At the crossroads

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After a long time I have a feeling that I am standing at the crossroads. A decision has to be made but what exactly that decision should be, is a question which remains unanswered as yet. The conflict is not yet resolved. And I do not know how to get it resolved. Or probably one has to keep on living with some unresolved conflicts... But for how long...? That one does not know. I remember reading somewhere that if two paths are before you and on both of them you have to walk in the state of being 'separated' then you must opt for the one about which you are sure that it is the right one. At least you would be satisfied that you are on walking on the right path. Probably, the pain of separation will also become desirable on this path. And who knows it might one day lead you to the destination - the union you have been desiring for so long...

As for the other path, you never know if it might lead you to a dead end. And a dead end is desired by no one...


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Comments

Umer Toor said…
Ok, so here's a (very logical) quiz-question pertinent to your post :)

A person is sitting on the cross-road which leads to two villages: one of true people (who speak truth); the other one to that of people of falsehood. We don't know whether this person sitting on the cross-road speaks truth or false, but rest assured he belongs to either of the villages. The task is to reach at the village of truth-speaking people with the help of this man. How would you find out which village is of true people?
7:48 AM
Naeema Akram-Jehanzeb said…
hmmm... I knew this question would come up ... :) And I have been thinking about it too. Will definitely reply but not now. In a day or two inshaAllah. :)
9:28 AM
Anonymous said…
oh shooot! CALL ME!
3:24 PM
Naeema Akram-Jehanzeb said…
@ Umer

Implicit in your question is the reality that you (or any traveller for that matter) have the essential knowledge which has helped you to distinguish the Truth from the falsehood.
Now, if you 'know' that then it won't be difficult for you to make out if the person sitting on the crossroads is speaking truth or not. I cannot really explain this but it comes to you intuitively. Maulana Rum could not probably explain WHY he followed Shams-e Tabrez but when he saw Shams (rahimahullah), he 'knew' that it was him only that could guide Maulana to the village of the people who speak truth...

Do I make any sense? I think not. Sigh.
12:01 PM
Naeema Akram-Jehanzeb said…
The matter of trusting the man sitting on the crossroads is a matter of 'inshrah-e sadr' perhaps... Allah knows best.
12:02 PM
Umer Toor said…
No, you don't have to trust him, he's either a liar (i.e., from the village of liars) or a truth-speaking (i.e., from the village of "trues," let's call it).

If you ask him/her where is trues village, if he's a liar he'd say the opposite, and vice verse. If he's from trues village he'd speak truth.

With this figure out (you can draw the truth table!) which village is of trues. And you can ask only one question to him. (I rue for the missing info.)
7:48 AM
Naeema Akram-Jehanzeb said…
But my point is that if you yourself are one of the 'trues' you will be able to make out if he's speaking the truth... No? Just a thought...

And Umer your advice for drawing out a truth table was really amusing :) why...? pata nahi... :)
8:46 PM
Umer Toor said…
Mein sabit karta hoon... :)

Answer: Let both villages be represented by symbols 'a' and 'b'. Either 'a' is of trues or of false; and vice verse.

Now we "assume" that village 'a' is of trues. Then we ask that man on the crossroad which village is of trues. If he says 'a', then 'a' is of trues(!). Because if that man is speaking truth then he 'a' is our destination. And if he's lying and points out 'a' that means he belongs to 'b' and that gives us the right answer!

Whatever he says is Truth...
3:58 PM
Naeema Akram-Jehanzeb said…
So the key point is that we have to make an "assumption", right? :)
8:43 PM
Naeema Akram-Jehanzeb said…
... And don't you think, Umer, this "assumption" is actually 'faith'?
11:10 AM
Umer said…
1stly, i think there can b a direct way to penetrate. the assumption was just to explain, i think. can intellectual intuition be called a part of faith as well?
4:37 PM
Naeema Akram-Jehanzeb said…
Don't know about the intellectual intuition but faith is surely one discerning factor which helps us distinguish between the Truth and the falsehood... If that faculty of discernment can be called intellectual intuition then why not... Faith, however, is a prerequisite.
11:40 AM
UT said…
In "gaib"?
6:36 PM
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