CHANGING NAMES AND INFERIORITY COMPLEX!

CHANGING NAMES AND INFERIORITY COMPLEX
COLONIAL BRITISH ON RAMPAGE

The derogation of regional society

A Deputy Director of LDA was looking at the files in front of him. He shared his views with me with a smirch. He said Pakistanis are strange people. Touch a building of British period and they are ready to die for it. Touch any other ancient building and they care nothing for it. He was very serious and I realized how active the NGOs lobbies were in protecting the interest of their Colonial Masters to this day. So much has been repeated and said that there is no need to rub salt on old wounds. But many things are quietly forgotten in time and a reminder is in order. A society in which the word ‘Mecca’ stands for a Gambling den, casino, and a strip -tease joint, cannot be offering goodwill to others. And no NGO has complained of this word still in use for same, nor for that matter any Maulvi of any kind.

Tipu Sultan the NAIK General
Tipu Sultan the NAIK General

While Lahore was weeping for the break up of the Ottoman Empire and Dr Allama Iqbal was consoling the masses, the British were naming their dogs as ‘Turk Sahib’. lts exhibiting real inferiority complex in those people. Today we resent the CHANGE OF NAMES being done, but what did the British do, change names to whatever suited them, like Lyallpur, Montgomery and what not?  Colonel Abdur Rasheed has written a memoir on Sultan Shaheed, Tipu Sultan of Mysore, who turns out to be as having migrated as a family from Punjab itself, was by ethnic race a NAIK and the British to affirm their poor complexes named the lowest rank in their Army as being a ‘NAIK’. But there is a lot more!

Take royal titles and names like Khansaman (cooks named as Khansamas), Mahtar (cleaners named as Mahtars), in fact all names of any worth degraded as nobodies. And take the costume. The dress of the Royal Courtiers and Nawabs made into the dress of chowkidars. The doormen were seen wearing Royal Mughal dresses. Funny isn’t it, with grand Turbans on their heads, opening doors for men in three piece suits. There is so much more.The Persian, Arabic and Urdu language degraded beyond recognition to this day.  The birth of Urdu-medium and English medium took place all at once.

Turk Sahib as a British dog
Turk Sahib as a British dog

But one summing up is even more acute. The well known English writer Michael Edwardes writes about the aftermath of the Mutiny in Delhi (our war of Independence):

“Perhaps the most revolting aspect of the violence was that the excecutioners seemed to enjoy what they were doing. Within a few days of the capture of the city, the provost marshal had officially hanged  between four and five hundred, and it as said on good authority that the soldiers had bribed the executioners ‘to keep them a long time hanging, as they liked to see the criminals dance a ‘PANDIES’ HORNPIPE, AS THEY TERMED THE DYING STRUGGLES OF THE WRETCHES. WHEN  GREAT MULTIPLE GALLOWS WAS ERECTED IN A SQUARE IN THE CITY, ENGLISH OFFICERS USED TO SIT BY IT, PUFFING AT THEIR CIGARS, AND LOOK ON AT THE CONVULSIVE STRUGGLES OF THE VICTIMS.’

And to beat it all tea parties were held and bets were made as to who will blow his hornpipe the longest. Can such callousness ever be repeated?

The whole nation is in turmoil right now and their hornpipes are shrieking with pain of struggle to survive. Is anyone listening!

THE GENEROSITY OF A LAHORI!

THE GENEROSITY OF A LAHORI
GIFTING A COMPLETE CITY AWAY
GIFT OF WAZEERABAD

An unbelievable story for Guinness Book of Records

Mirza Izzad Baksh
Mirza Izzad Baksh

A literary professor of Wazeerabad was roaming around the city in 1947. The city was in turmoil, and the effects of partition were visible all around. Ahmad Hussain Qureshi came across scattered manuscripts, documents, property records outside the havelli of the Diwans of Wazeerabad, namely Kirpa Ram Chopra, and Thakur Dass. Kirpa Ram was also once the Prime Minister of Jammu under the Mahrajah of that time. Both the Diwans were much loved in Wazeerabad, and had a huge Muslim following with them. Various poets of the area had written Qasidas praising both the Diwans. The famous Qasida in honour of Thakur Dass is most famous for its depth, written by Qazi Khuda Baksh. Everything was well.

