Mind your Language!

Everyone who visits Thailand must have felt the language barrier. The Arabs, Europeans and Asians seem to be struggling to get their message through. With their literacy rate well above 90 percent there are few who can communicate in English the lingua Franca.

There is a flip side to this whole scenario. It is amazing how these people respect and take pride in their language. If you say 'hello' or 'hi' at shops or at a hospital or on the road side even you are never responded in English the response is always in their native language.

All products have got Thai language on them, if you buy a local SIM the entire message from your service provider is in Thai language even for tourist SIMs. The cash receipts of point of sale systems are again in their native language. Their channels of news and entertainment are all based on their native language, cartoons even are aired in Thai language. Though being a tourist attraction one can see a lot of foreigners around still they prefer their native language over English.

One wonders how things are back home in Pakistan. We often find people telling the young ones to use Arabic or Urdu counterparts for the words 'thank you' and 'hello'. But the common trend goes against it, here in Thailand I have spent more than a month and never heard a hello or Thank you from anyone in English they use their own language. As a result the tourists pretty quickly learn  basic Thai greeting pronounced something like 'swadika'.

Perhaps they have not been ruled by the British! Perhaps we need some time to gain mental freedom!

وطنِ عزیز کی یاد تھائیلینڈ میں

ملک سے باہر جا کر احساس ہوتا ہے کہ ہمارے وطن کی کیا اہمیت ہے. تھائیلینڈ آتے ہی کچھ بے چینی محسوس ہوئی کہ خدا جانے یہاں بجلی کب کب جاتی ہوگی. پھر یاد آیا کہ اب میں 'بجلی جانے' کے دھچکے اور  'بجلی آنے' کی خوشی سے محروم ہو چکی ہوں. پھر بھی ایک روز جب بارش کی وجہ سے تکنیکی خرابی سے اندھیرا ھوا تو دل کو بہت تسلی ہوئی کہ انکو بھی بجلی کی عدم موجودگی سے پالا پڑا تو سہی. اور اس پر مزید یہ کہ انکے پاس جنریٹرز کا بھی انتظام نہیں! ہمارا ملک اس سلسہ میں کہیں ذیادہ ترقی یافتہ ہے. خدا گواہ ہے کہ کبھی فالتو بتی نہیں بجھائی کیونکہ ہمارے ملک کا دستور ہے کہ بجلی قوم کیلیے بچائی جاتی ہے اور تھائیلینڈ میں میری قوم کہاں؟

 اگرچہ یہاں یوٹیوب پر پابندی نہیں ہے مگر پھر بھی اسلام کو کوئی  بڑا خطرہ محسوس نہیں ہوتا ! البتہ پاکستان بنگلہ دیش اور ہندوستان کے مرد حضرات کو سیلاب حسن دیکھ کر ایمان جانے کا خطرہ ضرور محسوس ہوتا ہے کیو نکہ یہاں خواتین مردوں کی نسبت ذیادہ مختصر لباس میں نظر آتی ہیں. کسی کام سے پاکستان ایمبیسی جانا پڑا تو وہاں ٹوٹی ہوئی کرسیاں دیکھ کر گھر کا سا احساس ہوا. دیوار پر نواز شریف صاحب اور صدر ممنون حسین صاحب کی تصویر دیکھ کر وہ خوشی ہوئی جو اپنے ملک میں کبھی نہیں ہوتی. اور خیال آیا کہ نا حق وہاں 'گو نواز گو ' کے نعرے لگتے ہیں ، جبکہ نواز شریف صاحب اردو بول بھی لیتے ہیں اور سمجھ بھی لیتے ہیں. یہاں تھائیلینڈ میں اتنے عالم فاضل لوگ کہاں.

