THE SACRED WRITINGS OF THE MUGHAL PRINCESSES
QURAN WRITTEN BY ZINAT UN NISA DAUGHTER AURANGZEB ALAMGEER

Various legacies of the spiritual oriented ladies

Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgeer had ten children, of which five were boys and five were girls. . Some of them more talented than others. The daughters were real talented in many ways. Obsessed with knowledge, they had tremendous resources spent in acquiring books and building up libraries. Poets and scholars most of them. Fostering and encouraging talent in other persons. They were well versed in study of the Quran, could recite same elegantly and even write same. We hear of many Qurans written by Mughal Princesses.

One such Princess was Zinat un Nisa. She was born on 5th October, 1643 at Aurangabad. She died in the year 1700 AD. In her life she never got married and spent her time in spiritual pursuits. She built a reasonable mosque in Delhi (like the Jamia Masjid), which has survived the times and is known as Zinat ul Masjid. A Quran came up in a collection and is attributed to her in a later writing. No one can be sure of same but for the present it is taken as the Quran of Zinat un Nisa.

Zinat un nisa died in 1700 AD (1122 AH) and was buried in the enclosure of her mosque and the grave existed for a long time. During the mutiny it was destroyed and leveled to the ground. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan has given the inscription on the grave in his book on Delhi, namely Asrar ul Sanadeed. That is on record. Carr Stephens has translated it in his book on Delhi:

“For a friend in my grave, God’s forgiveness is alone sufficient;
The canopy of my grave, is the shadow of the cloud of God’s mercy,
In the hope of a righteous end. Fathmah Zinat ul Nisa Begam,
daughter of Badshah Mohiuddin Muhammed Alamgeer Ghazi.
May God illuminate his works: 1122 Hijri.”

This was the spirit of those grand ladies. Hindu writers have poured dirt on these Princesses with concocted stories of their own which border on utter shamelessness. Hate blinds people. The character of all these ladies is brought to question with stories of murders of their secret lovers. How much malice is in the heart of people to throw mud at figures who cannot defend themselves at all? The Law of Retribution catches up with all of us, particularly those who cast aspersions on other people, without evidence of any kind. This becomes all the more bizarre when history records Zinat un nisa saving of some influential Hindu families, including the Maharratta Shambaji’s widow and son Yesubai. Both mother and son were in her personal care and safety. Strange! What cheap minds can think of degrading pious women. That is why the curse of Allah is upon writers like Magan Lal.

A SOUTH AFRICAN VISITS PAKISTAN IN 1948
COMMENTS ON THE TWO NATION THEORY

Living in peace does not mean acquiescence

We came across a book printed and published in South Africa. The author a young boy by the name of Cassim Gulam Essop, and very dedicated to the ideas of Quaid Azam and calls his Pakistan, the upcoming Utopia of Muslims. He says he has many Hindu friends and wants to apologize to them, but the simple truth is that there are two nations in the region and nothing can change that reality. He writes about his impressions of the visit to his region.

Obviously we cannot put the whole book on the web but the main idea, we have put and that is the difference between two nations. This is not to pick flaws anywhere. It is to point the differences and the Quaid has eloquently already described the differences in his own words. Yes,
the Quaid said, and we attach that statement too.

No wants to fight with each other. We can all live in peace. Respecting others way of life is a must, but with all the differences, the two Nations can never become one. That is the eternal truth!

THE INSPIRATION OF MUSLIM PAINTERS IN HISTORY,
MANI THE GREATEST PAINTER OF ALL TIMES.

Islam owes its debt in aesthetics to China and Central Asia.

Prophet Mani was founder of the Manichean School. To teach his vision of life, which was multi cultural, he innovated the picture book. In his texts of teaching, he would illustrate the same through pictures. The Mani School developed from that and picture books became the visual method of teaching in those time. Not only religion, Mani is considered the Founder of the Miniature School of Painting.

