Pakistani Media & Laws of Privacy

Pakistani Media must differentiate between an accused and a convicted criminal. Unless proven guilty everyone should be treated as innocent and his/her laws of privacy and dignity respected. Media should be different from a dog sniffing around and then barking and running after everyone. They should learn from the Western media instead of following Bollywood style movies. At present we all are at the mercy of any clown who attacks us with a camera and crew. They have have no respect for our privacy and can prove us demons in no time. 

Laws of privacy need to be framed and media be made more responsible.

Allah ko yehi manzoor tha!

'Allah ko yehi manzoor tha' and 'issi main behtari hogi' are the two most frequently used expressions when we see someone facing unfavourable situations. This approach is religiously correct and psychologically excellent helping people to Accept what has happened and move on with Hope and positive thinking.The problem however arises when we use these expressions to hide our mistakes and shortcomings and try to use them for consoling others to save our skin.

In my view in any professional setup, we should try finding tangible reasons for any unfavourable happenings and rectify them along with fixing responsibility if any instead of putting an end to all questions by saying ' Allah ko yehi manzoor tha' and 'issi main behtari hogi'!!

For individuals to move on with Acceptance and Hope this approach works fine but for Institutions and Nations a scientific and logical approach is needed to avoid similar happenings and ensure progress in life.

A senior psychiatrist and a dear friend wrote on the above lines,

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You are probably referring to use of religion as a defence to hide the real underlying issues. While this may be adaptive in times of severe stress, using this everywhere may indicate that person is not willing to address the root of the problem and avoiding personal responsibility. While accepting the events(which happened due to our choices or acts) as part of one's Taqdeer wouldn't mean that the responsibility for that choice and its consequence rests on Allah Almighty. One needs to analyse and try to rectify the reasons of a problem whenever possible and take responsibility for one's decisions. Kindly reflect on this verse

 یہ اس لیے کہ جو نعمت خدا کسی قوم کو دیا کرتا ہے جب تک وہ خود اپنے دلوں کی حالت نہ بدل ڈالیں خدا اسے نہیں بدلا کرتا۔ اور اس لیے کہ خدا سنتا جانتا ہے ۔ 53:8

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Let's not misuse these expressions and try to find reasons for a problem, accept responsibility and take corrective measures.

Predictable Lunar/Islamic calender

How to celebrate Islamic festivals simultaneously across the globe is a dilemma we're facing these days. Following are random thoughts which came to my mind as a solution to this problem.

1. A predictable lunar calender can be made for any location in the world.

2. As per Shariah we have to fast and have Eid when the new moon is sighted. There is no known  radius of applicability of the moon sighted for changing lunar calendar date in Islam. The geopolitical boundaries we talk about are not Divine. If we would have been part of an Islamic Union with our capital at Mecca, moon sighting there would have been applicable here too.
 

3. We need to decide a location in the world which could work as a reference point for the proposed lunar calender. For religious reasons Haram Shareef is the best location and people would have less problems with that. However any other site can be agreed upon and this can be a place where the moon becomes visible at the earliest. 

4. At the proposed site a size of the new moon could be agreed upon to be labeled as Visible and Sighted with naked eye. 

5. A predictable lunar calender could be made which would be applicable to the whole world. We don't have to actually see the moon just like we don't look at the sunset for azaan for maghrib prayers, instead we just look at the clock. 

6. Whenever new moon reaches the Visible and Sighted size at Haram Shareef or the agreed site it would be applicable for the whole world because nowhere there has been any mention of radius of applicability of the moon sighted in any location. Moon sighted at one point can be considered applicable for the whole world as the geo-political boundaries do not matter when one rises above the level of Earth and look at things from a universal or planetary point of view. 

7. There is one point against the system namely different time zones and people often mention prayer time differences as an evidence against this system but I feel that is a different issue altogether and depends on daily positions of the Earth in relation to The Sun. Even a little deviation at places should be acceptable for making a predictable Lunar calender. Some places might not have moon visible at that time but when it is sighted at one side it would be extended to other places too.

8. This suggestion needs to be discussed at OIC level and a solution found. That could be taken as some performance of this otherwise toothless organization. 

Comments are welcome!

قابلِ رحم قوم

Pity the nation . . . . . .

Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, the Honourable Judge, Supreme Court of Pakistan, in his additional note to the detailed verdict in contempt of court case against Gilani wrote following lines (using the format of a poem by Khalil Gibran) which will be remembered for a long time to come. . . .

Pity the nation that achieves nationhood in the name of a religion
but pays little heed to truth, righteousness and accountability
which are the essence of every religion.

Pity the nation that proclaims democracy as its polity
but restricts it to queuing up for casting of ballots only
and discourages democratic values.

Pity the nation that measures honour with success
and respect with authority,
that despises sublime and cherishes mundane,
that treats a criminal as a hero and considers civility as weakness
and that deems a sage a fool and venerates the wicked.

Pity the nation that adopts a Constitution
but allows political interests to outweigh constitutional diktat.

Pity the nation that demands justice for all
but is agitated when justice hurts its political loyalty.

Pity the nation whose servants treat their solemn oaths
as nothing more than a formality before entering upon an office.

Pity the nation that elects a leader as a redeemer
but expects him to bend every law to favour his benefactors.

          Pity the nation whose leaders seek martyrdom

          through disobeying the law

          than giving sacrifices for the glory of law

          and who see no shame in crime.

Pity the nation that is led by those
who laugh at the law
little realizing that the law shall have the last laugh.

Pity the nation that launches a movement for rule of law
but cries foul when the law is applied against its bigwig,
that reads judicial verdicts through political glasses
and that permits skills of advocacy to be practised
more vigorously outside the courtroom than inside.

Pity the nation that punishes its weak and poor
but is shy of bringing its high and mighty to book.

Pity the nation that clamours for equality before law
but has selective justice close to its heart.

Pity the nation that thinks from its heart
and not from its head.

Indeed, pity the nation

that does not discern villainy from nobility.

~ Justice Asif Saeed Khosa

Pakistani Media

Media, in this era of information outbreak plays a very important role in making and shaping public opinion. It affects the overall psychological status of a society and can play a very positive role in promoting hope, optimism and unity among ranks and files of a nation. More important, in this regard, are different Television News channels which have mushroomed in Pakistan over a period of past few years. 

It is unfortunate to note that because of a competition among these channels to win more and more viewership, they have adopted ways and means which amount to invading people's privacy and many a time playing with their emotions apart from promoting a Western culture. They would continue looking for anything negative and keep projecting it over and over again. One feels as if there is nothing good happening anywhere. This pathological phenomenon becomes even more evident in the wake of some disaster and these people cross all limits while trying to 'break the news first' or show something not shown by others. All of these channels often so closely resemble the evening newspapers who would make headlines out of nothing.

Taking the example of the recent Bhoja air crash, the role of Media has been deplorable. Every channel has been trying to show more than the other. Imagine a family in which there are sudden, unexpected deaths and they have to deal with the onslaught of Media people asking silly questions like, 'how do you feel?' and 'what would you like to say about what has happened?' They keep showing scenes from the site of the crash and keep adding to the pain and suffering. They would label people have been stealing things from the site of the accident even if they have been just collecting them. Sometimes one feels that they have an agenda of spreading pessimism and negative sentiments in this otherwise deeply troubled nation. Pakistani Media, I feel, at times acts just like a vulture having a scalpel in its beak, hunting down corpses and dissecting them for its survival. 

Media does have a positive role and it has effectively unearthed and highlighted many scandals of corruption which would not have been otherwise possible. It, however, needs to mature and define its limits. Cheap commercialism, unnecessary sensationalism, spreading pessimism and negative sentiments, working against national interest, invading people's privacy and promoting Western culture must be avoided at all costs. Instead of being a vulture, Media should act  like an eagle, flying high above, keeping everything in sight while maintaining its dignity and pride.

The Siachen Tragedy

The world's highest battlefield known as Siachen brought a tragedy for the valiant soldiers defending their homeland in the worst possible conditions where weather is probably more dangerous than the enemy itself. An avalanche buried 135 Pakistani soldiers in Gayari sector at 0600 AM on 7 April 2012 and is feared to become one of the major incidents of weather-related disasters in Siachen glacier.

Rescue efforts are on using sniffing dogs, helicopters and troops on ground. Heavy Engineers machinery have been moved from Rawalpindi by air. May as many lives be saved as possible even if it needs a miracle. 