Nawab Izzad Baksh was the direct descendant of Nawab Wazeer Khan of Emperor Shah Jahan. He was the last male descendant. His daughter went ahead and married Chajju Baig, a tenant of the mosque of Wazeer Khan in Lahore. Izzad Baksh also had a room of his own in the mosque. The Mutavallis were different as well as the family of the Imams. A long story. Going back to Nawab Wazeer Khan, whose real name according to old records, was Ali-ud-din, the history observed him as a shrewd gentleman. It is said that no transaction was made in Lahore in which he did not get a percentage. Of all the things he did, he founded the city of Wazeerabad. That is why it is still named after him. Although portions were owned by others (sold with time), the bulk of the city was that of the Nawab himself. And most of the city was owned in the 1850s by Nawab Izzad Baksh, the direct descendant of Nawab Wazeer Khan.

Nawab Izzad Baksh was totally dissatisfied with his son-in-law Chajju Baig, who had not only seduced his daughter by sending love messages, but also stolen all the relevant documents from the mosque itself as well as his home in the Serai of Wazeer Khan in Lahore, which is seen to have existed till 1904 at least. He was not interested in transferring his entire wealth to this shrewder than any shrewd gentleman. The result he decided to gift the wealth to those he actually loved. And Thakur Dass was his favourite friend.

From the pile of ‘RADI’ (waste) on the floor, Ahmad Hussain Qureshi picked a up a Registration deed to the city of Wazeerabad. It was a gift made by Nawab Izzad Baksh to Diwan Thakur Dass. It was witnessed by two important people, Hakeem Qaleem-ullah and Sarfraz Janjua of Wazeerabad. The deed was dated Bhadon 1904 Samvat or about August, 1852 AD. The deed was recorded as the transfer made in the Official Property Record of the Municipality of Wazeerabad. A COMPLETE CITY HAD BEEN GIVEN AS A GIFT FROM A MUSLIM NAWAB TO A HINDU DIWAN.

And yet there is more. The records of Lahore High Court shows a judgement made by a learned British judge around 1862. After the death of Nawab Izzad Baksh, Chajju Baig went to court to try to recover the gift made by his father-in-law. It was an act of desperation. The Judge passed the judgement which is still on record that A GIFT ONCE GIVEN CANNOT BE TAKEN BACK. Chajju Baig had lost the case of Wazeerabad.

All is is on official record and it is a fascinating story and worth writing again and again. But busy in the stress of our lives, we fail to see the stress already seen by previous generations. The attitude of Muslims did not delve in bigotry, and they were open to other ways of life.

THE ISLAMIC HINDUS OF LAHORE!!!

THE ISLAMIC HINDUS OF LAHORE
KHARBOSA DEKH KAY KHARBOSA RANG PAKARTA HAI

A tale you will find nowhere else!

Hindu Slave boy Ghaznavid figurine
Hindu Slave boy Ghaznavid figurine

There is a saying in our culture. It says ‘Kharbosa dekh kay kharbosa rang pakarta hai’, which is plainly saying that if you put a melon , near another melon, that melon picks up the colour of the other melon. Lahore has always been a Muslim city, proven by documentation as well as archaeology. The mythical Lahore of a Hindu city, if it ever existed has not been discovered yet. And certainly somewhere else. The Muslims brought in their culture here with the advent of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi, although it is said that Arab quarters existed here even before that. The culture of the Sultans as well as the Mughals certainly effected the heart and minds of the Hindus which started co-existing with their Muslim companions here. Baihaqi (historian 11th century) talks of the Hindu Slave boys brought here, and how they were very much loved and pampered by the people. It was natural that cultures get through people with love and affection.

An Anarkali curio dealer, the late Manzoor Hussain Sahib was a man of many dimensions. He rang me one day of a Quran (plain, not decorated) which had been brought by a Pathan, residing in Qaiser Hotel Lahore. There was nothing special about the calligraphy, but it was written by a Hindu calligrapher of Lahore. Manzoor Sahib was reluctant about it, for he thought in terms of blasphemy, but I was very excited about it. I gave him permission to buy it, but the Pathan vendor slipped away, and our library was never able to acquire it. Of course there were many manuscripts being written in Lahore in Persian and Arabic by Hindu calligraphers, as proven by their presence. A number of QITAS are also there with Hindu names on it. I was offered a ‘Masnavi Maulana Rum’, written in Lahore, by a Hindu in Aurangzeb’s time. So much for the so called bigotry of Aurangzeb Alamgeer. And that was not enough!

