Surah Al-Furqan

وَٱتَّخَذُواْ مِن دُونِهِۦۤ ءَالِهَةً۬ لَّا يَخۡلُقُونَ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا وَهُمۡ يُخۡلَقُونَ وَلَا يَمۡلِكُونَ لِأَنفُسِهِمۡ ضَرًّ۬ا وَلَا نَفۡعً۬ا وَلَا يَمۡلِكُونَ مَوۡتً۬ا وَلَا حَيَوٰةً۬ وَلَا نُشُورً۬ا

Yet have they taken, besides Him, gods that can create nothing but are themselves created; that have no control of hurt of good to themselves; Nor can they control Death nor Life nor Ressurrection.

This verse demolishes false gods and the belief in such false gods. Not only this, but this verse combined with the two pervious verses proves any book and any guidance other than God's to be without any true authority and value. How is it that mankind can rely on the words of those who don't have the power to create but are helpless themselves and are in need of their Creator? How can we be influenced by those who cannot even cause any good or harm to themselves, outside the dominion of Allah(swt)? They do not have the power to cause death, to give life, or to ressurrect so how is it that we turn to them before Allah(swt)?!

If we slightly tilt our 'heads' and look at this verse from a different angle, we see the same theme I discussed in my last post. This verse, like the previous one, shows us Who God is: He creates everything but is not created Himself; He has all control of harm and good; He dominates the realms of Death, Life, and Ressurection! If we really let the reality of Who Allah (swt) is, sink into our hearts, the more amazed we will be at having this Blessed Furqan or Qur'an. One of the things that really hit it home for me were a few pictures that came to mind. I saw a man reaching the end of his life, his soul leaving his body and he lays their lifeless...anytime this occurs anywhere, God is behind it. I saw a beautiful child opening his eyes to this world for the first time...the miracle and other-worldiness of of birth...anytime it happens, God is behind it. And again when we are brought back to life, Allah (swt) will have total control over it and He will be its True Cause. After taking this all in, I went back to the first verse and I could see even more clearly what it means to have received this Furqan, because it is that same One that is behind its revelation. "Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition for the worlds."

Surah Al-Furqan

سُوۡرَةُ الفُرقان

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

تَبَارَكَ ٱلَّذِى نَزَّلَ ٱلۡفُرۡقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبۡدِهِۦ لِيَكُونَ لِلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ نَذِيرًا

Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion to His servant, that it may be an adominition for the worlds.

This is the first verse after bismillah of Suratul Furqan. Abdullah Yusuf Ali comments on the word 'tabaraka' as follows: "the root meaning is 'increase' or 'abundance'. Here that aspect of God's dealing with His creatures is emphasized, which shows His abundant goodness to all His creatures, in that He sent the Revelation of His Will, not only in the unlimited Book of Nature, but in a definite Book in human language, which gives clear directions and admonitions to all. The English word 'blessed' hardly conveys that meaning..." To put this into my own words and perhaps to add a shade of meaning, it seems that Allah (swt) is telling us that He is Blessed because of His revealing this Furqan. Meaning, this revelation of The Criterion as an admonition to humanity manifests or shows us the Magnanimity and Greatness of Allah (swt). An additional note on this verse is the use of the word 'Alameen. 'Alam is a singular world. 'Alameen is the plural of world and hence worlds. Some food for thought is what does the use of this word here imply? It is a Criterion for the worlds. Perhaps, the Qur'an is serving as a Criterion for more than humanity.


ٱلَّذِى لَهُ ۥ مُلۡكُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَمۡ يَتَّخِذۡ وَلَدً۬ا وَلَمۡ يَكُن لَّهُ ۥ شَرِيكٌ۬ فِى ٱلۡمُلۡكِ وَخَلَقَ ڪُلَّ شَىۡءٍ۬ فَقَدَّرَهُ ۥ تَقۡدِيرً۬ا

He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: no son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominon: It is He Who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions.