Mani was of Royal blood. He was the son of Fattak Babak, and grandson of Abu Barzam. He was born across Kutha Canal , south of Baghdad. On 12th April, 240 AD, he proclaimed himself as the Prophet. To spreads his teachings, he resorted to illustrating his texts with pictures. The picture book was born. The hatred for Mani and his sect was so great, that most of these picture books were destroyed and few fragments survive to this day. The Prophet himself was tortured in his lifetime. His religion is no concern of ours, but his skills as a painter are with us. The fame of the brush of Mani is there in every day use.

The interesting part is that Mani traveled all through the region. Some years he spent in Sind too. Later on with the Persian King Shahpur. Some accepted him, most rejected him, but his way of life was there for more than a 1000 years. His skills as a painter even more. We hear in our Islamic history Kings and Queens talking of the Brush of Mani, and it was not only true for patrons. It was more true for artists themselves who found themselves competing against the legend of Mani. After all Mani was the founder of Miniature painting. Persian history is full of talk of Mani. Even Nizami tells us tales of the competition between Greek and Chinese painters, as started by Alexander the Great. Of course Mani won the competition because he innovated things, which nobody thought of. In Pakistan today the legend of M.A. Rahman Chughtaiis there. If Mani had seen his works, he would have been delighted too. Of course M.A. Rahman Chughtai thought of Mani too, but as the Iranian Ambassador Manoucher Zelli said, we see in Chughtais works the direct inspiration of Kamal uddin Behzad. And Behzad is another story we must take in its stride. The region even today reverberates with the name and work of Behzad.

A British scholar Dr James Dickie in 1976 at the World of Islam Festival in London, wrote an article for the Times London. Dr Dickie was of the view that in certain respects M.A. Rahman Chughtai excels Behzad the Rembrandt of Islamic Art. More of that later.

LAHORIS TRYING TO SAVE THE DOORWAY OF THE BAGH OF JAHAN ARA,
WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING WHAT IT IS, A LITTLE RESEARCH REQUIRED.

The myth of Princess Zebun nisa attached to Chauburghi.
Princess Zebun nisa was an exceptional woman of her times. Whatever is known about her, points to her excellence in many directions. The most amazing thing was that she became a HAFIZUL QURAN at the mere age of seven years old and Aurangzeb was very pleased with her. The Diwan Makfi is touted as being her DIWAN, or collection of poetry but there is no proof of the same. In fact scholars have pointed out the Persian lady who came to Shah Jahan’s Court and had the nomenclature MAKFI attached to it. The attribution of Diwan of Makfi to Zebunnisa is only in 19th century. In fact history records the destruction of her own Diwan by a maid servant, when it fell into the well of the palace. These are known facts. Few portions of her poems survive in collections of that period.

Another amazing thing is that the touted MAUSOLEUM OF ZEBUN NISA in Nawan Kot is not hers at all. It is the mausoleum of an unknown courtier, for according to Mughal Architecture, it is a MALE BURIAL SITE and not that of a female at all. Dr Abdullah Chaghatai has researched it as being the Mausoleum of Haji Abdul Kareem (see his book Imkan Lahore). In fact the Mausoleum of Zebun nisa was in Delhi and when the Delhi Railway came into being, it was demolished by the British. Its inscription is in the Red Fort Museum and published by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in his monumental book ASAR SANADEED. In the same way the mention of a ZEBINDA BEGUM in the inscription of Chauburghi confuses people that it was the Bagh of Zebun nisa. It was not so.

Zebun nisa was born in 1047 AH (1638 AD), and the Bagh of Chauburghi was built in 1056 AH (1646 AD). That means Zebun nisa was only about seven to eight years old when the Bagh was built. That was certainly not possible. But we have clear evidence that the Bagh was that of Princess Jahan Ara and we have the testimony of people like Dara Shikoh, Chandar Brahman, and even Emperor Aurangzeb himself. The nomenclature of Jahan Ara was BEGUM SAHIBA and when she is referred as ZEBINDA BEGUM, it means that Begum Sahiba was responsible for giving ZEB and ZEENAT to the building.