We hear of a Kalyan Mimar son of Hira Mimar of Lahore making Islamic buildings in Aurangzeb’s time. The name is mentioned in many official documentation. Mausoleums as well as mosques were in his preview. Other Hindu Mimars were attached to the famous Ustad Ahmad Mimar’s family in Lahore, and attested to their involvement in Mughal buildings. The name of Hindu supervisors and administrators like Haibat Rai even refer to the construction of the Mausoleum of Rabia Durrani, wife of Aurangzeb Alamgeer at Aurangabad in Hyderabad Deccan. The architect was Attaullah Rushdi but the supervisor was Haibat Rai. But there is more!

Naatia Mushaira 1875 AD
Naatia Mushaira 1875 AD

Masjid Wazeer Khan Mosque Lahore was a scene of many MUSHAIRAS (poetry reading groups) and there is record of many such events in the mosque itself. One event is particularly recorded and published in book form. It is a mushaira known as NAATIA MUSHAIRA, which is a group of poets of the area, reciting their poems in praise of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). The said event is dated in 1875 AD, and records the name and poetic outlets of about 25 poets. Names as well as poems are given. All in praise of the prophet, and all such poems are called ‘NAATS’. The surprising part is that there are two Hindu names in it. The poet TARA HALWAI (of Chowk of the Masjid) with the poetic name of ‘Tara’, and ARORA RAI, known as ‘Rai’. Two Hindus of Lahore reciting poems in praise of the Muslim prophet. Incredible isn’t it!

M.A. Rahman Chughtai used to talk of his dear friend MALIK RAM, who was a resident of Chabuk Sawaran Lahore, too. With other boys, Malik Ram, received his Quranic teaching at the Masjid Mulla Ghous ( same place where Mirza Ghulam Qadiani met Baba Hiyadatullah) as well as the Chinay wali masjid in the same area. Malik Ram was very proud of those days and being a literary giant, has written about those days and his Quranic education. It was in the same spirit that the famous singer Lata Mangeskar sang a NAAT for the film Mughal-e-Azam in her full spiritual candour. These incredible incidents of Lahore remain unrecorded and most interesting for future of our two countries.

QASIM AND LADI – A ROMANCE OF SIND

QASIM AND LADI
A ROMANCE OF SIND
All is fair in love and war

Muhammad Bin Qasim Masjid
Muhammad Bin Qasim Masjid

Everyone has heard about the story of the advent of Islam in this region. And everyone has their own view on it. Obviously for us Muslims, Muhammed bin Qasim is the hero, not because he was a Muslim, but he came in form of undoing wrongs committed here. The Muslim women who had requested to be rescued and how they were rescued by this young man, a mere 17 years old. Many ethnically bound here equate Dahir as their hero, for limited ethnic reasons. Here Qasim was the good guy, and it can be judged from his behavior here. No less that the people of SIND worshiped him as a hero and made a life size statue of him in the chowk of their major city. But here we are talking of a love affair.

The Queen of Sind was love smitten by the looks of Chach. Chach was father of Raja Dahir. Ladi was a product of a love affair. Astrologers had predicted that Raja Dahir’s sister LADI would marry a man, who would rule Sind with full might. A superstitious Raja Dahir ended the speculation by marrying his sister himself, to become that all powerful ruler. But that was not to be so.

Raja Dahir had given instructions for all the ladies of the Royal harem and wives of the courtiers to be beheaded immediately if defeat of the Hindu army was imminent. Warriors watched over these ladies and when the news came of their defeat, the slaughter of the Hindu ladies started by the Hindus themselves. Ladi threw herself from her camel onto those on the ground who were meant to behead her, and in this ruse, they were dazzled to the extent, that it gave time to Arabs to save Ladi from slaughter. The captors took her in their possession.

Pir Pattho - Muhammad Bin Qasim Fort  tower
Pir Pattho – Muhammad Bin Qasim Fort tower

Muhammed bin Qasim found out about the capture of Ladi, and sought permission from the Caliph in purchasing her from her captors (laws governed behavior). When the permission came, he bought her and made her his wife. The prediction was coming true. Ladi had seen the softness in the looks of Qasim, and Qasim had seen the demure of this exceptional lady. It seems love had happened at first sight.