Upon reading and absorbing this next verse I was able to see the previous verse in a clearer light. Referring back to my previous comment, Allah (swt) starts by connecting His being Blessed with His sending the Furqan. This next verse elaborates on Who exactly is Allah (swt). "He to Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth..." Let me repeat this in other words so that the meaning reaches our hearts. Essentially, Allah (swt) is the One to whom everything belongs. There is not a thing in existence that is outside of His dominion and does not belong to Him. Every particle of existence is His and belongs to Him! Given this reality, let us reflect on the first verse. Is it not true that "Blessed is He Who sent down the Furqan" because the One Who sent down this distinguishing light is the Owner of all things in the heavens and the earth?!?! Such a Being has sent us guidance! The greatness of this gift of the Qur'an is infinitely more realized when we begin to sense Who it is exaclty that sent down this guidance. To expand on this idea I will continue with this verse. "...no son has He begotten, nor has He a partner in His dominion..." Allah (swt) has no like and cannot be compared to anyone or anything. He is beyond our human limitations and it is impossible for Him to conceive a son. Furthermore, Allah's (swt) ownership is absolute and noone and nothing shares in his domination and ownership of the entirety of existense. He has exclusive ownership. As these realities sink in our hearts, let's return to the prior verse which becomes even clearer..."Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion". Wow! It is this Allah (swt) that sent it. The verse ends with "...It is He Who created all things, and ordered them in due proportions". The Creator of everything in existence without the exception of anything has sent us Al-Furqan. So I repeat: Indeed, "Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition for the worlds."

New Pursuit

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim.

I want to endeavour to share my thoughts on the book of the Creator of the universe, the Holy Qur'an. I am not sure where this pursuit will take me exactly. As of now, some ideas are flowing through me with regards to a general direction. I will be trying to express what I see as I read the words and the meaning that hits my heart. This will be combined with the thoughts and ideas of others who have sought to understand the Qur'an. I will also share personal experiences or experiences of others that have to do with certain verses of the Qur'an. This will be a portal of reflection on this Grand Book and in no way an authoritative explanation. In reality, the only authoritative explation of this book is with Allah (swt), and Allah (swt) is the only true Authority. With that I seek refuge with Him from the accursed one and pray for His protection from anything that may hinder this endeavour towards anything outside of His pleasure. I will begin with the 25th chapter, Suratul Furqan or The Criterion.

To start with the title of the chapter itself, Al-Furqan or The Criterion is another name for the Holy Qur'an as many of us Muslims are aware of. What is the meaning of the word criterion? It is that which allows you to distinguish one thing from another. It is a kind of measuring scale and standard which makes things clear through separation. Abdullah Yusuf Ali in his translation of the Holy Qur'an comments on this word by saying, "That by which we can judge clearly between right and wrong...we can distinguish between the true and false by God's Light, especially between righteousness and sin." The question I want to pose to us is that if this Book is indeed The Criterion that distinguishes between good and evil, why is it that sometimes we question ourselves regarding what is right and wrong? Sometimes, we are not sure what is the correct moral action and what isn't. To examine it from another angle, if we want to distinguish between the truth and falsehood with regards to all the ideologies of Islam that exist today, why is the Qur'an not sufficient? I think it is safe to say that this Qur'an should clarify, within every soul, what is right and what is wrong. It should make our vision clear. All of these ideas are derived from the simple fact that this Book is Al-Furqan or The Criterion. I am not shedding doubt on the power of this Holy Book to manifest it's reality which is to serve as Al-Furqan for humanity. Instead, what I am suggesting is that perhaps we have not been able to access this Qur'an in such a manner that it is able to fulfill it's purpose within us; to be Al-Furqan within us such that truth and falsehood become clear. The Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything in between, Allah (SWT), has called this Qur'an, Al-Furqan, The Criterion. Therefore, there can be no doubt in this reality of its ability to allow us to see clearly what is true and what is not. We, as Muslims, should strive to reach this reality so we can see with our own heart's eye how appropriately Allah(swt) has named His book, Al-Furqan.

Salaat

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim

I begin in the name of Allah, The Compassionate, The Merciful.

It has been quite some time since I last wrote but I was inspired to write again. The topic, as the title of this enry indicates, is Salaat. For some time now, I have felt it difficult to concentrate during Salaat. Although, there are times where there is a heightened connection that brings much needed coolness to the heart. Most of the times, there is not a strong connection. Much has been said about prayers not being reduced to a ritual. The difficult and frustrating challenge is how do we go about making it more than that? How do we progress in this regard and how can we measure our improvement. There is no doubt that the road is infinite when it comes to reaching proximity to Allah (swt). To know and apply the secrets of Salaat is like a gateway to this end. In all honesty, I do not know the answer to the questions I've posed. My intention, by this entry, is to remind myself and others of the importance of this great act with the hopes of improving the quality of my Salaat the next time that I stand to pray. One thing I've always wanted is to atleast reach a level where my concentration is consistent. Once I've achieved this, I have a sort of platform to work off of. This is the first step and challenge in my mind. In any case, I will present a few narrations and Qur'anic verses that will, insh'Allah, inspire us towards this goal.

