Celebration of wining the T20 world cup
In the current gloomy atmosphere of our country, wining a mega event like world cup is indeed a great revelation for the aggrieved Pakistani nation and it deserves to be fully celebrated. For the last few years we have been mourning on our failures and sufferings and we are left with nothing to smile on. But thanks to our national heroes that they finally gave us something to cheer on and to realize that we are still a strong nation and can do miraculous things if we remain committed and united. But one thing that really upset me and would have annoyed many others like me was the celebration of victory by doing aerial firing. We should behave like a civilized nation and civilized people never celebrate their achievements by guns. Guns are never the signs of happiness and jubilation they always bring pain and sufferings to life. Many casualties have been caused by stray bullets during the aerial firing.
Our private TV channels should act with maturity and they should never air those things which project a poor image of us. It was very unpleasant when one of the private TV channels was broadcasting the family members of one of our cricket players, who were holding AK_47 in their hands and were firing in the air to celebrate the victory. The household of our players should also know that they are not the ordinary people they are related to our national heroes and they should abstain from such kind of activities which will project a negative image of our players and would encourage the other people in the country to indulge in bad things like keeping heavy weapons in their homes.
Friday, June 26
Thursday, June 4
The economic system of Quran
Do you want that no one dies here in this world because of starvation? Do you want to eradicate all the social class differences and make the entire humanity equally privileged? Do you want an end to clash of interests, which is the sole cause of conflicts between nations in today's world?
If your answer is YES then Quran has the solution.
Quran has related the subject of economy at length and seriousness it deserves. But before presenting that economical system which Quran has presented, I would like to give brief introductions of two dominant and rival economic systems which operate in the world today.
Capitalism: This is the most dominant economical system in today's world. The fundamental principle of this system is the sanctity of private ownership which means that one is the sole owner of whatever he/she earns by the way of money or property. The owners have the legal right to dispose of their earnings, in the way they see fit. They may spend all they have earned or can save some of it. The surplus that can be saved, can also be invested which is then called CAPITAL and the money it generates is called INTERESTS.
This economic system is bound to prohibit the equal distribution of wealth in the society and the wealth only circulates among a bunch of affluent individuals. Which creates social class differences, more poverty and more financial crunch as it goes on.
Socialism: This is in complete contrast to capitalism; it strictly prohibits private ownership. No one can own anything. Everything is owned collectively by the society under state's control. This system is based on the Marxist principle of " From everyone according to capacity to everyone according to need"
The economic system presented by Quran is called the Quranic social order, for the better understanding of this social order I would like to elaborate two important points, which the reader must bear in mind while reading the Quranic social order latter in this discussion.
One: The Concept of life: Why we are here? Where are we going? These questions can be answered in a materialistic way as follow:
Man is a highly developed(social) animal, comprised of certain chemical which are arranged in a certain proportion, these chemicals disintegrate when the body reaches to the end of its natural cycle (Death) (Dust is return unto dust in the biblical expression).
But Quran presents two sides of an individual; one the outer physical material side and the other is the inner spiritualistic side. The physical side is actually the human body while the spiritual side is the inner self which can be termed as Self, ego, soul or in plain words characters and personality( Rooh, Nafs etc). Quran believes that life is passing through evolutionary stages and has to undergo further evolution. " Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage" (Alinshiqaq 84:19).
At the time of birth both of our components ( Body+soul) are at zero points mean that they both are weak and without any maturity but as we start to live in this world they both start development and evolutions, but their ways of development and evolution are totally different from each others. Our external self (body) is directly link to the external material world, it gets stronger and stronger depends on how much we are TAKING. For example if someone eats well, drinks well and lives healthy his body will get stronger and developed. On contrary our inner self get stronger by GIVING here the word giving is of great importance for the Quranic social order. By Giving means to help the humanity and to do the welfare of others according to the laws of God (Allah). Death is a point at which the development of our external physical self stops but our inner self enters into a world of high values and high evolutionary planes, Thus death is not the end of life, life never stops and goes on even after death." Again on the day of judgment will ye be raised up" (Almomenoon 23:16).
Thus the main purpose of our creation is that we fully develop our inner self before entering into the world hereafter and the basic nutrient for the development of our inner self is to GIVE, to do the welfare of humanity.( It is also the basic foundation of Quranic social order)
Second point: God laws enforced by man: It should be understand that in the common physical world( Both living and non living) the laws of God (Allah) take effects automatically ( According to the natural programming of God) But in the man's social world God implements his laws by the agency of man. Man has to introduce, implement and establish the laws of God that's why Allah has sent prophets to us.
Bearing these two basic points in mind now I would like to elaborate the economic system of Quran ( The quranic social order).
The Quranic social order is comprised of the following basic principles:
(1) When the Quranic social order is establish in a society one of the basic responsibilities of the authorities is to provide sustenance (Rizq)
" We provide sustenance for you and for them ( your children)" Beni israel 17:31
" There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance depends on Allah". Allah has truly and surely taken the responsibility of providing the sustenance but remember that Allah always implement his laws by the agency of man, so he will discharge this responsibility by the agency of man.
For example thousands of people are dying because of starvation around the globe. Does this indicate non-fulfillment of the responsibility assumed by Allah (God)? NO that's unthinkable, remember Allah doesn't feed the hungry by his own hands but does so by the agency of man. Let me shed more light on this fact by giving the example of Omr ibn al- hathab, the second successor of Mohammd (PBUH), he is reported to have said: If a dog dies of starvation on the banks of Furaat ( A place rich with foods) Omer will have to be answerable for it on the day of judgment.