The Chach-nama gives us flashes of incidents here and there. It also give us a flash of a sister of Raja Dahir ‘Bai’ burning herself and all the other ladies in a fire ritual in a room. It is not clear if Ladi and Bai are two characters or same persons. The death of the lady Bai is mysterious.

We are also told about how Ladi confused the warriors outside the ramparts by mounting a camel and in black dress going for a ride. It was considered a deliberate tactic in favour of the Arabs. If Chach nama had survived in full, we would have had all the information required, but even in the annals of one of the greatest battles in the history of the region, it is intermersed with a love story. The love story of Qasim and Ladi. The end is not known, nor we hear of their children. But it is a ballad for folk singers for all times.

ARMS AND AMMUNITION OF LAHORE – A forgotten story

ARMS AND AMMUNITION OF LAHORE
A WORLD CENTRE OF MANUFACTURE
A forgotten story

Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi set the pattern by naming the newly founded city by the name of Mahmudpur, over the remains, or besides the remains, or even on a new site, of the so called Laur, the name and pronounciation of which is still uncertain to this day. We do know that the area was called Mandkukar before that, and it was a market of chickens, founded by the exiled giant of Bashan, known as LA-NGA the nau-guzza of Lahore. We are also told by the historian Baihaqi (in the known volumes rest lost), how Sultan Mahmud gave the task to Malik Ayaz, to make Lahore, one of the grandest city of all times. In many quarters Ayaz is crediting as having founded Lahore, and the love for him is so great in the hearts of the people of Lahore, that they still celebrate his anniversary, and have made a new mausoleum for him in the narrow lanes of the city.

Ghauri Atish huka Grenade
Ghauri Atish huka Grenade

Of course Lahore is a city of culture but there is so much more to it. One aspect not usually written is that it was a world centre for manufacture of arms and ammunition. Baihaqi gives us a list of about 200 different professions of whose specialists were invited to make Lahore, Lahore. And the most important ones it seemed were the gunsmiths who came to Lahore from far away, including Ghazni, the capital of Sultan Mahmud. To this day we have streets in Lahore named after gun-makers (banduk-sazs), bow-makers (teer-garan), and sword makers (talawaran). The swords of Lahore were world famous and people used to come from all over the world to buy swords. So does the industry of bows and arrows, and guns. Many swords and guns used by Mughal Kings and Princes were made in Lahore. Dara Shikoh’s sword was made in Lahore as attested by the inscription on it, to this day. The swords were continuously manufactured till the British banned their making in Lahore. There are swords in our house made in Lahore in the times of the late Mughals, as well as British times, in the Landa Bazaar, Lahore. A sword was presented to my cousin’s husband, also made in Landa Bazaar, Lahore. It seems casting was going on in the Serai of Sultan, the casting area of Lahore.

Zamazamah gun
Zamazamah gun

Lahore was famous for its LOHARS, blacksmiths, and the mohalla of Lohars exist in the city to this day. On such famous gunsmith was SHAH NAZEER, who was gunsmith to Mir Mannu, the Governor of Lahore. Ahmad Shah Abdalli was impressed with the manufacture capacity of Lahore, and ordered two cannons here, in 1757 AD. Made by Shah Nazeer, one got lost in a river bed, the other passed through many hands. It was called Zam-zamah, and made famous by Rudyard Kipling, as the gun, on which his character Kim sat in Lahore. At a dimension of 14 feet and a 4 1/2 inches, and a bore of 9 1/2 inches, it is considered as the biggest cannon made in Lahore. We are told that for its manufacture, a utensil each, came from all the houses in Lahore, some of which were volunteered, and some which were a result of order.

Ghauri Missile
Ghauri Missile

Lahore was also a city of bombs, or hand grenades. At most diggings, remains of ATISH-HUKAS or hand bombs come out. Many of these are highly decorated, and a certain sign is on them, signifying DANGER symbol of that period. But some are very imaginatively shaped in FISH form, and these are beautiful bombs to behold. Museum pieces in all ways. Horse riders used to throw them on the gate way of Forts, or those were throw from the ramparts of forts to attackers below the walls. Many times Lahore was on the brink of falling and held itself against attack. At times through negotiation Lahore was saved. And at other times Lahore was ransacked, and left to the vultures. Lahore was a deserted city, till the Syed brothers inhabited it again in 1420 AD. So Lahore has seen it ups and downs. And when this activity was banned in Lahore,the gunsmiths of Lahore migrated to the Tribal belt on the Afghan border, where they still manufacture arms and ammunition to this day.