"When you face the qiblah, you should despair of this world, what it contains of creation and what others are occupied with. Empty your heart of every preoccupation which might distract you from Allah (swt). See the immensity of Allah (swt) with your innermost being, and remember that you will stand before Him. For Allah (swt) has said, There shall every soul become acquainted with what it sent before, and they shall be brought back to Allah, their true Patron. (10:30)"

"The bondsman of Allah (swt) does not truly bow (in ruku') but that Allah (swt) adorns him with the light of His radiance, shades him in the shade of His greatness and clothes him in the garment of His purity...therefore bow with the ruku' of one who is humble to Allah (swt), abased in his heart and fearful under His power, submitting his limbs to Allah (swt) like one who is fearful and sorrowful for what he might miss of the benefits of those who bow."

"Therfore prostrate yourself with the prostration of someone abased, who knows that he is created from the earth on which people tread, that he is fashioned from sperm which everyone finds impure, and that he was given being when he did not exist."

-Imam Ja'far Sadiq (as) - Lantern of the Path


“Surely the believers are successful; those who are humble in their prayers.” (Quran, 23:1-2)

“O ye who believe! Do not go near prayers while you are in an intoxicated condition till you know what you are saying.” (Quran, 4:43)

“Do not stand for prayers lazily, yawning or feeling heavy (i.e. considering it to be a burden). For all these are from the traits of hypocrisy. Allah has prohibited the believers from standing for prayers while they are intoxicated i.e. (intoxicated) from sleep.”

-Imam Baqir (as) - Tafsir, Ayyashi, vol. 1

“As for the rights of the prayers, you should know that it is a means of reaching towards Allah. And you are standing before Allah when you are praying. When you are aware of this, then it is desirous that you stand during prayers like the one who is disgraced, desirous (of rewards), fearful, scared, hopeful, pauper, crying, respectful of the One Who is before Him. Maintain a dignified calm, head down, limbs humble, tender heart, praying with the best of invocations within yourself, seeking the freedom of your neck from Him, an imprisonment caused on account of your sins and a destruction caused by your misdeeds. There is no strength except Allah’s.”

-Imam Zainul 'Abideen (as) - Tuhaf al Uqul

I pray that this small selection of hadith inspires myself, most of all, and also the rest of us ins'Allah. May Allah (swt) enliven our hearts and beings to His worship. Ameen.

Reflections on Pakistan (Part VIII)

We ate dinner next door at Khala Zora's place. After complementing khala on the food he just finished, Ali Bahi turned to me and said: “Chalein?” ( ready to go?). I had developed a sense of attachment towards Ali Bahi. I don't quite know what it was about him. He had a very bright smile yet his eyes spoke of a pain he was trying to hide. I could see a restlessness within him. I felt he was the type of person, who would smile for others; he would keep everyone laughing while not allowing them to know his true feelings. He was very confident and outgoing too. That's what I liked most about him but at the same time it was what I was most intimidated by. I think if someone appears to be more confident than me, my natural reflex is hesitation.

In any case, when he asked me if I was ready to head back, I immediately responded with a “yep”. Wow, I thought. Even if I had wanted to stay at Khala's place, I probably wouldn't have...there was something within me that didn't want to let Ali Bahi down. As we made our way into the house, Ali Bahi asked me if I wanted to hang out for a bit before heading to bed. I enthusiastically accepted his offer. Upon entering his room, I felt a chill run down my spine. It was cold. I sat down on his bed watching him as his eyes searched the room for something he needed. “Here it is!”, he said with a jolt of feeling. It was a box of matches. He ripped one off and lit up the small gas heater on the floor. I was studying him as he was putting the matches back on the desk. I wanted to see under the garb of the superficial, but I knew that would only come in time. He finally took a seat on the carpeted floor and reached for a guitar case which was leaning against the wall. “Let me play you a few songs. I know I'm horrible but just bare with me, huh”, he said as he unbuckled the latches on the case.