(2) No private ownership: The Quranic state has to keep all the sources and means of production. Land is the ultimate source of production so no one can keep land as property and all the land would be the property of the quranic state. Just think about this principle, it will prevent the land to go into few hands, it will make the land open to everyone because it will be in the hands of State and will be used for the welfare of every citizen.
(3) Wages of labour: In Quranic state there is no place for idles, everyone has to work and one is only entitled to money earned through work." That man can have nothing but what he strives for" Anajm 53:39
(4) Interests (USURY): To do investment and make money as an absent partner is called Usury( Intrests) which is strictly prohibited in Islam.
(6) Surplus wealth: Every body will be provided with money which he/she needs to meet the basic needs, all the welfare will be taken by the state. Everybody is required to surrender all his/her wealth to the state except that which is required to meet thier basic needs. There is no hoarding in a Quranic state and it will make the circulation of wealth in the society, smooth and uniform like the blood which circulates smoothly from head to toe.
(7) Banks: If there is no hoarding and surplus wealth then there is no concept of institutions like banks in a Quranic state.
(8) Easy wealth: As Evryone has to work so easy wealth has no place in a quranic state like Gambling, lottery etc are prohibited.
Before concluding this discussion couple of questions that generally arise in this connection deserve to be answered.
(1) If the Quranic social order is as depicted then why does the Quran also talks of charities (Sadaqaat) and inheritance (Warasat)?
The Quran envisages the establishment of this order not overnight but by stages. The provisions like charities etc relate to the transitory period in which the order has not yet fully developed and is in the course of evolution but once it is fully developed then there is no need of inheritance and sadaqaat (charities) because state will be doing the welfare of everyone.
(2) If the Quranic social order is as stated, then what is the difference between communism and Islam?
Communism gives an economic system based on a particular philosophy of life. In the same way Islam is not only a Social Order but a Code of Life which deals with man as a whole and covers all aspects of human life. Communistic philosophy sees Man just as a physical being -- nothing more * nothing less--which comes to a final end with death, and provides an economic system which can cater only for his physical welfare. Islam, on the other hand, views life as an uninterrupted and ascending stream and Man as possessing, besides his physical being, a Self or Personality capable of development and of living efficiently further and on higher evolutionary planes of Life. The law governing development of human Self, as enunciated by the Quran, has for its basis the permanent value that by helping others a Self helps to develop itself; although this is in contradiction to the fact that the development of man’s physical being is possible only by helping itself.
Do you want that no one dies here in this world because of starvation? Do you want to eradicate all the social class differences and make the entire humanity equally privileged? Do you want an end to clash of interests, which is the sole cause of conflicts between nations in today's world?
If your answer is YES then Quran has the solution.
Quran has related the subject of economy at length and seriousness it deserves. But before presenting that economical system which Quran has presented, I would like to give brief introductions of two dominant and rival economic systems which operate in the world today.
Capitalism: This is the most dominant economical system in today's world. The fundamental principle of this system is the sanctity of private ownership which means that one is the sole owner of whatever he/she earns by the way of money or property. The owners have the legal right to dispose of their earnings, in the way they see fit. They may spend all they have earned or can save some of it. The surplus that can be saved, can also be invested which is then called CAPITAL and the money it generates is called INTERESTS.
This economic system is bound to prohibit the equal distribution of wealth in the society and the wealth only circulates among a bunch of affluent individuals. Which creates social class differences, more poverty and more financial crunch as it goes on.
Socialism: This is in complete contrast to capitalism; it strictly prohibits private ownership. No one can own anything. Everything is owned collectively by the society under state's control. This system is based on the Marxist principle of " From everyone according to capacity to everyone according to need"
The economic system presented by Quran is called the Quranic social order, for the better understanding of this social order I would like to elaborate two important points, which the reader must bear in mind while reading the Quranic social order latter in this discussion.
One: The Concept of life: Why we are here? Where are we going? These questions can be answered in a materialistic way as follow:
Man is a highly developed(social) animal, comprised of certain chemical which are arranged in a certain proportion, these chemicals disintegrate when the body reaches to the end of its natural cycle (Death) (Dust is return unto dust in the biblical expression).
But Quran presents two sides of an individual; one the outer physical material side and the other is the inner spiritualistic side. The physical side is actually the human body while the spiritual side is the inner self which can be termed as Self, ego, soul or in plain words characters and personality( Rooh, Nafs etc). Quran believes that life is passing through evolutionary stages and has to undergo further evolution. " Ye shall surely travel from stage to stage" (Alinshiqaq 84:19).
At the time of birth both of our components ( Body+soul) are at zero points mean that they both are weak and without any maturity but as we start to live in this world they both start development and evolutions, but their ways of development and evolution are totally different from each others. Our external self (body) is directly link to the external material world, it gets stronger and stronger depends on how much we are TAKING. For example if someone eats well, drinks well and lives healthy his body will get stronger and developed. On contrary our inner self get stronger by GIVING here the word giving is of great importance for the Quranic social order. By Giving means to help the humanity and to do the welfare of others according to the laws of God (Allah). Death is a point at which the development of our external physical self stops but our inner self enters into a world of high values and high evolutionary planes, Thus death is not the end of life, life never stops and goes on even after death." Again on the day of judgment will ye be raised up" (Almomenoon 23:16).
