On "Superiority of Numbers"

I think it was Al-Khwarizmi who said that "numbers are superior to words". I never paid much attention to this till I was introduced to master mathematician Leonhard Euler's famous "Identity". The formula is considered to be the most beautiful of all mathematical derivatives. It says: 

When you drive* Cos, Sin and Pi value (which basically encompasses circle and axes) with an imaginary number i and a constant e, you get zero. So mathematically, it can be proven that everything either manifested from nothing (should say zero) or will degrade into nothing. 

Na tha kuch to khuda tha kuch na hota to khuda hota 

Daboya mujh ko hone ne, na hota main to kiya hota

* You may need to google the whole derivative of formula

On "Faith and Ethics"

Some people are so firm in their Iman (and their ethics) that it astonish me. I was asked by a parent of one of my student. Following is a very brief conversation which will tell you the whole story.

"Beta! Tum poora din hospital main residency kerti ho. Phir ghar jaati ho ya jumma parhne masjid. Baqi waqt kitaboN main juti rehti ho. Aese to tumhe koi rishta nahi mile ga. Apne parents ke saath dawatoN, shadioN wagera pe chali jaya karo. Un ka bhi dil reh jaaye ga".

"Sir! Woh chahye ga to saathi bhi likh dega, jis ne mere liye izzat ka kaam aur rizqe-halal ki naimat likh di hai, magar main apni in zimmedarioN se bewafaii to nahi ker sakti"

On "Downfall"

"Tum jaante ho insaan ka zawal kab shuru hota hai?"

"Jub woh is fareb main mubtala hota hai ke woh apne kaam main dusroN se behter hai, aur un ki tehqeer shuru ker deta hai. Bus wahin se us ke zawal ka aagaz hota hai"

RIP - Steve Jobs

When Steve Jobs died 5 years ago, I was sad. Despite all his shortcomings as a human, he left a deep mark on history. I learned a lot by reading his autobiography. He was a kind of a sufi baba of modern time. To quote him:

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future, You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life." - Steve Jobs

On "Acceptance of Death"

I work in a profession where every day I see people making peace with death and their agony. It is very sobering. It always flashed back in my head final paragraphs of Leo Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" (here). Today an interesting statement made by my one patient.

"I was afraid I will die, then I was afraid I will not die"!

On "The Human Pledge or Ehd-e-alast"

(On my request, uncle expressed his thoughts on Ehd-e-Alast)

There are many pledges/oaths Qur'an talks about like the pledge taken by Bani Israel or the one taken by all the prophets and also the oath taken from the last prophet and we know of some pledges on the earth like the one the Muslims took under that tree outside Makkah (Hudaibiya).

There is one called ehd-e-Azal, as it is described in Qur'an in surah Al-A'raaf (VII) aya # 172. "And (remember) when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their seed (or from Adam's loin his offspring) and made them testify as to themselves (saying) 'am I not your Lord?, they said 'Yes we testify', lest you should say on the day of resurrection, 'verily we are not aware of it' " (I have used translation of Dr Muhsen rather than Yusuf Ali or others because he uses the word seed ). Also known in Urdu as "ehd-e-alast" taken from "alast-o-beRabbikum".

It is said that it is not just 'allegorical' description but an actual event that occurred after Allah SWT decided to send Adam AS to the earth. Some Ahadeeth say as soon as he descended on earth (in the Arafaat grounds). Descriptions of hadeethes given in various books of tafseer indicate how everybody understood n his/her own way the "taking out of all the persons to be born up-till the "Qiyamah" (how it happened). Clearly this was as good a miracle as the of birth of Adam AS or that of Amman Hawwa (Eve) and so there is no reason to reject that as a possibility but only accepting it as it is, rather than trying to derive some explanation from hadeeth descriptions. I see that many sahaba say this is how the prophet SAWS told us. Yet, the truth is best known to Allah SWT. The prophet himself could only talk in the terms that Sahaba could understand. We as His creation should just accept it as he wants us to. I do not wish to quote ahadeeth or what I understand from tafseers but just for example I shall give my understanding.

Tafheem-ul-Quran says the whole progeny of Adam AS was created out of Adam's Pusht (Sulb in Arabic) and not just the roohs (meaning rooh plus bodies). Then explanations need where on earth such a large collection of human beings could be placed. Some others say they were extremely small in body like ants (yes I read this in tafseer). Meaning that they did not require a large ground. Ibn-e- Kaseer says- what I understand- they were 'roohs' who were brought out and questioned and then put back (into the "Sulb") and this may seem more plausible than tafheem explanation. But really we dont have to think out in such terms as to how and where it happened.