The picture is here.

Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani visited Siachen on Sunday to supervise the rescue operation launched to recover 135 soldiers and civilians trapped under the avalanche. He said that efforts were underway to acquire latest technical equipment for the rescue and emphasized that calamity in no way should affect the morale of the troops defending the motherland at the highest battlefield. He said Pakistan Army has always risen to the occasion and will come through this challenge as well.

The role of Media has not been up to the mark so far and they didn't care to stop frivolous humour even for a day. We do expect our vibrant Media to pay due tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives while defending their homeland. Our hearts and minds are with our brave soldiers and their families and friends. Everyone please remember these brave soldiers who are still under tons of snow in Giyari sector.

Weather is cloudy in Skardu and surrounding area making Heli sorties technically difficult since evening on 8 Apr. Any good news is yet to be awaited. Prayers are required for all those trapped under the snow. List of those affected has been released and can be viewed here. 

 

Ideological, Cultural & Political Confusion!

The picture is here

Pakistan, as we have today, seems to be at the crossroads of an ideological,cultural and political confusion. It consists of diverse groups of people who still remain distinctly away from some sort of national coherence. This part of the Indian subcontinent was separated from the main land on the basis of a Two Nations theory which described the existence of two nations in the region on the basis of religion. Over a period of time, even this very basis has been made controversial and debatable, making the very ideological reason for existence of this poor country questionable. Apart from the ideological divisions, people here also remain fiercely divided in their cultural and political preferences. More unfortunately, being unable to channelize these differences, people resort to violence while expressing a difference of opinion adding to the overall extremist outlook of the society.

Having said that, Pakistan still has a lot of potential to deal with all these serious issues and be known as a progressive nation provided it could, somehow, get an honest leadership who are dedicated to national interests instead of following personal agenda driven by petty self interests. Pakistan needs to educate the ever increasing human resource it has and channelize this volatile form of energetic force present within its boundaries. A serious effort for bringing ideological cultural and political coherence coupled with developing a new culture of tolerance is required to create a long awaited national fabric which could withstand the diversity of language, race and political affiliations. Only then we can make use of the priceless resources we are blessed with.

Apart from the ruling elite, it is the duty of us, all Pakistanis, to do our bit in making Pakistan a prosperous and progressing nation on the world map.

Sahra - Ghani Khan

  Ghani Khan is a well known Pashto poet and his philosophical poetry is liked by many. Despite being controversial in places, its strength and force is undisputed. Ghani speaks to God with frankness of a friend and asks Him many questions time and again. Many a time, he appears frustrated by the obvious social evils and wishes this world to be an ideal one where love, peace, beauty and care prevail for everyone and we can rightly call him GUtopian (Ghani Utopian)! 

  The poem I have chosen for translation and upload describes well his love for Him along with the confusions arising in every thinking mind using logic and reason to explain everything in life.
 

  Sardar Ali Takar has been beautifully singing Ghani Khan's poetry and he has done justice with this one too. Enjoy the poem by clicking the following link.

             

 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

“How much more there is now to living!
Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there’s reason to life!
We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of
excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!”

- Jonathan Livingston Seagull -

Some time back, one of my friends gave me this book "Jonathan Livingston Seagull' by Richard Bach. It's a short story of a Seagull who loved flying. This story tells us about the greater meaning of life which is much more than just living to eat and having fun. Anyone having a little time must read this story and get the essence of the true meaning of life which is to break free from the shackles of desires and 'fly'!!

The book can be read by clicking here. 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Roger Larsen has beautifullay narrated this story and can be listened to by clicking following link.

The Video Story

Based on this story Hall Bartlett directed a movie in 1973 in which James Franciscus's voice represented Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. The movie is available online in 9 parts on Dailymotion and its first part can be can be viewed here. 

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, the Movie

The Lost Reality!

Photo Courtesy:
http://www.facebook.com/HHImagery

This Sunday, I came across a man while driving on a busy road of Karachi. He was running and jumping in the middle of the road, least concerned about what was happening to him and around him. He was not bothered about the heavy traffic living in his own world so detached from the reality. I thought about the reality and the mindset he was living with. Reality as perceived by us is surely not what he believes, sees and hears it to be. He must have been thinking in his own hallucinated mind, "Hey! What's wrong with this world? Why don't these crazy people see and hear what I see and hear?" What if we could see and hear what he sees and hears? Is it just an imbalance of the neurotransmitters which leads to the world of delusions, illusions and hallucinations? 