 یہاں لوگوں کا اچھا اخلاق دیکھ کر انسان سوچتا ہے کہ کیا یہاں کے لوگوں کیساتھ کوئی مسئلہ ہے یا ہمارے پاکستان میں کوئی اخلا قی ترقی ہو چکی ہے؟ بحر حال یہاں لوگ بہت با اخلاق اور خوش مزاج نظر آتے ہیں. یہاں تک کہ سڑک پر سٹالز پر کام کرنے والی بوڑھی عورتیں بھی ہنستی مسکراتی نظر آتی ہیں.وطن عزیز کے دستور کےبرعکس سڑک پر پیدل چلنے والوں کا بہت لہاذ رکھا جاتا ہے.

 ایک روز یہاں ایک ہسپتال کے کارکنان کا احتجاج دیکھنے کا موقع ملا جس کا مقصد تنخواہیں بڑھوانا تھا، اس احتجاج میں پاکستانی احتجاج والی کوئی بات نہیں تھی. نہ تو بلند نعرے لگائے گئے نہ سڑک بلاک ہوئی اور نہ کسی قسم کا شور شرابہ سنائی دیا. نہ کوئی آنسو گیس نہ کوئی شیلنگ. پہلے سے دیے گئے وقت کے مطابق کارکنان وہاں اکٹھے ہوئے ، اپنی حاضری لگا کر دئے گئے وقت کے مطابق واپس چلے گئے. چونکہ یہ مظاہرہ ہماری بلڈنگ کے سامنے تھا اس لیے اسکے اوقات ایک ہفتہ پہلے سے ہماری بلڈنگ کی ہر منزل پر لگا دیے گئے تھے. میرے مشاہدے کے مطابق مردوں کو البتہ  بلا تفریق رنگ و نسل کے گھورنے کی عادت ہوا کرتی ہے غالبا. کمی بیشی ضرور ہو سکتی ہے. پاکستان میں یہ رجحان بہرحال ذیادہ ہے. یہاں پاکستان کے  ٹی وی چینلز نشر نہیں ہوتے جسکی وجہ سے زندگی میں بریکنگ نیوز کی شدید کمی محسوس ہوتی ہے. 

ہمارے ملک کے تمام تر مسائل  اور خطر ناک صورت حال کے با وجود وہ جگہ جسکو ہم گھر کہہ سکتے ہیں اور وہ جگہ جو ہمیں اپنا کہتی ہے وہ پاکستان ہی ہے. دنیا میں اور کوئی جگہ نہیں جو پاکستان جیسی ہو.

رمضان اور میڈیا

بہت دنوں سے ٹی وی دیکھنے کی فرصت سے محرومی کے بعد آج خیال آیا کہ دیکھا جائے کہ رمضان کے کیا رنگ میڈیا پر سجائے گئے ھیں. دیکھ کر احساس ہوا کہ پچھلے سال کی نسبت کافی ترقی ہوگئی ہے. عامر لیاقت حسین صاحب البتہ 'جیو' پر ھی جلوہ افروز ھیں اور بلعموم رمضان کے پروگراموں میں نمایاں اضافع ہوا ہے. مزید پر تکلف اور پر اہتمام پروگرام سجائے گئے ہیں. محض دکھاوا ہی  دکھاوا    دکھئی دیتے ہیں.

رمضان کی آمد کیساتھ میڈیا پر ایک عظیم تغیر رونما ہوتا نظر آتا ہے. بلکہ یہ تغیر رمضان کی آمد سے مہینہ دو مہینہ قبل شروع ہوجاتا ہے. خوتین ڈوپٹوں میں ملبوس نظر آتے لگتی ھیں، کیونکہ آجکل دوپٹے کا فیشن نہیں لحذہ یہ کافی واضح تبدیلی معلوم ھوتی ہے. سروں پر بحرحال دوپٹے اور چہروں پر منوں میک آپ ھوتا ہے. آپ بیشک دوپٹہ نہ لیجئیے یہ آپ کا ذاتی مسلہ ہےمگر ایسا حلیہ نہ بنائیں جس کی وجی سے لوگ  آپ کے نمائشی پن کی تاب نہ لا کر مذہب سے ہی  بد دل ہوجائیں.

