The Zenith.

Super Poetry.

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:01:43 GMT

Confessing the fact that I don't blog out here as much this particular attempt is for a Virtual friend of mine who in process of sharing his poetry with me shared a piece, which astounded me for a while and the first thing I asked to him after that was, "Have you written this?". The answer was apparently affirmative, which was something I was concerned of already but just asked in order to show the appreciation. No matter how much we take our virtual connections for granted it still fascinates me how people confront each other and some if not all make an impact on the way you think and behave. For instance I'm taken guilty of charge to convert an intellectual young person into a swearing machine after I've talked to him for a while (not such a huge while nevertheless). Coming back on the basic reason of making this post this virtual pal of mine, Moz Rauf, who in his own words is "a decade older than me" is a smart young intellectual coming from a place I've beautiful childhood memories from, Lahore. He can make women horny by his heavy-man-like voice (not that the men with lighter voice are impotent), can discuss sense with you without a pause and sometimes leave you with a very familiar gesture, which is not so familiar anyway that would make you say, "What the fuck?". He's one heck of a person who blushes if anyone comes along with the usage of the word, "sex". He knows his words well and the following master-piece is nothing but the gold production of his imagination. Cheers!

Rooh ki tapti.

Saat surro ki malla bhur kay,
Jug bhur ki aashti dhur kay,
Ik deep sa soruj jalla day ri,
Sangeet ki agni jalla day ri.

Muthi bhur chikni maati lay kay,
Chandun sa roop rangoon mein bhur kay,
Ik Moorat apni banna day ri,
Meri rooh ki tapti bhujha day ri.

Random Poetry attacks.

Sun, 06 Jan 2008 22:38:31 GMT

Daur e Jahalat ka dorta howa karkhana hai Ghulam Nazar,

Zillat e Mardaan hai, Hai Ghurbat e fardaan Ghulam Nazar,

Rooh ke paasbaan roshni ki tarah nikalte hain aazaad Zehniat se

Hai dushman e zehniat, laanat e jaan, hai Ghulam Nazar

Zindagi zindagaani ki qaasir na kabhi thi na hogi - Ham ne kaha

Phalsafae Khud paraste hai, nahi Paristishe Khudai Ghulam Nazar

Zamana e Haal apni barbaadi ki Sham e Gharibaan dekh chuka

Nahi Zaman e Khilafat, hai Zamana e Jamhooriat Ghulam Nazar. (1)

(Written on: Saturday, February 03, 2007)Note 1: Perceive "Zamaana e Jamhooriat" as the current system of leadership.

PS. I can't trace down the memory lane as to after which incident I wrote this but its meaning still remains constant for me. No matter when was it written it is according to me something that can stay relevant to the Pakistani crowd of the past, present and unfortunately even the future. I am concerned of my poetic flaws and the lesser potential to write amazingly, but I can't battle against not writing when I feel I have to. Since I am someone who fits nicely into the "procrastination internet groups" I'd be grateful if someone could translate it for me in English, which I am sure nobody would!

Blessings.

Hail our Muhtarma.

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:12:15 GMT

Today is 18th October and hence the day when Benazir was supposed to come back to Pakistan after a long of almost eleven years including the years of her leadership. Everybody knew that at this day educational institutions would be closed, streets would almost be vacant throughout the day and PPP and a few other admirers of Benazir would be welcoming her. That is exactly what happened today except the fact that after the Maghrib prayers streets weren’t so empty.

Starting from the scratch when Benazir initially landed the media was only allowed to shoot the scenes on the airport from a 56-feet distance because of her security. Other coverage ‘spoke’ that she cried when she viewed her land after a long time and so did the members of PPP. She said that she had waited every second for this day, which is evident for all Pakistanis as to why she said that. Many would jokingly say that the only rationale for her to come back to Pakistan was that she ran out of money.

An exciting part was when she repeated on her welcome that being the daughter of a great democrat, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto she never did and never will support a military dictatorship and she is back in the country for the revival of true democracy. HUH! She also said that she wouldn’t support Musharraf until he takes his ‘wardi’ (uniform) off! That rocked!

When public was reviewed about her come-back in the country one of the working-class person said, “She hasn’t came because of the public; she has came because of herself. She robbed us when she lead us and now she is here to repeat her act”. Another one said, “She hasn’t robbed her enough at the first place that she is here back again”. DAWN News sarcastically remarked, “Pakistan’s wealth is in the Swiss Accounts”. However, there are many who still appear to admire her for some reason or another. Not to mention, the whole airport was filled with people!!

Another ‘fascinating’ thing was that her party PPP had developed for her a truck, which had bulletproof mirrors from three sides and a whole bunch of security guards who’d protect her.

All said!

PS. BBC WORLD has announced that the transport strike is extended to another 24-hours. …WHHAAAT?

Yea!!

UPDATE! (12:50 AM); (BLOG ENTRY EDIT)

Somewhere between 12:30 to 12:45 AM a car, which was going alongside with Benazir’s truck blasted, which hurt the members of PPP who were going along with Benazir, though she survived. The blast was so horrendous that almost 35 people dies on the spot and almost 50 people were injured and were taken to Jinnah, Liaquat and Civil hospitals. The body pieces of the ones who died were distributed all over the place where the incident took place.

MAY ALLAH BLESS US ALL!

UPDATE: (1:27 AM) (BLOG ENTRY EDIT)

The number of the people who have died has been extended from 30 to 70! More deaths are very much expected!

Recent Update: Death count: Above 135!

Current Update (Jan 07, 2008)

Into the Sands.

