Archive for the ‘Personalities’ Category

Amidst much provincial restlessness, internal chaos and dissatisfaction, a meeting with the son of powerful and controversial Late Nawab Akbar Shahbaz Khan Bugti was, to say the least, a pleasant surprise! Although not quite as disarming, focused or impassioned as his father, jacose and candid Jameel Akbar Bugti cuts a striking physical resemblance to the late Tumandar (head) of the Bugti tribe. After shedding light on his views and opinions on Baloch Nationalism, life, love, marriage(s), strengths and flaws of the system, memories of his parents, education, etc. Nawabzada Jameel Akbar Bugti took us to a room which gave insight into the experiences and personality of this soft spoken man, a most creatively inspiring room full of art, paintings and invaluable and rare collections.

On-Air: Friday, February 13, 2009 {7PM, 3AM, 12PM (PST)}

Exclusive one hour with internationally acclaimed, award winning novelist Kamila Shamsie on Pakistan, international events, writing, women, life and love!

On-Air: Wednesday, January 7, 2009 {10am, 4pm, 3am (PST)}

A day before ‘Ashoor’, the tenth day of the Islamic month of Muharrum, we pay tribute to the resilience and strength of a woman who as Ms. Anita Rai truly words: surpassed every other woman known to man, from before the dawn of civilization to this very day, and till the moment of time when nothing shall be: Hazrat Zaynab (RA). The tenth of Muharrum is the culmination of the entire month for many, but the story of the pain and struggle that lies beyond it marks the beginning of the sacrifices laid down by the family of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). It is important to rekindle the torch, especially on the days which prove to be very heavy for the Muslim Ummah, and whilst rekindling one must envision the torchbearer: daughter of Fatima and Ali, and the eldest of the two granddaughters of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam. It is important that in aspiring to reconnect with our soul, tune in to our spirituality, feel the heartbeat of Islam, and understand what justice, commitment and unwavering faith really mean, we turn back to study the personalities who are indeed larger than life and who leave nothing more to be aspired. In order to take my first step in this direction, questions such as what does Hazrat Zaynab’s life tell us of the role of women in Islam, did there lay a deeper, more significant reason behind her birth, how hard was it to grow up in the shadow of a mother known as ‘Shahzadi-e-Konain’ (the princess of this world and the hereafter), what were the different roles she played during her lifetime and how well, what was so great in the speech she delivered in the court of Yazid ibn Muawiya that it remains unforgotten and unparalleled till today, so on and so forth. These are questions I strived to get answers to, in the hope that in doing so you and I would be reminded of the journey that had to be undertaken to sustain and spread the faith of Islam, the timeless struggle between good and evil that remains till today and the wisdom it takes to distinguish between the two.  Zaynab was indeed an embodiment of humility, perseverance, faith and courage; and for men and women alike, it will do us good to study her personality and life in detail.

In describing her life, what remains close to my heart is the following account:

“One day, when she was about five years old, Zaynab saw a strange dream. She saw that a turbulent storm rose in the city and it cast the earth and the sky into darkness. And the little Zaynab was tossed from place to place, and suddenly she found herself stuck in the branches of a huge tree. But the storm uprooted the tree. Zaynab caught hold of a branch. It broke. She caught hold of another. It broke. In panic she grabbed two twigs. These two broke. Zaynab started falling. There was no support.

            She woke up. When Muhammad heard this from her, he wept bitterly. He said, “O my daughter, that tree is me who is shortly going to leave this world. The branches are your father Ali and your mother Fatima, and the twigs are your brothers Hassan and Hussain. They will all depart this world before you do, and you will suffer their separation and loss.”

Hence, she came to be known as Baakiyah (the one who weeps).”

Please visit: http://www.anitarai.com/sample/essential-woman/index.htm#chap3

The khutba of Zainab(SA) delivered in the courtyard of Yazid ibn e Muawiya

It is said that Zaynab spoke with the flame of Fatima and the eloquence of Ali. Zaynab’s firebrand speech made the people so ashamed of themselves that all the prior sense of fun and joyous celebrations was now the farthest from their minds.

            Zaynab entered the government palace, which was so familiar to her. It was here that she saw her father mete out justice during his Caliphate. It was here that she saw her sons and the other children of the household play. It was here that she saw her brothers and the rest of the family being held in great regard by the people. But the circumstances have changed so much. Her present condition was a world apart from the ones she could hardly ever forget. Although she was shabbily dressed, her constitution undergoing hunger, physical exhaustion and pain, not to mention the furnace of agony and sorrow in her heart, and her head was uncovered, Zaynab entered with awe-inspiring dignity and quietly took her place. Ibn Ziyad was amazed at her bold personality and enquired who she was. Zaynab did not think it was necessary to reply to his question. It was left to one of her slaves to inform Ibn Ziyad of her identity. Enraged because of her apparently haughty behaviour, Ibn Ziyad said to her, “Allah be praised! Your brother and your kinsmen are dead and their false claims have come to naught.” Zaynab replied, “It was Allah’s wish that they should be martyred, and they met their deaths bravely. If this was your heart’s desire then you must indeed be content today. But you have killed those whom the Holy Prophet held upon his knees when they were children, and, whose play filled him with joy. Soon you will stand with them before Allah and they will demand justice. Beware the day of reckoning.”

