The effects of Tauheed on Human Life...

Tauheed , simply means “Oneness of Allah” i.e. only He alone is to be worshipped. Tauheed is just not a simple definition which one has to follow. It brings numerous effects in the life of a believer. Believers, who transform the meaning of religion as a set of rituals, fail to implement the true essence of Tauheed into their lives. There are numerous aspects which Tauheed adds into the life of a Muslim which is imperative and the key to success in the life and in the life hereafter. Following are the effects which Tauheed enriches ones life with.

Firstly, Tauheed begins with the Kalima that there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger.  The Kalima does not limit or narrow the powers of seeking and exercising knowledge, in fact, it gives a believer a vision which makes him capable to gain refined knowledge. For example, his belief that Allah is one does not limit him to believe in false deities or a group of them; he knows everything is created by Allah and He is perfect. This assurance of perfectness can only be found in Allah because other assumed gods have features and characteristics of a human being. Therefore, the believer is able to relate and trace each and every source of information or knowledge with Allah which makes him educated and the life in this world becomes easier for him.   

Secondly, the belief makes the believer mentally very strong. It helps him to control his inner senses i.e. the mind, the soul or the ego. The control over the inner senses assists him always to go through a self realization mode. He constantly realizes and reminds himself that every thing or every act is from Allah; be it a happy moment or an accident. He knows that The Powerful can only make things happen and His Creation  does not possess the power to harm or benefit anyone. It keeps one away from Shirk (ascribing partners to Allah) and also makes the believer fearless from those creatures who try to play god in this world. He refuses to bow down against those who try to fear him which boosts his morale, self respect and self esteem.

Thirdly, the belief in Tauheed assists a person to remain modest and courteous in the affairs of this world. The reason for such a feeling to arise in him and the possibility of it effecting positively on him is the simple fact that He knows he is successful in the affairs of the world because it has been written by Him in his destiny i.e. because it is the will of Allah. He knows and acknowledges that for his success the only reason is that he is in the good books of Allah i.e. he might be doing good deeds for which Allah is rewarding him. This helps the human being to live lowly and stay away from arrogance and pride.

Fourthly, the Tauheed develops the feeling of patience and satisfaction in the life of a Muslim. Such feelings are developed easily in the life of a human being through the practice of Tauheed into his worldly affairs. The believer knows that if he sacrifices the evil acts or from his pocket, he knows what he is trading with Allah will bring him profits. The believe in the profits/rewards from Allah creates satisfaction and takes perseverance levels to unprecedented heights.

Therefore, Tauhid brings numerous benefits in the life of a Muslim and has numerous positive aspects which can transform the live of the believer from despair to prosperity i.e. only if the believer is able to grab the gifts Allah has set forth for those who believe He is one and no one else is worthy of worship. The point to ponder and to realize is that Our Lord has revolved His Creation around the simple fact the key to success is to believe in his Oneness and He will provide success, faith and piety into our lives.

Let's change ourselves; its time we hurt ourselves....

From the outlook, the people of this country seem all energized and ready to pulverize their enemies at any given day. All this energy can be witnessed in stadiums; especially cricket stadiums, and surely between a Pakistan-India match. Or at social media networks such as facebook, twitter or at any ailing website with a discussion board. You will here chants of “Allah O Akbar” after every other comment; subsequently you will hear enlightened modernists pleading “cyber moulvis” to keep religion away from state. In short, we have started a civil cyber Jihad with each other, and yes the Zionists are laughing – this is for those who love conspiracy theories.

But that energy is a false glimpse of our personalities. In reality, we are exactly similar to our leaders, especially the current lot we have. They lie, we lie. They lie they are not paying bribes to lawyers at District bars, and you will hear the enlightened modernists defending Pakistan is a secular country every other day, a country where there is literally a mosque every 1 kilometer, 50-60% are Barelwis or Sufis, 20 odd percent are Deobands and Shias and 5-10 % are Jihadis and extremely fundamentalist, but this chap is right because he thinks he is never wrong 1500 kilometers away from home and reality. They loot and plunder, we are even better than them. They are eating up the national exchequer as termites vanish up our trees, and we do the same in our day to day lives with others and ourselves. The manufacturer uses sub-standard material to produce stuff, the wholesalers and retailers sell sub-standard stuff as “A” grade products, the vagabond has got a dish antenna at home but steals money in the morning by emotionally blackmailing public and the “cyber moulvi” chants “Allah O Akbar” and passes an online fatwa that the heads of all the non Muslims should be chopped off forgetting The First Charter at Medina, Agreement of Hudabiyah and the settlements between the warring forces of Sallahudeen Ayubi and the Crusaders. 