Iqbaliat: Siddique

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:33:11 GMT

Ik Din Rasool-E-Pak Ne Ashaab Say Kaha
Dein Maal Raah-E-Haq Mein Jo Hoon Tum Mein Maldaar

Irshaad Sun Ke, Fert-E-Tarb Say Umar Uthay
Us Rooz Un Ke Paas Thay Darham Kaye Hazaar

Dil Mein Yeh Keh Rahay Thay Ke Siddique Say Zaroor
Barh Ker Rakhay Ga Aaj Qadam Mera Rahwaar

La'ay Gharz Ke Maal Rasool-E-Ameen Ke Paas
Isar Ke Hai Dast-Nigar Ibtida'ay-Kaar

Pocha Hazoor Sarwar-E-Alam Ne Ay Umar!
Ay Wo Ke Josh-E-Haq Say Taray Dil Ko Hai Qaraar!

Rakha Hai Kuch Ayaal Ke Khatir Bhi Tu Ne Kia?
Muslim Hai Apne Khesh-E-Aqarib Ka Haq Guzaar

Ki Arz Nisf Maal Hai Farzand O Zan Ka Haq
Baqi Jo Hai Wo Millat-E-Bayziya Pay Hai Nisaar

Itne Mein Woh Rafeeq-E-Nabowwat Bhi Aa Gaya
Jiss Say Bina'ay Ishq-O-Mohabbat Hai Istwaar

Lay Aaya Apne Saath Wo Mard-E-Wafa Sirisht
Her Cheez Jiss Say Chashm-E-Jahaan Mein Ho Aitebaar

Bolay Hazoor Chahiyeh Fikr E Ayaal Bhi
Kehnay Laga Wo Ishq-O-Mohabbat Ka Raazdar

Ay Tujh Say Deeda-E-Ma-O-Anjum(Chand Tara) Farogh-Geer
Ay Teri Zaat Ba'is-E-Takween-E-Rozgaar

Translation:

One Day The Prophet(Peace Be Upon Him) Said His Friends
Those Of You Who Are Wealthy Give In The Path Of Righteousness

After Listneing To This Command, With Great Mithfulness Umar Stood Up
That Day He Had Thousands Of Darham

In His Heart He Was Saying That Comapred To Siddique For Sure
His Steed Will Put It's Step Ahead

He Brought With This Intention The Riches To The Trusted Prophet
In An Act Of Selflessness For The Dependant He Took The Initiative

Asked Your Highness(Prophet) The Lord(Master) Of The World, Hey Umar!
That With Enthusiasm Of The Truth Your Heart Finds Satisfication

Have You Kept Some For The The Family?
Muslim Are The Kinsmen's Haqguzar(Rightous?)?!?

He Stated Half Of The Riches Belong To The Women And Children
The Rest Is Sacrificed To Nation (Without Light?)

In The Meanwhile The Friend Of Apostelship Also Arrived (friend of.. = abubakr siddique)
One Who Has Made Love And Affection Strong

Brought With Himself His Sincere Nature
Everything For Which The World's Eye Has Trust In

His Highness We Need Care Of Family Too
Said The Love And Affectionate's Secret Keeper

With The Glory Of The Eye Of Moon And Stars
Your Being Is Basis For The Creation Of Earning

My Wings.

Mon, 09 Apr 2007 10:31:43 GMT

My wings,
See the touch of moist, the old man's desire,
Embellished with the thorns of the age's mutiny.
The subsistence of Goth, the existence of saint.
My tainted, broken wings see the half crucifixion,
The deadly hour of lethal anguish, reserving in.
The hopelessness of the immortal, divine riposte,
The buried vows of Jerusalem in the sanctuary;
Still alive, the moment inside, the curse outside.
Tear away my wings of desire. Break them part away,
Drown them inside the deepest of my corners,
Make me feel the southern breeze, take me away!

(Written on: Friday, April 06, 2007 9:09:16 PM)

The Ultimate Possibilities.

Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:11:21 GMT

Al note: This is the work of fiction. There is no attempt made nor desire extant to libel or otherwise cause malicious damage, loss, public contempt, defamation, blasphemy, treason, sedition, or ridicule to persons, cabals, governments, institutions, corporations, or assemblies of inanimate objects, alien lifeforms, microorganisms, clergy, vegetables, animals, or observed spatio-temporal reality.

If it is found that any extant entity or collection of entities maintains an uncomfortable congruence to the caricatures and ridiculous comedic exaggerations contained herein, the author offers his apologies and condolences...

...and if you are still pissed off, you are invited to go dig your opinions in your ancestor's saucer!
Conciliation has its limits.

Written on: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 11:08:40 PM

An Indian astrologist-cum-astronomer-cum-Jyotish-cum-scientist discovered a scientific way of exploding Arcturus, a star that is mightier on Sun in size. According to the Jyotish if we draw a rough diagram of comparison between these two then the radius of the Sun drawn would be less than 1 cm and that of Arcturus would be a few units more than 12 cm. 35 years of his experience had made it very easy to believe for him that it indeed was possible, because Arcturus lies straight in the north-western side of the Earth. This veracity struck the ears of Bush while he was busy playing golf in Pataya, Thailand.

When he was informed by the security sentinel about the Indian progress he replied, “Go and talk to NASA”. On hearing this, the security sentinel went to Mr. Edgar D. Martin, the C.E.O. of the NASA and informed him about the evolution. On hearing this Mr. Martin replied, “It is too scientific to be true! The people cannot grasp this news as the news of no moon landing by NASA is in the atmosphere. Indians cannot overtake us!”

The Indian with such a great accomplishment and leg was named as Pravan Kumar Jyotish. Keeping the current achievement aside, Jyotish was the first person to decipher the result of the abstraction of the Bermuda Triangle. According to him the atmospheric pressure of the Triangle has more Sulphur and Nicotine as compared to that of Uranus. For the intestinal reincarnation of a human body the compound of Nicotine is broken down to its constituent elements and then amalgamated with the Sulphur for an unknown compound called ‘Diectrione’. This compound clones a human being comparing the total mathematical figure with the 27^th units of ‘Dolly’, in an opposite gradient.