The woman MIYAN BAI remains unidentified but she must have been a very important woman attached to Mughal Court. In fact MIYAN BAI built a small mosque in Ajmer in 1053 AH. But the story goes even further. When the Bagh was built, Jahan Ara asked the opinion of her Court lady on the Bagh itself. Miyan Bai replied that she could not conceive of it for it was beyond her capacity to have anything like that in real life. Jahan Ara was a woman of exceptional charity, and as an act of royalty, she BESTOWED THE BAGH OF JAHAN ARA TO THE LADY MAID. It means on the completion the Bagh, it was gifted to a maid servant by an exceptional lady and it says so on the gateway itself BESTOWED ON MIYAN BAI BY BEGUM SAHIBA (referred as Zebinda).

The British treated Mughal monuments as ruthlessly as the Sikhs. The Chauburghi gateway was a Post Office for a long time. It is a miracle that it survived, while the rest of the garden was razed to the ground by land grabbers of those days. Nothing has changed. Today’s bureaucracy is as ruthless as that of the past. The British went away, their arrogance stayed behind. Under this system protests does not matter. The system has to change by revolution itself. The civil society in Pakistan is too weak in its conception and can do nothing at all on its own.They would need man power and that man power is in one place only. That is the reality!

WHY WAS HALAKU KHAN MADE TO SET FIRE,
THE LIBRARY OF BAGHDAD, THE ARCHIVES OF ISLAM

A CONSPIRACY TO ERASE RECORD OF ISLAMIC WORKING

We have all heard of Halaku Khan barbarity in setting Baghdad on fire and the killing of the Caliph of Islam. But it makes us wonder about many things. The very man who destroyed Islamic Archives, in his very next generation, we see conversion to Islam. It is very strange that the victor takes up the way of life of the vanquished in this case. And generation after generation of Muslim rulers from the Halaku Khan’s blood. The Mongols knew the value of looted treasury of any kind. Why not save the best library in the world which included documentary record of the various Governments of Islam from the Prophet (Blessings be upon him) to that day. Even basic guesses can tell us that there was so much importance in the destruction.

Nasiruddin Tusi was adviser to Halaku Khan. An exceptional bibliophile and a scholar of repute to this day, why did he not stop Halaku from this carnage? Or was he part of that conspiracy too. In fact some manuscripts are known to have survived the destruction and recovered from the river banks. The aim was not the library, the aim was the records of the Islamic governments.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are as old as Prophet Jesus Christ itself. Even Quranic fragments have been discovered. So what the fuss about Islamic records? After all it was the instruction of the Holy Prophet (Blessings of Allah be upon him), that written record be kept of all transactions and doings. It was certainly kept. Sooner or later with the Caliphs, it must have been shifted to the archives of Baghdad. It was essential to destroy same so that different innovations be introduced through imagined and created stories about the past. With presence of documents, Islam would not be vulnerable to attacks from those who opposed Divine doctrines. Baghdad came under heavy attack from the Mongols. But after the destruction of the library at Baghdad, Islam came under the heaviest attacks from those who wanted to remove its pristine revolutionary concepts of life. Opposition thrived, and Islam suffered the most with the loss of this library of the past.

Fortunately the QURAN is intact and we need to go back to it. The message of Dr Allama Iqbal was exactly same. The sooner the ignorant Mullah is removed and the law of blasphemy should include tempering with the message of the Quran, Pakistan will stand tall again in the world.

THE SIKH PERSONALITY IS NO ONE THING
NOT GURU NANAK BUT GURU GOVIND SINGH

Easy to love, easy to irritate, a nation by itself

Quoting Sikh sources is best way of introducing things. A famous Sikh writer writes about Guru Govind Singh (1666-1708):

“From his writings it appears that he drew inspiration from martial deities lie Goddesses Chandi, Sri and Bhagwati. At the same time he ordered his followers to wear their hair and beards unshorn, having one name ‘Singh’ and carry other symbols of the Khalsa including a Kirpan.”

The present Identity of the Sikhs belong to Guru Govind Singh.

