Who and What

In life, it is more important to concentrate on "Who" instead of "What"!

It is more valuable to ask: "Who is important?" than "What is important?"
It is more worthed to ask: "Who is with me?" than "What is with me?"

(Heard in Jim Collins lecture, author of 'How the Mighty fall')

Faraq!

Zindagi main 2 tarah ke dostoN main faraq kerna bohat zaroori hai. 

Aik woh jo 'don't care'
Dusre woh jo 'don't know'

(sometime people care, they just don't know what's going on)

Baaz auqat hamare achhe dostoN ka ye haq hota hai ke woh jane ke humare saath kiya ho raha hai! 

Baqol Hazrat Ali: "Badnaseeb hai woh shaks jise dost na mile, aur us se bhi ziyada bad-naseeb hai woh shaks jo achhe dostoN ko kho de".

Universe Conspired

Peechli post Mirza Ghalib pe thi. Us pe aik baat yaad aai hai to likhta chalun, is se pehle ke bhool jaun. Ye zaroori baat hai.

Gulzar Sahab ka "Ghalib" TV serial 1988 main Indian TV se broadcast huwa magar is serial ko banane ka khayal pehli baar 1973 main aaya. Unka khayal tha ye role ya Amitabh Bachchan karain ya Sanjeev Kumar. Us waqt Naseeruddin Shah ko koi nahi janta tha. UnhoN ne Gulzar sahab ko khat likha ke mere siwa ye role koi nahi ker sakta. Gulzar sahab ko woh khat to kabhi nahi mila magar 15 saal baad Ghalib ka markazi kirdar Naseeruddin Shah hi ne perform kiya. 

Naseeruddin Shah ka kehna hai - "Universe conspired"

Qufale-Abjd (Combination lock)

Internet is an amazing thing. You meet different people. I found a relatively small urdu blog "Elementary" belongs to a person named "Kay" (here). He reminded me an old forgotten (for me) but one real classic ghazal of Mirza Ghalib, 

عشرتِ قطرہ ہے دریا میں فنا ہو جانا
درد کا حد سے گزرنا ہے دوا ہو جانا

Ishrate-qatra hai darya main fana ho jana, 
Dard ka had se guzarna hai dawa ho jana 

(pleasure of drop is to get dissolve in river, 
Once sorrow crosses the line, it becomes a remedy). 

The whole ghazal is pure Ghalib's classic but following verse is just out of world!

تجھ سے قسمت میں مری، صورتِ قفلِ ابجد
تھا لکھا بات کے بنتے ہی جدا ہو جانا

Tujh say qismat may mayri surate-qufale-abjad
Tha likha, baat kay buntay hi  juda ho jana

(Our relationship was alike combination lock, 
as soon numbers matched we were separated!)


*Sorry for ghulabi translation

A quote (Women)

"Women are made to be loved, not understood" - Oscar wilde

(My take on) Abraham's spooky story

(Following post is very unconventional and out of box and may insult your individual belief. Moreover, this is my personal conclusion with note that I am neither a very ritualistic muslim nor a vegetarian).


I think, I was in Grade 2 and 7 years old, when our teacher told us the story of Hazrat Ibrahim and significance of slaughtering of animals on Eid. And I said: "This does not make sense"! (ye to koi baat na hui") - I was punished!

Though all religions are full of mythical tales and are acceptable in context of message within it. But, for decades, I was unable to make peace with Ibrahim's story of taking his own son for slaughtering. It remained spookier than any other story, and a tale of schizophrenia - due to the fact that I got reminder every year on Eid. It took me to various explanations as all Abrahamic religions believed on this tale - either with mention of Ishmael or Isaac as his son. 

My conclusion, which may not coincide with your conventional belief, is following - and it is concluded from Quranic verses (37:75-108) - Which is whole second para/rukuh of said chapter/surah. You need to read the whole thing to get the meaning instead of just concentrating on one verse as conventionally people do (Ayat 102).

This whole chapter talk about prophets calling people to Monotheism (one God). And mention of perpetuating same calling in their generations. In same context All Mighty mention that Abraham asked his fellow citizens to stop praying to idols and called them to one unseen God. As they refused, he prayed for a son who believes on him. And God answered his prayer, gave him a son (no mention of name of son) - and as he grew and become an adult - Abraham mentioned to him his vision. He agreed and put his forehead down!