Also the Jyotish predicted that in the upcoming 78 years a great crisis of global warming would break out in the western part of Asia, the whole Europe and a part of America. In order to combat with this future crisis the steps should be taken from his very stage. From other reports it is apparently been shown that he has also anticipated that the global warming affects would occur due to excess fuel erosion in the 7^th layer of Earth, which will lower the Earth atmospheric and environmental temperature. Also, the people situated in the Arctic and the Antarctic regions will be unable to survive in the next 53 years because the pure water on which the icebergs of those lands are suspended on will go through the process of latent heat of solidification. In order to rescue these regions from getting back to the ice age, the pure water under the icebergs needs to be inter rehabilitated in the saline water.

The Jyotish explained three major advantages of accomplishing this task:

1: The Eskimos of the Arctic and Antarctic region would be saved.
2: The regions will rescue from getting back to the Ice age, and
3: If the task is intelligently accomplished then there are certain possibilities of ice reduction in these regions.

On hearing of these predictions an Applied Physics student from the University of New South Wales, Australia grew fascinated and at the same a bit suspicious about the predictions being made. He went onto the voyage to meet the Jyotish to question and tell him about his suspicion concerning the 3^rd prediction the Jyotish has made.

The student’s name was Josh Mac’lay and he originally was from Venice, Italy. He questioned the Jyotish, “How can saline water under the icebergs lead to Ice reduction in the respected regions”. The Jyotish was in consideration for a moment until he said, “Sodium Chloride in the water will decrease the heating point of the Ice and hence it will melt”. The student argued, “Jyotish, don’t you think that this is against the law of Physics?” The Jyotish smilingly said, “Do you believe that Earth revolves round the sun?” The student annoyingly answered, “Though this question is absolutely ridiculous and irrelevant but I still will answer you. Yes I do”. The Jyotish again smilingly said, “That too was a scientific paradox before”. The student paused for contemplation and refused to question the Jyotish further. Nevertheless, he was assured that the Jyotish has some very deep calculations about his predictions.

After 6 months an article was published in the ‘New York Times’ by the title “Four big claims of a Jyotish’, which contained many contradictions and conciliations with the Jyotish’s claims and predictions. Due to the rush that article created, which was written by a freelancer named as William Corrins, the Jyotish was invited for a debate in New York with the best physicist of that time, Sir Richard Marveley who had also been a lecturer in the Oxford University, England. Marveley didn’t touch all of the latter three claims of the Jyotish because according to him they may contain some scientific realities in the near future. However the claim to explode Arcturus seemed ridiculous to him .He questioned the Jyotish about that and as an answer the Jyotish replied, “This is a blessing from Shiv, our lord”. The whole auditorium echoed with the public laughter.

Marveley continued to harass him, “Why not Antares, the 15^th brightest star of world?” Jyotish replied, “Because in front of the rough diagram of Arcturus Jupiter would be of one pixel, whereas in front of the rough diagram of the Antares that would be Sun, which would be of one pixel” Laughter prevailed.

“If your claim is as high as to explode Arcturus then why not the Antares? Is it too big for you to explode?” Marveley questioned laughingly. Jyotish said, “No! It has rather no parallel line with the Earth”. “Earth? How can we even think of exploding Arcturus from the Earth when in the same rough diagram of the comparison between the Arcturus and Sun, Jupiter would be of one pixel? And I think dear respected Mr.…. Yes! Mr. Jyotish I don’t need to remind you that if we draw the rough diagrams of comparison between the Earth and Jupiter then in front of Jupiter, Earth would be hardly of 3 pixels and Jupiter of 2 cm. Keeping these points in mind what scientific evidence do you have which says that Arcturus can be exploded”.

Jyotish explained, “As I have said before that Arcturus and Earth share a common north-western path way, it is easy for me to say –after researching on the geographical and scientific properties of Arcturus- that exploding Arcturus is possible. I have just talked about the possibility not its application as it can cause even the Sun to split into minute atoms. The outer most layer of Arcturus is made up of the compound of Cu2+ and Eniorizeya. Eniorizeya is the element only found on this galaxy, Arcturus. Nitrates are aqueous with no exception and Cu2+ can be turned aqueous on reacting with a nitrate. Nitrates create extra kinetic energy in Eniorizeya, which causes it to burst. Therefore, we can release nitrate ionic space vapors towards the Arcturus. Cu2+ would turn into aqueous solution and that would create extra kinetic energy in Eniorizeya present, which will explode the Arcturus.”

Silence prevailed. Now Dr. Marveley seemed a little insecure and asked the Jyotish, “How can we release an ample quantity of nitrate vapors for the destruction? Jyotish said, “I talk of the possibility of destruction not its method”

PS. This is only a fiction!
PS. This has been written as a tribute to the hardwork of Uncle Al.

Punjab University VC 'grieved' over Iqbal's birth.

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 12:14:45 GMT

There are undoubtedly many examples of human ignorance, but there still are many places where the ignorance is just too extreme. Here is something that left me flabbergasted for two reasons: One because of what happened in 2004 in what is known to be one of the great universities of Pakistan and the second because I just came across it a couple of hours ago. I have written everything down that I know and was told. It happened on Tuesday, November 9, 2004 when the Vice Chancellor of the Punjab University marked the “death anniversary” of Dr. Allama Iqbal, which came as an astonishment to those who actually were celebrating his 127^th birth anniversary, said Punjab University Press Release.

The press release from the PU Public Relations Department on Tuesday said: “A delegation of teachers and students led by PU Vice Chancellor Lt Gen Arshad Mahmood laid a floral wreath at Mizar-I-Iqbal and offered Fateha to pay homage to the great poet on his death anniversary,” The press release then went on talking about the tributes and respects paid to the splendid and perpetual works of Dr. Allama Iqbal, on his “death anniversary” by the vice chancellor.

The Vice Chancellor controls what is considered to be Pakistan’s greatly accomplished university, which has produced many successful professionals and scholars. The university that he heads also provides a masters degree for Iqbaliat, the study of Iqbal’s works and life.

