of modernity.

We can understand that these factors are pertinent and relevant today, since these at work creating more hopelessness in Muslims from Qur’an, as being a way of solving our problems. We only need to reverse this process through a (maybe unending) intellectual struggle, and to take Qur’an as a minhaaj to solve our individual and societal diseases and challenges of modernity.
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Notes
[1] See, Minhaaj-ul-Quran, by Dr. Burhan Ahmed Farooqi
[2] Ibid
[3] Nadvi, Syed Abu Hassan. Muslim Mumalik mein Islamiat aur Maghribiat ki Kashmakash (1980) – "The struggle between Islamization and Westernization in Muslim Countries." Karachi: Majlis-e-Nashriyate Islam

Miracles: To be or not to be?

Why should miracles be important to prove, or to serve as an evidence for the truthfulness of a Prophet?

Miracles did take place in the time of Last Prophet, as per sound narrations and consensus of ulema. Miracles did take place in the times of Prophet Moses and Isa. It's very curious to know how the magicians/illusionists of Firoun's responded to Prophet Moses' miracle that was granted to him by Allah: they accepted Prophet Moses as Messenger of Allah and recongized his miracle to out of this world! That was nothing short of an experimental testimony.

However, i was puzzled by this thought of Imam Ghazzali in his autobiography: if a person was come to me and say 2+1 = 10 and he tries to prove the truth of his statement by turning a stick into a snake - i should never lose certitude in my knowledge that 2 + 1 = 3 and not 10; and, should not believe his "magic," "miracle" to have any relation with something that i already know of with certitude (whether its true or not).

Hence, can a rational person [not rationalist per se] demand miracle(s)? If he demands so, and if the miracle is performed, he should believe in the performer or his assertions.

The miracle we (also) need to believe in today is that of "... Islamic view of a universe created by God, where the trees and the stars worship their Creator, and the sun and the moon follow exquisitely designed laws." And the only time when veils were removed from the people, as public, was the time of Prophets, when trees and stone would talk to Prophet. It was a sensory, observable experience and experiment against the mechanistic, godless/godforsaken universe.

What is interesting is the psychology of the person who demands miracles, but upon witnessing those refuses to be a believer. We should also know that the nations which self-abdicated themselves, like that of Saleh, requested miracles of their choice. When those miracles were performed, they didn't accept Islam. This is true for the modern scientists as well. Dr Asad Zaman in his brief essay Big Bang writes:

"Sometimes, the evidence is so strong that it breaks through the barriers of unbelief. For example, one of the discoverers of the genetic basis of human life, Crick was quoted as saying, ‘An honest man, armed with all the knowledge available to us now, could only state that in some sense, the origin of life appears at the moment to be almost a miracle, so many are the conditions which would have had to have been satisfied to get it going.” Very unwillingly, against his atheistic beliefs, Crick gave testimony to what the Quran (Surah Al-Waqi’ah 57-58) asserts as challenge: In the creation of man and the seed from which man is created are signs which cannot be denied by those who reflect. Just like many nations mentioned in the Quran, Crick continued to deny God even after witnessing the miracles of creation."

Apart from the so-called supernatural miracles, the evidences regarding the coming of the last Prophet is of utmost importance. Please read the chapter on Bahira the Monk in Martin Lings Muhammad. 

For me, miracles are an important testimony and evidence. It happens today with the righteous ones. Moreover, it is hard evidence for a very strong alternative view of physical world. It is anti-dote to a mechanistic view of things, which 'cuts the hand of God his creation'. However, with the very miracle of life, my own being and the tree that grows out of the earth naturally, is enough a proof for me. One should also know that Dajjal will use real life CG effects to show miracles to people and claim to be Divine.

Disclaimer: Allah knows best. These thoughts are still very pre-mature and at least some parts are doubtful to me too.

Guest Post: NF Paracha - A Square All-Rounder

(I was looking for this blog for long! Without further ado...! In praise of Hazrat Nadeem F Paracha prophet of absurdity, slang and no-bodiness...) 

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NF Paracha - A Square All-Rounder

By: Syed Aal-e-Imran

Source : http://tajzia.wordpress.com/ 

Nadeem Farooq Paracha is one of the most widely respected intellectual giants of the country. Throughout his life, he has dedicated himself to contribute towards the betterment of the society on issues of critical importance. 

