"Kabhi"

"Kabhi"

Such poetry is only meant to be enjoyed :)

Video: Farah opens up on Yaum-e-Takbeer

VIDEO: Farah opens up on YAUM-E-TAKBEER - 28th May, 2013 - At least someone in Pak Media tells it like it is:

http://vimeo.com/67132600

Dunya Key Mohabbat

DUNYA KEY MOHABBAT

We should strive to maintain a balance between everything in life but this post is indeed eye-opening if we really want to learn a few lessons....

اسلام علیکم،

اللہ اور دنیا کی محبت دل میں یکجا نہیں ہو سکتیں۔

حضرت داود علیہ اسلام کی خبروں میں یہ بھی مرقوم  تھا کہ اللہ تعالیٰ نے حضرت داود علیہ السلام کی طرف  وحی کی کہ اگر تم میری محبت کا دعویٰ کترے ہو تو دل سے دنیا  نکال دو کیونکہ میری اور دنیا کی محبت ایک دل میں نہیں سما سکتیں۔

اے داود! دنیا سے میل جول رکھو مگر محبت خالصۃً مجھ سے ہی رکھو، تم میرے دین کی پیروی کرو، لوگوں کے ادیان کی پیروی کرو، جو چیز تم کو میری محبت کے شایاں نظر آئے اسے حاصل کرو، جس چیز میں تمہیں مشکل پیش آئے تو اس میں میری پیروی کرو، میں تمہارے احوال و حوائج کی اصلاح کر دونگا، تمہارا قائد و رہبر بنوں گا سوال سے پہلے  عطا کروں گا، مصائب میں تمہاری مدد کروں گا، میں نے اپنی ذات کی قسم فرمائی ہے کہ میں اپنے اس بندے کو بدلہ دوں گا جو طلبِ صادق اور پختہ ارادوں کے ساتھ میرے حضور گردن جھکا کے آتا ہے اور وہ یہ سمجھتا ہے کہ مجھ سے بے نیازی و بے اعتنائی ممکن نہیں ہے، جب تو اس مقام پر پہنچ جائے گا تو میں تم سے رسوائی اور وحشت کو دور کردوں گا، تمہارے دل میں لوگوں سے بے نیازی ڈال دوں گا کیونکہ میں نے اپنی ذات کی قسم فرمائی ہے کہ جب کوئی بندہ دنیا سے تعلق توڑ کر میری ذات پر بھروسہ کرتے ہوئے مطمئن ہو جاتا ہے تو میں اسے دنیا سے مالا مال کر دیتا ہوں، اعمال میں تضاد پیدا نہ کرو، لوگوں  سے بے پرواہ  ہو جاو، تم کو تمہارا ساتھی کوئی فائدہ نہیں دیگا اپنا دھیان مجھ تک محدود رکھو، میری معرفت کی کوئی حد نہیں ہے اسے محدود نہ سمجھو، مجھ سے جتنا زیادہ طلب کرو گے اتنا عطا کر دونگا، میرے دینے کی کوئی حد نہیں ہیں اور بنی اسرائیل کو بتاو کہ میرے اور میری کسی مخلوق کے درمیان رشتہ داری نہیں ہے، میرے بارے میں ان کے عزائم کو اور ان کی رغبت کو بڑھاو، انہیں اس جنت کا مژدہ سناو جسے کسی آنکھ نے نہیں دیکھا کسی کان نے نہیں سنا اور کسی دل پر اس کا تصور نہیں گزرا، مجھے ہر وقت آنکھوں کے سامنے سمجھو! مجھے سر کی آنکھ سے نہیں، دل کی آنکھ سے دیکھو۔

میں نے اپنی عزت اور جلال کی قسم فرمائی ہے کہ جو بندہ جان بوجھ کر تاخیر سے میری عبادت کرے گا  میں اسے ثواب نہیں دونگا،  سیکھنے والوں سے تواضع سے پیش آو اور مریدین پر زیادتی نہ کرو، میرے محب اگر  اس مقام  کو جانتے  جو میں نے مریدین کے لئے مقرر کیا ہے تو وہ بھی اسی راستہ پر چلنا پسند کرتے۔