“This shows the specific staff’s interest in the institution,” said one teacher. “It is just the latest example of the sort of routine praise showered on the administration for ulterior motives. Public relations here has come to mean praising the vice chancellor, not about anything else happening at the university.”

A Mass Communication Department teacher pointing at the factual mistake laughingly said that this was the result of the unprofessional attitude of the teachers and the students of the Punjab University and the great irresponsibility of the rest of the staff. He also taunted saying that the mistake would have been pardonable if the information came from elsewhere “but considering the person and institution, it is not”. By this he meant to say that perhaps the vice chancellor or someone in his relations would have gone through some bitter dealings with Iqbal, directly or indirectly.

Mr. Arshad Mahmood, the vice chancellor of the Punjab University, and the Punjab University public relations officer, Rashid Khan Barkzai, refused to comment.

I can derive only these results: Mr. Mahmood was too dumb to be the vice chancellor of the Punjab University or too unintelligent to take out his “personal conflicts” with Iqbal this way. If this was the way of retaliation then a very poor way was it. In addition I really feel saddened to say that even till this century there are some people whose thoughts are so biased and conservative. Great nations have always cared for their assets and particularly in the case where Iqbal is in the central concern who was one of the important people served to create an Islamic State, now known as Pakistan. The individual perspective of the independence of Pakistan is a different concern, but that doesn’t decrease the level of the significance that comes from the works of Iqbal, which were meant to be for the welfare of the Muslims of the subcontinent in particular and the Muslims of the world as a whole.

Iqbal once rightly said:

Aflaak se aata hai naalon ka jawaab aakhir,
Karte hain khitaab aakhir, uthte hain hijaab aakir.

Voyage: The Two Converging Roads.

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 16:43:51 GMT

On January 21, 2007 I had the chance of driving towards Frere and Burns’ Road with my father. These two roads consist of the oldest buildings of Pakistan (at least this is what I was told) and are located in the center part of Karachi. Initially after the independence of Pakistan, these two roads were the most commercial. However now a days they are taken more to be uncivilized areas of Karachi, due to the poor population settled out there. The most interesting part of these places is the food market, a huge one. After all, its all about food!

According to the Islamic calendar this is the month of Muharram, which is given attention by the Muslims of all the sects as a whole, and Shia Muslims in particular due to the historical account it holds. After crossing the main alleyway, which was an opening to the Burns’ Road and which also, welcomed a huge traffic, I saw the devotion and respect of Shia Muslims to this month by catching the sight of the hoardings speaking of this month from a Shia perspective and I would have certainly taken it to be very positive because of my clear and optimistic methodology, until I and my father were stucked in the traffic, which (according to everyone out there) was caused by a few Shias for performing their Majalis (religious gatherings) and rallies.

This wasn’t the first time that I had witnessed this sight, however this time I gave it some importance. I asked my father, "Why do these people have got to take their rallies out on the heavily on-going road?" And my father, with wrinkles on his forehead, instead of answering my question told about his one encounter with a similar Shia. He said that he asked the Shia about the use of behaving this way in Muharram on the roads, and the Shia responded to him, "We are trained this way. This is our mode of advertising to let others know about the significance of this month". When my father was just about to start with telling about the encounter the built and rareness of the ol' buildings there hypnotized me. We are now on the Burns’ Road. I heard what my father said, but didn't like to prolong the dialogue, because there was alot more to see and think about other than getting educated about the behaviour of a few humans, who cannot distinguish between significance and ignorance. Nevertheless, according to me such behaviour of a few people doesn’t represent all the Shias and the message Shiaism brings with it, rather it represents the thinking level of the less educated Shias who think that disturbance holds the Divine significance of diverting others to one perception. Such less educated extremists are present in every sect and religion. Enough said…

Following the thought I again got spell bounded in the exceptionality of those ancient, rotten buildings. I ignored the idea of questioning my father about the legacy of those exquisite looking structures, because he was already very tensed handling the poor traffic. For others those buildings might be of no substance but I got engrossed towards the ancient art of their grills. It reminded me of the old history books holding the pictures of the palaces of the Mughal emperors. That grill art mesmerized me to the highest level of my expectation that I marveled that I never really have seen Burns’ road the way I was seeing it this time. Those buildings seem to be speaking their own tales of the solitude they have accumulated inside them. For some reason those buildings appeared to be solitary to me, which was perhaps the reason why I was so fascinated by them. Though they were putrid and aged they still appeared contemplating and reflecting on some thoughts.

Finally our car stooped at a place and I had the occasion of telling my father about my feelings concerning this place and to my shock I was horrified when my father said on my lines, "They are of the times when Pakistan didn't reach it's independence and many alike buildings were destroyed because of the intensity of the riots carried on this road before 14th August 1947". It was just at this time that I discovered the reason behind them appearing to be solitary to me. They didn’t only hold the age and history but also the blood. They must have a lot gone over through them, which is put as a burden inside their chests.

Getting off from those deliberations I had Bread rolls and Kebabs from a stall with a drink and I was further told that the real owner of this stall sold it for Rs. 350,000 because of its goodwill. And yes, each Bread Roll and Kebab was worth only Rs 9.

Right ahead that stall started the Frere Road, in which the first thing that caught my interest was yet again an ancient low tower like structure. At the first glimpse I thought that it would be a Protestant Church but I was told that it was a Commerce University before, which has reached it's downfall many years ago. My reaction to this building was quite the same as was before on the buildings of Burns’ Road.

Quite thoughtfully I bid my farewell to the place with a hope that one day I’ll discover the mysteries those buildings hold inside them.

More Iqbal I.

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:46:22 GMT

The Invasion of Dreams: Reality strikes back.

It is in the elimination of the satanic from the Divine that the followers of Freud have done inestimable service to religion; though I cannot help saying that the main theory of this newer psychology does not appear to be supported by any adequate evidence.

