Jum'ah Journal- "Halloween"

Different people have different ideas of "celebrating" this strange cultural event. Some take it to be Satan worship, na'oozdubillah and I cant imagine what may urge some persons to do such a thing and still call themselves Christians or Jews or whatever. I mean, not even an atheist would go down so low.
Anyway, others consider this event for calling "spirits" or frankly Jinn Bhoot etc. etc.
There may be something out there though I have never had the pleasure of seeing something or experiencing it.
If you have read "Shahab-Namah" you would be familiar with his experience of the "spirit of a Hindu lady". I was quite surprised but have no way of confirming or refuting that experience, when I read it.
To keep the ill effects of such "spirits" the following is advised.
Reciting Al-Hamd Shareef and "Mu'awwazdatain" (the last two surah's of the Qur'an)
Some have suggested "T'aweez" of the following ayat
"And say, "Omy Lord! I seek refuge with Thee from the suggestions of Satans
And I seek refuge with The , o my Lord! lest they should come near me"
(Aya 97 and 98 of sura Al-Mominoon 23rd sura)
Basically these verses teach us to shun evil and stay far away from it.
May Allah keep us and all children safe and happy all over the world whether Halloween or Guy Fawks day (British culture somewhat similar in celebration although on 5th Nov. and then there is bonfire like holi of Hindus) or anything else.

A flash-light and Bus travel

This is a true story. (And this can only happen in Pakistan or may be India)
Kahuta is a small place and was even smaller when this happened.
A very good friend of mine traveled to Pindi (Rawalpindi) for a day's visit. He was posted (after graduation from medical school) in Kahuta and the best was to travel from Kauta to Pindi was Bus. Pindi is a city situated in a valley and all approaches to this city must go through mountainous tracks. It is a scenic type of view with a winding road but the roads at that time were not very wide and barely two vehicles could pass each other.
On the way back the bus started off as usual without any problems.
However, at sunset, the driver discovered that the headlights were not working. In fact there were no lights and (the road was winding going through the mountains) the Bus had to slow down depending on the visbility of the driver.
Our lives were in his hands (Ya Allah rehm ker)
"Anybody has a light or "torch" or "battery" (meaning a flash-light) or something?"
Sure enough somebody had a torch (flash-light) which was promptly handed over to the "conductor" who helped the driver avoid the dangerous turns of the road in that remarkable glow of the flashlight. There were other buses or trucks that some time will pass and light up the road for a bit (thus generously saving the battery of our flashlight).
It took longer (Longest evening of my life, my friend says) to get to Kahuta but we did reach safe and sound. (Jis ko Allah rakkhay uss ko kaun chakkhay)

Sunday Surkhi- Powell and Prejudice

I missed the "powerful statements" of General Powell but 6 million others did listen to him crossing the Party lines to support Obama.
"So what if Obama was a Muslim?" ( A Journalist "brown" made similar comment earlier)
USA has had "Pearl Harbor" experience before, when the Japanese Americans became the target and many Journalists mention these things suggesting that American Tradition is against such "prejudices", as they have learnt over a long period of time the racial prejudice.
Strictly speaking this racial or any other prejudice is universal and occurs in one form or the other everywhere. I think it is quite human and you may term nepotism also a form of prejudice.
Without going into these details of types of prejudices, let me just make some comments in its favor. To a certain extent it is not objectionable and even desirable but it becomes undesirable when the rights of deserving persons are ignored (or even usurped)
Like we remember the signs, "Indians and dogs not allowed"
"Negroes and dogs not allowed"
These are things of the (not so distant) past.
If there is equally qualified white and Non-white and a person in the selecting position prefers white, may not be "objectionable" and in the same situation if the selecting Authority is non-white and he selects non-white (and non-white being in minority) that may be "desirable"
I cant give any better examples but I only wish to make the point. When I came to "States" almost 40 years ago, I felt there is less prejudice here, than England, as Enoch Powell (another but different Powell) had made statements there (around 1966-67) creating a wave of prejudice against Pakistanis and Indians. Not that there was no prejudice before that but it was "milder"
I had similar experience in Pakistan, prejudice against me because I was "Panjabi" (Even though I was born in Saugor in C.P. India) and so I think many of you may have gone through such "prejudices" in your lives that may or may not hurt.
But when "Muslim" is considrered to be equal to "terrorist", the prejudice is life threatening.
So such statements on the media are comforting to some extent specailly when made by such prominent Americans.
I would have liked McCain to make some statements (better than what he did) for "Muslim Americans" when in his audience somebody yelled "Muslim" (for Obama I understand), "Kill him".
I guess both sides have remained very cautious in making any commnets for or against Muslims but General Collin Powell making such statement makes a very powerful argument for America, so hats off to Collin Powell.