اے داود کسی مرید کو اس کی سر مستی سے ہوشیار نہ کرو اسے میری ذات میں مگن  رہنے دو میں تم کو جہید )بے انتہا کوشش کرنے والا( لکھوں گا، اور جسے میں اپنے ہاں جہید لکھ دیتا ہوں اس پر مخلوقات سے کوئی خوف  اور محتاجی باقی  نہیں رہتی۔

اے داود! میرا کلام خوب سمجھو اور اسے مضبوطی سے پکڑ لو، اپنی ذات کے لئے اپنے نفس سے نیکیاں لو، دنیا میں مشغول نہ ہو تاکہ مجھ سے تمہاری محبت پس پردہ نہ چلی جائے، میرے بندوں کو میری رحمت سے ناامید نہ کرو، میرے لئے اپنی خواہشات کو ختم کردو کیونکہ میں نے شہوات کمزور بندوں کے لئے بنائی ہیں، قوی مردوں کا خواہشاتِ نفسانی سے کیا کام؟ کیونکہ یہ میری بارگاہ میں مناجات کی شیرینی کو ختم کر دیتی ہے، میرے ہاں طاقتوروں کا عذاب یہ ہے کہ جب وہ میرے دیدار کی لذت پا لینے کے قریب ہوتے ہیں، میں ان کی عقلوں پر پردہ ڈال دیتا ہوں اور وہ محروم رہتے ہیں، میں اپنے دوست کے لئے دنیا اور دنیا کی وجہ سے اپنی دوری پسند نہیں کرتا۔

اے داود! میرے اور اپنے درمیان مخلوق کو نہ لاو کہیں اس کی سر مستی تم کو میری محبت سے دور نہ کر دے کیونکہ یہ مخلوق میرے ارادت مند بندوں کے لئے چوروں کی طرح ہے، ہمیشہ روزے رکھو شہوات کو ترک کر سکو گے، خود کو بے روزہ ہونے سے بچاو کیونکہ مجھے  ہمیشہ روزے رکھنے والے بہت پسند ہیں۔

Filthy Pond

FILTHY POND (PAKISTAN ELECTION  2013)

 

Tell me O PTI and election/democracy lovers. If the pond is filthy, can the new fish make any difference? You have to empty the pond of all the dirty water and then perhaps the fish can make any impact. Even all the fish is not new, mostly there are the same players backed by corrupt elements. And you don't need just change of faces, you need change of entire system...Still, we will definitely play our part in the development of Pakistan, be it your version of NAYA PAKISTAN or our own PURAANA PAKISTAN...

The Second Khilafah

THE SECOND KHILAFAH

Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal extracted that Huthayfah (R.A) said the Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “The Prophethood will remain amongst you as long as Allah wills, then Allah will lift it when he wishes, then it will be a Khilafah Rashidah (i.e. The first four Khalifahs) on the method of the Prophethood, it will remain for as long as Allah wills, then he will lift it when he wills, then it will be a hereditary leadership (i.e. the Abbasid and Ummayid dynasties etc) for as long as Allah wills then he will lift it when he so wills. Then there will be a tyrannical rule (i.e. all the current regimes of the Muslim world) for as long as Allah wills, then he will lift it when he so wills, then there will be a Khilafah Rashidah on the method of the Prophethood, then he kept silent.” ~ [Musnad Imam Ahmed 4/273]

Thorn Birds Legend

Thorn Birds Legend

“The Thorn Birds” is a 1977 novel by Colleen McCullough which describes the setting of Australia in great detail. Having read this novel in the 1980s, I am sharing here a few lines which are given at the start of this beautiful piece of fiction. One of the leading character of this book is Ralph de Bricassart, a priest torn between his vows under oath to his job and worldly passions. Reading the quote below again after more than two decades still leaves you speechless for a while…

Thorn Birds Legend

 “There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to outcarol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain… Or so says the legend.”