If our vagrant impulses assert themselves in our dreams, or at other times we are not strictly ourselves, it does not follow that they remain imprisoned in a kind of lumber room behind the normal self. The occasional invasion of these suppressed impulses on the region of our normal self tends more to show the temporary disruption of our habitual system of response rather than their perpetual presence in some dark corner of the mind.

However, the theory is briefly this. During the process of our adjustment tour environment we are exposed to all sorts of stimuli. Our habitual responses to these stimuli gradually fall into a relatively fixed system, constantly growing in complexity by absorbing some and rejecting other impulses which do not fit in with our present system of responses.

The rejected impulses recede into what is called the 'unconscious region' of the mind and there wait for a suitable opportunity to assert themselves and take their revenge on the focal self. They may disturb our plans of action, distort our thought, build our dreams and fantasies, or carry us back to forms of primitive behavior which the evolutionary process has left far behind.

Religion, it is said, is a pure fiction created by these repudiated impulses of mankind with a view to find a kind of fairyland for free unobstructed movement. Religious beliefs and dogmas, according to the theory, are no more than merely primitive theories of Nature, whereby mankind have tried to redeem Reality from its elemental ugliness and to show it off as something nearer to the heart's desire than the facts of life would warrant.

That there are religions and forms of art, which provide a kind of cowardly escape from the facts of life, I do not deny. All that I content is that this is not true of all religions.

Religion is not physics or chemistry seeking an explanation of nature in terms of causation; it really aims at interpreting a totally different region of experience-religious experience-the data of which cannot be reduced to the data of any other science. In fact, it must be said in justice to religion that it insisted on the necessity of concrete experience in religious life long before science learnt to do so.

The conflict between the two is not due to the fact that the one is, and the other is not, based on concrete experience. Both seek concrete experience as a point of departure. Their conflict is due to the misappropriation that both interpret the same data of experience. We forget that religion aims at reaching the real significance of a special variety of human experience.

-Although Iqbal appreciates the Freudian approach to dream analysis, he casts doubts regarding its scientific relevance. It is not supported by empirical evidence.

-According to the Freudian theory, religion is a mere expression of the suppressed desires of the human mind according to his own sweet wishes. Although there are religions and art forms that falls in this category, Iqbal maintains that not ALL religions are like them.

-Iqbal says that religion is concerned with a special experience, i.e., religious experience, which cannot be analyzed like other aspects of human experiences. Unlike other sciences, religions are not a bunch of 'cause and effect' formula. Also he reminds that it was religion that demanded 'concrete experience' long before science.

Purposes color our Past & Present.

Life is only a series of acts of attention, and an act of attention is inexplicable without reference to a purpose, conscious or unconscious. Even our acts of perception are determined by our immediate interests and purposes. The Persian poet ‘urfâ’ has given a beautiful expression to this aspect of human perception.

He says:

‘If your heart is not deceived by the mirage,
Be not proud of the sharpness of your understanding;
For your freedom from this optical illusion
Is due to your imperfect thirst.’

The poet means to say that if you had a vehement desire for drink, the sands of the desert would have given you the impression of a lake. Your freedom from the illusion is due to the absence of a keen desire for water. You have perceived the thing as it is because you were not interested in perceiving it as it is not.

Thus ends and purposes, whether they exist as conscious or subconscious tendencies, form the warp and woof of our conscious experience. And the notion of purpose cannot be understood except in reference to the future. The past, no doubt, abides and operates in the present; but this operation of the past in the present is not the whole of consciousness. The element of purpose discloses a kind of forward look in consciousness.

Purposes not only colour our present states of consciousness, but also reveal its future direction. In fact, they constitute the forward push of our life, and thus in a way anticipate and influence the states that are yet to be. To be determined by an end is to be determined by what ought to be. Thus past and future both operate in the present state of consciousness, and the future is not wholly undetermined as Bergson’s analysis of our conscious experience shows. A state of attentive consciousness involves both memory and imagination as operating factors.

On the analogy of our conscious experience, therefore, Reality is not a blind vital impulse wholly unilluminated by idea. Its nature is through and through teleological.

Barzakh and Ego's Experience of Different standards of Time.

The most depressing error of Materialism is the supposition that finite consciousness exhausts its object. Philosophy and science are only one way of approaching that object. There are other ways of approach open to us; and death, if present actions has sufficiently fortified the ego against the shock that physical dissolution brings, is only a kind of passage to what the Quran describes as 'Barzakh'.

The records of Sufistic experience indicate that Barzakh is a state of consciousness characterized by a change in the ego's attitude towards time and space. There is nothing improbable in it. It was Helmholtz who first discovered that nervous excitation takes time to reach the consciousness. If this is so, our present physiological structure is at the bottom of our present view of time, and if the ego survives the dissolution of this structure, a change in our attitude towards time and space seems perfectly natural. Nor is such a change wholly unknown to us. The enormous condensation of impressions which occurs in our dream-life, and the exaltation of memory which sometimes takes place at the moment of death, disclose ego's capacity for different standards of time.

The state of Barzakh, therefore, does not seem to be merely a passive state of expectation; it is a state in which the ego catches a glimpse of fresh aspects of Reality and prepares himself for adjustment to these aspects.

Note: summarized from the essay, The Human Ego- His Freedom and Immortality. (pp. 119,120) (Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam).

P.S . Barzakh in Islam refers to the after-death life in the grave. Literally, meaning 'interval', Barzakh is a short time-period before the Resurrection. In the essay, Iqbal says that Barzakh may be an environment where one experiences a kind of Time and Space different from what we have on at present. But there is nothing impossible in it as Iqbal suggests.-

Physics breaks its own idol.

It was philosopher Berkeley who first undertook to refute the theory of matter as the unknown cause of our sensations. In our own times Prof. Whitehead has shown that the traditional theory of materialism is wholly untenable. According to the theory, what enters the eye is not color or sound, but invisible ether waves and inaudible air waves. Nature is not what we know her to be. Our perceptions are illusions and cannot be regarded as genuine disclosures of nature…

If physics constitutes a really coherent and genuine knowledge of perceptively known objects, the traditional theory of matter must be rejected for the obvious reason that it reduces the evidences of our senses, on which alone the physicist, as observer and experimenter, must rely, to the mere impressions of the observer’s mind.

