musaafir-e dasht

And finally we had our first text/discourse analysis class today. Now I have no plans to explain as to what discourse analysis is because I myself am confused as to how can one study 'how meaning is generated' without actually knowing the meaning beforehand! In-sha-Allah, I am hoping to get my query resolved with the passage of time. The highlights of the class, however, were the following: 1. Our teacher's recitation of N.M.Rashid's samandar ki teh mein , which actually dealt with the central concept in discourse analysis: text/meaning (if they can be used interchangeably!) I am tempted to share the poem on my blog, so here is it: سمندر کی تہ میں سمندر کی سنگین تہ میں ہے صندوق -- صندوق میں ایک ڈبیا میں ڈبیا میں ڈبیا-- میں کتنے معانی کی صبحیں -- وہ صبحیں کہ جن پر رسالت کے در بند اپنی شعاؤں میں جکڑی ہوئی کتنی سہمی ہوئی! (یہ صندوق کیونکر گرا؟ نہ جانے کسی ن...

A: Don't let your frustrations consume you. ... and I could only think of N.M. Rashid's line: " ...تمنا کی وسعت کی کس کو خبر ہے" image source

Physical distance, perhaps, does not matter as much as the spiritual distance between two people.

Some days back I was having a conversation regarding the status, place an importance of adab in man's life. I was trying my best to explain as to what it meant to me, but I felt I was not able to do that satisfactorily. Although the person at the other end thought that I was successful in communicating what was there in my heart but I knew I had not even spoken an iota of all that was there. It was like showing someone a drop of water and asking them to believe that this drop belongs to so and so ocean. The more I spoke the more bewildered I felt. Then I decided that silence is probably the best option. You simply cannot 'explain' many many things that you experience in life. But I was disturbed. Way too disturbed. I felt it was important for me to make that person 'explain' what I wanted to. Now why did I want to do that? Don't know... However, I finally had to give up because it is impossible to 'explain' the inexplicable. I also stopped talking becau...

Last year this day was the second last day of our trip to Al-Madinah al Munawwara. I remember keeping a sm all journal which I used to write occasionally while sitting in Masjid-e Nabwi Sallallaho alaihe wassalam. Today I reopened that journal and the memories came to my mind like a flood unhindered. The bus driver who drove us to Madinah was a Yemeni guy. Throughout the journey the nasheed, tala'al badru 'alaina min thaniyaatil wad'a/ wajabasshukru 'alaina ma da'a lillahi da (the moon has risen over the valleys of mount Wad'a. shukr (thankfulness) is now incumbent on us for as long as the du'a will be made by those who pray, i.e. make du'a .) What a journey it was. One feels an indescribable sensation as one gets nearer to Madinah. Upon entering the city the driver announced in a loud voice with aclap of hand to get the attention of the passengers, "Al Madinah Al Munawwara!" ... the nasheed played on in slow rhythms. And how all ofa sudden ...

"Great people are great because they have a habit of waiting for long with patience ( sabr )." I listened to this today only while sitting in the company of some great people... :) And there is so much to write about the sitting but as usual I will avoid doing that because I am still overwhelmed...

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... image source