It is said that Lahore was named after the discovery of Iron, as ‘Loha’ and ‘Lohars’ and that is why it was called Loharpur. Another funny tit-bit of history is that Changez Khan himself was a blacksmith, and his children were ‘Lohars’.The casting was done in its entire history and even today the Loha mandi near Sultan ke Serai does the same.

EMPOWERMENT OF ANARCHY

EMPOWERMENT OF ANARCHY
INFIGHTING IN SOCIETY
The Strange ways of dividing Planet Earth

Love of humanity

FamilyThe Judeo-Christian-Muslim traditions brought in empowerment of humanity. An egalitarian world that was not seen before. Equality of humankind with responsibilities. And then the structure which bound society was attacked and the FAMILY became a sign of ridicule in the modern world. To engender more and more friction and boiling, various empowerment formulas were tried again and again. Empowerment of women, empowerment of homosexuals, empowerment of zyphiliacs (an official count was made in Germany of people who confessed to having sex with their dogs which ran into hundreds of thousands), empowerment of criminals (by reducing all sentences possible to a joking minimal), empowerment of concepts like the Devil, Vampires and hate-mongers. A survey said that ‘God has done nothing for mankind as compared to the Devil who is human friendly’. Empowerment of nudity with nude beaches. Empowerment of groups which had Piss and Shit parties (this is not a joke). And what not?

LoveThe end scheme is to break in humanity in total. To interfere in family life, where a young child can take the parents to court for reprimanding him, where a husband can be booked for assault if he makes a pass at his wife, in name of rape. The world goes hungry, people are dying by thousands, war decimating millions, and yet newer and newer moves on the dance platform, catwalks, with girls continuously being undressed to the minimum. Pole dancers swinging their butts on rock hard steel poles to please the voyeuristic in man. Newer and newer drugs to take advantage of human beings and call them, ‘Ecstasy’ like things. Alcoholic content of drinks being increased to the level where man can stop thinking and using his brain. Bollywood excels in the ridiculous and most vulgar sex jerks, which even puts Elvis Presley to shame.

The Quran tells us to think and ponder. The media presents two extremes to engender a high rating. The normal people of the world missed in all parleys. It is not time to empower ANARCHY. It is time of EMPOWER HUMANITY again. The King Midas should sacrifice their collected trillions and spend them on the welfare of mankind to make the world not only a happier place but PARADISE itself. An if not, then it is time for people to rise and assert their presence on Planet Earth.

CALIPH OF ISLAM IN DELHI – Part 2

CALIPH OF ISLAM IN DELHI
PRAYERS AT JAMIA MASJID AJMERE
A story of a forgotten incident

Dai Din ka jhonpara Jamia Masjid Ajmere
Dai Din ka jhonpara Jamia Masjid Ajmere

The contact between Sultan Iltutmish and the Caliph of Islam was in 1226-1229 AD. Awfi and Juzjani as well as others have written about same. The grandest reception possible was given to Al Mustansar Billa who was Caliph of that time. Besides the unforgettable welcome given to the Caliph, the emphasis on the JAMIA MASJID AJMERE, called the ‘Dhai Din ka Jhnopara’. This grandest of mosques was constructed by Sultan Iltutmish in two and a half days, a feat considered impossible with the size and magnitude of the mosque. But those people did it and it is called the same to this day. But the most amazing part is that a SEVENTH ARCHED FRONT was made in honor of the Caliph of Islam Al-Mustansar Billa, and THE SAID CALIPH IS REPUTED TO HAVE SAID HIS PRAYERS IN THE MOSQUE IN 1229 AD. IT WAS A BLESSINGS ETERNAL FOR INDO-PAKISTANI REGION as the world leader of Islam was in this region and hosted by the Sultan, and set the state for the amalgamation of Muslim efforts all over the world. It seemed the UMMA was getting together at that time.
The forgotten incident is recorded here and there and comes in some modern texts too.