Stories aside but Quran doesn't mention Abraham even touching any knife. Also, Quran does not speak of any animal replacing his son. Conveniently forgotten is consent of his son while all emphasis go to Ibrahim's dream! My take is that Abraham called his son, as he became an adult, to believe on one unseen God, and he willingly submitted to his belief! I believe, "Zabah" referred to submitting him to One God and purifying him from idols - rather than in literary sense taking him to kill with knife. There is no mention of All Mighty suddenly asking him to sacrifice his son. It is all in context of vision of his callings to One God. Core is in words "Fallama aslama wa tallahu lil jabeen".

Addendum: In other parts of Quran, there is mention of sacrificing animals particularly in reference to Haj but at the end message is "It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah, but it is piety from you that reaches Him" (22:33-37)

I don't think, sacrificing animal on Eid day is obligated - It would be 100 times more Islamic to spend that money on helping someone. Koi bhi chota sa achha amal Eid ke din Qurbani ki yaad dilane ko kafi hai

Asghar ka Makan!

Asghar ka makan school ke saath tha. Woh ahle-tashee (shia) the. Muharram ka mahina aate hi Asghar ka school main mazaq banna shuru ho jata. Hum sab na-samjh the. Us ko galeez namoN se pukarte. Zor zor se sab mil ker matam ka mazaq urate. Line bana ker school ke corridor main nikalte aur gaate jaate "Ya Hussain hum na the, Haleem khane main kum na the". .....Asghar chup rehta. Aik din kisi ne kaha: "Abe kuch to bol", to us ne jawab diya: "Karbala se jise sabar ki matti naseeb na hui woh abhi shia nahi huwa" (ye baat mujeh barsoN baad samajh aayi). 

Aathween, naween aur dasween (8th, 9th and 10th)  Muharrum ko Asghar ke makan per woh matam sajta ke Allah ki panah! Hamare abba matam dekhne ko mayub samjhte the magar hum phir bhi jaate, sharbat peete aur matam dekhte. ZanjeeroN ki jhankar,  lal dahakte koiloN ki angaar aur zaar-o-qatar rone ki woh qayamat bapa hoti ke dil dahal jaata. Kabhi kabhi to itna dar lagta ke us raat neend na aati. Yun lagta ke koi hamare kaan main ro raha hai!

Phir school khatam huwa, hum ne purana mohalla chor diya. 1980s main jab Karachi main Shia Sunni fasadat huwe to pata laga balwaiiyoN ne Asghar ka makan jala diya. Main jala huwa makan dekhne gaya to mera to dil hi ruk gaya. Bohat arse woh makan yunhi para raha. Log kehte Muharram ki tin raaton main - jale makan se - noha-kanaii ki awazain aati hain. Phir kisi ne woh makan khareed liya. Allah jane Asghar wale kahan gaye?

Us Makan main kai makeen aaye magar wahan koi abad na ho saka. Har saal do saal pe makeen badal jaate. Mujeh ye baat pata lagi to main ne socha chal ker dekhna chahiye. Main ne apne dost Ejaz se kaha chalte hain..

Dasween Muharram ki raat thi. SarkaiN sunsaan thi. Hum purane mohalle main paunche to woh makan Gair-abad tha. Poore makan pe andhera chaya tha. SaRak ke barqi qumqume (street lights) bhi gul the. Andhere ki apni dahshat hoti hai. Makan ki deewarain choti thiN. Hum deewar phalang ker andhere makan main daakhil huwe. Abhi band darwaze ki taraf barhe hi the ke khirkioN se siskiOn ki awazain aa rahi thi. Phir yun laga jese kisi ne 'Zainab' keh ker pukara ho! Hum ne kaha ya Ilahi ye kiya majra hai? Darwaze pe bara sa taala laga tha. Hum andhere main deewar tatolte tatolte ghar ke peechle aangan ki taraf gaye to yun laga ghar ki deewaron se matam ki awazain aa rahi hai. Ejaz ne meri guddi dabochi aur bola - bhag yaar! Hum peechli deewar kud ke jo bhage to bazaar main aa ke dum liya!