During the 1990s, when The News ran its ‘Vibes’ section in its weekend supplement, NFP, as he is affectionately known, made priceless contribution by highlighting some of the most critical issues relevant to the masses some of which are as follows: 

1. Top Ten Songs of All-Time in Pakistani Pop Music (revisited and updated at least thrice with Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar by Strings always coming out on top)

2. Top Ten Albums of All-Time in Pakistani Pop Music (again, revisited and updated a number of times Vital Signs Vol. 2 featuring Junaid Junaid Pakistan was always up there)

3. Precursors of Psychedelic Rock 

4. The Earth, Wind, Fire and Water in Rock Music 

5. The fact that Pepsi destroyed Vital Signs and other bands 

6. Perils of Bubblegum Pop 

7. Musicians and why they had no right to have sponsorships 

8. Dinosaur Acts 

9. Aatish Raj and how to sit and mindlessly roll a coke bottle on guitar strings and record it noise and release it as music 

10. Several literary masterpieces that should have been acted out – they were proper dramas with heroes such as ‘Junaid Junaid Pakistan’ 

Thereafter, he disappeared till a millennium went away and another came our way. 

He then resurfaced and started writing for Dawn and has increasingly become more focused on politics. Such has been his dedication that he exposes Jamaat-e-Islami, Maududi and at times, Tableeghi Jamaat as well, everytime he writes. Imran Khan too always gets the limelight he deserves. There are occasional references to Junaid Jamshed as well – very few people remember that in 1995, in his Vibes column, NFP had written an exposition of Junaid for supporting Imran Khan. Junaid had written that ‘Imran Khan remains the only Pakistani who promised his nation something and then actually delivered it’. 

NFP is an expert on Jihadi outfits as well and has actually read Amir Mir’s book himself. Similarly, his very statement that ‘the 2008 Mumbai attacks’ that were ‘undertaken by Pakistani Jihadis’ is the final word – Pakistanis never budge to American or Indian Pressure. You have to believe him when he implies that ‘The Dawah’ and Taliban have the same agenda. He is also correct when he clarifies the retro-Maududi’ist and Tablighi notions of ‘Islamic Society’ which have no difference. Very few have had better grips of Syed Qutb and Maududi that he has. Not many realize, for example, the death of Mustafa Akkad was actually an admission of failure from the proponent of Maududified Qutubi ideologies. 

NFP’s expertise is not limited to politics, music – he is the ultimate (read square) all-rounder and can write and talk endlessly on any issue till kingdom come. He knows more about cricket and its management than Imran Khan and others ever did. It is extremely saddening to realize that Pakistani cricket team was 

humiliated in the 2007 World Cup which was lost because Tableeghi Jamaat exists as testified by NFP. P. J. Mir also said that and Bob Woolmer would have done the same had he been alive. It is unfortunate that two important members of the team, Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif, could not deliver at the time because they could not get the NFP recipe for getting things right. Because he is an expert on cricket, you have to believe him that Waqar was appointed captain in 1999 even if he only played two tests and two one-dayers that year. That is because Khalid Hassan said so too. Munir Hussain, that old sadist, was entirely wrong when he mentioned in his World Cup 1992 account that Khalid Hassan spread lies about the Pakistan Team. His eyes lied. Nadeem’s pen didn’t. 

If we were to follow Nadeem Farooq Paracha’s thought, the world would be diarrhea-free, conspiracy-theory-free. Everyone would be applying Aafia Beauty and Bleach Cream all the time made from the flesh of that terrorist criminal, the Amazon-like Dr. Aafia Siddiqui who can easily tackle half a dozen American Marines on her own and snatch a gun from them. Everyone would ensure that Farhat Hashmi is bashed every time anything is discussed. In fact, every discussion should start with an exposition of Farhat Hashmi.

Nadeem Farooq Paracha can read between the lines. He knows that these silly SMSs, despite the fact that they are at times actually contain fabricated Hadiths, are actually aiming to make people respect Hadiths. So he has done a great service to humanity byexposing this grand conspiracy. In fact, it is not a conspiracy but a fact because Nadeem Farooq Paracha doesn’t believe in conspiracies and because he doesn’t believe in conspiracies, they do not exist.

We love Nadeem Farooq Paracha for his humble, honest, well-informed, anarchic, Marxist, non-fascist and any-other-prefix-that-he-loves opinions and his highly ethically, completely-in-line-with-journalistic ethics, his ethically and humble ethical personality.

What would we have done without him? Our limited knowledge is nothing compared to the encyclopedia that Nadeem Farooq Paracha is. Hence, we do not know if he believes in Paradise. But if he did, he would be the first to enter it.