Mitigation & Rediscovery

I need a super-shield against the force of overriding effects of books by humans. I do want my perception to grow at a rate equal to an exploding nubale. But at the cost of negatively effectively my heart, which alone should be purified for Allah - Nay!

Allow me to clear the fog. I am forced to read the autobiography of a writer on world religions, Karen Armstrong: The Spiral Staircase. I haven't yet read her works, except a page or two. Because it is 'an exceptionally impressive autobiography' (Daily Telegraph), it to an extent tends to erode my originality of being a Hanif, follower of Sayyidina Ibrahim, and since i am not left untouched by the power of writing and gifted memory she has, I also tend to imitate her in the way I express myself, even to my own self. This is what I detest.

***

Karen left her family and college at 17 for convent just 'to find God', and then led a very austere, soul-crushing, self-negating, and, as she calls, 'unhygienic' life as a nun for 7 long years at her own will. Failing to find God for a single moment, she left convent and 'returned to secular life'. Later she finds 'transcendence' and 'ecstasy' in comparative study of world religions and discovered the Golden Rule common to all religions: Compassion. I yet have to read those chapters... Nonetheless, I have made a long story short for you.

I was thoroughly impressed by the first part of her life, i.e., the intent of Catholics behind their illegal activities (according to Islam, such monasticism is prohibited). Every single moment and movement, of mind and body, at convent was directed towards God, to attain His presence, and 'to soar like an eagle', as Bible promised. Here they confronted their nafs boldly, directly and brutally, and missed no opportunity to subdue it to God.

But what went wrong with her. Why no one at convent could experience God, the single aim of the experiment, as Karen says? This is the rediscovery. This amplified my own belief in Islam. What ever the Order of Christianity promised to the seeker failed. It is important to note here that this particular Order/System Karen belonged to took Prophet Jesus as son of God (nauzbillah). She failed to find happiness and peace, Allah because Allah has closed all doors to Him, except Islam!

Beautiful part of the ongoing reading is unexpectedness: My certitude in Islam increased by a story of nun who turned secular!

Innovation & Technology

My friend holds: "Innovation has no upper limit." I agree and suggest: No technological innovation be adopted without knowing its consequences.

ELEMENTS OF SUCCESS AND AN ONTOLOGICAL COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LIFE OF TWO WORLDS IN THE LIGHT OF QURAN

Allah says in Quran, Surah Kahf (18):

103: Say: "Shall we tell you of those who lose most in respect of their deeds?-
104: "Those whose efforts have been wasted in this life, while they thought that they were acquiring good by their works?"
105: They are those who deny the Signs of their Lord and the fact of their having to meet Him (in the Hereafter): vain will be their works, nor shall We, on the Day of Judgment, give them any weight.
106: That is their reward, Hell, because they rejected Faith, and took My Signs and My Messengers by way of jest.
107: As to those who believe and work righteous deeds, they have, for their entertainment, the Gardens of Paradise,
108: Wherein they shall dwell (for aye): no change will they wish for from them.

These ayats tell us about the elements of success and failure in human life. People today criticize religious people in Muslim community as rahibs, without knowing the proper meaning of the term; just for the fact that they believe in Allah and not in the false idols create by West (like, nationalism, materialism, and a whole array of ideological, philosophical idols), pay little or no attention to this world while its time to pray preferring akhirah over this life;for the fact that they don't amass wealth, but make provision for akhirah. The condition of this ummah has been degraded to such an extent that "when the name of God comes, speak it not loud"; the universities in the heart of this ummah teach to seek any sensical or non-sensical paradigm, "but not to open Qur'an."

These ayahs remind man 'of careful ears' to know the worth of this world and describes the 'rules of game' to be played in this world. Again, it is a clear, concrete mind-opening reminder to those indulged and embedded in dunya for them to rethink what they deem to be 'good', but has no real value in the 'sight of God'. Real goodness and real happiness can only come from the worship of God and serving his creation (and Prophet Muhammad was most successful and happiest person because he worshiped God greater than anyone and served humanity greater than anyone from his beginning till his end,s.a.w.). Frithjof Schuon remarks in his book Spiritual Perspectives and Human Facts:

The Negro peoples have doubtless not produced a Dante or the builder of a Taj Mahal, but they have produced Saints,and that is what counts in the sight of God.

This is a thoughtful passage to be contemplated over and over again by those who are obsessed with the ideas of (indefinite) "progress" and "development" because what they do in this world concerns and has direct effect on their Eternal Life!

The Philosophy of Priorities

This takes us down to the question: What is the philosophy of Priorities in Islam, in context of life in both world? As we know, Islam is a religion not only of Day of Judgement but of this world as well, encompassing all spheres of human life, from worship of Allah to the ethics of trade. Qur'an is very, very clear about it. Our success or failure depends on which life we prefer, and I would like to end it by quoting two set of verses from Qur'an:

37 Then, for such as had transgressed all bounds,
38 And had preferred the life of this world,
39 The Abode will be Hell-Fire;
40 And for such as had entertained the fear of standing before their Lord's (tribunal) and had restrained (their) soul from lower desires
41 Their abode will be the Garden.

Surah Naziat

In another place in Qur'an, Allah says:

16 Nay (behold), ye prefer the life of this world;
17 But the Hereafter is better and more enduring.

Surah Al-Ala

Much Islam, not Allah?

I was moved by Sheikh Hamza Yusuf's criticism on Muslims that these days they talk much about Islam this, Islam that, but there is little remembrance of Allah Himself... Meditate on it, and compare the behaviour of those before...

A Talk on Motivation

One day in near future a very dynamic department in Pak govt is going to arrange a workshop for various university students on the topic of Motivation. Never underestimate this topic as novel and impractical. It can be very practical. It unleash hidden potentials of many dormant souls, recharge their innovation cells, finish the clouds of vagueness about the direction they seek wherein to invest their energies. It can revive the spirituality of work in them. And we know the fruits of fanaticism, whether spiritual or related to work.