As physicians/scientists (and this is purely my own idea, not meant for discussion) we may postulate possibility of 'gametes' (the seed) from which whole human body develops could have been miraculously brought out and placed back and of course Allah SWT can give the same understanding and ability to talk/say as the pledge to anything. But as I said before it is much easier to accept this miracle as it says in Qur'an than rely on any hadeeth (Not denying ahadeeth or the authority of it or that of prophet SAWS - Far it be from me to even think about it). If you will recall Allah SWT warned people not to question unnecessary things while Quran is being revealed (S. V, Aya 104 and 105) because it may turn your faith away. That is a very important aya/warning for us to stay away from going into explanations of things that are unnecessary. All we need to do is believe in that Ehd.

You also know some people from Sahaba (Ali RA for example) said they remember that pledge very clearly in their memory. Also that pledge forms the basis of the frequently quoted hadeeth that "every child is born a Muslim but the parents make him/her Christian or Jew or Majoosi" And this I am saying from Tafseer, not just my idea.

May Allah forgive me for my mistakes and misunderstanding and/or mis-interpretations.

On "Ilm, Imtihan and Tajarba"

"Babaji! aap kehte hain ilm se darna chahiye. Ye to baRi ajeeb baat ki aap ne"

"Are is main koi ajeeb baat nahi. Ataai-ilm ki surat kuch aur hai. Jab Ilm ataa hota hai to bachhu free main nahi hota! - us ke foran baad - aik dum se aazmaish ki ghaRi aa jaati hai. Jese chori na kerne ka, geebat na kerne ka, bad-nazri na kerna ka ya khamosh rehne ka ilm - kisi ishaare se ataa hota hai to - darna chahiye - kiunke  foran koi 'opportunity' aa jaati hai, jahan chori ka moqa milta hai, geebat ki mehfil sajti hai, bad-nazri ka maza milta hai ya bak-bak kerne ka package haat aa jaata hai. Pehle ilm aata hai, uske foran baad aazmaish ki ghaRi aati hai aur yahi tajarba us ilm ki tosee' (attestation) kerta hai. Aik ke baad aik ilm-o-aazmish ki ghaRi insaani ruh ko kundan banane ke liye sulagti rehti hai. Par jise is aag ki tapish hi mehsoos na ho, woh jiya bhi to kiya aur na jiya bhi to kiya."

On "Love and war" - 2

Following is an email on a little sentimental post 2 days ago - "Love and War" -here

"I browse your blog frequently but am not very good at leaving messages. But your post on war and love made me send you this email, as it touched a nerve. I was born in a very wealthy memon family in Karachi. We were business tycoons. Afterward, I decided to join public service in Pakistan. It was a conventional and unwritten rule that everything is fair in business and diplomacy. There is no friend and no enemy. You only guard your interests. As a public officer in foreign service, I had to deal at my level when the Siachen issue came. Later, I could not take corruption and political pressure in public service. I retired and moved to Canada, and I learned that human emotions play the most vital role in war, love, business, diplomacy, or any other aspect of life. Humans can go up to any extent to sustain their power, ego, wealth, anger, or pleasure. Unfortunately, things get uglier as you go high in the hierarchy. You may have heard of Qudratullah Shahab, a well-decorated and most well-known Pakistani public servant of his time. His assessment was: "His whole bureaucracy was nothing but the smell of gutter and the toilet." I agree with you. Low-level creatures are those who think everything is fair in love and war. Unfortunately, they never did and don't even intend to teach ethics in our classrooms."

*

THE GOSSIP

(Koonj is one heck of a blogger (link here) and I immensely learned from her. She is an extremely learned person. Once she did an amazing post on Gossip and Backbiting. here and here).

Following hikayat is on same line

A member of a parish shared false gossip about the pastor of the church she attended. It became apparent that many believed, or at least passed on the gossip to others. The pastor became discouraged, was held accountable for these lies, and lost credibility in the town. A few weeks later, the woman came and shared with the pastor, her guilt in the rumor spreading, she asked for forgiveness and the pastor said he would forgive her if she would do one thing for him. She agreed.

The pastor then took a feather pillow from his house, climbed the town water tower and cut the pillow open spreading the feathers to the wind. He climbed down and asked her to refill and mend the pillow to be forgiven for her act against him. She said it was not possible to collect all the feathers. He replied, it was also impossible for him to recover from the gossip she spread in the community.