Thus the main purpose of our creation is that we fully develop our inner self before entering into the world hereafter and the basic nutrient for the development of our inner self is to GIVE, to do the welfare of humanity.( It is also the basic foundation of Quranic social order)
Second point: God laws enforced by man: It should be understand that in the common physical world( Both living and non living) the laws of God (Allah) take effects automatically ( According to the natural programming of God) But in the man's social world God implements his laws by the agency of man. Man has to introduce, implement and establish the laws of God that's why Allah has sent prophets to us.
Bearing these two basic points in mind now I would like to elaborate the economic system of Quran ( The quranic social order).
The Quranic social order is comprised of the following basic principles:
(1) When the Quranic social order is establish in a society one of the basic responsibilities of the authorities is to provide sustenance (Rizq)
" We provide sustenance for you and for them ( your children)" Beni israel 17:31
" There is no moving creature on earth but its sustenance depends on Allah". Allah has truly and surely taken the responsibility of providing the sustenance but remember that Allah always implement his laws by the agency of man, so he will discharge this responsibility by the agency of man.
For example thousands of people are dying because of starvation around the globe. Does this indicate non-fulfillment of the responsibility assumed by Allah (God)? NO that's unthinkable, remember Allah doesn't feed the hungry by his own hands but does so by the agency of man. Let me shed more light on this fact by giving the example of Omr ibn al- hathab, the second successor of Mohammd (PBUH), he is reported to have said: If a dog dies of starvation on the banks of Furaat ( A place rich with foods) Omer will have to be answerable for it on the day of judgment.
(2) No private ownership: The Quranic state has to keep all the sources and means of production. Land is the ultimate source of production so no one can keep land as property and all the land would be the property of the quranic state. Just think about this principle, it will prevent the land to go into few hands, it will make the land open to everyone because it will be in the hands of State and will be used for the welfare of every citizen.
(3) Wages of labour: In Quranic state there is no place for idles, everyone has to work and one is only entitled to money earned through work." That man can have nothing but what he strives for" Anajm 53:39
(4) Interests (USURY): To do investment and make money as an absent partner is called Usury( Intrests) which is strictly prohibited in Islam.
(6) Surplus wealth: Every body will be provided with money which he/she needs to meet the basic needs, all the welfare will be taken by the state. Everybody is required to surrender all his/her wealth to the state except that which is required to meet thier basic needs. There is no hoarding in a Quranic state and it will make the circulation of wealth in the society, smooth and uniform like the blood which circulates smoothly from head to toe.
(7) Banks: If there is no hoarding and surplus wealth then there is no concept of institutions like banks in a Quranic state.
(8) Easy wealth: As Evryone has to work so easy wealth has no place in a quranic state like Gambling, lottery etc are prohibited.
Before concluding this discussion couple of questions that generally arise in this connection deserve to be answered.
(1) If the Quranic social order is as depicted then why does the Quran also talks of charities (Sadaqaat) and inheritance (Warasat)?
The Quran envisages the establishment of this order not overnight but by stages. The provisions like charities etc relate to the transitory period in which the order has not yet fully developed and is in the course of evolution but once it is fully developed then there is no need of inheritance and sadaqaat (charities) because state will be doing the welfare of everyone.
(2) If the Quranic social order is as stated, then what is the difference between communism and Islam?
Communism gives an economic system based on a particular philosophy of life. In the same way Islam is not only a Social Order but a Code of Life which deals with man as a whole and covers all aspects of human life. Communistic philosophy sees Man just as a physical being -- nothing more * nothing less--which comes to a final end with death, and provides an economic system which can cater only for his physical welfare. Islam, on the other hand, views life as an uninterrupted and ascending stream and Man as possessing, besides his physical being, a Self or Personality capable of development and of living efficiently further and on higher evolutionary planes of Life. The law governing development of human Self, as enunciated by the Quran, has for its basis the permanent value that by helping others a Self helps to develop itself; although this is in contradiction to the fact that the development of man’s physical being is possible only by helping itself.
Th
Tuesday, June 2
Magic in the light of Quran
Magic, sorcery, witch-craft, whatever name may be called, all these are illusions, tricks, and sleight of hands. These have nothing to do with the Quran which is an absolute Truth and an objective Reality.
Magicians claim to be able to do things with the help of supernatural powers or by their own knowledge of nature's secrets. This claim itself exposes their ignorance about nature. They should know that there is nothing in the universe which is beyond the laws of nature. The only one which we could call Supernatural is God Himself. And God is not a magician. He does create things according to well established scientific laws. So, Magic and Reality cannot be alike. They are as much far apart as are The Truth and The Falsehood. For example, apparently a Mirage (an illusion of sea in hot air condition) and a Sea looks similar but in reality they are not. One can refute a Mirage scientifically but he can not refute the existence of a Sea by any means.
The biggest Reality in the universe is God. And The Quran is the only True Words of God. Therefore, it cannot contain Magic at all. There is not even a single verse which approves the existence of magic and its effects. Contrarily, it strongly refutes magic with ample reasoning and logic. It expressly warned the Believers against dabbling in magic or believing that anything can hurt us except by God's Will, and God is Just and Righteous. Ref:
"........but they could not thus harm anyone except by God's permission....." (2:102)
A Just and Righteous God will never teach Magic or Sorcery. Similarly, His Books and Prophets will never preach them. The influence of Truth is much stronger than a spell of magic. Therefore, neither the Books contained magic nor the Prophets taught magic to the Believers.