Ho sakta hai, ye hamare andar ka dar, wahma ya waswase ki taqat ho - ya phir hamare nana ki baat theek thi ke:

"Logon ka rona hasna - unke aehsasat, jazbat, duain, aarzuain, khawab, khusbuaiN - sab kuch - rang chune ki tarah - makan ke dar-o-deewar main rach bas jaata hai. Kuch makan khub abad hote hain aur kuch makan apne andar kisi ko basne nahi dete."

Soul mate

I never bought the concept of a soul mate, though I subscribe to the notion of 'spiritual tribes or families' - 'Soul Mates' but not Soul mates!

It was the year 2005. I was at the transit lounge of Amsterdam when I accidentally met a Chinese guy who was born and raised in the West. As we both started talking to kill time, he told me that he was going to China because he had a dream in which he was told he had a soulmate in some far-flung town/village in China. According to him, he was given all the specifics and details in a dream. He is now curious and wants to go and check out by himself. I didn't believe him. I asked him to email me if it turned out to be true. He promised. Indeed, a month later, he sent me an email confirming his dream was all true. I didn't believe him even then, thinking what a bluff!

Four years later, when I was closing my email account for personal reasons, I came across his email again, and out of curiosity, I sent him an email inquiring about his well-being and whereabouts. He sends me his picture with his 'soul mate.' He had embraced the Buddhist religion and stayed back in China for good! He looked happy in the photo with his hands around his 'soul mate.' I was not sure whether to continue to treat his story as a bluff this time. I just closed the browser.

Allah Jane!

*

On Antipsychotics

(On a woman killed in Washington DC Here. Reportedly she was off her meds)

At the beginning of my career, I had many antagonisms toward antipsychotics, antidepressants, and other centrally-acting drugs. But over the years with experience, I found them to be essential life-saving drugs. I met many, many patients and people who would end up in psych facilities, spoiled their life (read the story of Mani here), committed suicide or have killed someone without these drugs. Depression, Bi-polarism, Schizophrenia, etc., are REAL things! People act and do bizarre things.

The most important part is to have a doctor/psychiatrist/shrink who can 'finely' manage these drugs and can keep side effects under control.

*

7 Best of Steven Wright

Steven Wright, - one finest American Comedian - His mind sees things differently than most of us do 

1. I woke up one morning, and all of my stuff had been stolen and replaced by exact duplicates!
2 - A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
3 - If you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain.
4 - When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
5 - A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
6 - To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.
7 - Everyone has a photographic memory; some just don't have film.

A note on Surah Taubah

Disclaimer: My primary interest is in study of humanism, psychology, parapsychology, metaphysics and new age subjects. My interest in reading Quran is due to the fact that I was born in a relatively religious family but have strong reservations against many beliefs of Islam. Following post is not an advocation of any particular practice of Islam but my understanding on one aspect of political Islam. To date, I consider myself 'agnostic'.

 Islam has been subject to allegation as a religion of sword, a lot on the basis of Ayat 5 of Surah Taubah. This is the only surah without Bismillah (Where there is a war, blessing does not count). I spend many hours in my younghood to study this allegation. My unbiased study actually came out a lot simpler than I thought. I took help (no internet on those days) mostly from Arabic dictionary to understand the meaning of words beside available books at Liaqat National Library, Karachi and later at Chicago Public Library.

 First para of Surah Tauba (Rukuh) set the tone and theme for whole surah. It can be summarize as follow. I will keep it very concise as there would be no end to write details. It would be very unfair and actually biased just to read Ayat 5. The whole para (Rukuh) needs to be read to understand the full reference to context.

 This is all about on notion of breaking down of an agreement between Muslims and Pagans (ayat 1). Advice is not to rush to fighting while keeping trust on Allah (Ayat 2-3). It also calls for respect to other party if they keep their promises (Ayat 4). Later fight is advocated with full intensity ONLY if they break their promises. Again, it has been instructed to stop fighting if they embrace Islam (ayat 5). But LAST AAYA (# 6) is the conclusion and major cushion. If other party accepts defeat, even though they don't embrace Islam and remains pagan, it has been instructed to protect them in hope that they may eventually would listen to God's message - and advice is to transport them to a peaceful and war free zone of their choice!