Jamia Masjid Ajmere
Jamia Masjid Ajmere

A CALIPH OF ISLAM IN DELHI – Part1

A CALIPH OF ISLAM IN DELHI?
AL-MUSTANSAR, MAUTASIM AND SULTAN ILTUTMISH

Abbassid Caliph
Abbassid Caliph

Sultan Iltutmish became one of the most strong rulers of Muslim India. A son in law of Qutub-ud-din Aibeg (Flaming Star of Lahore). the rule of Iltutmish was phenomenal. And all sought the patronage of the Caliphs of Islam. Different versions are given by different writers, here particularly Minhaj al-Juzjani and Awfi. This is related to 1226, 1227 and 1228 AD. Here Mautasim is touted as the Caliph of Islam but we are told that Mautasim became Caliph in 1242 and his rule ended in 1258. The Caliph at that time was Al-Mustansar, the father of Maustasim.

Awfi tells us:
“One of the manifestations of the grandeur and elegance of Sultan Shams-ud-din Abul Muzaffar Iltutmish, is that costly gifts were sent to the exalted court of the Caliph in Baghdad. NONE OF THE PRECEDING KINGS HAD EVER DISPATCHED SO MANY AND COSTLY GIFTS TO THE CALIPH (AS HE DID). IN RETURN THE CALIPH SENT A STANDARD, RING, VEST, A SPECIAL TURBAN, SADDLED CAMELS, ARABIAN HORSES, AND ROBES OF HONOR FOR THE SULTAN, THE PRINCES, AND THE DIGNITARIES OF THE COURT. ALL THIS MAY BE CONSIDERED A PROUD PRIVILEGE.”

Historians tell us the importance of the arrival of the Caliph of Baghdad himself in Delhi. Magnificent arrangements were made, as a guard of honor was given to the visitors by the Army of Iltutmish. Royal arrangements were plenty, including the making of a special painting of Sultan Iltutmish in the main hall of the reception of the palace, based on the Chinese tradition of painting. Delhi rocked with honor and pleasure in receiving the Caliph of Islam. Various details are given at various places.

The Sultans of Delhi sought patronage of the Caliphs of Islam and volunteered obeisance to them all the time. Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi had received a title from the Caliph of Islam. But the might of the Caliphs were on the verge of decline. In 1258 AD, Halaku Khan wiped out Caliph Maustasim, as well as Baghdad from the face of the Earth. Earlier he had dealt this deadly blow to the might of the Ismaelis, by erasing the old man on the mountain and his assassins too. When change comes to passive people, the change is thorough and complete.

This remains one of the most interesting note in the region of Indo-Pakistan. There are other stories too, but in its entire depth, this story remains phenomenal to this day. And it deserves more research.

2012 END OF THE WORLD 2015 END OF PAKISTAN HA! HA! HA!

2012 END OF THE WORLD
2015 END OF PAKISTAN
HA! HA! HA!

Pakistani flag Rising CrescentDoomsday stories are in the psyche of man. Ever since the world knew cognition, there were these old embittered disgruntled persons, whose mouth could utter literally bullshit. One comes across Maulvis in our culture who are always talking about the unbearable hazards of the first night in the grave. ‘QABAR KA AZAB’. It seems they already died and came back to report to us. Surely they must know what they are destined to face in the grave. In old chronicles we hear of these soothsayers predicting the end of the world. We are told that looneys like these roamed even in the Old West in the United States from town to town spreading unnecessary filth about tomorrow. Every culture it seems have men like these. And then there are those who tells us direct from mythology what the god Hades is going to do to us in the other world.

Some stories even have morals. In our culture we are told of an old woman who lived next to the house of a prostitute. She would throw a stone in a clay vessel for every visitor to the house of the lady, and kept a count of wrong doings of others. And when she died, she found that the prostitute had been forgiven by Allah, but not she herself. Her mistake relishing the wrong of others. Allah does not like this kind of holy attitude. But all this is fancy, imagination gone wild.

The Quran forbids speculation about the doomsday scenarios. We are told that no one knows the future. Everything works under certain Law. A Law of Physics tell us that to every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the same way is Allah’s Law of Mukufat. A good deed is rewarded with good consequences, a bad deed is punished with bad consequences. And Allah proclaims that if you do not have faith in this LAW, then you miss being a Muslim all together. And Allah defines TAQDEER for us. If you place the seeds of a mango tree in a ground, you can expect a Mango tree. Nothing else. That is Taqdeer. There is no destiny. What (many things alien to Islam) the Maulvis so wrongly preach (and that is a lot of things) is yes, bullshit. A load of crap aired on the media all the time. The Iqballian concept is your destiny is the way you tackle life itself. The result of your efforts. You are your destiny.