Whatever the cause may be, I do get scared whenever I see a schizophrenic running on a road detached from the reality. Probably I don't want to lose something which we all believe to be the reality!

Hope & Dreams

Hope makes us live while Dreams give a purpose to our life. To make our dreams come true however, we need to work hard apart from keeping our hope alive!

Destiny & Choice

The dilemma of life being destined or consisting of our own choices has always been debated resulting in lengthy discussions. Destiny appears to be the final picture we get after trying various shades of our choices from some natural colours! Regardless of what the actual situation is, what appears more important affecting our own life is, our response to the events we face in life. 

Anything which has happened in our life (Past) was destined to happen that way. Accept it, learn your lesson from it and move on. Anything good happened to us - Attribute it to Allah and thank Him for His blessings to avoid being arrogant and boastful.  Anything bad happened to us - Attribute to own shortcomings, mistakes, lack of adequate effort but very importantly avoiding the feeling of guilt - Have Patience and face it with dignity to save yourself from depression. 

Anything which is yet to happen in life(Future) is in your hand as Fate is not known and can go any way though it is decided already subject to many variables. Do your best and hope for the best. 

The present moment (Present) is the real moment. Make full use of it and utilize all legitimate means to get things done the way you think is good for you. 

Thus, it seems quite convincing that everything happening to us might not be strictly under our own control but our response is certainly to a significant extent upto us. We can tame it and give it a positive direction if we desire and have a will to do so.

Trust Vs Test

Belief and Love both ask for Trust instead of Tests! Those looking for verification of belief and love often, unfortunately, end up in failure.

Scientific investigation, logical analysis, and a purely reason based discourse are less likely to give conclusive supportive evidence for either and we are often left with only our trust in someone in both cases.

Science works on the basis of testing a hypothesis and either accepting or rejecting it on the basis of findings after taking care of all known variables. Science, thus, breeds on doubt and grows on proofs as a result of continuous testing. Belief and Love on the other hand breed on Trust and vanish when doubts start arising requiring tests for proofs!

Thoughts cross over!

Every new idea mirrors a ripple within the expansive reservoir of collective human wisdom, set in motion by the pebbles of human curiosity. Even ripples generated by a pebble dropped in a distant time and space can eventually reach us, prompting us to articulate them in our own terms.

As interconnected beings, we are bound to one another through invisible threads, facilitating the migration of thoughts across great spatial and temporal distances. It is not uncommon to witness ideas traversing vast expanses, resonating with individuals far removed from us in both space and time.

Paradise

Paradise is actually the depiction of our own desires either unfulfilled or optionally left out. It's like a blank canvas waiting for some awesome, colourful pictures as its beauty. The canvas, the painting media and the will to execute our ideas are all in our own hands.

We, ourselves, are thus the creators of our own paradise by what we choose to do and what we opt not to do!

خلیہ، اِنسان اور خالِق

Agnosticism & Islam

Agnosticism is about Knowledge, and knowledge is a related but separate issue from Belief, the domain of theism and atheism. A means without and gnosis means Knowledge. Hence Agnostic means without knowledge, but specifically without knowledge of metaphysical entities like God, the Angels and the Hereafter.

Islam on the other hand is a belief and a branch of theism which talks about monotheism. To be a Muslim one must:  
A). Believe & declare publicly that
1). There is no god except God (Allah) (The belief in Allah incorporates a belief in Angels, His Messengers, His revealed Books, the Day of Judgment, the hereafter and Fate).
2). Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is God's Messenger.   

B). Believe the obligation of Faraayez 

1). Praying five times a day; 2). Fasting in the month of Ramazan; 3). Paying yearly Zakat to the poor; 4). Performing Hajj if possible.

It is very evident that a direct knowledge about the presence of Allah, Angels, the Hereafter and the Day of Judgment cannot be attained by man. Up to this point an Agnostic is right in saying that he is 'without knowledge'. This is exactly the reason why Prophets and Messengers were sent for guiding mankind and people were asked to follow them. Quran makes a belief in the unknown/unseen (Imaan bil Ghaib) mandatory to get guidance from the Book. Thus in a way it supports the point that using his own intellect alone, man cannot have a knowledge about God and the Hereafter.