Whenever, God sent His Books and Prophets to people, the Non-Believers among them, due to their sheer ignorance, called them work of magic and magicians. But, in fact, whatever God sent was Absolute Truth. Ref:
“When the Truth did come to them from us, they said: ' This is indeed evident sorcery!” - (5:76)
Sorcery is the very opposite of Truth,- being deception or plausible shows by human skill. But these cannot succeed or last permanently, and Truth must ultimately prevail. Ref:
"Moses said: ' Are you saying this about Truth - when it has (actually) reached you ? Is sorcery (like) this? But (the fact is and you know it) the sorcers will not prosper (succeed)." (5:77)
In the following verse, this is more explicitly explained:
"But when Our Signs came to them that should have opened their eyes, they (instead) said: "this is sorcery manifest". (27:13)
The God's Signs should have clearly opened the eyes of any person who honestly examined them and thought about them. Those who rejected them were perverse and were going against their own light and inner conviction.
Similar blames and allegations were hurled against Prophets. For example:
About Moses they said:
"Said the Chiefs of the people of Pharaoh: This is indeed a Sorcer well-versed" - (7:109)
About Prophet Salih they said:
"They said: " Thou art is only one of those Bewitched!" (26:153)
Same words were said about Prophet Shohaib - (26:185) and Prophet Younis (10:2) and they condemned Prophet Mohammad in these words;
"So they wonder that a Warner has come to them from among themselves! And the Unbelievers say: "This is a sorcers tellling lies" - (38:4)
The Unbelievers were full of envy and spite against one of themselves who has been chosen by God to be His Messenger, and they vent their spite by making all sorts of false accusations. The man who was pre-eminent for truth and conscientious consideration, they call - A sorcerer and a liar.
Not only this that they accused the Prophet as a sorcerer, they also denounced him as one who speaks under a spell or who is bewitched. See what they said;
"Or (why) has not a treasure been bestowed on him, or why has he (not)l a garden for enjoyment? The wicked say; You follow none other than a man bewitched."-(25:8)
The above verses clearly show that neither the God's Books contained magic, nor His Prophets were magicians. In other words, the magic and magician has no real existence. These are illusions and tricks faked by wicked men. They might have some temporary affects on those who believed in them but they have no affect on those who believed in Truth.(2:102)
This is an irony of fate, that magic which is clearly refuted in the Quran is accepted by the Muslims as Truth. They believe that Prophet was bewitched by a Jewish lady whereas Quran refute and condemn it. Those who believed that Prophet was bewitched they are wicked and wrongdoers in the sight of Quran.
The concerted attack of evil is sometimes so well contrived from all points that falsehood appears and is acclaimed as the Truth. The believer of truth is isolated and a sort of mental dizziness creeps over his mind. But by God's Grace Faith asserts itself, gives him confidence and points out the specific truths which will dissipate and destroy the teeming brood of falsehood.
This fact is very nicely elaborated in the story of Moses as follow:
"Throw that which is in your right hand. Quickly will it swallow up that which they have faked. What they faked is but a magician's trick: And magician thrives not (no matter) where he goes." -(20:69)
Magicians are wicked men' they thrives not (no matter) where he goes; they cannot hurt anyone except by God's Will and God is Just and Righteous; these are the words which Quran has used against magic. Then how can one justify magic in the light of Quran. So as Muslims we should not believe in these things like we don’t need to wear amulets or to solve our problems through sorcery or witch-craft, we should always be logical and rational because Quran is not a magic and it is the ultimate truth based on logics and rationales.
Magic, sorcery, witch-craft, whatever name may be called, all these are illusions, tricks, and sleight of hands. These have nothing to do with the Quran which is an absolute Truth and an objective Reality.
Magicians claim to be able to do things with the help of supernatural powers or by their own knowledge of nature's secrets. This claim itself exposes their ignorance about nature. They should know that there is nothing in the universe which is beyond the laws of nature. The only one which we could call Supernatural is God Himself. And God is not a magician. He does create things according to well established scientific laws. So, Magic and Reality cannot be alike. They are as much far apart as are The Truth and The Falsehood. For example, apparently a Mirage (an illusion of sea in hot air condition) and a Sea looks similar but in reality they are not. One can refute a Mirage scientifically but he can not refute the existence of a Sea by any means.
The biggest Reality in the universe is God. And The Quran is the only True Words of God. Therefore, it cannot contain Magic at all. There is not even a single verse which approves the existence of magic and its effects. Contrarily, it strongly refutes magic with ample reasoning and logic. It expressly warned the Believers against dabbling in magic or believing that anything can hurt us except by God's Will, and God is Just and Righteous. Ref:
"........but they could not thus harm anyone except by God's permission....." (2:102)
A Just and Righteous God will never teach Magic or Sorcery. Similarly, His Books and Prophets will never preach them. The influence of Truth is much stronger than a spell of magic. Therefore, neither the Books contained magic nor the Prophets taught magic to the Believers.
Whenever, God sent His Books and Prophets to people, the Non-Believers among them, due to their sheer ignorance, called them work of magic and magicians. But, in fact, whatever God sent was Absolute Truth. Ref:
“When the Truth did come to them from us, they said: ' This is indeed evident sorcery!” - (5:76)
Sorcery is the very opposite of Truth,- being deception or plausible shows by human skill. But these cannot succeed or last permanently, and Truth must ultimately prevail. Ref:
"Moses said: ' Are you saying this about Truth - when it has (actually) reached you ? Is sorcery (like) this? But (the fact is and you know it) the sorcers will not prosper (succeed)." (5:77)
In the following verse, this is more explicitly explained:
"But when Our Signs came to them that should have opened their eyes, they (instead) said: "this is sorcery manifest". (27:13)
The God's Signs should have clearly opened the eyes of any person who honestly examined them and thought about them. Those who rejected them were perverse and were going against their own light and inner conviction.