On "Love and War"

Kum-Zarf hain woh log jo kehte hain: 

"Mohabbat aur jang main har cheez jaaiz hai"

On "Solace of Third Child"

Every year, I have few friend and colleagues, who at this time of the year get saddened due to "empty nest syndrome", as their kids move out for colleges. USA is a huge country. Despite best efforts, good colleges are usually far and very few parents can keep their children home. It is relatively harder on desi parents as they are as I guess more protective. Out of many stories I hear, following made me smile, so sharing.

"Our third child was an accident. He was born almost 10 years after elder siblings. We were not happy as we always planned to take life easy once both kids are out to college. This unplanned third child at that moment for a while feels like a hurdle. No! we never believed in abortion. It was our child. We loved him anyway. This year, both elders went to college simultaneously and empty house was outrageously depressing. Suddenly, our lives were changed. It does not hit you until that day arrive when you come home after dropping them to their dorm - and they don't come home with you.  We all are so idiots. We plan things and don't value our possessions till we actually know their worth. Human emotions and bonding can't be planned like we so called professionals try to do alike our jobs, finances, house, retirements, investments and cars. Trust me 'empty nest' is a real phenomenon. It depresses people. It changes people. It is slowly draining. Now we find our solace in our third child. He is more precious than ever before. Now we kiss our third child more than ever before".

Related post on empty nest: Nageen

On "Rooh"

I requested Saugoree uncle to write on the concept of "Rooh" from Islamic perspective. He was kind enough to do this for me. I am posting below but you can read this on his blog too here.


I wrote "Rooh" and not "Soul" because the word Rooh is slightly better understood by Muslims. The other reason is that in English sometimes "soul" can be used for persons like "I did not see a single soul in the ground" meaning a human being or a person, but Rooh is not used in this manner but always in the manner of the 'spirit' which again in English can be used with a different meaning so I did not say spirit either. 

Rooh is a non-corporeal or ethereal thing which is easier to understand but difficult to define. For discussion we will confine ourselves to Human soul. In the same way, we are quite familiar with 'life' and 'death' but defining these is not as simple. We know that when a person dies his/her rooh leaves the body and that is the teaching in all religions. Philosophy came to similar conclusions and science has nothing else to offer. 

We can say that there are two sources of human knowledge: 

One: Intelligence or Aql given to us by our Creator that we use both for philosophy as well as scientific study consisting of Observation, experimentations and Conclusion/derivation. Thomas Aquinas calls this "natural revelation" as compared to the revelation from God that we call scripture. and so the,

Second: is Revelation. Since we cannot observe or experiment on such ethereal substance we must depend upon God's revelation to determine the truth about rooh/soul. Most religions teach that Rooh is not destructible. 

Islamic perspective: Further knowledge about Rooh in Islam is based on Qur'an and Saheeh Ahadeeth. I frequently quote the Verse "They ask thee concerning the 'Rooh', Say, the Rooh comes from the command of my Lord; it is only a little of knowledge, that is given to you (O men)" (#85 of Sura Bani Israeel ). I feel as though here, the creator is telling us about rooh and saying that you can't have any more knowledge about it (That is not what most mufassireen say, that is only my feeling). From Saheeh Ahadeeth we learn: That 'rooh' enters the body (by the command of Allah) at a particular time while the body of human being is acquiring shape in the womb of the mother and it leaves the body (by the command of Allah) at the time of death. There is also some knowledge as to what happens to it after it leaves the body. Qur'an tells us it also leaves the body during sleep (Verse 42 of sura Zumur the 39th Sura) but still maintains a connection with the body but that connection is permanently lost at the time of death. After death (of the body) Rooh enters into a state of "in between" called Berzakh in Arabic (where it can meet with other "arwah" or roohs) and will reunite with the body (may be in a different way) at the time of resurrection (al-Quiyamah).

On "old man in the House"

This blog is all about how people feel, see and experience life. We may not agree and it may shock us but things happen differently to different people.

Main jab bhi apne shahr ki desi market jaata hun to Shakir sahab se mulaqat hoti hai. Bus jaan pehcaan bhi aese hi hui ke jab jao, woh apni makhsoos dukan ke bahir khaRe ho ke 'sutta' laga rahe hon ge - aur har aane jaane wale se baatain kerte rahain gey. Ab to koi 12 baras hone ko aa gaye - magar shakir sahab ki us paan ki dukan, peele shalwar kameez aur sutte main koi faraq naa aaya.

Aik din main ne Shakir sahab se mazaqan kaha: "aap kabhi ghar bhi jaate ho ya nahi?"

UnhoN ne jawab diya: "Jab bachhe baRe ho jaayain aur biwi bad-zuban ho, to ghar main mard ki hessiyat aik bhaRwe jesi ho jaati hai. Isi liye ghar nahi jaata".

