Dealing with Karen

I am not at all angry with her. Karen has proved to be a quite resourceful writer, in her autobiography The Spiral Staircase, about which I wrote in some previous post. Certainly, she is a fast learner who is emphatic to other voices and perspectives, but, as usual with moderns, sentimental, such that it stops her looking at things the way they are. (Although it was her this quality which made her sympathetic, as well as in her writings, to Islam, in times when it was being maligned in West.) I don't want to list here her grave shortcomings as a good human being which Westerners may never quote as bad manners; but which only the genius of Islam identifies and cures, such as following one's own lust to the extent of making it one's 'god', as Qur'an puts it.

Her story of failure in finding God by becoming part of the Catholic church, as nun, was quite helping and made me more firm in the religion of Abraham. She spend a large part of life as ex-nun despising, disowning and rightly debunking the Church order and all the innovative lies they came up with contrary to the message of Jesus. She came across modern biblical scholarship and this led her to come close, unknowingly at that time (or still) in my view, to the Qur'anic perspective of Christianity: Qur'an severely criticizes the lies they later invented in the name of god; made Sayyidina Isa the alleged Son of God, which she found was only 'Son of Man' as Jesus said. And that much part of Bible available today was written by man, St Paul and other who came before him.

The bottom-line is: My belief in Islam is enhanced by the fact that when I don't see a perfectly traditional Christian, a Buddhist, or else, finding Allah as He is, it is only that Allah himself has closed all other doors to him, except Islam. Even when she started writing A History of God, having nothing other work/project to do, she was done with God, who never responded to his prayers at convent, nor could she feel him for a moment for those seven painful, 'unhealthy' years as a nun...

Use desktop as personal organizer

See how I've put my dull, pointless desktop to a good use. I have set the following man made To-do list created in collaboration with the 'Paint' Labs Ltd. (Click to enlarge.)

In search of guidance

Today, I spent a day with a friend of mine who is in search of guidance. He wants it. Simply. So we visited a scholar of deen in Punjab University, and after his weekly bayan/lecture sat down with him and asked, my friend: 'How does guidance come?' The scholar replied, 'Through the desire of it.' 'And does one develop it?' my friend asked. 'By (a) praying to Allah for guidance, and (b) "striving" for it, just like the way an ill-person goes to a saturated market of doctors and healers, and seeks the best out of them. The litmus test he has: Firstly, the person is a qualified doctor, i.e., he knows deen well; and secondly, the doctor has to have a good reputation of curing people well, i.e., the person acts upon what he knows about deen.'

'Prayer' and 'to strive' are the keys that are also mentioned in a hadith elementary for success. On returning, I enquired my friend about how useful the conversation had been. Clearly, he wanted to see some other people as well, but his instant positive remark reflected satisfaction in the theory or answer of the scholar.

9 Tips for Surviving School

Praise be to Allah, whose praise should precede every writing and speech,

And may blessings be upon Prophet (S.A.W) and his family.

I received a mail today. It read:

Although this is for the Western school going youth but some of us might find it applicable in some contexts within our society.

What followed was an article, 9 Tips for Surviving School. I have produced excerpt of it. Read the whole article here. I found it very useful, and I wish if schools publish such articles in their magazine.

******

"Surviving school as a Muslim youth in the West is not easy. The social requirement upon youth to not only excel in studies but also to exhibit ideal, Islamic behavior outside and inside the home makes leading a healthy student life a truly daunting task. With the combined social pressures of school, family, and friends many youth wonder if it is even possible to balance school and Islam. Sadly, the question is now being increasingly asked: “Is it even feasible to practice Islam in the West?”

It is important to remember that today’s problems are not new nor are their solutions impossible to find. While admittedly the situation of students in the West is far from ideal, all hope is not lost. Here are some quick and simple tips to help the average Muslim student survive school:

1. Find a good social circle: The most driving influence in the life of a student is his social circle, upon which he depends for fulfilling his social and recreational needs. Depending on one’s group of friends, a person is likely to make strikingly different choices in life. A good friend is one who can entertain you and at the same time bring you closer to Allah. If you cannot discuss serious, personal, or religious issues with a colleague, it is likely that your relationship with him is shallow and improvident. Pick friends whose company will improve your character and provide you focus and direction in life. Do not be afraid to lose friends in pursuit of saving your iman. In the end, it is your religion that has priority.