Similar blames and allegations were hurled against Prophets. For example:
About Moses they said:
"Said the Chiefs of the people of Pharaoh: This is indeed a Sorcer well-versed" - (7:109)
About Prophet Salih they said:
"They said: " Thou art is only one of those Bewitched!" (26:153)
Same words were said about Prophet Shohaib - (26:185) and Prophet Younis (10:2) and they condemned Prophet Mohammad in these words;
"So they wonder that a Warner has come to them from among themselves! And the Unbelievers say: "This is a sorcers tellling lies" - (38:4)
The Unbelievers were full of envy and spite against one of themselves who has been chosen by God to be His Messenger, and they vent their spite by making all sorts of false accusations. The man who was pre-eminent for truth and conscientious consideration, they call - A sorcerer and a liar.
Not only this that they accused the Prophet as a sorcerer, they also denounced him as one who speaks under a spell or who is bewitched. See what they said;
"Or (why) has not a treasure been bestowed on him, or why has he (not)l a garden for enjoyment? The wicked say; You follow none other than a man bewitched."-(25:8)
The above verses clearly show that neither the God's Books contained magic, nor His Prophets were magicians. In other words, the magic and magician has no real existence. These are illusions and tricks faked by wicked men. They might have some temporary affects on those who believed in them but they have no affect on those who believed in Truth.(2:102)
This is an irony of fate, that magic which is clearly refuted in the Quran is accepted by the Muslims as Truth. They believe that Prophet was bewitched by a Jewish lady whereas Quran refute and condemn it. Those who believed that Prophet was bewitched they are wicked and wrongdoers in the sight of Quran.
The concerted attack of evil is sometimes so well contrived from all points that falsehood appears and is acclaimed as the Truth. The believer of truth is isolated and a sort of mental dizziness creeps over his mind. But by God's Grace Faith asserts itself, gives him confidence and points out the specific truths which will dissipate and destroy the teeming brood of falsehood.
This fact is very nicely elaborated in the story of Moses as follow:
"Throw that which is in your right hand. Quickly will it swallow up that which they have faked. What they faked is but a magician's trick: And magician thrives not (no matter) where he goes." -(20:69)
Magicians are wicked men' they thrives not (no matter) where he goes; they cannot hurt anyone except by God's Will and God is Just and Righteous; these are the words which Quran has used against magic. Then how can one justify magic in the light of Quran. So as Muslims we should not believe in these things like we don’t need to wear amulets or to solve our problems through sorcery or witch-craft, we should always be logical and rational because Quran is not a magic and it is the ultimate truth based on logics and rationales.
What is the fact of fat and destiny (Taqdeer kia hai)
What is fate? Is our destiny pre-decided? Are we inescapably bound to our fate? Can we know what lies in store for us? Can we change our destiny by our actions?
A person with conscious and logical thinking will be always finding questions like these confusing and nagging. I want to discuss these questions in the light of Quran, which gives comprehensive and satisfactory answers to all these questions.
Before going to the Quranic concept of destiny (Taqdeer), I would like to tell something about the traditional notion about destiny (Taqdeer), which is very common in the religious world in general and in Muslim’s world in particular. According to this traditional notion of fate (Taqdeer): At the dawn of the creation of universe God laid down the rules for the entire operations of the universe which will govern each and every product of his creation, living and non living (Including man) for eternity until the cessation of the universe. Like God has marked a circle for every product of his creation which it will have to fulfill ( A famous saying in urdu can indicate this notion which means that “Not even a leaf can stir without God’s permission).
Some believe that pre- decided destiny can be changed by excessive prayers, good deeds and even by intermediaries like saints (peer).
Some hold the believe that major actions of a man’s life are bound to fate like mirages, education etc while the minor actions are not influenced by the hand of fate, which is consider as a line of demarcation between man’s freedom of choice and his pre-decided destiny.
The above traditional view about fate and destiny give rise to an overwhelming dilemma, which I would like to explain as follow:
Dilemma: This view clearly comes in clash with the universal justice and fairness of God. Let me elaborate this confusion and dilemma by questions like:
Why does God let innocent and helpless beings like children suffer in poverty and disease? Why is the west sublimely prosperous while the areas like much of Africa, Asia and South America are badly poor? Why are the Palestinians suffering while the Israel is well established? Why did some time noble and humble people get suffered while the sinful people enjoy the resources of life? And most importantly if we are bound to the machinery of fate (Taqdeer) then why would God reward us or punish us for our actions? There are comprehensive, logical and rational answers present in Quran about all these nagging questions.
Quranic View of Destiny (Taqdeer): In Quran the word Taqdeer (fate) is used in many places in many forms but it literally means to make something according to certain measures and standards. God has marked certain measures and standards for all the operations of universe which are unchangeable. For example it is pre- decided for water that it will freeze on 0C and vaporize at 100C, fire has to burn and earth has to pull by gravitational force and so on so forth. But these measures and standards (Taqdeer) are not pre-decided for man. It is to be noted that man is totally free in his choices but there is a fixed naturally designed Taqdeer for each action one do. For example if one puts finger in fire one must suffers burns (Because it is the taqdeer of fire to burn) and after burn if one put some remedy on one burns it will heal because now it is the taqdeer of that remedy to heal you. So before doing any action one should bear in mind about the taqdeer of that action.
So for getting the desire Taqdeer we should first discover all the standards and measures of the universe that God has set for every action and every operation and creature of the universe.