When did the conflict between the Muslims and the Sikhs actually start? It was in Emperor Jahangeer’s own words like this:

“There was a Hindu named Arjan in Gobindwal on the banks of the Beas River. Pretending to be a spiritual guide, he had won over as devotees many simple-minded Indian and even some ignorant, stupid Muslims by broadcasting his claims to be a saint. They called him guru. Many fools from all around had recourse to him and believed in him implicitly. For three or four generations they had been peddling this same stuff. For a long time I had been thinking that either this false trade should be eliminated or that he could be bought into the embrace of Islam. At length, when Khusraw passed by there, this inconsequential little fellow wished to pay homage to Khusraw. When Khusraw stopped at his residence, (Arjan) came out and had an interview with (khusraw). Giving him some elementary spiritual precepts picked up here and there, he made a mark with saffron on his forehead, which is called qashqa in the idiom of the Hindus and which they consider lucky. When this was reported to me, I realized how perfectly false he was and ordered him brought to me. I awarded his houses and dwellings and those of his children to Murtaza khan, and I ordered his goods and possessions confiscated and him executed. “

A political tale of that time. Let us for a moment forget about Guru Arjun. The date of his martyrdom by the Sikhs is given as 3rd June, and the day is important as a memory. Now let us shift gears to 3rd June, 1984, the day of his martyrdom. The scene the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The man sitting on a top level of the temple was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. An Indian journalist writes about this hero of the Sikhs:

“Maybe it was the mad gleam in his eyes, or the overconfidence with which he conveyed in no uncertain terms that he was supreme. He looked crafty, like a man who was exploiting his position to influence the gullible.”

In hundreds of years, the accusations bordered on the same. There is no dispute about Guru Arjan, but the position of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale is disputed. The word dreaded by India, namely KHALISTAN comes to mind. Operation BlueStar made the entire Sikh community realize that they were as vulnerable as ever.

Islam forbids criticism or accusations against other ways of life. No one has the right to look down upon others. For me Sikhs are splendid people. My father loved them and they loved my father. But history is dark with characters who hide behind Identities, but are simply depraved in their search of life. There are dacoits in Sikh history, and the Sikhs know that themselves. But we talk of Modern Sikhs in totality. The 19th and 20th century Sikhs are some of the best humans in history. Leaving aside their militant character, they carved an intellectual position for themselves. Bhai Vir Singh, Sardar Puran Singh, Sataryati Singh, Ishwar Singh, Sobha Singh, Sumer Singh, Khushwant Singh, and the likes, are legendary names in Sikh history. Surprisingly our family knew them all. When Sikhs refer to Al-Mighty as RAB, it pleases us, for we too call Allah as Rab. Our language and Culture intermingle at various places. Like Hindus and Muslims are two Nations, Sikhs are a Nation too, and they deserve a homeland of their own, to live their life according to their dictats. India should make a Vatican for them. Call it whatever you like. The Sikhs fondly call it Khalistan.

THE STINK OF THE POLITICAL SYSTEM IS UNBEARABLE

THE HURRICANE OF CHANGE WILL COME THROUGH DESTRUCTION

Which fool can still claim that the system will correct itself? That democracy can bring relief to an impoverished nation. The din of democracy is a curse for the nation. When Quaid e Azam himself rejected this system in speech and writing, who were the demagogues who went back to the relic of old times. Each election is a farce. The much touted 1970 election was a farce too, as it was engineered in that way. The great Cabal of the world not wishing to see the united East and West Pakistan becoming a power of the world. Even the election of Maharani Hasina Wajid was a farce too. We are ruled through the din of democracy, when democratic regimes of the world are destroyed at will. We all know how the Iranian regime in the past was destroyed, and there are many examples. If a leader is good for the country, he needs to be removed. Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan is a good example. Only the corrupt are given preferences to destroy the fiber of a nation. There are worldly laws, and there are Divine laws. The Quran says very clearly that ALLAH WILL NEVER ALLOW WRONG TO LAST FOR LONG.  Already the requiem of TAUBA given to our leaders is gone. Destruction awaits us!