Thus having an opinion that 'it is impossible for man to get a direct knowledge about God and the Hereafter' would be acceptable so long one still believes in the requirements for being a Muslim.

On the contrary if one alters his belief on the basis of this obvious lack of knowledge and refuses to believe the existence of any metaphysical entities unless a direct knowledge about them is attained then he would obviously not remain a believer. 

There can be another category of Agnostics who neither refuse nor accept the metaphysical pre requisites of Islam and these people can be placed somewhere in the middle. Like it is beautifully mentioned in Qura'n while describing some indecisive people: "(They are) distracted in mind even in the midst of it,- being (sincerely) for neither one group nor for another whom Allah leaves straying,- never wilt thou find for him the way."

Constructive Critique

We, very often, come across a situation in life where we have to express our disagreement with a person or an institution. The disagreement most of the times has to contain some criticism too. It becomes very important to carefully choose our words to avoid being offensive. The basic principles of criticism are constructively pointing out any possible shortcomings while appreciating the good points which everything does have and need to be highlighted while criticizing.

Compliment Sandwich Technique is a well known method of constructive criticism and includes the following.

1. Begin with a sincere appreciation of the over all good and positive aspect of something being criticized. This appreciation should have empathy and concern instead of sympathy and pity.

2. Mention the shortcomings objectively, in a least offensive manner, avoiding any personal comments, disrespect or exaggeration. Possible solutions should also be included along with pointing out the problems. 

3. End with another gesture of appreciation of the good points in a realistic manner.

 Using this technique we can pleasantly convey what we want and that too with a good, constructive and healthy outcome.

Go try and apply it in real life and see it works!

Sultan Shahab ud Din Muhammad Ghouri - سلطان شہاب الدین محمد غوری

Some 13 km from the GT Road near Suhawa in district Jhelum is the tomb of Sultan Shahab ud Din Muhammad Ghouri. I could not resist driving there yesterday on my way back from Rawalpindi to Sialkot. The road was a narrow one and definitely needed a lot of work to be in better shape again. However the attraction of seeing the tomb of this great man was strong enough to keep me driving.

The tomb seems recently renovated with white marble tiles though with loss of the historic touch. A replica of Ghori Missile is erected in the lawn with a portrait of Dr. AQ khan along with a portrait of the Sultan. Graves of the three unidentified security guards of the Sultan are also located nearby.  Sultan Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori (1162 – 15 March 1206), was a ruler of the Ghorid dynasty who reigned over a territory spanning present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India. He conquered the city of Ghazna in 1173, and assisted his brother Ghiyasuddin in his contest with Khwarezmid Empire for the lordship of Khorāsān. Shahabuddin Ghori captured Multan and Uch in 1175 and annexed the Ghaznavid principality of Lahore in 1186. After the death of his brother Ghiyas-ud-Din in 1202, he became the successor of his empire and ruled until his assassination in March 1206 by a fanatic at his halt-place at Dhamiak (Jhelum) on his way back to Ghazni after successfully dealing with a revolt by Khokhars.

Wisdom of a prayer!

Following is the masnoon prayer to be recited when one looks in a mirror.

 اَلّٰھُمَّ اَنٓتَ حَسَّنٓتَ خَلٓقِی فَحَسِّنٓ خُلُقِی

'Allahumma anta Hassanta khalqi fa-Hassin khuluqi' (Hisan) 

or

اَللّٰھُمَّ اَحٓسَنٓتَ خَلٓقِیٓ فَاَحٓسِنٓ خُلُقِیٓ

'Allahumma aHsanta khalqi fa-aHsin khuluqi' 
(Masnad Ahmed)

اے اللہ آپ نے میری صورت اچھی بنائی ہے سو میرے اخلاق بھی اچھے بنا دے
O' Allah! You have made my physical appearance beautiful so beautify my character / manners too!

 Few points come to mind while thinking on the wisdom of this short prayer which are worth sharing with everyone.