رمضان کا چاند نظر آتے ہی  یکا یک ہر مرد ایک عالم اور معلم دیکھائی دیتا ہے. اور مذہب پر سیر حاصل گفتگو کے قابل ہوتا ہے.اس تحریر کا مقصد کسی کے ظاھری اعمال پر تبصرہ یا رائے دینا نہیں. ان پروگوموں سے حاصل کرنے والے بہت کچھ حاصل بھی کر سکتے ھیں. ممکن ہےبہت سے لوگ صاف نیت سے کام کرتے ھوں. کچھ پروگرام معیاری بھی ھونگے. مقصد صرف اس تضاد کی نشاندہی کرنا ہےجو عام مہینوں اور رمضان میں دکھائی دیتا ہے، جس سے مذہب کے خریدار کچھ کم ھو جائیں.جس چینل کو دیکھئے 'رمضان ٹرانسمشن' کی صورت میں بظاھر ایک روحانی طوفان برپا نظر آتا ہے. افسوس ہوتا ہےکہ مذہب بکتا ہے، مزید افسوس کہ خریدار بھی موجود ہیں. اس ٹرانسمشن کی آڑ میں عالیشان سیٹ بنوائے جاتے ھیں میزبان بہترین ڈیزائنرز کے کپڑوں میں ملبوس ھوتے ھیں. اور معذرت کے ساتھ خواتیں میزبان شور بھی بہت کرتی ہیں اور چیخ چیخ کر انعامات بانٹتی ھیں. واللہ اعلم روزے کی حالت میں یہ سب کچھ کیونکر ممکن ہے؟ اگر یہی توجہ اور طاقت کسی مثبت کام میں صرف کی جائے تو بہت بہتر ہو . اسی طرح پورا سال بالعموم اور رمضان میں بالخصوص سوشل میڈیا پر بے مقصد گفتگو سے اجتناب کرنا چاھئیے.

رمضان زیادہ تر انفرادی عبادات کا مہینہ ہے، جس کا مقصد ھے کہ دنیا سے تعلق توڑ کر اللہ کی طرف رجوع کیا جائے نہ کہ ستائیسویں شب کو کسی با برکت گیم شو سے گاڑی جیتی جائے. اگر رمضان سے فائدہ لینا ھے تو 'رمضان ٹرانسمشن' کو بند کر کے کے محض خبروں والے ڈرامے پر اکتفا کریں.

I'm the one with Wind & Sky! Let it go!

Its lovely watching the birds and wondering why do they seem so tempting. They fly high, they fly low and the best part is when they leave themselves to the blowing wind. They stop flapping their wings and just see where the wind takes them. This seems so attractive. One cannot resist but wonder they have got nothing to worry about, no plans they just fly and they are led to all the right places!

From idioms to quotes to music to poetry to paintings to Holy scriptures even there is extensive mention of Birds! So i am not alone having the bird fantasy! Probably their flight portrays an amazing sense of beauty, freedom, community and life. Maybe also because the fly high and it makes relevance with progression in worldly affairs and spirituality as well. 

It is interesting to note that (apart from humming bird) all birds only fly forwards! As if the idea is to keep moving forwards always!

Eagles, Gypsies, Falcons and others are known for their peculiar features they add so much diversity and color to the life in the sky.

Many poets have used birds and their flight in their expression. Allama Iqbal has given the concept of 'Shaheen' in his poetry as to what the Muslim ideal must be. 

پرندوں کی دیا کا درویش ہوں میں

کہ  شایں  بناتا  نہیں آشیانہ

I am the dervish of the kingdom of birds—
The eagle does not make nests  [Source]

Another one By Allama Iqbal (which is pretty much self explanatory):

عقابی روح جب بیدار ہوتی ہے جوانوںمیں

نظرآتی ہے انکو اپنی منزل آسمانوں میں

Hence according to Iqbal if the youth awakens the spirit of the falcon in themselves their aims would become much higher. 