As he said this, a feeling of anxiousness began to spread through my system. “Sure”, I responded, fighting hard not to make my voice sound shaky. Most music is forbidden within Islam and it is only certain types of music that are considered permissible. Since Islam is as vast an ideology as any other, there are adherents of Islam that allow for more flexibility on this issue. My set of beliefs, however, were clear when it came to music. My heart did not want to disobey my Lord and at the same time I wanted to start out on the right foot with Ali Bahi. The attachment I developed for him was not easing the burden to make the right decision. I let him play for some time as I juggled this thought in my mind. All along my sense of guilt was amassing on my chest making it harder and harder to breathe. What if he thinks I am an extremist? Or too religious? Ofcourse that translates into someone who is ignorant and for the most part follows a set of beliefs blindly. I wanted to have respect in his eyes. He was probably expecting a cousin who would think like him and could relate to him. Perhaps in another world and when I was another me, I would write the song as he played his guitar. It would have definitely brought us closer. On the other hand, I thought, the right thing is the right thing. The One who has created me is the One who gives and takes respect, so fearing losing respect was definitely a non-issue. Eventually, I mustered up the courage to tell him my stance. “Ali Bahi...”, I began. “I didn't mention this at first but I stopped listening to music a while back. I consider it a religious obligation to refrain from it.”, I finished waiting for a favorable response. “That's totally cool man. I respect your belief, bro. It isn't a big deal at all,” he said. “You should have told me straight off the bat though”. “Honestly, I didn't tell you in fear of hurting the chances of us becoming good friends. We just met and stuff so...” I responded as if I were admitting a sin I had just committed.

Our discussion really allowed me to be myself more. I was relieved of a burden and for it I thanked God. We branched off into other things as we talked that night. Ali Bahi asked me questions like why I considered music bad and what made me become so religious. He also opened up to me about his views on life and the like. I felt I was growing closer to him as we shared our thoughts. As far as music was concerned I tried to explain it to him in a way that would be easily understandable. The reasonsing is very straight forward. Islam promotes control over one's self and one's lower desires. This requires the intellect to be in charge and serve as the guiding light for one's behavior. Besides the obvious wrongs present in modern music like profanity, immorality, sexual promiscuity, and materialism, music tends to fluctuate the state of the soul rather rapidly. In other words, sometimes the music takes control of you. This ofcourse negates the entire concept of regulating one's self which is one of the basic principles of leading a healthy Islamic life. After doing this music bit, I proceeded to reminisce on how I became religious. In a nutshell, we all try to make sense of life. We are doing so at every moment of our existence. Sometimes we have a narrow vision and focus on individual aspects of our lives. For example, sometimes we are preoccupied with family problems or issues with a girl friend. Other times, we take a step back and ask those questions which encompass more than the components but the whole life. I'm talking questions like...Why do we exist?; Does this world have a purpose?; Is there a Care-Taker for this universe or is it the result of randomness and chance?; Without answering these fundamental questions, the life of a human being can be left meaningless and absurd. I am getting carried away but bear with me as I connect this back to original issue at hand. How did I become religious? I, like everyone else, was engrossed in the day to day and week to week problems of life. I had a very short term vision and was searching for immediate satisfaction. Eventually, I met a person who held religion in greater esteem than me and through that simple meeting those fundamental questions were reinvoked within me. A drive to answer them followed suit and when religion filled that hole in me and simplified this grand universe into a formula which was both sensible and comforting to the soul, it was nothing but a flame of love that ignited within me. It has been growing and fighting to remain a blaze since then and it is that same passion that has me writing these pieces of reflection today! Long story short, I fell in love with truth.

After giving Ali Bahi my heart, I awaited the chance to peek into his soul. He told me he too believed in Islam although he didn't follow all the practical guidelines. I think he felt that being a good hearted person with the right principles was most important. Ali Bahi also clarified that he knew the practical aspects of the religion were his duty to carry out and that God would judge him for his sins. From what Ali bahi related to me, I sensed within him a helplessness and at the same time a hope in the Mercy of his Lord. The helplessness in that he felt that he could not perform all of his duties and the hope that God would forgive him for these shortcomings. It would be very easy for me to judge him and say that his condition is no excuse to avoid the practical duties a Muslim has on his/her shoulders but alas...only He knows the conditions and hardships His servants undergoe. What I can say is that wherever it exists, I do not ever want to feel helpless in the face of wrong and evil. When I see this state in others I hope it pushes me to fight against my own helplessness in the face of my weaknesses and deficiencies. Easier said than done but the intention is the driving force behind the action. This reminds me of a tradition from the great leader of Islam, Imam 'Ali (as) (not a quote but the general idea), who says: “Take lesson from what you dislike in others”. There was much more to learn from 'Ali bahi and I was excited about what was to come ahead.