1. Remembering Allah, the Creator:

Remembering Allah at every moment is one of the most desired attribute of a believer and is in fact a quality of those who are wise. 3:190,191There are indeed Signs for men of understanding، Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the (wonders of) creation in the heavens and the earth, (With the thought): "Our Lord! not for naught Hast Thou created (all) this! Glory to Thee! Give us salvation from the penalty of the Fire". We are therefore asked to remember Him while looking our face in mirror.

2. Self Esteem:

Everyone among us may not be as good looking he or she wishes. The prayer suggests us to have self esteem and appreciate that all of us do have a lot of beauty and proportion in our appearance. It is just that it is hidden from our superficial way of looking at things. How could we miss the absolute beauty and proportion of all of our organs and systems right up to the microscopic level? So all of us are good looking!

3. Gratitude/ Arrogance:

Once the beauty and proportion in our physical appearance is appreciated we obviously look for its creator and we agree that all this was generously granted by Allah and it gives us an opportunity to thank Him for His Kindness and Generosity. Simultaneously it also makes us realize that our appearance is not of our own doing and therefore we don't have to unnecessarily feel elated due to our outward appearance. We attribute our outward make up to the blessings of our Creator and be grateful to Him.

4. Value of "Khulq" (manners):

The prayer emphasizes that what really matters in a human being is his or her manners (Akhlaq) which could either be good or bad. It is the predominant set of Akhlaq in a person which make him either good or bad. Appreciating the fact, we are encouraged to request our Creator Allah to beutify our manners so that we can attain real and ever-lasting beauty. 

5. Everything is from Allah:

Looking into the prayer we come to a conclusion that we are all created by Allah in the best possible manner and towards Him we should all look to purify our souls. He is the source of both "Khalq" (Creation) and "Khulq" (Manners). We should therefore never forget our dependence on Him and keep trying to improve our appreciation of His Presence closer to us than our neck vessels.

 واللہ اعلم بالصواب

Suffering, Pain, Response and Fate!

We are often faced with the question why there is so much suffering in the world leading to pain resulting at times in unpleasant human response. The question is genuine and needs to be intelligently answered to ensure a peaceful mind.

Suffering basically is an unavoidable consequence of existence. We human beings have been blessed with intellect and we have our own views about what we should or shouldn't have. Anything going against our desired plan rightly becomes a suffering for us. So suffering is real and it exists as a by product of our own existence. A question arises that why such an imperfect world? Why a world with suffering in the first place? A perfect world would have been ideal but as it deals with human feelings which differ from person to person and time to time so such an ideal is hard to achieve with freely thinking human beings. An ideal world would soon become an imperfect one for me the moment it goes against the plan 'I' think to be a perfect one. According to Ibn-e-Arabi the source of imperfections is we ourselves. Our own 'being' acts as a reflector of the perfect Being whose attributes are the source of everything. Whatever imperfections we see are the result of the imperfections of the reflectors and not the One being reflected. One might ask what is the source of these imperfections then? That is probably their part in the grand design and they are meant to be like that. It's like parts of a watch, some being small, some large and everyone with different functions to make the watch perfectly working. That is what is called 'Fate' and there is no escape from that grand design. The best way is to accept it and go along with it.

Pain here is referred to as a feeling we all have as a result of our sufferings though technically 'Pain' in itself can be a suffering. Pain as a result of suffering is natural because of our understanding of the loss or disappointment we suffer and is real and unavoidable though its extent might differ from person to person depending on many factors affecting the personality.

Human Response to the Suffering and consequently Pain is the most important aspect of the troika being discussed here and this is what actually has been the focus of religion and psychology alike. Our Response is what determines how we face a suffering in our life and can be modified by giving a reason to the unavoidable sufferings we have to face because of our existence. Religion tells us about the transient nature of this world and the presence of an ever existing hereafter which is without any suffering and will be given to those who show Patience on the unavoidable suffering of this world apart from many other requirements. We are told to accept the grand plan and be patient with it. Accepting the grand plan with patience however does not mean that we should stop working to alleviate our sufferings. Instead we are asked to work hard to improve our life and leave the result to whatever is designed for us. This is because the grand design is not known to us so best option is to keep working hard to improve our life. Once something has happened it surely is a part of the design meant for us and we should face it with dignity accepting it with patience with a belief in 'Fate'.