These standards and measures which God has pre-decided for all the components of Universe (Except man) are called permanent values(Aqdaar) and these will never change. Let me post here few verses from Quran which explain about these permanent values (measures and standards) TAQDEER:
1 ˜He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: no one has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion: it is He Who created all things and ordered them in due proportions (fa qaddara hu taqdeera). Al-Furqaan (25: 2)
Note here the words “fa qaddara hu taqdeera which means in due proportion”
2 He sends down water from the skies, and the channels flow, each according to its measure (be qadrehaa) Ar-Raâ (13 : 17)
Word ( be Qadrehaa for measure)
3And there is not a thing but its (sources) and treasures (inexhaustible) are with Us; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures (be qadrem maloom) Al-Hajar (15 :
Conclusion: Let me conclude my discussion with the fact that no one is bound by fate, but each action we do has certain measures and standards which should be thoroughly consider before doing an activity to achieve desirable consequences.
What is fate? Is our destiny pre-decided? Are we inescapably bound to our fate? Can we know what lies in store for us? Can we change our destiny by our actions?
A person with conscious and logical thinking will be always finding questions like these confusing and nagging. I want to discuss these questions in the light of Quran, which gives comprehensive and satisfactory answers to all these questions.
Before going to the Quranic concept of destiny (Taqdeer), I would like to tell something about the traditional notion about destiny (Taqdeer), which is very common in the religious world in general and in Muslim’s world in particular. According to this traditional notion of fate (Taqdeer): At the dawn of the creation of universe God laid down the rules for the entire operations of the universe which will govern each and every product of his creation, living and non living (Including man) for eternity until the cessation of the universe. Like God has marked a circle for every product of his creation which it will have to fulfill ( A famous saying in urdu can indicate this notion which means that “Not even a leaf can stir without God’s permission).
Some believe that pre- decided destiny can be changed by excessive prayers, good deeds and even by intermediaries like saints (peer).
Some hold the believe that major actions of a man’s life are bound to fate like mirages, education etc while the minor actions are not influenced by the hand of fate, which is consider as a line of demarcation between man’s freedom of choice and his pre-decided destiny.
The above traditional view about fate and destiny give rise to an overwhelming dilemma, which I would like to explain as follow:
Dilemma: This view clearly comes in clash with the universal justice and fairness of God. Let me elaborate this confusion and dilemma by questions like:
Why does God let innocent and helpless beings like children suffer in poverty and disease? Why is the west sublimely prosperous while the areas like much of Africa, Asia and South America are badly poor? Why are the Palestinians suffering while the Israel is well established? Why did some time noble and humble people get suffered while the sinful people enjoy the resources of life? And most importantly if we are bound to the machinery of fate (Taqdeer) then why would God reward us or punish us for our actions? There are comprehensive, logical and rational answers present in Quran about all these nagging questions.
Quranic View of Destiny (Taqdeer): In Quran the word Taqdeer (fate) is used in many places in many forms but it literally means to make something according to certain measures and standards. God has marked certain measures and standards for all the operations of universe which are unchangeable. For example it is pre- decided for water that it will freeze on 0C and vaporize at 100C, fire has to burn and earth has to pull by gravitational force and so on so forth. But these measures and standards (Taqdeer) are not pre-decided for man. It is to be noted that man is totally free in his choices but there is a fixed naturally designed Taqdeer for each action one do. For example if one puts finger in fire one must suffers burns (Because it is the taqdeer of fire to burn) and after burn if one put some remedy on one burns it will heal because now it is the taqdeer of that remedy to heal you. So before doing any action one should bear in mind about the taqdeer of that action.
So for getting the desire Taqdeer we should first discover all the standards and measures of the universe that God has set for every action and every operation and creature of the universe.
These standards and measures which God has pre-decided for all the components of Universe (Except man) are called permanent values(Aqdaar) and these will never change. Let me post here few verses from Quran which explain about these permanent values (measures and standards) TAQDEER:
1 ˜He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: no one has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion: it is He Who created all things and ordered them in due proportions (fa qaddara hu taqdeera). Al-Furqaan (25: 2)
Note here the words “fa qaddara hu taqdeera which means in due proportion”
2 He sends down water from the skies, and the channels flow, each according to its measure (be qadrehaa) Ar-Raâ (13 : 17)
Word ( be Qadrehaa for measure)
3And there is not a thing but its (sources) and treasures (inexhaustible) are with Us; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures (be qadrem maloom) Al-Hajar (15 :
Conclusion: Let me conclude my discussion with the fact that no one is bound by fate, but each action we do has certain measures and standards which should be thoroughly consider before doing an activity to achieve desirable consequences.
Sunday, May 31
Peace is what we need
Peace is an easy path to tread
Peace is where our fears are mislaid
Peace is beginning to restore
Peace for each man, woman and child
Peace for the troubled streets gone wild
Peace is for the old and the young
Peace in the end will overcome
Peace builds trust into a lifestyle
Peace is a friendly open hand
Peace is a place to understand
Peace in the end will overcome
Peace is for the old and the young
Peace is a legacy to leave
Peace is when we don't have to grieve
Peace is and end to all the hate
Peace is why we negotiate
Peace for all the victims of war
Peace is an easy path to tread
Peace is where our fears are mislaid
Peace is beginning to restore
Peace for each man, woman and child
Peace for the troubled streets gone wild
Peace is for the old and the young
Peace in the end will overcome
Peace builds trust into a lifestyle
Peace is a friendly open hand
Peace is a place to understand
Peace in the end will overcome
Peace is for the old and the young
Peace is a legacy to leave
Peace is when we don't have to grieve
Peace is and end to all the hate
Peace is why we negotiate
Peace for all the victims of war
Thursday, May 28
If I could change the world..................