P.B. Shelley's poem "To A Skylark" also paints the freedom and Joy of the bird. A short story "His first flight" tells the story of a bird who takes the first bold step to overcome fears. Bible also mentions birds.

Hence birds have always been an object of fantasy for creative minds. If we ponder we can learn  from them. They fly high and make their nests at high places, their eyes are set towards the sky. Height has always fantasized humans, like conquering mountains and flying. Also spiritual height is the object of the life of many. 

Image Sources:

http://covermyfb.com/misc/search/birds/5

https://www.pinterest.com/meithaputri/islam/

Emphasis In The Holy Quran

Many techniques of emphasis exist across various forms of expression. In phonetics for example a pause or a moment of silence is used for emphasis. Pause can be used in writing as well through a dash or ellipsis points(the three dots). Emphasis is also observed in details and expanded explanations. Similarly artists can create an emphasis in their painting using colors and contrasts, like a prominent portion in a drawing that captures first attention of the viewer. 

[Image Source]

Sculptures and architecture also has emphasis techniques, the emphasis is the shown sculpture needs no words to explain.

Similarly there is emphasis in photography, architecture, interior designing etc. too. Also children exercise emphasis by repeating a question or comment infinitely for the whole day or days or weeks! And the question has to be answered as many times! 

Hence we can conclude that emphasis/ repetition/ over statement is for importance, prominence, highlighting a certain thing and seeking attention. Also it is the beauty of any form of expression. 

The Holy Quran, the most sophisticated expression, has calculated verses and well ordered format. It also has emphasis; one of the way being "repetition". There are many kinds of repetitions in the Holy Quran like the repetition of certain phrases across Quran, repetition of sometimes a word or phrase in back to back verses and also repetition of concepts or incidents like the story of Hazrat Mosa A.S. mentioned at various places in chunks. Also there can be repetition of a verse/phrase across a Surah (like Surah Al-Rahman)Of course in a meaningful and sequenced divine Book like the Holy Quran this repetition is much significant means Allah is emphasizing certain points which require more attention. 

Just wondering about this bit, I thought that the verses that are repeated back to back, i.e. contiguously must be very important that Allah has stressed them to the point of mentioning them twice. I tried finding out how many verses are repeated in such a manner. As far as I have been able to dig out (though its not a personal effort) from various sites is that such repetitions occur at five places in the Holy Quran.

[Image Source]

Main concepts in Repeated verses:

All these are the things that take us away from Allah that have been stressed in these verses first being arrogance that comes due to ignoring the day of judgement or a decisive day in this world hence planing against Prophets. Second being the love of this world and worldly desires. Third being attitude towards problems or tough situations spiritual and worldly both. All these are the factors that might drive us away from our objective i.e. Allah

1. Allah has stressed that those who think their deeds will not be returned or paid back are in negligence and shall one day see for themselves. Hence they out of arrogance lay plans against Prophets which will all be in vain. Allah has stressed very strongly that you will see what you ignore with your own eyes! 

2. Those driven by worldly desires (takathur being abundance of wealth) shall see how useless and wasteful their activities were. This is an endless struggle for whomsoever falls into it. An endless struggle for worldly desire may help us pile up wealth but can never bring peace and happiness. No desire must be bigger than our love for Allah. The smaller objectives in life hence must be directed towards the bigger purpose. 

3. With every difficulty there is relief. For nations Allah sends Prophets when they are in a tough situation spiritually. For the individuals also there is relief with every difficulty maybe sometimes we ignore it due to negative thinking but as per the Holy Quran there always is relief with every difficulty. The first relief with the difficulty is within it i.e. you go through it for Allah! If we don't think positively in tough situations they may easily pull us away from Allah and lead us to hopelessness. 

The repeated Verses:

1. Surah Al-Takathur

[102:4] خبردار! تم ضرور جان لو گے۔

[102:5] پھر خبردار! تم ضرور جان لوگے۔

[102:4] Nay! you will soon come to know.

[102:5] Nay again! you will soon come to know.