― Colleen McCullough, The Thorn Birds

"Freedom With Meditation" - by Roman Ahsan

FREEDOM WITH MEDITATION

PUBLISHED: SUNDAY PLUS, THE NATION - Jan 04, 2009

S Roman Ahsan discusses a meditation technique to help minimize depression

This life treats all of us differently. Here’s a story which tells of a struggle which is not common to most of us.

Different fates await different people in this world. Obaid was 17 years old when he had a nervous breakdown after a depressive phase. At that time he had just joined college after completing his high school education. Though he was not exactly a bright student yet he used to achieve top grades in school and was a hard worker. He was an extremely shy and a sensitive person, still well-liked by everyone at school and family. The breakdown episode brought a storm in the lives of his family. Since he was the youngest of all siblings, the whole family was shaken. The manic episode lasted 2-3 weeks and accompanied such symptoms as rapid speech, racing thoughts and hyperactivity like going out in the streets though without any violent behavior. With the help from psychiatrists the mania subsided, but he was relapsed in the following two months, with one episode per month. Hence, Obaid had a total of three manic episodes successively in a single year.

While under the influence of mania, he was taken to different psychiatrists and kept on a variety of drugs. Some psychiatrists considered him a Schizophrenic while others differed, which meant a lot of experimentation. The recuperation period for each episode was slow during which Obaid experienced restlessness and depression. As a result of all this, the doctors advised him a complete rest of one year, and he had to discontinue college. Due to little awareness, the family took him completely off medication. Obaid continued a normal life, and rejoined another college a year later.

After studying in the college for one year, Obaid started getting depressive thoughts again. He became more sensitive to college fellows mocking him, and the world appeared to him as a dangerous place where there were aliens all around him in his daily commuting to college. Another symptom, which was dominant in his behavior, was becoming too quiet. What he and his family did not know was that the disease had returned again, like a volcano erupting after some silence. He was close to twenty years then. The mania struck again and this time it was more painful for him since he was overcome with a marked amount of fear and confusion. In the nights, he felt as if he was surrounded by demons yet he was unable to express himself due to the severity of overlapping thoughts.

Eventually he was administered drugs, which slowed him down. His nervous state prolonged till 20 days, and then the recovery stage followed like the earlier episodes. The overdose of anti-depressants and sleep-inducing agents caused physical and mental sluggishness as usual, and it took some weeks before he was back to normal. He rejoined college but it seemed his trial was not over yet. He had a relapse after a few weeks of rest, and this time he was totally bed-ridden. That was the fifth episode, and in the years to come he was to face 6 more episodes making the total number of episodes equal to 11.

What we have narrated above is a case of Bipolar Disorder previously also known as Manic-Depressive Disorder (MDD). In this mental disorder, the patient goes through phases of depression followed by mania or vice-versa though there is always an emotional factor which triggers any episode. However, the good news is that, Obaid’s story gives hope to those suffering from any form of Depression. When Obaid had the first nervous breakdown, he was a college freshman. In spite of his setbacks, he went on to attain his Bachelor’s degree followed by a Master’s degree. Not only that, but he got a job on merit, though due to the pressures of the job, he succumbed to a nervous breakdown, it being his last one. He rejoined the same firm because in his words “he wanted to get back his lost ground”, and his employers also consented to take him back. The disorder was diagnosed much later, and the combination of Haloperidol (Serenace) and Procyclidine (Kemadrin) always helped greatly in subsiding his nervous state. The episodes mostly happened in early spring though the symptoms would appear before the advent of winter in a few cases.