If I could change the world, I would change it to a single universal state. My world would have a single flag and a single universal religion. The idea of a single universal religion looks weird in appearance but it is not, it’s very much possible. The entire universe except human kingdom is following a single universal way of life that God has marked for them, so why can’t human follow a single code of life. God hates religions; he never wants us to follow religions. Religions are just few sets of particular rituals that have no meaning for life. On the contrary God wants us and has urged us to follow a code of life that he has revealed to us through his divine revelations. All the components of this universe (from amoeba to mars) except the human race are living in sublime peace and harmony with each others, because God has created them with some inbuilt programs, which they have been following and thus enjoying the supreme peace. But we (human) are different God has gifted us with a free will and has provided us with a code of life (divine revelations), now it is totally up to us, to follow this code of life and to touch the climax of success and tranquility or to deny it and go to the abyss of troubles and adversities.
In today’s world clash of interests has emerged and clash of civilizations is almost over. If you are coming in the way of somebody’s interests you r getting the foe of that person and if you are in the interest of that person you are like a friend to that person, so why don’t we build a world where we share our interests, where our interests become common.
Let us get unite like a single human race, let us ward off these boundaries of religions and have a common code of life, let us have a world where my interests become yours and yours interests become mine. This is my ideal world where peace dwells and discriminations, fascism, racism, nationalism, capitalism and injustice perish in all its forms.
In today’s world clash of interests has emerged and clash of civilizations is almost over. If you are coming in the way of somebody’s interests you r getting the foe of that person and if you are in the interest of that person you are like a friend to that person, so why don’t we build a world where we share our interests, where our interests become common.
Let us get unite like a single human race, let us ward off these boundaries of religions and have a common code of life, let us have a world where my interests become yours and yours interests become mine. This is my ideal world where peace dwells and discriminations, fascism, racism, nationalism, capitalism and injustice perish in all its forms.
How to mend your broken heart............
Unfortunately, when it comes to a broken heart, there is no quick fix. No doctor can write you a prescription for a medicine that will make you feel "all better". Break-ups can be very taxing on our emotions to say the least. I for one have all too often found myself a little more attached to someone than I should be, and the result is usually a "bruised" heart, at best.
What we too often forget, is that life does go on. This can be even more difficult to forget if we have to see our dreaded ex on a daily basis. Remember, when you have a broken heart, it will ALWAYS seem that your ex is doing better without you than you are doing without them. Although, this is sometimes true, more often than not it isn't so.
First off, when dealing with an emotional break-up, turn the radio to something more up-beat. Listening to "our song" or sad songs in general is just going to keep you down. It may be how you feel, but there are only so many tears you can shed. The edge will wear off after some time has passed, and you want to do everything in your power to hasten the process. It is understandable to have that attachment, and the longer you were with that person, the longer it will take to heal.
You also want to keep in mind that love can be the most potent, addicting legal drug there is. You know how it feels to love and be loved, and you want to feel that way again. Because of this fact, humans have the tendency to "rebound". That is, become attached to the first individual to give you some attention after a split. Remember that the individuals who are giving you this attention may have ulterior motives. The other part of the addiction to love is the compulsion to call or text your ex endlessly, desperately trying to get them to change their mind. If you really want them to change their mind, sometimes your best bet is to just give them space and let them think things through on their own. Sometimes people use break-ups as a leverage for something that they want out of a relationship, and while you think you have convinced them to change their mind, you may be falling right into a trap. Err on the side of caution, and you may find it less than appealing to take that person back.
In my experience in relationships, I have found it best to let the lady have all of her stuff back as soon as we break-up, whether she wants it back or not. This makes it less likely that I will be smelling her perfume on the "hoodie" that she left at my house. Also,
Sunday, May 24
These are few photos, I've posted with my eyes wet..all of these photos tell the story of buner's transformation from heaven to hell. Each of the photo is asking the same questions like...What is our fault? what we have done to the world's peace? Are we the terrorists? Why I'm living under the open sky, in harsh summer sun, despite of having a heaven like home? Why I got homeless in homeland? Why I have held a rotten bread in my armpit, instead of my books and toys? We want peace,peace and peace?
Saturday, May 23
Friday, May 22
Our Little Paradise has become a Victim of Global terrorism
This write-up is regarding a place where I had opened my eyes for the first time ever, I mean the place where I have got birth. My place of birth is though not a metropolitan like New York or London, but it is a replica of heaven on earth.
I belong to a small valley in the province of (NWFP) Pakistan. This valley is called “Buner”. Buner was a symbol of love, peace and tranquility on earth. I used the past tens because it is no more a place with charm and peace, it has turned into a war zone now.
What caused our little paradise to become a hell? For this I will have to go about eight years back from now. It was the afternoon of september 12, 2001(The next day right after the 9/11 tragedy), I was sitting with a bunch of my friends in our male guest house and we were having a casual chat about the fallout of 9/11 that the world might face.
One of my friends commented (with a tone of sublime conviction) “that 9/11 is going to bring remarkable changes on the map of the world and it would change the entire course and order of the world”.
On this I chuckled to myself and made a fun of his prophecy, and told him that at least we the people of this small valley should never bother about the changing order of the world, because we are living in a different world which has no strategic importance for anyone and nobody could dare to cross the sky-high hills of our valley to snatch our peace from us.
Today about eight years latter, I think that how much right was my friend, because that monster of terrorism has also crossed the sky-touching hills of buner and has engulfed the entire valley.