2. Halal-ify your home: Half of a successful student life involves improving the environment outside the house, while the other half depends on having a healthy and Islamically-conducive home. In order to make your home free from distractions, create a quiet and comfortable workspace for yourself. Avoid at all costs the proximity of a television and the internet. Limit your useless activities on the computer by placing it in a high-traffic room. Try to spend as less time alone as possible. Study with someone nearby who will not distract you from your work but will also prevent your mind from wandering and engaging in harmful activities.

3. Spend quality time with family: An important aspect of improving the home environment is improving one’s relationship with family. Avoid domestic quarrels and familial disputes by spending quality time with parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, etc… Take out a half-hour daily to sit and converse with parents. Let them know what you do outside the home and you will gain their trust. Talk to them about your problems and personal dilemmas even if the solutions they provide seem wrong. If individuals inside the home seem unapproachable, look for counsel outside the direct family. Most importantly, if you yourself are an older sibling, make the effort to be a good adviser and counselor for your younger brothers and sisters.

4. Guard your gaze: The most common cause for loss of focus and poor memory is negligence in guarding the gaze. When a student’s mind wants to concentrate on reading, lectures, or work, his evil gaze forces it to daydream about sports, movies, cars, the opposite gender, etc… Avoid these distractions by looking down in the hallways at school and spending as little time as possible in mixed settings. Free yourself from television and internet addiction by simply ridding yourself of access to them. Have a parent regulate and supervise your internet usage through parental control software. Share your passwords with family members to avoid the possibility of engaging in illicit relationships." [Cont'd]

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!

Excellent imitation of Qari Abdul Basit

"The imitation of great people, even, is a kind of blessing." - Hamza Yusuf.

I's happy to hear to this recitation by a Qari rendered in the same way late Qari Abdul Basit did, who barely needs an introduction among Muslims, worldwide. The tilwah is of Surah Takwir - an amazing surah like rest of the Qur'an.

Hazrat Khawaja Khan Muhammad Passed Away

The siraj-e-munir of khanqah Sirajiyah, Mianwali, Punjab, Hazrat Khawaja Khan Muhammad passed away today...

Exotic Atafu Atoll

I was going through the kids section of NASA's official website, and found amazing things like back-winged X-29, but one picture stood above all, of which I am most curious... Subhan Allah! Just look at this:

It is called Atafu Atoll. NASA describes it as: An atoll is a circle of coral built up around an underwater island made by a volcano. Inside the circle is a body of water called a lagoon. Credit: NASA

'The Global Islamic Guidelines for Education'

In a post on this blog I urged Muslims to see how education's engine is being used by evil forces - global education premises are being written by those who don't even know the right purpose of their life. And called them to action. Because the audience of this blog is limited I got one Reply/response to the 'challenge', but because its Singular, manifesting unity of Allah, it is powerful. Please read 6 Global Islamic Guidelines for Education here by RhodoraOnline here.

Kirana Bar School is alive

This is the third week of Kirana Bar School, Sargodha that my father has established. The website is under construction but workable: www.kbps.edu.pk/

I have been talking of education on this blog, which is not the central theme of the blog, at least as I intended. Because I am immersed in it, that's became little obsessed with it. I'd keep you update of the school,.

The mission statement is simple: Our aim is to come up with a holistic educational model which would bring peace to world. Its ideal: Love of Allah and Prophet.

Cutting edge innovation in whole school set-up is urgently needed. We allow every one to counsel us given our criteria!

A cute little gift for my sweet Mother

This weekend when I went home to meet my family, and three little angel-cousins, I gifted my mother this most untidy, but heart-filled oil pastel painting I made (half of it) during English essay writing class :) There's so much connection between beautiful painting and profound writing....

Of a court jester of Prophet Muhammad

Prophet Muhammad actually had a court jester, amazing, whom he loved.

Once he directed a blind person to do a thing. That man went and started beating Hazrat Usman, who was praying, in the mosque. And after prayer he inquired, "What's going on!?" He said, "I thought you were such a such person. Nouman told me to that." And Nouman snickering in corner.

Prophet used to smile on it. And Prophet was also called by a scholar a laughing Prophet. His face used to be filled with smile. But he never laughed out like we use to. And what a beautiful thing is said in the Quran, "And He is the One who made you laugh and made you cry."