After our 'deep' talk, I went to my room to get some shut-eye. I was trying to maintain a routine of reciting the Qur'an those days before going to sleep and this night too, I took out the Holy Book. As I began to read, my heart stopped at what was being said. It was almost as if God knew exactly what I had been through and was talking directly to me through the Qur'an. I was in tears as I read on. For a moment I began to doubt whether this was for real...Believe it or not, the next line was as follows: “Never doubt that the essence of truth is from your Lord”. With that sense of security, I closed my eyes to a beautiful night...

Reflections on Pakistan (Part VII)

After finishing the meal with my new-found family, there was talk of cutting the meat which was to be distributed. Eid, which is a Muslim holiday, begins with prayer at the Masjid and is succeeded by the sacraficing of an animal. Namely, a lamb, sheep, goat or cow. After sacraficing the animal, the meat is to be distributed into three portions. One for yourself, the other for kith and kin, and the last for the poor and needy. I was in Pakistan alone and my direct family from back home had requested that an animal be sacraficed on their behalf. It was a goat. Before we sacraficed the little guy, I got a chance to see it. It was beautiful. I had the opportunity to pat it and even take a few pictures with it! I was told that normally one should spend time with the animal they are going to sacrafice so that a bond develops between the person and the animal. This way the person who raises and cares for the animal has to carry out the sacrafice. In this manner, the individual truly feels how difficult it is to sacrafice something you love for a greater cause. This enactment of sacrafice on Eid is in commemoration of the Qur'anic account of Abraham being commanded to sacrafice his beloved son.

Growing up in America, I had never heard of it this way. The sacrafice never really meant much when it came to the realm of the heart. All I knew was that you had to sacrafice the animal, period. I must say that it was a valuable insight into my faith and for that matter into the nature of sacrafice itself. The true essence of sacrafice is directly linked to the condition of the heart. Meaning that inwardly, it should be a monumentous trial. It should require utmost patience, certitude, and trust in God. Through it, the heart should be strenghtened and faith perfected. I only wish that I could have had the opportunity to develop a bond with the animal to be sacraficed and thus truly feel the sacrafice but the circumstances did not permit me at the time.

In the afternoon, I accompanied Ali and Wajid Bahi to Nanni Khala's house, my other aunt. Some of the men from the family were gathering there to cut the meat. We were traveling down a narrow alleyway with buildings on both sides. The path widened after a few feet of driving and it was on the side there that we parked the car. All three of us got out of the car and walked along the path until we got to an open area. The floor was made of gray stones like in the old English towns. Sitting on it was a big puddle of blood that initally surprised me. I was careful to walk around it as we made our way to a man who was instructing a person whose profession, by the looks of it, was to kill and skin the animals to be sacraficed. Eventually, my eyes fell upon the dead cow laying on the ground. It had a lot of what was normally within it pulled out in front of its stomach. I had never seen anything like this before and believe it or not, I didn't have a sqeamish reaction. It was merely a feeling of wonder that I experienced.

The man doing the ordering was Khan uncle, my aunt's husband. We shook hands and exchanged greetings. There was some meat already waiting to be cut so the work had to begin immediately. I took my seat next to Ali Bahi who guided me on the process. I tried doing a little cutting myself but it was no sooner than I started, that I was slowing everyone down. Because of this I was given a different task. It is funny how sometimes you really want to help but the result of your good intention is negative. I almost felt helpless coming from an environment where I had learned the ins and outs of many day to day tasks to a place where I couldn't handle one simple task properly. It was as though I was starting all over and had to re-learn the basics of living in a society. I suppose it is natural given that it was a totally different culture and people. It also made me realize how helpless Man really is...it takes him an extremely long amount of time to get comfortable with and master his environment and the minute you take him out of his comfort zone, its back to square one!