2. Surah Al-Inshirah

[94:6] پس یقیناً تنگی کے ساتھ آسائش ہے-

[94:7] یقیناً تنگی کے ساتھ آسائش ہے-

[94:6] Surely there is ease after hardship.

[94:7] Aye, surely there is ease after hardship.

3. Surah Al-Naba

[78:5] خبردار! وہ ضرور جان لیں گے۔

[78:6] پھر خبردار! وہ ضرور جان لیں گے۔

[78:5] Nay, soon they will come to know.

[78:6] Nay, We say it again, they will soon come to know.

4. Surah Al-Qiyamah

[75:35] تجھ پر ہلاکت ہو۔ پھر ہلاکت ہو۔

[75:36] تجھ پر پھر ہلاکت ہو۔ پھر ہلاکت ہو۔

[75:35] ‘Woe unto thee! and woe again!

[75:36] ‘Then woe unto thee! and woe again!’

5. Surah Al-Muddathir

[74:20] پس ہلاکت ہو اُس پر، اُس نے کیسا اندازہ لگایا۔

[74:21] اُس پر پھر ہلاکت ہو، اُس نے کیسا اندازہ لگایا۔

[74:20] Ruin seize him! how he calculated!

[74:21] Ruin seize him again! how he calculated!

Looking forward to Corrections, comments and suggestions!

Grace, The best Trend Ever!

I write the following lines with due respect for all the women who go to beauty Saloons, further respect for those who work there to earn a living, nothing is totally bad.

Its a usual matter whenever I have to go along someone to the beauty Saloon, I initially feel like an alien who has missed all the progress that was made in the previous year. And there they are, the groomed and up-to-date accomplished ladies who have kept themselves with the technological advances! Later you feel sorry for them. At one side you would see hair being dyed in all those funky shades, at the other there would be faces being polished , all sorts of outer beauty treatments and a seriousness of purpose prevails in the atmosphere.

[Image source]

Basically I have no issues with looking good or dressing up or all the girls stuff like jewelry or moderate use of makeup even. The point is that it is our psychology that we keep moving, direction becomes very important. When we jump into the world of fashion and make it a priority the results get horrible with the passage of time. I have literally seen hair dyed with colors which make you look like a character of a science fiction movie perhaps. Or as though you're trying to prove life on other 
Planets! Allah chooses a color for your hair, why on earth do you have to change it? Nothing can suit us better that what He who loves beauty and is 'Al-Musawwir' (The Fashioner/The Shaper of beauty) chose for us. Same goes of nail colors. They call it nail 'art' It is blasphemy to call it 'art'. Women go for it even if it does not suit them, they follow it because its a trend! Suits you or not is a secondary issue, first you have to survive in the race!

 At a sale on designer/brand outfits women be like:

اس راہ میں جان کی کیا پرواہ جاتی ھے اگر تو جانے دو

(Why worry about life, for the cause is so great, losing life would be no loss at all)

There are long ques and women try to reach the place before dawn, so as they don't miss out anything. Further there is this desire to be the first one to wear a certain outfit. Women direly need to revisit the purpose of their lives! That being the only solution.

If one tries to figure out the reasons behind this fashion stampede, it comes out to be complicated business. We are probably trying to prove our worth, trying to make our presence felt or probably trying to show-off. I fail to figure out why do you have to get all dressed up and put on heavy makeup to visit a market? Why do you have to be fashionably dressed while going to an educational institution? Do we have an underlying inferiority or perhaps superiority complex?

We need to think what is a trend? Anything that is followed by the people. Many don't realize that a trend is of no use if it doesn't suit you. Rather becomes counter-productive. Makes you look pitiable instead.

At the end its the personality that covers all that you wear. Personally I feel that one should remain closer to natural looks. Even if we follow a trend it should suit our age, values and personality. I am no one to comment on anyone or pass judgments though.

Grace is the best outfit, honesty the best make over and smile the prettiest look you could possibly have. Those beautiful at heart are a pleasure to be with and pretty to look at, always.

