musaafir-e dasht

Some students, in the last week's session of History of Ideas, were tempted to chalk out comparisons between certain philosophical ideas propounded by the Greeks and some teachings of Islam. Dr Shafi, however, asked us to be on our guard against making such comparisons. He said that we need to keep the two traditions apart as they were essentially different from each other as far as their epistemological sources were concerned. Here, what he meant was that one tradition originated in human reason, and the source of the other was wahi (revelation). Conflating the two could lead to serious error of judgement and thought. The most beautiful thought that he put across was that our tradition was regulated by the paradigm of muhabbah (Love). Being lovers, we do not question the Beloved with a 'why' of inquiry. All we have to do is to carry out the command of the Beloved ... I wonder how our problems would have vanished altogether had we realised this seemingly simple p...

After the History of Ideas session today, we gathered in Iftikhar Saheb's office for some post-session chit chat, which usually involves gems of wisdom coming from a teacher who we all hold in great esteem. Today, alhamdulillah, he looked elated at the success of these sessions being held. He was happy that  finally the department was displaying some signs of liveliness and intellectual vigour. He said that paraphernalia was not as important as the presence of (good) people around. Further, there was always a possibility of finding good and sincere people even in dilapidated environments (such as that of our department =D)! Then he recited the following couplet by Ahmad Faraz, ڈھونڈ اجڑے ہوئے لوگوں میں وفا کے موتی یہ خزانے تجھے ممکن ہیں خرابوں میں ملیں   What an apt saying to motivate people like us, who tend to lose heart when faced with even the minutest of difficulties! Then he recounted his first journey on which he was accompanied by another teacher of mine to Ha...

  Source An 'anonymous' reader has posed a question in a comment which s/he did not want me to publish on my blog. This post is a response to their query (although I do not find myself in the least capable of answering such questions) and, therefore, might evade the understanding of the general readers of the blog as they remain unaware of the context in which it is being written. My apologies for that. The only way to repent for any kind of sin (irrespective of it being big or small) is to do sincere tawba . Just ask Allah subhaanahu wa ta'ala for forgiveness keeping His greatness in view. Ask for it in your heart. Ask for it while sitting, standing or reclining. Ask for it after salaah . Beseech Him through the tears that have a language of their own. Implore Him in the solitude of the night when all else are asleep. Speak to Him while being conscious of the fact that He is Sam'i al Baseer (the One who listens and the One who sees!). When you do this, just ...

 Source “What Orwell feared were those who would ban books,” Neil Postman wrote: What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumble-puppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny “failed to take into account man’s almost infinite appetite for distractions.” In 1984, Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they a...

  Posted at An Noor Once my Shaykh Hazrat Shah Abdul Ghani Phoolpuri (RA) said to me, “Hakeem Akhtar [DB], when you are able to cry during your supplication then realize that your prayers have been accepted.  These tears are a receipt of the acceptance of your prayers. It's such an amazing coincidence that I mentioned this very quote by Hakeem Akhtar Sahab da'mat barakaatuhum to someone yesterday only when I myself was feeling low about something. Seeing it posted on An-Noor today made me instantly say SubhaanAllah! Allah has His ways of reminding us of things we become heedless of. May Allah bless our akaabireen with the best of duniya and aakhirah.

When man is afflicted by a hardship, he prays to Us (at all times), when reclining or sitting or standing. But when We remove his hardship, he just takes his way as though he had never prayed to Us in any hardship that afflicted him. This is how their deeds appear beautified to the transgressors.     (Surah Yunus, Verse. 12) I can see myself mirrored in the above mentioned verse of the Holy Qur'an... It happens at all times. A calamity befalls, and we invoke our Lord in the state of utter helplessness. It is in these moments of hardship that one feels so drawn towards Allah SWT because there is absolutely no one we can turn to. Moments, when life seems to have come to an impasse. Those moments of intense suffocation when it becomes almost difficult to breathe, and all we can think of is none but the Being Who created us. We pray with all our heart and soul. We cry. We beseech. He listens. He responds. Satisfaction ensues. And we, walk away as if nothing had happened...