In the words of Prof Whitehead, the theory reduces one-half of Nature to a ‘dream’ and other half to a ‘conjecture’.

Thus physics, finding it necessary to criticize its own foundations, has eventually found reason to break its own idol, and the empirical attitude that appeared to necessitate scientific materialism has finally ended in a revolt against matter.

PS: summarized from the preface to Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam.

Iqbal.

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 20:09:05 GMT

Iqbal: Ethnic and Racial Differences in Pakistan and the struggle for Islamic Revolution.

Question:

Pakistan is multi-lingual and heterogeneous national community. One analysis is that the thinking of Allama Iqbal and the appeal of the Islamic Movement under Maulana Mawdudi got relatively better response in the Punjab and among those belonging to (and migrated from) U.P. It was less popular in Sarhad (NWFP) and still much less in Sindh among the Sindhi speaking people. Thus popularity at the national level could not surface for the Islamic movement. Is it not so that the Islamic movement in Pakistan is much constrained by these ethnic and racial influences?

Answer:

No doubt, the hidden effects of the factors are at work, but I shall not count them as dominant reasons. It is not so that the Urdu-speaking and Punjabi-speaking communities wish to see Islam implemented, whereas Bengali, Sindhi, Baluchi, Barohi and Pushto-speaking people are opposed to it. To a certain level and with a bit of plus and minus, all these ethnic groups have similar attachment to Islam, and it is not less than any Arab and non-Arab nations. The assumption that revolution can be succeeded in places where there is ethnic unity, may be partially correct.

In fact when ideology is built into an organizational structure and the popular force is mobilized, then even the opposing and conflicting factors come together in a disciplined movement. The Pakistan independence movement is a very clear example of this phenomenon, wherein all ethnic and racial groups participated and together they realized the common goal.

Our real dilemma is that after the creation of Pakistan, the Pakistan movement and its objectives were forgotten. Unfortunately the country got deprived of the leadership of Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah soon after independence. In a short while after Pakistan came to being, there was a deliberate attempt against accepting Islam as a philosophy underlying the administrative, political and media structures. This attitude got more and more aggressive giving rise to new tribulations in the country. Inspite of passing the objective resolution, no practical steps were taken.

If you see closely, you find Islam and the Pakistani nationalism as the first objectives of the freedom movement. But, through their concerted efforts, the very official circles and institutions pushed forward the ethnic, racial and provincial prejudices, and different elements -- mostly representing socialist and secular lobbies -- provided regular support to the ruling junta, in this respect. Personality of Quaid-e-Azam provided the only protecting shield against it, but on his demise immediately after independence, his very lieutenants and colleagues became silent spectators or even walked against the Quaid’s wishes. I think this was a deliberate attempt and revolt against Islam and Pakistan. No alternative force was allowed to flourish and counter these vested interests and prejudices. As far the "Objective Resolution", it was the documentary embodiment of the Pakistan Movement and the fruits of the creation of Pakistan. I state with full knowledge, that before partition, Iqbal’s influence in Sindh, Bihar, Bengal or Deccan was not less than what was in Punjab. Iqbal’s message has been instrumental as a moving force for the Muslims in the past and will remain so in future.

Was it really so? Particularly with reference to the Muslim majority areas like Sarhad, Sindh and Bengal?Yes. In relation to Allama Mohammad Iqbal, I am not saying so under the influence of any propaganda or blind faith, but say so rather with full confidence. For instance, look at the address of G.M. Sayyed about Sindh, which he delivered in the 1943 annual conference of Muslim League. In that speech, this present-day secular and Sindhi nationalist leader, referred to everything included in Iqbal’s message and thoughts. Adorned with beautiful verses is that speech, like "Unique is the composition of the nation of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.)"

And that (in Sindh), "the only way to save us, and help us stand on our feet, is, that Muslims from all over the sub-continent come here to lend helping hand in our economic development and liberate us from the dominance of Hindus".Were these the original thoughts of G.M. Sayyed or some feed-back from All India Muslim League?

No feed-back at all. These were not only the considered views of G.M. Sayyed, but also those of the Sindhi muslims, and this pertains to 1943. Contrary to this, the whole retrogression and reverse mutation occurred after the creation of Pakistan and manifests the total failure of the ruling political leadership and a bureaucracy also belonging to the same groups. Therefore, I believe that, given the fact that Islam is presented as a practical way of life and not merely as slogan -- a programme which ensures justice, freedom and economic rights, in which these nationalities can grow smoothly and play their brotherly role with honour -- then the Muslims in Pakistan have the capability to follow this just path, of course guided by a sincere leadership which stands above all prejudices and enjoys the confidence of the people.

To the extent that I have studied the question of nationalities in Islam, I find they are not denied, but are rather mobilized by linking and integrating them with the higher level of allegiance. A classical example is provided by the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) himself. While training his army, he assigned a specific position to every tribe and giving a banner to a headman, he would say; "Because you better know your position, but NOT to magnify your tribe". This is what the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) did, but here (in Pakistan) we could not do that. Rather, those who spoke for the due rights, were considered enemies of Islam and Pakistan. We have a long history of regional development and growth, which Pakistan failed to follow. Unless and until we bring all our nationalities within the bigger gamut of submission and reference to Allah and His Prophet (p.b.u.h.), crises will continue to come.

Tulip in the Desert:

WHOSE WORLD IS THIS-YOURS OR MINE?
If the stars have strayed -
To whom do the heavens belong, You or Me?
Why must I worry about the world

To whom does this world belong, You or Me?
If the Placeless Realm
Offers no lively scenes of passion and longing,
Whose fault is that, my Lord? -
Does that realm belong to You or to me?
On the morning of eternity he dared to say 'No',
But how would I know why --
Is he Your confidant, or is he mine?
Muhammad is Yours,
Gabriel is Yours,
The Qur'an is Yours -
But this discourse.
This exposition in melodious tunes,
Is it Yours or is it mine?
Your world is illuminated
By the radiance of the same star -
Whose loss was the fall of Adam, that creature of earth,
Was it Yours or mine?'