We even get punished the same way our leaders do. They die untimely, they go to jails and they live miserable personal lives. We die on the streets, we are harassed by police and we snatch away the smiles of our loved ones from their faces, with one ferocious stare. Still, we do not discover because we are not permitted to. Our ego stops us, it re assures us that we are never wrong. This inner voice capitalizes from the situation and makes us its slave. 

Another problem we have is that we want to say what we want to and we cannot stop ourselves, especially we love to speak out of turn and we love to answer back without listening to what the other person is saying; the ego tells you “I am winning”. When it comes to practical steps and taking moral stands, we back out; ego starts finding ways. We try to escape and find scapegoats to rescue us; to rescue us from the big claims we make in our mosques, on our blogs, in our columns or in our “shout box” at Millat Facebook which is uniting 1.57 billion Muslims; uniting 1.57 billion non-mahrams with each other and creating feelings of love and lust between brothers and sisters – height of hypocrisy.

Do not feel offended of what has been said above. It is a reality and when it strikes; it strikes hard, and it hurts too, it hurts your ego and makes it weak at the same time; so it is good don’t worry. It is a reality you have refused to listen to, in fact it is your ego which does not want to listen this. Ego has to listen now and there is no escaping now: we are hypocrites, we are liars and we run our day to day lives the most unethical ways. So stop cursing Zardari for even the plate you broke during dinner today, the country and the fate for the misfortunes born due to your fornication with the adulteress ego of yours. We have to learn that there is no harm in accepting a mistake and learning from it. The best step we can take is that we begin realizing our mistakes; surely that would be the first step towards self-realization i.e. there is no justification for a wrong, a wrong is always wrong.

We really need to mend our ways and if we do it we will create some sensation and the world would be looking at us in awe. The last time we did it, we came from behind in 1857 to take away Pakistan from the jaws of the Imperialist superpowers and our Hindu neighbors in 1947.The weapon which has always protected this country is the passion of its inhabitants; their love for God, for country, their families and their wives is second to none. Do not let it rust!

So, the key is in your hand – just have to eliminate hypocrisy, lies and unethical attitude present in our personal/professional lives without more ado. It is very effortless to attain the lock, look around yourselves and take the step to change the life of the one who is staring at you in hope that you will change his life i.e. your lock, change his life. All he needs is a pat on the back, support and logical knowledge; all you need to unlock is to achieve success and peace in your heart. The peace you will feel it soon if you try, you will witness your heart expanding and you will know that nothing can stop you now; the expansion would be a feeling you would have never felt before, the expansion will slowly kill your ego and transform it into selfless characteristic. The transitions are hard but achievable; once you start seeing selflessly you will see the one staring in hope at you and that day you will know that there is a reason for everything, and the reason was written before your existence.

Many see themselves staring at themselves; few see it through the eyes and experiences of other.

Let’s unlock ourselves, let’s bring change within ourselves to create a positive change outside, let’s start serving to lead & leading to serve.

Let’s redefine this world as a midway stop between us and our eternal success. 

Breaking News: Twitter Banned in Pakistan

Islamabad - PTA has gone mad and blocked over 1000 Websites and Twitter is the latest one to be banned. As we told earlier, that PTA had ordered to shut down facebook.com due to LHC's verdict. But, something since then has gone fishy, the PTA (or the government) has got the perfect alibi to shut down all the criticism against it.

Websites are being banned like wild-fire, and eventually The Government, PTA and ISPs are dropping the axe on their own foot. This would result to a lot of financial loss to all stakeholders.


I say "Internet" is the platform for all this, so let's ban the internet, why just websites, you morons?


What I have said above is completely sarcastic, so please try to understand.


We muslims should be taking wise decision at such situations. Instead of banning a website like facebook, Muslim jurists and lawyers in USA should sue Facebook for violating its own privacy laws and terms of use. But, for us, the fashion is to go all ballistic, approach the infidels with Da'awah or with a sensible approach, going ballistic is the last option not the first fire Muslim brothers and sisters!

The definition of blasphemy by Ayaz Amir: www.dawn.com/weekly/ayaz/20020726.htm

But, even this page is banned in Pakistan so for those who cannot access, here it is :

What is blasphemy? By Ayaz Amir

Every now and then from some dark corner of the country comes news about a prosecution under the blasphemy law. And every now and then an obliging district judge finding the person so charged guilty hands out a sentence of death. When this happens, the collective image of Pakistan takes another blow on the chin.