This was the moment Zaynab had been reared, geared, and prepared for, all through her life. The entity of her being was anchored on this moment of Time.   This was the moment of Truth. Only through truth can untruth be vanquished. I would urge my readers to recollect the saying of Lady Jane Wilde quoted earlier in Chapter 1. I am going to rearrange and reshape it in the following manner: We have now traced the history of women from Paradise to the 21st century and despite the clank of their fetters, have heard and seen on a few remarkable occasions through the long roll of the ages, absolutely magnificent celebration of truth, emblazoned with faith and sincerity of purpose. 

            This was the moment Eve had waited for, this was the moment Adam had waited for; this was the moment Heger had waited for, this was the moment Abraham had waited for; this was the moment Mary had waited for, this was the moment Jesus had waited for; this was the moment Amina had waited for, this was the moment Abdullah had waited for; this was the moment Fatima- bint-Asad had waited for, this was the moment Abu Talib had waited for; this was the moment Fatima-bint-Muhammad had waited for, this was the moment Ali-ibn-Abu Talib had waited for; this was the moment Khadija had waited for, this was the moment Muhammad (P.B.U.H) had waited for, this was the moment Zaynab had waited for, this was the moment Abdullah ibn Jafar had waited for. And this was the moment Hussain was waiting for. Zaynab was ready to fulfil her end of the Hussain-Zaynab partnership deal.

            Zaynab drew herself up bravely in front of the most notorious man of all time, who puts to shame even the likes of Nero and Hitler. She delivered her speech in front of the greatest terrorist the world will ever see. Zaynab began boldly and loudly for all to hear (I am at my wit’s end in trying to understand that after all she has undergone how in the name of God, did she have the stamina to remain bold and composed?): “Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and blessings on my grandfather, the Chief of divine prophets. O Yazid, Allah says, and his word is true, that: ‘Then evil was the end of those who did evil because they rejected the communications of Allah and used to mock them’ [30:10].”

            “O Yazid, do you believe that you have succeeded in closing the sky and the earth for us and that we have become your captives just because we have been brought before you in a row and that you have secured control over us? Do you believe that we have been afflicted with insult and dishonour by Allah and that you have been given honour and respect by Him? You have become boastful of this apparent victory that you have secured and you have started feeling jubilant and proud over this prestige and honour. You think that you have achieved worldly good and that your affairs have become stable and our rule has fallen into your hands. Wait for a while. Do not be so joyful. Have you forgotten Allah’s saying: ‘The unbelievers should not carry the impression that the time allowed to them by us is good for them.

Surely we give them time so that they may increase their evil deeds, and eventually they will be given insulting chastisement’ [3:178].”

            “O son of freed slaves, is this your justice that you keep your own daughters and slave maids veiled while the daughters of the Prophet of Allah are being paraded from place to place exposed.” You have dishonoured us by unveiling our faces. Your men take us from town to town where all sorts of people, whether they be residents of the hills or of riversides have been looking at us. The near as well as the remote ones, the poor as well as the rich, the low as well as the high  all casting their glances at us while our position is such that there is no male relative of ours to render us help or support.”

            “O Yazid, whatever you have done proves your revolt against Allah and your denial of His Prophet, of the Book and Sunnah that the Holy Prophet brought from Allah. Your deeds should not cause amazement because one whose ancestors chewed the livers of the martyrs, whose flesh grew up on virtuous people, who fought against the Chief of divine prophets, who mobilized parties for fighting against him and drew swords against him, should conspicuously excel all Arabs in unbelief, sinfulness, excesses, and enmity against Allah and His Prophet (P.B.U.H). Remember that the evil deeds and sinful actions that you have committed are the result of unbelief and old rancour you bear because of your ancestors who were killed in Badr.”

            “One who cast his glance of enmity, malice and rancour upon us does not lag behind in practicing enmity against us. He proves his unbelief, declares it with his tongue and jubilantly proclaims: ‘I have killed the sons of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) of Allah and made his progeny captive,’ and wishes that his ancestors had lived to see his achievement and to have exclaimed, ‘O Yazid, may your hands not lose their strength, you have wreaked good vengeance on our behalf’. O Yazid, you are striking the lips of Imam Hussain with your stick in front of this crowd while these very lips used to be kissed by the Prophet (P.B.U.H) of Allah, and yet your face reflects pleasure and happiness.”