After we finished cutting the meat, it was time to distribute a portion to the poor. Khan uncle was in charge of the task. Many young kids with scruffy clothes came running to get the meat. Before long, a crowd of young children gathered around Khan uncle. Some had come with bags made of cloth, others with plastic bags, and some even with pots. It was scene that truly took me aback. What was most disturbing to me was that there was no sense of self dignity in the manner with which these children were begging. They were pushing one another out of the way and practically fighting each other to put their bags before Khan uncle. I sensed that those children were much older than their age. There were no cartoons or fairy tales on their minds...they were focused. They had a goal and purpose in mind and were willing to do anything to accomplish it. I wondered if those children had been sent by their parents because it was more effective in gaining the sympathy of others. It was a sad thought but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be true. Amongst the crowd of children was a woman who was also pushing and shoving to put her pot before Khan uncle. Once he filled it with meat, she would take the meat out and say to Khan uncle, “You didn't give me anything.” She did this a number of times before Khan uncle began to yell at her. “Fear God!”, he said over and over again. The scene was really making me sick. I thought to myself, the audacity of that woman! First of all, she was shamelessly fighting with the children to get the meat and secondly she was using deception as a tool to fulfill her needs. I wasn't too happy about Khan uncle's reaction either. I suppose I wanted him to be gentler in the way he approached the situation.

I told Ali Bahi how I felt but didn't get much of a response. Nonetheless, I carried an ill feeling in my breast all the way back home. I was hoping I could bounce my thoughts off of someone else and that chance eventually came when I talked to my cousin Sammi. When I expressed my feelings to her, she had a totally different stance. At first I couldn't quite understand where she was coming from so a small argument broke out. Needless to say, throughout our discussion we were both observing our manners. She was doing so more than myself, given that I get very passionate at times. Her point was simple: What I saw was the natural result of poverty on a people. Essentially, poverty drives people to such a low point that they lose all manners and sense of self-respect. I, on the other hand, felt that poverty was no excuse to forego one's manners and morality. In retrospect, there are some alterations I've made to my stance. For one, there is no way that I would be as certain about what I was saying if I had actually been in the shoes of those children and lived their lives. In a nut shell, it is very easy to judge a people when you are not in their position. I wondered whether their parents had even given them the concept of standing by principles like honesty, integrity, and self-respect. Some of them probably didn't even have any parents and therefore the streets must have been their teacher and best friend. In such a situation, could they really be blamed? I imagine being one of those children initially having my God-given sense of morality. I wonder how long it would last when I would see all the other children around me competing with each other for ends meet. In such an environment, it is almost certain that a moral child would starve to death. Survival of the fittest! I find myself amazed at using an evolutionary concept more applicable to animals for these children...the offspring of humanity. Despite this new-found realization, I do believe that ideally noone should give up their morality under any circumstance. There are certain things, after all, that are worth dying for. I also feel motivated to change the circumstances of the poor after seeing and experiencing such a scene.

It was quite a day of discovery and introspection. Tommorrow lay ahead in this strange land that I was born in...Pakistan.

Reflections on Pakistan (Part VI)

Eid day...I woke up from the knocking on my room door. It was Mami letting me know that Eid prayer would begin shortly and so I was to get ready pronto. I made my way into the bathroom to carry out the shave and shower routine. It was there that I confronted the first struggle of the day: how to adjust the water temperature? It was an arduous task indeed. At first it was burning hot...then freezing cold...this process repeated for some time until I found a bearable temperature. After showering, I hurriedly put on my shalwar kameez (native apparel) and set out to find Ali Bahi (Brother). He was all ready and waiting for me. I felt burdened. I have always hated being the reason for getting others late to an important event. Unfortunately, punctuality was never my strong point so its consequences were manifesting yet again. We rushed into the car and started out for the Masjid (Mosque). It was at a convenient five minute drive from the house which was quite different from the half-hour to hour commute that is often required to get to a Masjid in the States.