In the last few months we have witnessed the harshest brutalities of the entire human history. We have seen scattered parts of our children’s bodies on the scene of suicide attacks, we have seen beheaded bodies of our close ones hang upside down from trees, all the governmental infrastructures like schools, colleges, and hospitals are obliterated. Our villages have become ghost towns, almost all the people have fled to safety, most of them are underprivileged and they can’t afford to hire new houses in the other towns and cites. They have taken refuge in the relief camps of UNHCR under the open sky………
Who has done it to us? Why are they doing it to us? What are their designs?
These questions might be revolving in the head of any reader, reading my discussion.
The answers to all these questions are strongly linked to the prophecy of my friend, which he had given about eight years ago. Victimization of buner and of all other areas is totally linked to the fallout of 9/11.
The attack of USA on Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of 9/11 and the alliance of Pakistan with USA in the war against terrorism are the sole causes of what we are facing today. Militancy and extremism are no more confined to the borders of Afghanistan it has extended its tentacles to the entire tribal belt of Pakistan and even peaceful places like my own valley are no more any exception.
Let me clear it that most of the invaders that have infiltrated into our areas are from foreign lands, most of them are from Afghanistan, they have also people from Arab countries and a minute percentage is of our local people. They are like a well trained force and have a bulk of sophisticated weapons.
The main agenda behind the escalating militancy in the tribal areas, which is even also gradually extending towards the urban areas like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad is to destabilize Pakistan and by doing so they would extend the spectrum of conflict zone from Afghanistan to Pakistan and thus the woes and concerns of United state regarding terrorism would increase many folds. They want to engage united state in a rather bigger quagmire and they are gradually gaining success in this regard. The recent rounds of drone attacks by the US on the tribal areas is a clear testimony of the fact, that America’s eight years invasion of Afghanistan in the hope to curb and flush out terrorism from this part of the world has gone nowhere and it has even further extended the militancy to other parts of the world.
Time has come that America should revisit its strategies against terrorism and should design a viable exit strategy from Afghanistan, which is the only way to bring peace back to this part of the world and to rescue the rest of the world from the burgeoning menace of extremism and terrorism……..
This write-up is regarding a place where I had opened my eyes for the first time ever, I mean the place where I have got birth. My place of birth is though not a metropolitan like New York or London, but it is a replica of heaven on earth.
I belong to a small valley in the province of (NWFP) Pakistan. This valley is called “Buner”. Buner was a symbol of love, peace and tranquility on earth. I used the past tens because it is no more a place with charm and peace, it has turned into a war zone now.
What caused our little paradise to become a hell? For this I will have to go about eight years back from now. It was the afternoon of september 12, 2001(The next day right after the 9/11 tragedy), I was sitting with a bunch of my friends in our male guest house and we were having a casual chat about the fallout of 9/11 that the world might face.
One of my friends commented (with a tone of sublime conviction) “that 9/11 is going to bring remarkable changes on the map of the world and it would change the entire course and order of the world”.
On this I chuckled to myself and made a fun of his prophecy, and told him that at least we the people of this small valley should never bother about the changing order of the world, because we are living in a different world which has no strategic importance for anyone and nobody could dare to cross the sky-high hills of our valley to snatch our peace from us.
Today about eight years latter, I think that how much right was my friend, because that monster of terrorism has also crossed the sky-touching hills of buner and has engulfed the entire valley.
In the last few months we have witnessed the harshest brutalities of the entire human history. We have seen scattered parts of our children’s bodies on the scene of suicide attacks, we have seen beheaded bodies of our close ones hang upside down from trees, all the governmental infrastructures like schools, colleges, and hospitals are obliterated. Our villages have become ghost towns, almost all the people have fled to safety, most of them are underprivileged and they can’t afford to hire new houses in the other towns and cites. They have taken refuge in the relief camps of UNHCR under the open sky………
Who has done it to us? Why are they doing it to us? What are their designs?
These questions might be revolving in the head of any reader, reading my discussion.
The answers to all these questions are strongly linked to the prophecy of my friend, which he had given about eight years ago. Victimization of buner and of all other areas is totally linked to the fallout of 9/11.
The attack of USA on Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of 9/11 and the alliance of Pakistan with USA in the war against terrorism are the sole causes of what we are facing today. Militancy and extremism are no more confined to the borders of Afghanistan it has extended its tentacles to the entire tribal belt of Pakistan and even peaceful places like my own valley are no more any exception.
Let me clear it that most of the invaders that have infiltrated into our areas are from foreign lands, most of them are from Afghanistan, they have also people from Arab countries and a minute percentage is of our local people. They are like a well trained force and have a bulk of sophisticated weapons.
The main agenda behind the escalating militancy in the tribal areas, which is even also gradually extending towards the urban areas like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad is to destabilize Pakistan and by doing so they would extend the spectrum of conflict zone from Afghanistan to Pakistan and thus the woes and concerns of United state regarding terrorism would increase many folds. They want to engage united state in a rather bigger quagmire and they are gradually gaining success in this regard. The recent rounds of drone attacks by the US on the tribal areas is a clear testimony of the fact, that America’s eight years invasion of Afghanistan in the hope to curb and flush out terrorism from this part of the world has gone nowhere and it has even further extended the militancy to other parts of the world.
Time has come that America should revisit its strategies against terrorism and should design a viable exit strategy from Afghanistan, which is the only way to bring peace back to this part of the world and to rescue the rest of the world from the burgeoning menace of extremism and terrorism……..
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