On "True Love"

On "Pseudo-Patriotism"

I have to be honest here. I never get impressed with this writer, named Umerah Ahmad. Though I was told she is very popular in Pakistan, I never found her more than a glorified digest writer. But indeed, she is a fluent writer and knows how to put words together. Few days back, on this blog we talked about patriotism. Somebody send me this on forward and I agree with her that this whole concept of going back and spend retirement in native country is bogus and in my dictionary, you can call it "Pseudo-patriotism". Well written.

On "Being Immortal"

As I previously said here that some people are so smart that it boggles my mind - and I am surrounded by crazy psychologically dyslexic friends. 2 weeks ago, on the labor day long weekend, few of my friends visited from out of town. Jokingly, at the dinner table, one friend threw this question: "If you have only 5 seconds to decide that if wish comes true, will  you become immortal with the bonus of always staying young?" (amar jawan rehna). Out of six friends, five said yes in an instant. Everybody start looking at the one who said No. You may not agree, but his explanation was:

"Once you know that you will never die, and as there will be no fear of death, the probability is that you will turn apathetic and an evil and will do more harm to surrounding humans. Secondly, you may become irrelevant to other people, as people thrive on your love knowing that one day you will die! Thirdly, it would not be easy to see your children and grandchildren suffering and dying in front of you. In short, eventually it will take pleasure out of life".

It reminded me of  Chacha Ghalib:

Hawas ko hai nishate-kaar kiya kiya
na ho marna to jeene ka maza kiya

Eid and Parents

Early this morning in  the hospital, I met my one good Indian-Muslim colleague and said: "Eid Mubarak". As we took a corner to exchange greetings, he said something - and I was all day thinking about it. He said:

"Eid ab kahan! Bus Eid pe ab Ammi Abbu shiddat se yaad aate hain. Eid ki namaz ke liye abbu ka hamare liye gusal ka paani garam kerna, se le ker ammi ka naashte pe aehtmam tak. Ab sab kuch hai magar Eid ki woh subah nahi".

Choti si baat thi, magar poora din mere dil ko andar hi andar udas kerti rahi. 

Be-wajah baatoN pe aen waen gor kare
Dil sa koi kamina nahi ........

Aik kaRwa sach?

(From discussion last night among friends. I don't know but certainly, it hit me badly)

Chahye lakh taaweelaiN pesh karo, magar is haqiqat se inkaar zara mushkil hi ho jaata hai ke:

"Jab aurat mard ko jismaani aasudgi na de sake to woh us ke liye bekaar, aur agar mard aurat ko maali aasoodgi na de sake to woh us ke liye aik bojh ban ker reh jaata hai".

Dr. Gibbs

Zindagi main aksar bohat se achhe insaan milte hain - aur phir bichaR jaate hain. Aaj phir koi baat aesi hui ke Dr. Gibbs bohat yaad aaye. Insan aksar apni nadani se kai mukhlis dostoN ko kho deta hai. Aur main ne to apne laubali-pan se kai piyare dostoN ko khoya hai. 

 Jab main ne residency ke baad pehli job shuru ki to Dr. Gibbs wahiN kaam kerte the. Mast insaan the. Lagta tha siwaye Medicine ke duniya main koi kaam nahi. Akhbaar paRhte ya pipe peete. Werna patients ke saath. Jahaan bhar ka tajarba tha, retire hone ki umar ko the magar kaam is liye kerte ke medicine se muhabbat thi. Un ke patients bhi un se bohat piyar kerte. Har roz un se Doctor's lounge main mulaqat hoti. Dosti ho gai. Main naya tha. Meri bohat madad kerte. Internist the magar central line, Swan Ganz, chest tubes, thoracentesis jese saare procedures aese kerte jese surgeon hon! Procedures kerte huwe whistle bajate rehte. Kehte is se mushkil hal ho jaati hai.  Bohat sikha un se. Sab se baRh ker un se, 'work ethics' aur 'patients se muhabbat' kerna seekha. Medicine bhi bohat seekhi . Jab Kabhi main 2/4 din nazar na aata to kehte: "Where have you been boy! Don't vanish. Stay in touch. It's not a good thing you do to others and yourself. Don't vanish like that ever." Aur har 2 hafte baad phir wahi kahani chalti.

Kisi ne bohat saaloN baad bataya, wapas Ireland chale gaye, wahan GP ho gaye.

Jab job choR ke jaane laga tha, to us din bhi yahi bole: "Young Man! Don't vanish . You hear me right? Stay in touch".