After we parked the car, we walked down a muddy pathway leading to the entrance of the Masjid. I could see my breath in the air which gave testimony to the cold weather. Upon entering, Ali Bahi took me to the side and said, “Be careful where you leave your shoes. Someone may steal them”. I watched him, puzzled at what he had just said. After all, it was a Masjid. A place of worship. How could someone be so indecent as to steal from a place where God was being remembered? Well, there wasn't much be done except taking heed to the words of wisdom just spoken. I followed Ali Bahi's lead in placing my shoes in a small bin located inside the Masjid. This particular Masjid had two segments: indoors and outdoors. The indoors segment was a little crowded so we took a seat in the portion which was more exposed to the chill! I don't like when I complain, but I can't deny that the weather was making me uncomfortable. To my surprise, we had arrived early. I wondered why Mami had been rushing us, then? A question I reserved for Ali Bahi until after prayer. The Imam (leader of prayer) was giving a speech in Urdu (Native tongue in Pakistan). Unfortunately, I was zoning in and out of what he was saying. Some of me was still feeling annoyed by the cold weather which kept stealing my attention and on top of that, I wasn't feeling too spiritual. I don't know exactly why. Part of the reason, I suppose, lies in what I call my prejudice towards 'Pakistani Islam'.

'Pakistani Islam' isn't really a type of Islam but rather an understanding I developed by observing how Pakistani parents often introduce the religion of Islam to their children. Some of the key characteristics of 'Pakistani Islam' include teaching the children how to read Arabic but not understand it. It is encouraged to read and memorize the Qur'an (Holy Scripture in Islam) even if it is without an understanding of the Book one has just inscribed in his/her heart! All in all, the stress is not placed on striving to grasp the message but rather on becoming containers of the message. Too many a times I have seen individuals who have memorized the Holy Qur'an but the effect of the message is not manifest in their being. I believe that truly inscribing the Holy Qur'an within one's heart should totally transform the person. Only when the heart feels every word of the Holy Qur'an as a reality can one truly be considered to know the Scripture by heart. In any case, continuing on with my description of 'Pakistani Islam'. Another aspect of it includes sharing stories that are claimed to be from the Holy Book but end up being from a tradition or an Islamic Poem. Not to down the stories, because they often have beautiful and priceless lessons but rather to show that we must be careful to cite our sources properly. Although there is much more to this concept, I will conclude with a characteristic that really bothers me. Within 'Pakistani Islam', the spirit of reflecting and questioning is discouraged! I believe that if a person possesses the truth, then no falsehood can stand against it. There is nothing to be afraid of because as Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an “Truth is distinct from Falsehood”. In fact, reflecting and questioning one's beliefs is precisely what leads to the strengthing of faith. The only time this is not of benefit is if the community does not provide the answers to the youth or the youth are not sincerely searching for the answers. Therefore, it is important for all the members of a Muslim Community to be well versed in the teachings of and philosophy behind Islam. Nonetheless, this should suffice for an understanding of my biased towards 'Pakistani Islam'.

It was cold and I was not very spiritual as I mentioned earlier. My negative feelings towards 'Pakistani Islam' only added fuel to the fire. And so, I had to fight all this to try and reap some benefit from what the Imam was saying. This struggle within me was an inevitable result of the truth that I knew all too well: This man may be sincere and sincere speech always has a positive effect on the heart. Unfortunately, the speech was very short and in the midst of my struggle it felt even shorter. Once it ended, everyone got on their feet to congregate for the prayer. I followed Ali Bahi into the indoors section of the Masjid. There was a cardboard box next to the wall which contained Topis (prayer hats) for the people to take at will. I decided not to. I did feel left out on my decision though, because almost everyone in the Masjid was wearing one. O well, I thought...No biggie. After the prayer, the eid sermon was delivered. It is considered a neccesary part of the Eid prayer. I could not grasp much of it because it was spoken very rapidly in Arabic. It was clear that the Imam had memorized what he was saying because he was speaking without any sense of consciousness to his words. This I didn't like because even if everyone in the room doesn't understand it, it is still important to say it like you mean it. Ofcourse, he may be well intended and so I am not passing judgement on the Imam. Also, my biased towards 'Pakistani Islam' may have distorted my vision a bit. If anything, however, I had the opportunity to take lesson from what I did not like.

On our way out, I grabbed my shoes from the bin. They were right where I left them so that was a relief. We met up with Abdullah and Wajid Bahi who were both due for some eid hugs. Wajid Bahi had a mischievous smile on his face. We found out later that their family had played a trick on us to get us to wake up early because supposedly Ali Bahi is known to get late. Well, that put both of us in the same boat. As mentioned earlier, punctuality is not my best friend. We drove back home to a goodly meal. Soon after I was to leave for another adventure...