May 2, 2008
Aziz Mian was probably the first qawwal I ever heard as a child. Although I doubt whether I understood much but I loved his qawwalis nevertheless. This qawwali shows how carefully he selected his verses and how profound in meaning they in fact were. Aziz Mian loved to play around with words and meanings and this certainly shows him at his best. Listen and enjoy.
May 1, 2008
The late singer of sufi poetry Inayat Hussain Bhatti appears and sings a rubai of Hz Sayyid Mehr Ali Shah (ra). Although it is a short video you still get to see the tomb, mosque and guesthouse of the khaneqah of Golra sharif. The rubai that Inayat Bhatti sings is in Potohari which was Hazrat’s mother tongue and means:
Be! and it is (act of creation) is matter of yesterday (ie of the near past)
our love ( for God) began long before that
there was neither I nor you, no word nor symbol
when the M (ie The Prophet Muhammad, PBUH) bore witness
O Mehr Ali Shah, they (Creator and creation) only sat together
when they both felt the pangs of Love.
April 30, 2008
April 13, 2008
A recent post on Green Sufi’s blog drew my attention to the need to say a few words about television. In fact it reminded me of a book by Gerry Mander which everyone should read about the harmful effects of TV. This book which I read due to a recommendation by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf was a real eye-opener for me and many friends. Mander and Neil Postman are well worth reading on the harmful effects of TV and technology in general. Unfortunately in the Muslin world there is as yet little awareness and interest in these issues. For a review of Mander’s book go here or to take a look at it go here. For a list of books by Postman take a look at this.
April 8, 2008
Came across this excellent article by Javed Chaudry who used to write the Zeropoint column in the Daily Jang. It sums up my fears based on the events of the last few days. Apologies to those friends who only read English as the article is in Urdu. Well worth reading so do take a look here.
April 3, 2008
There is now a wind of change blowing in Pakistan. A democratic government has been elected on a mandate of wide-ranging reforms. Let us hope and pray that they are able to carry these through. As I’m not able to follow developments on TV I’ve been searching the net for current affairs programmes lately, and I have to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much our media has changed in recent times. There seems to be a number of talented journalists out there who are well-informed, sharp witted and openly critical of the establishment. I think this is a good sign for the future of Pakistan. We need grater transparency at all levels of society.
If you’d like to keep abreast of the various developments or gain a taste of the discourse taking place check out PoliticsArea and Pakistan Politics for the latest programmes. I particularly liked Bolta Pakistan.
March 22, 2008
March 19, 2008
Jo sar pe rakhne ko mil jaye naal-e-paak-e-Huzoor
to phir kehenge ke haan taajdar hum be hein
(If ever I were granted to place the noble sandal on my head
I would then proclaim: yes, I am indeed crowned king)
March 19, 2008
God Most High informs us:
” There hath come unto you a messenger, (one) of yourselves, unto whom aught that ye are overburdened is grievous, full of concern for you, for the believers full of pity, merciful.
Now, if they turn away (O Muhammad) say: Allah sufficeth me. There is no god save Him. In Him have I put my trust, and He is Lord of the Tremendous Throne.”
Al-Qur’an: 9:128-129
March 17, 2008
This is a clip of the annual Mawlid celebration at the Zawiya of Sidi Hamza al-Qadri al-Boutchichi whose tariqa has brought vast numbers of young educated people to the Sufi Path in recent years.
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