Blasphemy is serious business but what exactly is it? Preferring form over substance we have turned it into a technical offence while leaving the larger context in which it might be seen unexplored.

Suppose in my street someone were to lay claim to godhead or divine revelation. I would be curious and perhaps a bit bemused. I certainly wouldn't go rushing to the police station to lodge a criminal complaint. Even if I was foolish enough to do so I would expect the SHO to tell me to cool it. But if valour prevailed over discretion and a case was indeed registered I would expect the judge concerned to throw out the case for lack of evidence.Setting aside the possibility of malicious prosecution - something, incidentally, which happens all the time - for argument's sake let us take the worst case scenario: that some benighted soul has actually burnt a page or two of the Quran or uttered sacrilegious words against God or his Prophet, (peace be upon him). Clearly, no man in his right senses would do such a thing, certainly not in Pakistan where religious sensitivities run high. But still if something of the sort is done, what does the perpetrator deserve? Our compassion and a psychiatric examination or a death sentence?

The trouble is that over the years bigotry and intolerance have made such deep inroads into our society that all three parties in the blasphemy cycle - complainant, police officer, judge - think that they are doing the right thing, and also earning divine favour into the bargain, when they are pressing charges under this law. This is zeal sanctioned by law and clothed in self-righteousness.

I draw no analogies but consider also the case of the sectarian terrorist, he who murders in the name of Islam. Far from feeling any remorse for his actions, he glories in them because he is convinced that when he kills an 'infidel' he has struck a blow for the faith and has thereby earned for himself a place in paradise. Only in this case zeal is not sanctioned by law.

Again, let us place this behaviour in context. The policies of the Zia regime, fertilized by a copious flow of American greenbacks, fostered the climate which made killing in the name of Islam a legit exercise. We ourselves of course are the authors of many of our misfortunes. But credit must also go to the United States for being the father of some of our discontents.

Partly out of genuine belief, partly out of political expediency, Gen Zia pushed religious rhetoric down the throats of the Pakistani people, all the while applauded by the Reagan administration as a sentinel of the free world. The result is self-evident: falsehood and gimmickry in the name of Islam have distorted national thinking, enshrining hypocrisy in the higher halls of government and spreading a zest for killing in fringe sections of the population.

Mercifully, General Pervez Musharraf is not cut from the same cloth. He has helped stem the tide of bigotry by not playing the religious card. For this, if nothing else, he deserves the nation's thanks. But coming back to blasphemy, to seek it in acts of obvious insanity is to devalue both Islam and the notion of blasphemy. Have we not from our infancies heard the story of the woman in Makkah who would throw refuse upon the Prophet, as he walked past her house? The Prophet never remonstrated with her. Not changing his path, in silence and with bowed head he continued to suffer this indignity until one day the woman, astounded by this forbearance, beseeched the Prophet's forgiveness and embraced Islam.

Blasphemy lies in greater things. For the people to be repeatedly denied their rights in a state founded in the name of Islam is blasphemy. Hunger and deprivation are blasphemy, something which the great Caliph Omar understood when he said that even if a dog went hungry by the banks of the Euphrates the Lord of the Hosts would hold him accountable on the Day of Judgment.

The greatest blasphemy of all is a child going hungry, a child condemned to the slow death of starvation. The miscarriage of justice is blasphemy. Misgovernment is blasphemy. An unconscionable gap between rich and poor is blasphemy. Denial of treatment to the sick, denial of education to the child, are alike examples of blasphemy. The Prophet said cleanliness is next to godliness. What would he say about the monuments to dirt and filth raised in the Islamic Republic?

The doctors and professors of the faith, whether our faith or any other, are not to be blamed for emphasizing ritual over substance because it is as interpreters of ritual - by presiding over the timeless activities of birth, death and marriage - that they derive their nuisance value and also their bread and butter. It is the state which must be careful not to legislate in matters of faith or assume the role of the maulvi for only mischief can result from such a course.

What practical benefit has accrued to the people of Pakistan by declaring Ahmedis as non-Muslims? Which is not to say that their version of Islam is correct. It is not. But is this something for the state to decide? Even if for the sake of argument we assume that the Ahmedi heresy was a cancer which had to be eradicated, in what way is Pakistan a healthier or a more prosperous country for having done so? By expelling Ahmedis from the frontiers of the faith have we become better Muslims?