(ALLAMA MUHAMMAD IQBAL, BAL-E-JIBRIL 346 [298])

1.Why . . . world: The phrase fikr-i- jahan. in the original has the twin meanings of (1) consideration of how the world is to he managed or administered (the underlying construction would he flkr-i- tadbir-i- jahan), and (2) anxiety about the state of the world.
2. the Placeless Realm: la-makan, the word in the original, means literally 'no-place'. It is difficult to define in absolute terms, but may be understood as the antonym of makan, '[delimited] place'. In the context of this poem, makan would be the earthly world, la-makan by contrast being the heavenly realm where God and the angelic host reside-and where Adam also resided before his fall.
3. "Does . . . me? The suggestion here is that the Placeless Realm was an exciting place as long as Adam lived in it. Unlike the angels, he was given to expressing a full range of feelings; while the angels worshipped God in the proper, prescribed way, Adam gave free rein to his love for God. So no wonder that paradise became a dull place after Adam's departure from it.
4. he: Iblis (the personal name of Satan in the Qur'an), who, according to the Qur'an (see 2:34; 15:29; 17:61; 18;51; 38:72) defied God's command to how down before the newly-created Adam. Iqbal does not name Iblis but refers to him by means of a pronoun, which suggests (at least in the present context) that Iblis is a sufficiently familiar and important figure to be understood as being the referent. Cf. Chapter 2, 'Paradise Lost and Found', n. 46
5. Muhammad …is it mine? Iqbal takes pride in offering a beautiful exposition of the Qur'an through the medium of poetry.
6. the same star: Adam.
7.Your world . . . mine? The fall of Adam (who represents humanity) is supposed to be a tragic event, but Iqbal asks whether this was really so. Just as a falling star lights up the place where it falls, so Adam lit up the earth on arriving there, making it a lively place. So was the fall of Adam a loss or a gain? And if it was a loss, whose loss was it really?

The Spiritual Journey of Life.

Tue, 23 May 2006 10:48:14 GMT

Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī[1] (Persian: مولانا جلال الدين محمد رومي‎ , Turkish: Mevlânâ Celâleddin Mehmed Rumi) ‎ (1207 — 1273 CE), also known as Mawlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (Persian: محمد بلخى‎ ), but known to the world simply as Rumi, was a 13th century Persian poet, jurist, theologian and teacher of Sufism.

According to Professor Majid Naini , one of the foremost international Rumi scholars who travels the world trying to spread Rumi's universal message of love, Rumi's life and transformation provide true testimony and proof that people of all religions and backgrounds can live together in peace and harmony throughout the world. At Rumi’s grand funeral procession Jews, Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Sufis cried and mourned in a manner that one would have thought that Rumi belonged to each one of them. Rumi’s visions, words, and life teach us how to reach inner peace and happiness so we can finally stop the continual stream of hostility and hatred and achieve true global peace and harmony.

In other beautiful verses in Mathnavi, Rumi describes in detail the universal message of love. For example, he states:

Love’s nationality is separate from all other religions,
The lover’s religion and nationality is the Beloved (God).
The lover’s cause is separate from all other causes
Love is the astrolabe of God’s mysteries.

Here are a few excepts of Rumi’s works that I have adored all my life:

What hurts you, blesses you.
Darkness is your candle.
Your boundaries are your quest.

I can explain this, but it would break
the glass cover on your heart,
and there's no fixing that.

A great silence overcomes me,
and I wonder why I ever thought
to use language.

I have lived on the lip
of insanity, wanting to know reasons,
knocking on a door. It opens.
I've been knocking from the inside!

"There is another soul in your soul, seek out for it.
There is a treasury in the Mount Body, seek out for that treasury.
O mystic who goes on ! If you are really capable then seek.
Not outside , but seek what you are seeking for in yourself."

"You are neither water nor soil, but something else...
You are away from the world of clay, you are on a journey.
Your mould (body) is an irrigation trench, and your soul is eternal water that streams into it.
but, you will not be aware of either as long as you stay in yourself"

"One went to the door of the Beloved and
knocked. A voice asked, 'Who is there?'
He answered, 'It is I.'

The voice said, 'There is no room for Me and Thee.'
The door was shut.

After a year of solitude and deprivation he returned and knocked.
A voice from within asked, 'Who is there?'
The man said, 'It is Thee.'
The door was opened for him."

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you.
Don't go back to sleep.
You must ask for what you really want.
Don't go back to sleep.
People are going back and forth across the doorsill
where the two worlds touch.
The door is round and open.
Don't go back to sleep.

To Love is to reach God.
Never will a Lover's chest
feel any sorrow.
Never will a Lover's robe
be touched by mortals.
Never will a Lover's body
be found buried in the earth.
To Love is to reach God.

****************************************

Another Master:

Omar Khayyám (May 18, 1048 – December 4, 1131, in Persian عمر خیام), was born in Nishapur, Persia (Iran). He was originally named Ghiyath al-Din Abu'l-Fath Omar ibn Ibrahim Al-Nisaburi Khayyámi (غياث الدين ابو الفتح عمر بن ابراهيم خيام نيشابوري). Khayyám (خیام) is an Arabic loanword meaning "tentmaker". He is most known for the collection of poetry, the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

The philosophy of Omar Khayyám was quite different from official Islamic dogmas. It is not clear whether he believed in the existence of God or not, but he objected to the notion that every particular event and phenomenon was the result of divine intervention; nor did he believe in any Judgment Day or rewards and punishments after life. Instead he supported the view that laws of nature explained all phenomena of observed life. Religious officials asked him many times to explain his different views about Islam. Khayyám eventually was obliged to make a hajj [pilgrimage] to Mecca in order to prove he was a faithful follower of the religion.