The world did not end in 2012, although we were bombarded with so much on every kind of media. Pakistan is not going to end in 2015. We do not know the future. But we know Allah’s assertion. That Allah will never destroy a nation, as long as there is even one person trying to save it. I am here always! And yes, I am not the only one. There are many many others. When Krishna Menon was India’ambassador to Pakistan (now foreign secretary), I told him that the flame of Quaid’s Pakiastan is still burning, and will never be extinguished. India has pumped millions to the Baloch feudal lords, but although Balochs are probably just 4% of the population, a good many of them know the machinations of foreign powers. They know that once the job is done, the traditional saying is heard. “JO APNI KOM KA NA BANA, WO HAMARI KOM KA KESAY BANAY GA”. ‘A person who is not loyal to his nation, will never be loyal to ours’. The British understood this well. The Indians have to learn it by now. If you dig grave of others, your own grave may have already been dug. PAKISTAN FOREVER!

AMERICA, KUFI STONES AND ISHRAT HUSSAIN ZUBERI

AMERICA, KUFI STONES AND ISHRAT HUSSAIN ZUBERI
A survey of Red Indian tents

Ishrat Hussain Zuberi was a Pakistani intellectual of his times. Well read and cultured, he was a man of many facets. I recently came across a book written by him on English literature, and was impressed by his command of an alien subject. He was a visitor to the Chughtai Artist Home too, and did a lot of things, which had Chughtai Art in it. A long time back I read an article by him in the newspaper ‘Dawn’ but had misplaced it with time, and was glad, that on my request, Hameed Haroon was kind enough to provide me a copy of it. The subject was sensational for me, as it referred to Stone Inscriptions he found in the a museum in United States, which were in the Kufic script. We all know that Kufic script was relevant to Islamic civilization in the times of the Prophet (PBUH) himself as well as the Caliphs of Islam.

Zuberi Sahib was travelling in the United States, when the Curator of a museum referred to inscription on stones found in Red Indian tents and dwellings. The script was not deciphered by the museum authorities and Zuberi Sahib was asked to comment on them. These antique stones, at least 1200 years old or so, had strange writings on them. Zuberi Sahib found the script to be KUFIC and belonging to Islamic Civilization of the Arab region. The writings referred to MUHAMMED (PBUH) and ALLAH. It literally swept the imagination of Zuberi Sahib and all those who read his article.

The knowledge is more common now. Professor Barry Fell of Harvard University did research on the same subject. Prof Fell had discovered Kufic inscriptions on the walls of mountains in Colorado, New Mexico and Indiana. He found documents, writings, drawings and relics establishing the presence of Islam in America in the 650s. He found that the Red Indian tribes like Iroquois, Algonquin, Anasazi, Hohokan and Olmecs were probably descendant from these Arab ancestors. The Olmecs themselves are subjects of international studies for their unique ethnic background, different from other American groups. Prof Fell even discovered a rock in Nevada, which had the writing in Kufic ‘In the name of God’, written on it. A Mayan rock with the inscription ‘Yassu son of Maryiam’ was also found. Remains of schools, mosques have been found with time and are discussed in various forums.

The resentment to this knowledge is also very much there and many Americans tend to ridicule all such research, but instead of combating it with literal explanations, prejudice remains, and outright statements are made. But there is more proof of another nature.

Al-Masudi's world map 956
Al-Masudi’s world map 956

Abul Hassan Al-Masudi made a trip in a ship from Muslim Spain in 889 and wrote about it in 956. He describes an unknown land, which he had visited with others, and the description fits the description of America to the ultimate degree. And then there is the famous Piri Reis map drawn in 1513 from various sources. It seems that the knowledge of Columbus Christopher was based on maps belonging to Islamic sources. The Piri Reis map is a slap on the face of those who rejected the initial evidence. So who discovered Christopher Columbus? Certainly not him and his rogue Spaniards, who could only bring mayhem to America, including slaughter of innocent people as well as diseases like syphilis to a virgin land. So believe it or not, America is indebted to Islam in more ways than one.

Piri Reis map
Piri Reis map