All sorts of weird Christian sects are to be found in the United States, some of them with decidedly odd views about life and the hereafter. Their existence is tolerated, with a smile or a shrug of the shoulders, but no one asks for the US constitution to be amended to have these sects declared as non-Christians. The argument that we are an Islamic state where things have to be ordered differently takes us nowhere, for calling ourselves an Islamic Republic should be no excuse for indulging in irrational behavior.

Gen Zia of course went a step further when in 1979, as a sop to his allies, he issued an ordinance which made it a criminal offence for Ahmedis to call themselves Muslims or to call their places of worship mosques. This beats the understanding for if a Jew wants to call himself a Muslim, or his synagogue a mosque, it will be odd behaviour but by what stretch of the imagination should this invite the application of the criminal law? If an Ahmedi's place of worship is called a mosque, no one will be bamboozled into crossing its portals if he doesn't want to. There are different mosques in every city of Pakistan: Deobandi, Barelvi, Shiite. We choose to go where we want to.

When we made separate electorates and put minorities on separate voting lists, did that make us purer Muslims? Did we elect better legislators as a consequence? Discriminatory laws have not made Pakistan a better state, let alone one closer to the teachings of Islam. They have only given it a bad name.

Even so, we have to be realistic. No government will touch the anti-Ahmedi constitutional amendment. Such things once done are not easily undone. But the 1979 ordinance making it a criminal offence for a person of the Ahmedi denomination to show himself as a Muslim deserves to be erased from our law books. There will be some protests but that is only to be expected. The right thing must be done not for the sake of the Ahmedi community but for our own sake. Such laws diminish those who make them.

Nothing good has come from the four Hadood laws also passed in 1979 by Gen Ziaul Haq. Across the land they have only sown mischief and upped the bribery rates of the police. It is high time these bad laws were also scrapped.

TAILPIECE: Here is the last paragraph of an appeal to the Governor, Punjab, and the Begum Governor (no joking). "We the helpless municipal lady teachers of Punjab do humbly beseech you to let us remain under our respective municipal bodies instead of forcibly making us part of the education department vide Order No (LG) 10-1/2002 of 25.6.2002. The education department has no funds to pay our salaries nor any procedure to pay our pensions. Before this the octroi department was wound up but its workers being men could fight their case. They went to court and are now back on their jobs. We are poor and helpless women. With the greatest respect we beseech you in the name of God and his Holy Prophet to let municipal schools stay as part of the municipal bodies. We are in a state of great anxiety." The invocation to God and the Prophet brought tears into the eyes of even a hardened sinner like me.

CREDIT CARDS - KEY TO WOE, KEY TO OPULENCE OR JUST ANOTHER ACCESSORY!

Answer a simple question:

It is a unisexual product, kept by men and women, without which they cannot move out of the house/office so on and so forth?

Hint:  reasons for it can be disputed.

“What is it?”

“What did I hear?”

"Umm, some perfume",

"No, who carries a perfume everywhere!"

"Ah! I know a pair of Levi’s jeans, RIGHT?"

"One sec, don’t get excited!"

"Credit Cards?!"

“Don’t act smart, we will get down to that later”.

The right answer is -Wallet.

Undoubtedly not being biased, but men keep one out of requirement while the reasons why women keep are endless, in fact, at times the reasons are staggering. A wallet also acts as a first aid and/or make up kit too. The most you find in a man’s wallet is cards, cash and notes. Whilst in a woman’s wallet, you will find anything and everything, just name it and you’ve got it – lipstick, mascaras, and even pain killers!

"Hmm…so, that’s it!"

"This is what men and women keep in their wallets, did I fail to spot anything?” scratching my head which is not bald anymore.

I missed the most key fad, plastic money! The ultra slim, glossy, slim as razor blades, chicer than a size zero model and full of pulsating colors is our very own lovely credit card! The golden chip found nowadays on a credit card is for the purpose of “smart shopping”, such as using to make international calls on a jet, but it also ads a touch of elegance to the look of it, just what the cherry does on the top of the cake. How could I forget you!

The designs on credit card these days mystify my mind. Sometimes, I am in awe that these credit card firms have got psychologists instead of graphic designers because the design pattern on a credit card these days furnishes a breathtaking assortment of diverse feelings- delight, loyalty and royalty- which congregates towards the overriding feeling of all i.e. happiness. Also, it unquestionably uplifts one’s nose en route for the sky since it gives the emotion of having riches in excess as paying for shopping, meals travel and entertainment with just a swipe has made the entire experience trouble-free and simply overwhelming.