Intellectual crisis!

A tagline from this drama of HUM TV got quite popular, and I'd often see it in tweets and status messages:

وہ محبت ہی کیا جس میں إلہام نہ ہو ؟

Whenever I got to read this I'd wonder what about Allah's love then? Does he disallow 'إلہام ' now? Or does He still speak? That being a long debate should better be left aside. 

Though I'd prefer to read a philosopher on 'happiness' rather than watching a Pakistani drama (if its a matter of choosing the lesser evil), I just got to watch one episode of this one by chance. They happened to be 'divinely' running away in that episode. I call their running away as divine because it was portrayed as such. They were shown as the warriors of truth, The girl who runs away was shown as the righteous person. Another time when i saw this drama I thought it could not have been love perhaps the girl has some mental problem! 

The only objection I want to present is that Pakistani dramas are tormenting the values of relationships and on top of that trying to re-establish moral values. Since when did betraying your parents (whatever the reason might be) become legal? Since when did running away with someone become not only legal but 'divine'? Since when did elders started blessing the run-away couple? Since when did 'friends' have started to be defined as those who assist you in your love affair? I was surprised and wondered that this is the stuff that must be banned! but we rather want to ban sites! we prefer restricting access to certain sites to save the Imaans of Momineen!

We need to see what we're watching because we might be teaching the wrong things to young impressionable minds. Our entertainment industry is suffering from an intense intellectual crisis. There used to be a time when writers like Ashfaque Ahmad would write quality stuff but now its a creative depression. Perhaps we don't have as many readers and hence not many quality writers.

Further this drama deepens my resolve that the bigger purpose in life should better be 'big' otherwise life leaves you wandering aimlessly in all the worldly, secondary unnecessary and smaller purposes. So we must seek the bigger purpose and the company of those with a 'big' purpose that being journey towards Allah! 

Leadership with Allah's Mandate

[Image Source]

Though I hold my opinion that spiritual leadership cannot be compared with worldly leadership. Spiritual leadership is a whole lot broader and deeper, where as worldly leadership is sometimes temporary, task-bound and more like skill management. Leaders manage 'resources' and in the quest to manage the resources well they aim to deal the psychology of the person as well. Whereas spiritual leaders aim to bend hearts with prayer and setting examples and precedents. This fact makes the two leaderships poles apart.

Secondly another major difference is the relationship of the people with the leader. In spiritual leadership the person is like a mentor and much more, Their love for the leader is bound by the Love of Allah. Furthermore it is Allah who ties the hearts of the people together as a community(the fact also being testified by the Holy Quran)

Still it is a fairly good concept to derive leadership techniques from the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W) Because of the many shades the shade of 'Leadership' stands out bright!

The organization of the book as per my understanding is based on three stages as categorized by the Author John Adair: The first one being when our Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.) was a shepherd, Second When he becomes a caravan leader and leads trade caravans , and finally the spiritual leader (we would preferably call it 'Nabuwwat' or Prophet-hood) Along the way the Author also explains the dwellers of the desert and their ways as a community, He tells about the generosity of the Bedouins, interestingly so the people of the desert had leadership but lacked the sense of hierarchy. It was also interesting to note how the Arabs adored camels and according to the author to Arab's eye there was nothing as beautiful as a well-bred female camel!

"It is no accident that the arabic words Jamal (camel) and Jamil (beautiful) come from the same root"

[Excerpt from the book]

I have also read fiction about travels through the desert and found that a desert is a complete phenomenon, it gives you a mindset and a distinct lifestyle. Therefore the author beautifully explains the Arab-Desert relationship:

"An Arab may leave the desert but the desert never leaves an Arab"

Its a very good book, and everyone who is or has been a part of a team would definitely enjoy reading and relating to this book. The role of the Prophet Muhammad has been very interestingly explained and shows how well the author understands the Muslim community and the life of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W) The Author is a chair of Strategic Leadership at the UN and has written over 50 books in the area of his research.