            “By my life, by killing the chief of youths of Paradise, the son of the chief of Arabs, Ali and the shining sun of the progeny of Abd-ul-Muttalib, you have deepened our wound and uprooted us completely. By killing Hussain ibne Ali you have gained nearness to the state of your unbelieving ancestors. You proclaim your deed with pride and if they were to see you they would approve of your action and pray that Allah may not paralyse your arms.”

            “O Yazid! If you had heart enough to take account of your nefarious deeds, you yourself would surely wish your arms to be paralysed and severed from your elbow and you would wish that your parents had not given birth to you because you would know that Allah has become displeased with you. Allah, Grant us our rights. Punish those who have oppressed us.”

            “O Yazid! You did what you wished, but remember that you have cut your own skin and your own flesh to pieces. Soon you will be brought before the Holy Prophet. You will be overburdened with the weight of your sins committed by shedding the blood of his progeny and by dishonouring his family. The place to which you will be taken will be before all the members of his family. The oppressed will be avenged and the enemies will be punished.”

            “O Yazid! It is not seeming for you to swell with joy after slaying the Prophet’s progeny. ‘Reckon not those who are killed in Allah’s way as dead; nay, they are alive and are provided sustenance from their Lord; rejoicing in what Allah has given them out of His grace’ [3:169-170]. Allah is sufficient to deal with you. The Messenger of Allah is your antagonist and Hadrat Jibra’il is our support and help against you.”

            “Those who have made you the head of state and burdened the Muslims with your leadership will soon find out what awaits them. The end of all tyrants is agony.”

            “O Yazid. I speak not to you thus to warn you of the severe chastisement in store for you so that you should be regretful; for you are one of those whose hearts are hardened, souls are rebellious and whose bodies are busy in Allah’s disobedience while they are under the curse of the Prophet of Allah. You are from among those in whose heart Satan has made his abode and has been breeding young ones.”

            “How amazing it is that the virtuous people, sons of the divine prophets and vicegerents are killed at the hands of liberated slaves, evil-doers and sinners. Our blood is shed by their hands and our flesh serves as food for them. We feel grieved for those whose bodies are lying un-shrouded and unburied in the battlefield, wounded with arrows.”

            “O Yazid, if you consider our defeat as your achievement then you will have to pay its price. ” Allah commits no injustice to His servants. Our reliance is on Allah. He alone is our Relief and place of Protection, and in Him alone do we repose our hope.”

            “You may contrive and try however much you can. By Him who honoured us with revelation, the Book and Prophethood, you cannot achieve our status, nor reach our position, nor can you affect our mention, nor remove from yourself that shame and dishonour that is now your lot because of perpetrating excess and oppression on us. Your word now is weak and your days are counted. Beware of the day when the announcer would announce the curse of Allah on the oppressors and the unjust.”

            “Praise be to Allah who gave good end to His friends and granted them success in their aims, and thereafter called them back to His mercy, pleasure and bliss, while you hurled yourself into evil and mischief by committing injustice against them. We pray to Allah to favour us with full recompense through them and grant us the good of Khilafat and Imamat. Surely Allah is Kind and the Most Merciful over His creatures.”

            And it seemed to all that heard her speak that she was speaking with the voice and in the style of her father.

On-Air: Monday, December 15, 2008 {10am, 4pm, 3am (PST)} - episode will be uploaded shortly.

I often think of human beings as onions: round with heavy odor and made up of multiple layers! Multi-dimensional, deep, introspective and sensitive, Abrar Ul Haq is not only a symbol of national pride but is a torch bearer for the downtrodden, the weak, the suffering and the ignored youth of Pakistan. His songs have always taken on a life of their own for multiple reasons, their catchiness, their nostalgic value, the trademark neighborhood charm, cultural associations they arouse, but above all due to the fact that thirteen years later, Abrar remains to be the middle class success story we can all relate to. Today I was delighted to the very core in exposing the spiritual and patriotic man behind the star-studded pop celebrity garb that our stars often hide behind. Over and above the philanthropy, Abrar has begun to demonstrate national interest through his ‘Youth Parliamentarians’ endeavor which aims to invest in and empower the average youth of Pakistan through a platform which encourages brainstorming, debating, determining and analyzing national dilemmas and proposing sustainable solutions. He wants to see the youth take ownership of their country, the hour has come he says.

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Imran Khan - the proven athlete, the inspiring philanthropist, the aspiring politician, all in all the controversial yet adored individual, one on one with Meher Bokhari on politics, self-discovery, conflicting statements, shifting loyalties, priorities in life and heartbreaks of love!

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