Something worth noting is that from mental or psychological illness, we usually think of only 'bad news'. The positive thing is that though this ailment is not to be wished for but many famous people in history in the category of creative arts have suffered from Bipolar Disorder. It has been revealed that some famous musicians, painters, writers, poets, philosophers and actors have had this disease. Cycles of depression and mania cause abnormal level of feelings and thinking in the patients. However, such individuals can be productive only in their normal phases. Some famous people with Bipolar Disorder are Earnest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, Abraham Lincoln, Lord Byron, Jean Claude Van Damme, Beethoven, Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson etc. However, not everybody with Bipolar Disorder can achieve greatness and for many sufferers this could be a life-long disaster unless monitored well. With proper care and attention, such people can manage to contribute even more than the other normal people in the society. Ah, but at the cost of so much pain!!

MEDITATION – JUST WHAT HE NEEDED!

Obaid was lucky since his friends were there for him, even though they had progressed in life. His family also played a very supporting role in putting him back on the life-track. He continued his education, while fortifying himself with regular walk and activities with friends. As he grew older, the manic episodes subsided completely. However the depressive phases were recurring and unavoidable. During his course in life, Obaid was advised by some to start ‘Salah’ (Namaaz - obligatory prayers) as a form of meditation. Though he had been saying his night prayers, but Obaid was not in the habit of saying prayers five times a day. Gradually, he took up saying prayers five times a day, and at present he likes to offer some of his prayers in mosque as well. Obaid discovered that praying at different times a day infused in him serene thoughts while fortifying him against depression. The strong belief that ‘Someone’ listens to you while you are offering prayers, and helps you out of your troubles also acts as an effective anti-depressant.

It is now well known that physical exercise can alter hormone levels within the body and have a positive effect on our moods; however new research has demonstrated that meditation offers similar benefits. The difference between choosing other forms of meditation, and ‘Salah’ (Namaaz) is that, with ‘Namaaz’ you have a religious obligation to offer it five times a day, thus making this practice more regular and frequent. Secondly, performing ablution (wuddoo) before every prayer refreshes a person while activating him/her as well.

Obaid is not the only one who resorted to ‘Namaaz’ with gainful results. ‘Namaaz’ as a form of meditation has changed the lives of many a depressive people. During ‘Namaaz’, the element of deep concentration plays a vital role in soothing your nerves. When you practice to put everything out of your mind at regular intervals in the day, this helps in reducing depressive thoughts. Prayers instill positive thinking in a depressive person due to the continuing practice of reliance on God only. The thing to remember is that no remedy promises quick results, and though prayers can minimize a person’s tendency towards depression but they cannot completely cure him/her. When taken up as a regular practice, ‘Namaaz’ strengthens one’s mind against tough times over the years, and makes a depressive person more productive. Furthermore, as an activity that involves much more than just standing, bending and kneeling, it acts like an energizer. This also stands true for individuals who have not had any serious bouts of depression, yet feel low occasionally.

However, it is essential that along with prayers, exercise and medication should also be continued. If this combination is put in a consistent routine, depression will only be a distant enemy. Another significant element, which we should add to this combination, is occupation. A person who is prone to depression should never sit idle, but rather keep himself/herself engaged in a constructive activity like studying in an institute or adopting a profession. An occupation can provide a continuous activity thus leaving little time for worries. Participating in social activities like meeting with friends should also not be undermined, rather indispensable. The more he/she connects with others, the more their mind opens up to new avenues thus wiping negative thoughts away.

Depending on one’s resources, a depressive person should engage in whatever he or she feels like, as long as it is not detrimental to others. If you like to chat, then go ahead – grab that receiver and make a phone call to your buddy, or chat on MSN. If you like to make new friends then join a Sports club, or make Pen Pals on web. Indulging oneself in a hobby is also worthwhile. Moreover, engaging in household chores like even dishwashing or gardening can take your mind away from the lows for a while. What is definitely not recommended is getting tied up in depressive thoughts all day. We all deserve a better life. So never let go of your efforts to beat the blues. Eventually, you will succeed one day!