The way I see it at times, credit cards come with colossal gains, undoubtedly. First and foremost, definitely a fundamental advantage, it adds the most vital muscle, which many body builders would also resent – the muscle to purchase at will. Even if you don’t have cash, no worries, you have tripled the sums of your income in this teeny weensy little card, therefore, no need to ask for an advance from your boss anymore when you plan for a trip to Europe next time, “buy now, pay later” is the best policy! Anyways, back to the addition of this muscle in our system, interestingly, it develops ‘wings’ on to our body too (and no, I have not stolen that from Red Bull), which there on enables us to fly high and reach the world of luxury which we dream of. Voila, what an exciting innovation!

That’s not it, apart from the fundamental advantage, there are other benefits attached with this discovery of the 19^th century are the following. One, because of the cut-throat competition in the credit card industry, banks frequently offer incentives such as discounts, reward points, gift certificates, air-miles, meet – n – greet at airports, free stay at airport lounges or even CASH BACK i.e. usually around 1-2 percent of the total purchases to try to lure customers to their businesses.In other words you get rewarded for just carrying on your shopping spree.

Two, “low interest” credit cards or even 0% interest credit cards are available these days due to pull strategic business ethics. The only downside to users of low interest credit cards is that it is limited to a fixed term, between 6 and 12 months after which a higher rate is charged.

Three, most of the credit cards can also be used in an ATM to withdraw “real money" (yes, hard crispy notes) against the credit limit extended to the card which means one needs to fear about the shortage of crispy notes.

Four, credit cards have developed into a risky way for entrepreneurs to acquire capital for their enterprise when the doors to get conventional financing are shut down. It is rumored that Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s start up of Google was financed by credit cards to buy the necessary computers and office equipment, more specifically "a terabyte of hard disks". Furthermore, credit card companies offer small loans over the phone to its loyal customers at the press of few # buttons!

Five, many banks have tied up their services with companies related to telecommunications, internet, electricity, gas and water companies. Rather than standing in long ques, you can pay your bills on your favourite couch now by dialling a toll free number or through the internet, all because of the tiny invention, no hassles anymore!

Come to think of it, how did this small yet powerful thing came into existence?

Surely, must be a miracle!

I turn backed the pages of history to know more about credit cards, I was astonished to find the concept of using a card for purchases was described as early as in 1887 by Edward Bellamy in his utopian novel Looking Backward. Bellamy used the term credit card eleven times in this novel. In addition, the modern credit card was the successor of a variety of merchant credit schemes. It was first used in the 1920s, in the United States, specifically to sell fuel to a growing number of automobile owners. The old age connection of credit card with fuel is still intact today. For example, majority of the white collars and the middle class swipe their cards at fuel stations to save “cash in hand” for more important expenses and for the time of an emergency.


Well, the preceding example has made me wonder that “Credit cards bring more benefits than cash, but it needs to spend if that cash is in the pocket”.


Hmmmm…..

To come to think of it, if petrol is filled in the tank, then your car runs smoothly. But if its spilled on the car then it can even ruin your lovely car into ashes!

Hmm…

The question is – Has such a situation arise with this invention too?

The answer is a yes. Just like any invention in this century, credit cards also come with its fair share of cons. Many of the readers must be smarter than 5^th graders to know about the law of gravity i.e. you smash your bones when you fall down from a building , the “law of grace period” given by credit card firms works on the same model. If you don’t pay regularly within the grace period,  which is 20 – 30 days (depends from bank to bank), you will fall downwards in a ‘huge sticky web of debt’ where only ‘spider-man’ can come and rescue. In the West, “Spider-men” come in the form of debt reconciliation companies which help bankrupt and defaulters to pay back to the credit card companies, eventually taking them out of the mess they caused to get placed into the web in the first place. But unfortunately, in this part of the world, banks use the local mafia, because of the inefficiencies of law, to recollect bad debts, thus causing huge mental strain, at times depression and even suicide.

 

Furthermore, the menace of fraud has plagued numerous banking services and sadly it did not even spare the credit card industry. The reason is simple - the pathetic security of the credit card system presents infinite opportunities for fraudulent activities. Due to the spread of this disease it has given birth to a huge black market in stolen credit card numbers, which are generally used quickly before the cards are reported stolen. I thought it was a joke that the aim of the credit card companies is not to eliminate FRAUD these days but to reduce it to “manageable levels” so that “high-cost low-return” fraud prevention measures will not be used if their cost exceeds the potential gains from fraud reduction. That is not fair!