Some great Rubaaiyat's by Khayyam (get drunk)!

Pursuing knowledge in childhood we rise
Until we become masterful and wise
But if we look through the disguise
We see the ties of worldly lies.

This Old World we’ve named Cosmos by mistake
Is the graveyard of nights & days, no more awake
And a feast that hundred Jamshid’s did break
And a throne that hundred Bahram’s did make.

Wonderful Piece:

The secrets eternal neither you know nor I
And answers to the riddle neither you know nor I
Behind the veil there is much talk about us, why
When the veil falls, neither you remain nor I.

Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend,
Before we too into the Dust Descend;
Dust into Dust, and under Dust, to lie,
Sans Wine, sans Song, sans Singer and--sans End!

Signs of destiny have always been
Those hands inscribed both good and mean
What was written, came from the unseen
Though we tried without and worried within.

****************************************

The mystic desires what Omar Khayyam calls wine; the wine of Christ, after drinking which, no one will ever thirst.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

There are many ideas which intoxicate man, many feelings there are which act upon the soul as wine, but there is no stronger wine than the wine of selflessness. It is a might and it is a pride that no worldly rank can give. To become something is a limitation, whatever one may become. Even if a person were to be called the king of the world, he would still not be emperor of the universe. If he were the master of earth, he would still be the slave of Heaven. It is the person who is no one, who is no one and yet all. The Sufi, therefore, takes the path of being nothing instead of being something. It is this feeling of nothingness which turns the human heart into an empty cup into which the wine of immortality is poured. It is this state of bliss which every truth-seeking soul yearns to attain.

Wine is symbolical of the soul's evolution. Wine comes from the annihilation of grapes, immortality comes from the annihilation of self.

I drink the wine of Thy divine presence and lose myself in its intoxication.

When the soul is illuminated, it will desire to find some other soul illuminated in like manner, and will find great joy and bliss in its society. Such a one will surely find others who are on the verge of illumination. Even a drunkard will find others to drink with. And so it is mystically. A very little light can be turned into a flame, and that flame into a very big flame. Why is it better to become a mystic than to remain a drunkard? As a matter of fact a drunkard will never be satisfied. The mystic will look for what Omar Khayyam calls wine: the wine of the Christ, after drinking which no one will ever thirst. He will always seek the wine whose intoxication never wears off. It is the only wine: the intoxication of the divine love.

There is a wine which the mystic drinks, and that wine is ecstasy. A wine so powerful that the presence of the mystic becomes as wine for everyone who comes into his presence. ... That intoxication is the love which manifests in the human heart. What does it matter, once a mystic has drunk that wine, whether he is sitting amongst the rocks in the wilderness, or in a palace? It is all the same. The palace does not deprive him of the mystic's pleasures, and neither does the rock take them away. He has found the kingdom of God on earth, about which Jesus Christ said, 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.'

"If indeed love is the magical trigger that sets off the explosion of life as the cosmos, it remains the mysterious imperative spurring our human endeavors, evidenced by the scruple of creative minds for perfectionism, and points to our ponderings concerning the meaningfulness of our lives, our strivings, our frustrations, our disappointments, our disenchantment, and perhaps our reenchantment.

Moreover, it is the power of unconditional love that gives us the resolve to uphold a person's pride while acquiescing to their flaws and follies. The great paradox is by loving one's ideal of God espied in a person, one helps that person to honor his/her real self.

Therefore it is love that makes God a reality."

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Mon, 22 May 2006 10:59:44 GMT

Khan was one of the most popular singers in the Indian subcontinent. He predominantly sang qawwali, the music of devotional Sufism, but incorporated other forms including Khyal (traditional classical) to produce a unique style that appealed to followers of all religions. He performed with the Party, a group of highly trained Pakistani musicians which included several family members.

The High pitched voice of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was one of the most vital reasons behind the success of this great Qawwal. A great night, with the audience willing from the bottom of their hearts, waiting for a qawwal, whose voice they know will make them forget everything till he'll sing. With the aficianadas started clapping between a qawwali, the supporters of voice and the raag creaters trying to create a beautiful piece, from their up going voices and in the middle of that huge stage sits a grand voice with moving hands and hair. Therein, starts something....something so touching that the listeners cannot hold themselves to shed a tear to two, on the slow and nostalgic beats and the immortal voice of Nusrat, conveying pain and a thousand stings, behind his eyes and words. So alike were those nights, in which Khan used to sing, making some cry and the others dance, giving them a chance to come out of the daily routine and spend some time for their spirit and get lost in the pictures of imaginations. The nights that used to cut the wounds and dig them so deeply that the pain is itself lost. Such were the nights of Khan.

The qawwali is inextricably linked to the Sufi tradition; Sufism is a mystical school of Islamic thought which strives to attain truth and divine love by direct personal experience. In Arabic, this mysticism is known as tasawwuf. The difference between Sufism and mainstream Islam is simple. All Muslims believe that man is on a path to God (tariqah). However, where the mainstream Muslim believes that it is only possible to reach God after death at the final judgement, the Sufi believes that it is possible to reach God during ones life. To this end there are a number of different techniques and methods.

Try to hear him here:

Aag Daman mein lag jaaye gi.

Allah hoo.

Dyar-e-Ishq mein

Halka Halka Suroor

Afreen Afreen

Tumhe dillagi bhool.

Tum eik gorakh dhanda ho.

Gham hai ya Khushi hai tu.

Today's Wisdom.

Fri, 12 May 2006 08:29:54 GMT

O, friend! Nobody veils you, but yourself.
In your path there is no thorn or weed, but yourself.
You said: Shall I reach the Beloved or not?
Between you and the Beloved there is nobody, but yourself.

( Awhadoddin Kermani)

You do not have to struggle to reach God,
but you do have to struggle to tear away the self-created veil that hides Him from you.

(Paramahansa Yogananda)