musaafir-e dasht

"God made the illusion look real and the real an illusion. He concealed the sea and made the foam visible, the wind invisible, and the dust manifest. you see the dust whirling, but how can the dust rise by itself? you see the foam, but not the ocean. invoke Him with deeds, not words; for deeds are real and will save you in the infinite-life." -Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi, "Mathnawi" How hollow words can be at times... Ask me... someone who always resorts to words, words and words. Let's see where would it lead to. I think I can wait because I am constantly told that "Hopefulness is the art of waiting!" I think I should try mastering the art!

"All is the labour of love..."

Today, a strange thought occurred to me while I was lying in my bed planning to fall asleep: our lives are characterised by a 'how' and a 'why'. 'How', I felt, was all about the years unborn. A question as to how things will turn out to be. But 'why' is the mystery that perhaps remains mysterious throughout. Can we ever figure out 'why' things happen to us? 'Why' do we feel all that we feel? 'Why' are the matters of heart and soul so complex? 'Why' are things related to each other in weird ways... There's an endless series of 'WHYs' that define our lives... This 'why' is an entire experience in itself - at times a very disturbing one.

"Simt ki koi khabar hai na sitaaray ka pata Chaltay rehne ko hee yeh log safar jaantay hain..." ... "Yehi kaha ke meri aankh dekh sakti hai Keh mujh pe toot para saara shehr naa-beena..." I wonder who wrote these verses... I heard them being quoted in my class...

S: Do these ideas jolt you from inside? Let yourself be jolted. You know, a certain kind of skepticism is necessary for all of us. Remember Imam Ghazzali? "Khuda tujhe kisi toofaan se aashna kar de Keh teray behar ki maujon main iztaraab nahi" aapnay ander iztaraab paida honay dain... "tujhay kitaab se mumkin nahi firaagh ke tu kitaab-khwan hai maga sahib-e-kitab nahi" I: But Sir, what if we are misled? Most of us are scared to think for the fear of getting misled. It is so difficult to bear with this skepticism at times... S: Silence ... ... This is more of a thought than feeling, I believe. This shows you are already thinking! Your question has scared me... ... Silence ensues ...

Nuskha-e-haye-wafa, a book that one never gets tired of. On every reading one uncovers a new meaning. A meaning that was missed out on the previous reading! That is what good poetry is - layers and layers of meaning and every layer giving way to a newer, fresher one! From Naqsh-e-Faryaadi Dil raheen-e-gham-e-jahan hai aaj Har nafas tishna-e-fughaan hai aaj sakht weeraan hai mehfil-e-hasti Aey gham-e-dost! Tu kahan hai aaj . . . Sozish-e-dard kissay maaloom! Kon jaanay kissi ke ishq ka raaz Meri khaamoshiyon main larzaan hai Meray naalon ki gumshuda aawaaz . . .

The following article appeared in daily Dawn, June 09, 2007 Why the Zionists believe they are the ‘chosen people’ By M. Shahid Alam NO idea has played a more seminal role in the recent history of Jewish and Christian Zionism than the Jewish doctrine of divine election or chosenness. Since this doctrine is the cornerstone of Zionism, divine sanction for Jewish uniqueness has been inseparable from Israeli exceptionalism and Israeli history. At first, political Zionism had little to recommend itself aside from the mythic allure of the Promised Land. Most Jews greeted the project alternatively with consternation and derision. They could instantly sense that the creation of a Jewish state would give an impetus to anti-Semitism in Europe; the project also struck most of them as a fantastic utopia with little chance of success. The success of the Zionist plan required three steps: persuading Jews to abandon their homes in Europe for the hazards of colonising a backward land, wresting Palestin...