Let’s grab a globe and focus on Pakistan now. Due to high inflation and fluctuating petrol prices, the purchasing power of the citizens has reduced down considerably. Moreover, the constant flashing of luxuries in different mediums of media, it invokes the feeling of desiring to live in a comfortable yet materialistic world. Next, most apply for a credit card to enjoy those amenities which were banned for them as they were expensive of before. Thus, such dreams transforms into reality with the advent of plastic money in Pakistan.

Although one needs to pay high finance charges if one just pays the “minimum payment due” every month, but undoubtedly it gives the consumer the ease of making payments through monthly installments i.e. not to pay a lum sum anymore! Moreover, the health and accident insurance come along with a subscricption of a credit card makes this innovation too hard to resist. Thus, plastic money is certainly here to stay as this country is full of people with unfulfilled desires where credit card is the only hope.

Surprisingly, it’s a reality that credit cards have become a fashion accessory these days. It’s available in numerous designs, and believe it or not, you can now actually get your favorite picture printed on it thus reminding you of that precious moment everytime you go on a shopping spree. More, you can flash it infront of your peers to prove that how futuristic you are in the futuristic today.

At times negatively, it also instills the feeling of jealousy and pride simultaneously – jealous is the one who doesn’t own one and pride who owns more than one! But, that’s human nature, cannot blame credit cards for it bluntly. In the yesteryears, especially in Pakistan, young used to get married as soon as they turned young as the ones to get married the earliest were the luckiest. Fast-Forward to 2008, our generations gets hold of cell phones and supplementary credit cards, and the one to get these essentials the earliest are the luckiest. Surely, time changes everything, Is that what evolution is?

Anyways and importantly, one should remain cautious and spent wisely through credit cards otherwise these ‘devils of dooms’ will destroy the peace of our households. In simpler terms, if a credit card is used properly it changes the old saying ‘NO PAIN NO GAIN’ because if you don’t “pain” (burden) yourself with huge purchases then you just “gain again and again”! It implies that one should use this ‘product’ wisely because I find it as neutral as a hammer, it can either make you or break you, just like marriage or even facebook.


So everyone, here is my advice:


“To pay early is playing safe, so play safe to live safe”.

And, my definition of a credit card:

"CREDIT CARD - (noun) – A special card which inflates the pockets of a human being to take him/her to luxurious heights, then the human being falls down hard because late payments deflate the pockets."  

Geo News - Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous material

Courtesy : Geo.tv

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has blocked the popular video sharing website YouTube in a bid to contain blasphemous material, officials said on Thursday.

The blockade came hours after the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) directed Internet service providers to stop access to social network Facebook indefinitely on Wednesday because of an online competition to draw the Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) in gross violation of fundamental human rights pertaining to one’s religion.

Wahaj-us-Siraj, the CEO of Nayatel, an Internet service provider, said PTA issued an order late on Wednesday seeking an "immediate" blockade of YouTube.

"It was a serious instruction as they wanted us to do it quickly and let them know after that," he said while talking to a UK-based news agency.

YouTube was also blocked in the Muslim country in 2007 for about a year for what it called un-Islamic videos.

A PTA official, who declined to be identified, said the action was taken after the authority determined that some sacrilegious caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad were transferred from Facebook to YouTube.

Representation of any prophet is deemed un-Islamic and blasphemous in Islam, let alone the caricature or cartoon of these divine personages.

Siraj said the blocking of the two websites would cut up to 25 percent of total Internet traffic in Pakistan.

"It'll have an impact on the overall Internet traffic as they eat up 20 to 25 percent of the country's total 65 giga-bytes traffic," he said.

Publications of similar cartoons in Danish newspapers in 2005 sparked deadly protests in Muslim countries. Around 50 people were killed during violent protests in Muslim countries in 2006 over the cartoons, five of them in Pakistan.

Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on Denmark's embassy in Islamabad in 2008, killing six people, saying it was in revenge for publication of the caricatures.

WIKIPEDIA banned in Pakistan

News from Islamabad..once again

After the LHC imposed a ban on facebook.com till 31st May 2010, it was the turn of youtube.com to get banned in Pakistan. Now, I cannot even access Wikipedia, and that too I was searching about Islam!


Something is just not right about all this!
The Government of Pakistan is being smart and is trying to censor all the articles, photos and videos which are against them. This is not a great move and I am sure people will know the true story very soon, media is quite powerful out here.