Late Late Sunday Journal-Insurance

Dictionaries do not explain what this word (Insurance) means. The Urdu equivalent of "beema" does not tell much either. In and "sure" does not match up to anything, so I am lost.
What I have all my life understood from this "insuring" process is that your life or property or health, whatever you insure with a company that will keep taking your money as "premiums" and will use it as it likes make money from it further etc. etc. but in case something happens to your "insured" thing the company will provide the necessary money for repair or loss etc.
The company takes money from so many people but not every one will have damage to the property (case of life and health is different so "premium" is more in those cases and age at which you get it insured matters for obvious reasons). These "premiums" are calculated on the basis of possibilities and probabilities, risk chances etc.
BUT when something does happen to, say your property, they may have some conditions nefore they provide for the repairs. Let us say they are a nice company like:
"Nationwide is on your side"
They pay their share and all is good. Then comes the time for next premium and we find that the company "turns the eyes" away (jisay urdu man "tota chashmi" hetay hain) and may tell you no more premiums (No, that does not mean your insurance is free now) what it means is no insurance
"Nationwide is NOT on your side anymore".
Why?
Sir, we cannot "recover" the funds back from you even over the next 40 years.
You what?
And what about the previous 20 years of "funds" (premiums) that have gotten into your hands from 200 other people in addition to ours and they have not had anything happen to their properties?
We could have been putting away the same "funds" in our own bank for the chance happening and use it now, so what is the "Insurance comapany" for? Just to collect "funds".
Or, I dont understand the meanings of "insurance".
Well, yes I am free to go round shopping with other comapnies.
And, of course you all know that "life" insurance is actually "death" insurance. Life is in His hands and "every soul will taste death". But that is another subject.

Jum'ah Journal

I guess those of you who have seen my photo at less than one yr. of age and now in the last blog you cna judge my age.
At this age truely I am reminded of what Yaqoob AS (Israel) and what Ibrahim AS wished for the children. No doubt that it is the eemaan which is what I would like my children and grandchildren to hold on to and also pass it on to the subsequent generations. All other things are "worldly" and one way or the other God Almighty will grant them as we always pray for these things daily.
"And Abraham enjoined upon his sons and so did Jacob;
"Oh! my children what will ye worship after me? They said We shall worship Thy God and God of Ty Fathers of Abraham, Ismail and Isaac; the one true God, to Him we submit" S. Al-Baqara, A.137.

Sunday Surkhi- birthday

There is no doubt in my mind this has been the best birthday gift for me, memorable enjoyable and everything-able.
A man surrounded by children and grandchildren, admittedly not a whole lot of them but to be thankful to the Almighty who gave me that opportunity for this get together with the willingness of everybody in the pictures to travel and spare this time just for me.
My dear children I am grateful to you all.

Parents and children
and their children

Blasts in Lahore

Sometimes I look at "dawn" and I saw yesterday and was very disturbed to say the least.
1953, I lived for a year or so in Garhi Shahu, so am familiar with Chauk but of course the shops are new. News indicate there were three blasts 20 minutes or so apart in three different areas in the chauk. One shop was beauty shop others were juice shops. the beauty shop person said they had recieved threats earlier "stop 'couples' coming in your shop or else we will bomb" or something like that.
Two children and seven other persons were injured (Dont know how bad), but the children could have died.
This is AGAINST ALL ISLAMIC TEACHING and must be severely condemned by the people as well as by the Government. The person/persons responsible for these blasts must be caught and given appropriate punishment. These people are against Pakistan as well as against Muslims and are AGAINST ISLAM also. Although I am against what Musharraf did to Lal masjid but what the students were doing in the nearby community (against ills, I agree) was wrong. The teacher should have been brought to punishment not the whole masjid and the number of students. Kiya ho gaya hai musalmanon ko?

The Professor

He was not a university type professor but he was master of Ulum-e-Nujoom wa Qiyafah. He knew my chief and many other chiefs he knew as he had "tiched" them and had a testimonial from all big shots of Pakistan some professors, some High court Judges or Lawyers and such well-known officials and politicians (Pakistan and India- I am talking about 1958 experience).
He suffered from chronic cough and was admitted in our ward mainly for symptomatic treatment. He had his own way of pronouncing and calling names like, he would call all nurses as, "miss bawa" and called my friend and colleague "Anarkali Doctor" because some association with Anarkali. He called me Dr. Behaaj.
One day he proceeded to demonstrate his "powers". He gave us a slate on which we wrote something after we had gone into other room and came back to him and to our surprise he was able to write it down exactly what we had written.
So what is this "tiching". He would catch hold of a finger , mostly little finger just for a moment and then will tell you about what will happen to the person. This process was called by him as, "tich kerna".
I was tiched also (no charge) and most of what he said turned out to be true such as when I would go out (of country) hwereas at that time I had not thought of leaving Pakistan.
I dont know what happened to him after he was discharged, how long he lived etc. but I and my friend (Anarkali wala doctor) still remember him.
This is the truth, the whole truth and I have no clue as to how his "qiyafa" worked, was it just a talent he had?

Jum'ah Journal. "Shasha Eid concept"

It was a very difficult Ramzan in my village Kotla. I was "young" enough to Fast in June-July of Punjab, with only airconditioning or cool place being under the shade of a tree near a well with the sight of cool refreshing water of the well in sight presenting an inviting gesture for the dried up tongues of the rozay-dar who must wait till the sunset time.
No ice was available then or the last "lorry" from Gujrat bringing a big piece of Ice to be sold immediately and I would wait my turn to get a piece for home in a couple of Annas.
We would fill up a cool glass of water and sit and wait for the "AllahoAkber" sound of the nearby masjid's Moazzin at Mahgrib.
It was a happy Eid after full Ramzan and( inside) I was happy it is over but I found the next day my mother and father fasting again. I was surprised, why again and it is still so hot and they are old. Mother told me,
" Yeh shasha eid kay rozay hain" and sure they completed the 6 fasts of Shawwal.
These (6 fasts of Shawwal refered to as shasha-eid) are optional and whoever completes them in this month gets the rewards as if he/she fasted the whole year. Good thing is they dont have to be completed in 6 days, you can spread them out two or three a week to finish before the month of Shawwal finishes. I usually fast mondays and thursdays.
May Allah accept all your Qiyam, Siyam and Sadaqat etc. and all good you have done in this month and rewards for you and your family.