As a discussion of human suffering can not be complete with out talking about destiny and fate so a few words about Fate are in order. We all are rushing to our destiny. We think, plan and execute our plans just to meet that destiny. 

Belief in Fate is part of our Faith. Fate is of two types, Taqdeer e Mubram & Taqdeer e Muallaq. The first one is decided and nothing would change it. The second is still hanging in balance depending upon many variables including our actions. Anything that has happened is definitely from the first category and we must accept it wholeheartedly. Anything which has not happened is not known to us and we should 'take' it as the second one and try our best to get it our way. Once it happens then it becomes the first one and is to be happily accepted.

 

As per our belief whatever happens is ultimately with the approval of Allah and is in fact for our own good in the end. Wise people, therefore, take Achievements with Humility (شکر) and Losses / Sufferings with dignity (صبر). Without that we tend to be arrogant while we achieve and depressed when we lose or suffer. Life thus becomes easy and practical with the ultimate aim of having a happy and satisfied life achieved.

  

CONCLUSION

Suffering and the resultant Pain are real but most of the time an unavoidable consequence of existence. Our Response is something which can be modified and is the chief factor affecting our life. A correct belief in Fate helps us have a positive attitude towards life.

HUtopia

Everything we see is the result of a thought; Human or Divine. Whatever we imagine has the potential of becoming a reality somewhere in time and space.

HUtopia too, is an imaginary world waiting to be realized in due course of time, somewhere in space! Till that time, there is no harm in being an HUtopian.

 

The spectrum of Ideology

Any ideology has a spectrum of its believers which have been grouped as under.

Terrorist-Militant-Extremist-Fundamentalist-Moderate-Liberal-Secular 

A little pondering over all these words will help us to place ourselves in the spectrum of our ideology.  

Fundamentalist comes right in the middle by the way and best is to remain in the middle! (خیر الامور اوسطہا). Meaning thereby that follow the fundamentals of your ideology, Desire that the number of fellows increase, try to make sensible and sincere efforts to convince people about the utility of your ideology but without using force (لا اکراہ فی الدین). 

Extremist would do the same but use force (verbal/physical) to bring people to his ideology.  

Militant would go a step ahead and take up arms to achieve his purpose but attacking mainly the militants of opposite ideology.  

Terrorist is so biased that he wants to destroy anyone from the opposite ideology including the weaker and use terror as a means to frighten his opponents.  

Moderate doesn't feel bound by the fundamentals of the ideology. He does appear to believe but it's hard for him to practice. He won't make efforts to convince people to join his ideology.  

Liberal  is liberal. He has a label of that ideology but lacks a belief what to talk of practical application. He is usually impressed from other ideologies but he cannot remove his label due to inherent fears of backlash from society.  

Secular goes a step further and openly dissociates himself from any ideology. Dictionary describes him to be worldly and material, poles apart from spirituality.

The question is "Where do we fit in?" Because ultimately everyone of us has to be alone in the end.

واللہ اعلم باالصواب

Pakistan needs its ideology back!

Pakistan is currently passing through a host of problems well known to everyone. To some the basis of many of its problems is a lack of direction in its people. States harbour Nations and Nations develop on the basis of an ideology which might be based on Race, Language, Culture, Religion or History.

Pakistan might not have a valid reason to exist as a separate state unless it sticks to the ideology which had led to its creation. This ideology was in fact a pledge of the people and their leaders and was unfortunately very soon forgotten. A country cannot exist without an ideology just like a computer cannot work without a software and operating system though every piece of hardware is perfectly functioning well. Only an ideology can bring different groups of people together and make them work in harmony to make a nation. Unfortunately we could not make a nation just because we abandoned the very ideology which was the reason of getting a separate state immediately after we got what we wanted by using the name of religion.

Pakistan desperately needs a beam of hope and optimism after a realistic appreciation of its ideological problems. Ideology for a state is like Faith for any religion. A religion without faith and a state without an ideology is far fetched a dream.

Conclusion

Pakistan requires an ideological reason to exist, giving its people a sense of pride and honour so that they can work together to make a Nation and act as a nucleus for the unification of Muslim Ummah.

  

ایک ہوں مسلم حرم کی پاسبانی کے لئے

 نیل کے ساحل سے لے کر تا بہ خاک کاشغر