* Notes taken from a talk by Sheikh Hamza Yusuf. Watch.

'Using Excel to Teach Economics'

Saw this very useful activity-based Excel workbooks for teaching all major Principles of Economics at a very introductory level which even the business students in Pakistan study, 'with emphasis of micro-economics'. Here you can find links to workbooks for Economics and International Economics (440 - which shows that probably its the highest level course at under-grad); plus, published papers on the already mentioned subjects.

If you find it useful please share your feedback.

3 Ways to do Tazkiya (Self-Purification) Today

Here are simple, 3 straight ways* of attaining self-purification (in hierarchy) which is perhaps the greatest aim of human beings on earth, and you cannot ignore any of it:

1. Qur'an

2. Reading and acting upon the life of Prophet Muhammad (his seerah)

3. Attaching oneself to the company of truthful, pious people.

* I learnt it from an Islamic scholar based in Lahore on 21 April '10.

'No big picture': Greatest dilemma of Moderns

"The problem of modernity is that all efforts are put into understanding 'details' of nature. But i has no bigger picture. That's what you see at Nat-Geo and Discovery (channels) ... people going deep into a leave, but so ignorant of the most important questions and mysteries of life." This is just an opposite of a Moslem's perspective, who has the bigger picture. That is why a Moslem is often startled and confused by the over-scientific environment and academic extremism of God-less human creatures, who deify knowledge, which is an unacceptable situation for him.

What makes an Idea a SUCCESs?

Read Made to Stick: Why some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Heath brother that what makes an Idea a SUCCESS is SUCCESs. It stands for:

- Simple

- Unexpected

- Credible

- Concrete

- Emotional

- Stories

If any idea that is to be communicated has few or all above qualities, it would STICK in the minds of audience, others would die. The rest of the book just explains each quality. Plus, the whole book is filled with useful resources for teachers, as one of the author has been a very enthusiastic teacher.

You don't just learn by solving questions...

... rather you can also learn - perhaps better - by 'posing (or developing) questions'. According to a research article in School Science and Mathematics, "Problem posing, with its emphasis on having students generate and develop their own mathematical problems from particular situations or on the basis of their prior problem solving experiences, may be an important activity that in fact helps students develop as inquiry-based problem solvers."*

Well, I have a friend who does the same with his O/A level students in Pakistan, helping them make DISTRACTORs: questions that only 1 out of 1000 can answer. One of his student said that this is the way of real learning and growth. How does it happen that by posing questions a student may better solve a problem? the article mentions two instance:

1. ... he or she may look to break down or reduce the original problem into smaller problems, the solution of which lead to a solution of the original problem.

2. ... students engaged in the solution of a problem may generate a result that challenges or calls into question their prior goals and actions. In these situations the ways that the student acts to resolve the new question often leads to a reformulation of the original problem which may in turn lead to progress in finding a solution.

* Problem posing and problem solving: a dynamic connection. mathematics education Charlene Sheets; Victor Cifarelli. Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2009 School Science and Mathematics Association, Inc.

What is your strategy to change a society?

(Time to reflect deeply)

Do we need surgery or medicine to cure a dying organism, i.e., a society? What approach would you take as an educator in your school; as a family member in your home; or if you are given immense POWER over whole society? Let the bird of your imagination soar in heavenly clouds...

What is the the Message of Islam & role of Prophet Muhammad

Teaching 'novel' subjects in Pakistan

I was talking to my advanced English writing skills professor, who is also running a small school for two years about developing thinking skills in pupils. He said that we cannot teach our pupil novel subjects to induce creativity and develop critical thinking skills being affiliated to dull and boring board system unless: a) we've have to trade-off for numbers/board positions (or do you have to?); b) we have to make the creative subject a side-subject (in my sir's school their's a learning class, in which pupil make encyclopedias of their own on topic/subject they are most interested in), for which training teachers does magic ::

As for point A :: For example, the prof. once visited two schools in Northern Areas: One used brutally, full-time 'stick', taming pupils to rote-learn for positions in boards, and they successfully got many positions board; the second school, on the other hand, fully promoted activity-/projects-/practical-based learning, e.g., in a lesson, a pupil was asked to go home and write down the attitude of his/her elder's brother toward him/her - don't you think this is enhancing cognitive abilities in the child, which is the ability to know what you're thinking, but they got less or no positions in the board :)