Moreover, it was a nice move from the LHC to ban facebook till 31st May 2010. I would have preferred the URL link of "Draw Muhammad Day" to be banned only but if it is the courts decision to ban the whole site for a number of days, then it is fine with me. When, these companies will lose their revenue from Pakistan, hopefully they might learn a lesson. Plus, such bans also disturbs the traffic on the websites. So, that surely will make them think to respect all religions from now on.


But, the ban should not be a permanent one as many Pakistanis would lose these vital tools. As a matter of fact, through these websites many Pakistanis and Muslims were spreading Da'awah through it. So, all such efforts would be lost. Moreover, many charities all over the world, even muslim ones, were collecting donations to ease the suffering in the Muslim World. Lack of access to these sites, will create major problems for such individuals and companies.


Instead of banning, muslim countries and muslims in USA should play a more responsible role. The lawyers should file a lawsuit against facebook especially for violating its own terms of use and privacy policy by allowing people to do hate speech and pass derogatory comments on its platform against Islam. 


We muslims, have to start thinking wisely!

Youtube banned in Pakistan today!

News from Islamabad


After the LHC imposed a ban on facebook.com till 31st May 2010, now it is the turn of youtube.com to get banned in Pakistan. Apparently, the reason for this ban is most probably the same one used for facebook as there is a huge assumption that the pictures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) would be broad casted at youtube as well. 


As a part of contingency, ISPs have taken this step most probably to stop such broadcasts in Pakistan because there is nothing to be heard from courts regarding this. So it is either the government or the ISPs. The question is are they allowed to take such a step?


Plus, this has given a new twist to this issue. I believe it is the government who is taking these steps, as these mediums were used to mobilize resources and opinions against them. So, now they have got a moral justification to ban all mediums.


This is getting fishy now!

Cage and Chains - Part 2

We have chained ourselves and locked ourselves in a cage, we believe we are free, but in veracity we are prisoners. The signs of a free man are profuse. A free man is a comforted man, has peace in heart, is not restricted by any unconstructive energy and knows how to tell between between wrong and right with the aid of knowledge and not information.

During this era of technology and mass information, the so called “free” generally is seeking for awareness through television, internet etc. But, in fact, we are not seeking for information; we are being fed with it. We are disillusioned with the impression that we are receiving awareness simply because we are giving a shot. In pragmatism, it’s the other way round, the one who provides you with the information are doing the real effort; and reality is certainly not a line on a boulder that every reality is a truth and should be followed blindly; everything which glitters is not gold.

Information is useless if it is not transformed into knowledge. To convert it, there should be an uncompromising route through which it should go through in order to test it. The process is plain; the information has to pass through the vigorous examination of reality. After it is derived that such information was a reality, it will be very easy to determine the disparity between right and wrong; every reality is not always good. If one can make his thoughts and information go through this route and gets superior at this, that person has kaput the chains he had tied himself with.

But, still the self is stranded in the cage and unfortunately there is no door to get out of it; getting outside the cage is hence very tough because we have worked so hard for years to make it sturdy. There is only one way to go outside of this cage, i.e. you have to shatter the bars to brittleness. One has to start converting the knowledge into words and actions. But, whenever, one tries to do that, in the beginning especially, will smack his body right into the bars. This battle will cause a lot of injury; this type of injury might throw you quite far away and make yourself feel like a loser.

But, if you start getting injured, do not worry, it is actually a sign of winning. With every blow of yourself on the bars, you will make it weaker and weaker; sooner or later it will be destroyed. The point to remember is that these bars can only be busted through the right way i.e. by hook and not crook. To know the accurate way to convert the information you gain into knowledge, first, because without breaking the chains, you are never going to break the cage.

All mentioned above is the attitude through which one can get outside the control of the unconstructive energy. Let’s consider what is said above into convenient terms. Stand in front of a mirror and look at yourself and probe yourself – “What is the purpose of my life?” – Do you know the reason why you are created and mounted in this period of time?

Were you brought into this human race to earn more and more riches? Or acquire degrees? Or to buy pricey gifts for your dear wife, so that she fulfills all your desires? Or is it about getting promoted regularly in your profession so that you carry on climbing your career ladder?

We are skilled to accomplish the above mentioned achievements; we are told that this is life; these fake achievements are the bars we have worked so hard to make it brawny. We are educated if we have been able to achieve this, we have achieved everything. In fact, this is not even an iota of everything; we are supposed to achieve all once we get ourselves on the straight path which is very easy to find; it is the only path you will find after you break the cage and come out of it.

