musaafir-e dasht

source Dr Iftikhar Shafi in his history of English Literature class (January 19, 2009): "kabhi kabhi andar ki bechenii psychiatrist ki goliyon se nahi jaati balke mathnavi maulana rum (rahimahullah) paRh ke bhi chali jaati he"

Just saw this post  on umer toor blog . Priorities are something that I started taking note of a few years ago. It was probably after I joined the university that I was formally introduced to this word. Courtesy: my teachers (read: mentors). It is strange how some vocabulary items evade our attention unless someone makes a conscious effort to help us look beyond the surface of the written/spoken word. Given the context of my life, similar was the case with the word 'priorities', because probably I too was traversing the path of life aimlessly. No, I still do not claim to have realised the purpose of life in its entirety but at least the presence of some people in my life have taught me that life is not just about 'walking' aimlessly ... You need to walk in a certain direction! One of my teachers often quotes the following couplet in his classes: سمت کی کوئی خبر ہے نہ ستارے کا   پتہ چلتے رہنے کو ہی یہ لوگ سفر کہتے    ہیں    It is strange how c...

Yesterday, on my way back from the University I was waiting for my bus at the bus stop where I change buses. I could see heavy traffic on the road across, and suddenly out of nowhere a very small kitten came up and stood right in the middle of the road. It did not know where to go and what to do. Entirely confused. Seemed like a lost soul in the wilderness of the world. I would not even have noticed it had not someone standing behind me on the stop called out loud " array ye gaaRi ke neeche aa jae ga" ... That was when I noticed it and its confused movements - it was trying to move forward but could not due to heavy traffic and it did not even seem to know the way back. I felt like reaching out to it instantly but could not and Alhamdulillah, in the mean while a rehRi waala  came, picked it up and put it on his rehRi . Relief! :) SubhaanAllah! This is how Allah saves the souls of those whom He wills! It was an extremely touching scene with a great reminder and a prayer... Al...