Yes, destruction. Construction will only come after destruction. At least somebody will be there, if not us! When magnetic poles reverse, worldly destruction comes. There was a time when perhaps only a few hundred homo sapiens were left in the world. But this is the strength of humanity. In the war of survival they excel over all other beings. The resilience is ever great. And we know for sure that Pakistanis are a resilient nation. Only a fraction will survive but they will make Pakistan, Pakistan again.  I hope my children are there amongst them. Loyalty towards Ideology is the ultimate aim of humankind. The moronic aspect is true for other cadres including the slothy journalists of today. I am contented. I am not afraid of Allah’s wrath. I follow the way of Allah! My mind and body is at peace.

THE TRUDEAUS OF CANADA WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS
THROUGH LIBERALISM AND M.A. RAHMAN CHUGHTAI

Pierre Trudeau was very close to Pakistan

On the death of M.A. Rahman Chughtai on 17th January, 1975, we communicated with many Heads of State who condoled his death with us. One person we communicated was with Pierre Trudeau, who was the Prime Minister of Canada at that time. We communicated and we were surprised at his openness in expression with us. There was no red tape in his life. We sent him a copy of the book AMAL E CHUGHTAI, two collotypes Austrian by Max Jaffe of Chughtai Art and other things. He already knew about M.A. Rahman Chughtai as he was well versed with Pakistan even before that. One of the many letters we received gives his opinion about M.A. Rahman Chughtai as:

“Beautiful reproductions of Masterpieces of the greatest Islamic artist of this century”.

No small words coming from a Canadian Prime Minister. People may forget that there is already a painting of M.A. Rahman Chughtai in the National Gallery of Canada. People from Canada should go and check it there. It is there in their catalogue even on the Internet.

Prime Ministrer Pierre Trudeau did invite me to Canada, but unfortunately I was not in a position to go for a variety of reasons. The number one being that it was not in our budget to do so. For people with hard earned money, international travelling is never easy. It is our regret that we were not able to do so.

The advent of Justin Trudeau is restoring our faith in the liberalism of the West, even although Canada is a small part of it. Hate destroys the peace of the world. Love unites nations.

THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS OF HUMANKIND CAME WITH,

NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT PUTTING BODY TO REST

The world is on a strange line. Everywhere there seems to be glory in moving up and down, dancing to barbaric tunes and letting your body not even rest for a moment. The brain starts working when the body is at rest, when the person has an environment of silence to think and to ponder and to innovate other meanings of life., Of course a share of everything should be there but modern life is driving the youth to nuts. To rebellion of the strangest kind, that is being a REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE.

The theme was perfected by James Dean, the American screen icon of the 1950s. The idea that ‘girls just want to have fun’ or the boys are after only one thing in life, that is repeated seduction. These are the ideas that bring civilizations down, and it has happened n the past, and it will happen in the future. To inculcate in the young growing mind, the RESPONSIBILITY OF EXISTENCE, that Allah created humankind for a search through thinking and pondering, in finding the solutions to the problems of life.  The search for Utopia was not meant the Satanic relegation to the past.

The Mullah has taken us far away from the Quran,. but the so called Seculars have taken us far away from even thinking. Putting thought in anything leads to goodness. Thought brings virtue to limelight. Islam is the only WAY OF LIFE that encourages THINKING AND PONDERING as a DICTATION FROM ALLAH.  The rest rely on merely faith, even when the faith involves worship of statues. If you let serenity fill your mind, enjoy the bounties of Allah as your right, and move with humankind towards a better tomorrow. You have to have a moment of retrospect, to sit down and to contemplate life. Without that you are just a statue yourself in a dance riot. A chemical scientist was telling me that even the tiniest particles in life, the neurons around atoms are shy creatures. They are on their own  reacting to presence of other similar particles.  Life at that level or at our level, means one thing and one thing alone, thought leads to exploration where no man has gone before. An American saying goes that “Life is like licking a honey around a thorn’. Making that honey available for others is our way of life.