We are very fortunate to be living in this age of information and technology since we have an easy access to information which is usually just a click away. Decades back, it used to take days, weeks and years to acquire such knowledge; men had to travel to know the truth. But, more and more people are going off target in this age because we have started to judge that our prisons are our comfort zones.

A man is not a man if he has not done his bit to fix this world; how can one be even called a human being who does not make the world a more contented place to live in for the future generations to come. But this is not enough to convince someone to break these cage and chains.

The real reason to get outside the cage and chains is to comprehend that your purpose of life has been decided by The One who has created you. He has given you five senses to witness his presence through His Creation, and He has bestowed you with the power to think. That power to think, i.e. knowledge, will direct you towards what you are predestined to achieve; this achievement will most of the time make life in hereafter serene for you. But, don’t think that if it’s written in your destiny then you will get it served on a plate, maybe He has written that you will pull off the real fruits of this planet only if you try, He gives you the power of choice, and the light which you will require to find the right choice is your knowledge based on realities.

You are specified a task by your Lord on His land and once you accept it; you will escort yourself into attaining salvation. The triumph we have to pull off is to let peace prevail in our hearts so it will cure us from the disease which stops you to differentiate right and wrong.

At times, I feel there is an imaginary parrot sitting in a cage, owned by us, which grins on us because he is witnessing that his masters are also in a cage which has no doors. He is right; this is the time we get rid of the cage and the chains or the parrot would always grin on us...

We hesitate....

Hesitation has been the principal dilemma for the country I belong to. I have witnessed that in all walks of existence here. We take way too much time to make a choice, the big ones and even for the not so central ones. The shoddiest thing happens after we take a choice, we start to doubt it.

Lets start whacking the media and public favorites first – the politicians. It’s so extraordinarily easy to prove the above mentioned hypothesis on them. I believe they have made my situation so easy that even if I don’t mention the evidence, it would not matter, truly. But, I am all indebted to them for helping me out to keep this short. “Chew over” all the actions this government has done since the beginning of their tenures – from judiciary crisis, handling of the Benazir assassination case, to electricity and other flops, the government has made sure to make a mess of every decision they have taken. That certainly does not mean the previous set-ups were good, all belong to the same gang who has vowed to sink and drown us with them. If you glance at other public sectors, you would probably find the hypothesis so true that it might make you actually ill.

But, the state of affairs is not much poles apart in other sectors as well. Look at corporate, retail, whole-sale businesses and most of our industries – they have become quite hesitant too. Some are hesitant to make investments, while some lack the basics of entrepreneurship – risk taking and trusting on nature. That is the sole reason for the financial system to reach to an illusionary point of saturation, in fact there is a more lot to come, explore and take benefit from.

The fact is that the situation is not much different at our homes either. Decision making in household is the toughest nut to crack because every member wishes to be the head of the family. There is only one head in the family and the rest have their authorities for which they are responsible – who tag on this ruling, are surely flourishing. But, sorrowfully, the old father wants to be the head though he is too old to run daily affairs; the wife’s craving is the same too, and the 21^st century has given her a reason: “I earn too!” this is not a joke, this panorama is played at every house everyday. The worse is when little kids come forward and share their 2 cents. It is always advisable to assist the Man of the house, but its better not to get into his shoes, because for some it will be too tight while for some it will be way too big.

We just don’t trust anyone, not even ourselves. If we did, we would have at least developed the habit of accepting our mistakes. But, when things go wide of the mark, we know we just need to find some scapegoats and alibis to escape! The best work out which can help everyone to avoid this tight spot is to pursue those who have been thriving in private and professional lives by hook and not crook.

Moreover, as you observe the media bashing up the ones they love to on talk shows, and you start making a perception that these politicians are responsible for all the problems in this country and even your homes, just twirl your face in the mirror and see if you are any different from them.

If you think I have been ruthless, then why and how:-

1. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his people were so brilliant and successful that even the Jews desired to do trade with Muslims in those days?
2. Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his partners turned Pakistan into a reality;
3. …….

For those who have understood their fault without the mentioning of the third question, start being positive.

For those who did not get the under-lying message: Are we serving the leaders of our times to become so dull and unsuccessful ourselves so much so that we achieve in turning our every reality into a dream?

Accept your mistake, stop hesitating and start thinking – you have no other choice.