Aaj bhi aksar hospital main procedure kerte kabhi phans jaata hun to  unki whistle bohat yaad aati hai, ke kese asani se sab kuch ker lete the. Sirf is liye ke mohabbat kerne wale insaan the. Apne kaam se sincere the to Medicine ki pechidgiyon se ashnaa the. Kahin dil main koi khot nahi tha. Staff meeting main koi sakht baat bhi keh de to chup ker ke guzar jaate. Allah jaane! aesa dil insaanon ke paas kahan se aata hai. Itni muhabbat, itna darguzar to walioN nabioN main hi dekha - insaan to na huwe!

"It's not a good thing you do to others and yourself. Don't vanish like that ever."- Aam sa jumla tha - 15 baras lag gaye itni si baat ki gheraaii ko samjhne main, ke achhe insaan zindagi se chale jaain to unka to kuch nahi jaata - hum hi apni daulat kho bethte hain.

Aaj phir Dr. Gibbs bohat yaad aaye.

Benny

Benny mere paRos main apne kutte ke sath rehta hai.

Wese to Benny 20 saal se electrician ka kaam ker raha hai magar us ka dil apni musawarri se laga huwa hai. Benny louisiana ke rural area main paida huwa. ThoRi bohat homeschooling hui - is liye woh paRh to leta hai magar likh nahi pata. Us ne apni pehli tasveer das baras ki umar main apni nani ke saath 'garage sale' main bechi, magar jald hi use andaza ho gaya ke tasveerain bana ker zindagi ki gaaRi nahi chal sakti, to us ne electrician ka kaam sikh liya. Woh electrician ka kaam bhi utni hi bareek-bini aur imandaari se kerta hai jese ke apni tasveer pe kerta hai - ke ab ye us ki adate-saaniya ho gayi hai. Benny ne sketches bhi banaye, oil and water paintings bhi ki - magar ab woh ziyada tar rock-paintings banata hai. Ye aik bohat mushkil kaam hai kiunke rock jald paint ko 'absorb' ker lete hain aur inhimaak se us waqt tak brush chalane paRte hain jab tak rang pakke na ho jaaye. Aik din kisi ne Benny ki banayi tasveer ki qeemat sirf 50 dollars lagai. Us din se Benny ne apni paintings bechna band ker di hai. Logon ko gift ker deta hai.

Benny sannate main raat bhar painting kerta hai. Kehta hai paintaing ke liye bohat sakoot chahiye. Benny udas ho to painting kerta hai. Khush ho to painting kerta hai. Aur kisi ko tohfa dena ho to bhi painting kerta hai. Benny ko janwaroN se bari mohabbat hai. Jab main ne Benny ki paintings ka zakhira dekha to us main sceneries to thiN magar kutte, billi, bheRye, sher, cheethe, bob-cats, coyote wagera ki ziyada tasweerain thiN. Main ne Benny se poocha: Aesa kiun? To Benny ne jawab diya: "Kiun ke janwaron ke paas hamari tarah bolne ki naimat nahi to woh saare izhaar aankhon se kerte hain. Yahi baat mujhe bohat mutasir kerti hai aur main koshisk kerta hun ke meri tasveer se janwaaron ki aankhain baat kerti aur apne jazboN ka izhaar kerti nazar aayaiN. Main sab se pehle aankhain paint kerta hun, woh theek ho jaaye to baqi amal baRa asan ho jaata hai". Benny ne ye baat mujh se 2 saal pehle kahi thi. Us din se mera har janwaar ko dekhne ka andaaz badal gaya hai. Ab main kisi janwaar ko dekhta hun to us ki aankhon pe sab se pehle nazar paRti hai aur sach much janwaar mujh se baat kerte nazar aate hain. (Aap bhi aazma lijye).

Benny jese inssan chup chaap apni dhun main zindagi ki chakki main apna DhoNa Dhote rehte hain - is liye nahi ke unko koi faida ho - bulke is liye ke unka dil us se shaad ho. Zindagi aese hi insaanoN se mehkti rehti hai. 

Aap bhi soch rahe hon ge - kesi pheeki pheeki kahani hai. Na koi climax , na koi lashkaara! Magar woh kiya hai ke - meri saari daulat mil ker bhi us ki aik painting nahi khareed sakte !! Mere liye yahi bohat hai ke - jab raat ke sakoot main uske paint ki khushbu meri naak tak paunchti hai to mera dil kerta hai ke kabhi fajar na ho aur khusbu ka yeh masoom lamha yanhi theR jaaye.

Benny mere paRos main apne kutte ke sath rehta hai .