Hoping to be human someday!

Another Tax, And Some Socrates…

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

A judge charged a man with a Rs 10,800 fine in a rape case.

The man asked, “Why Rs 10,800?”

The judge replied, “Rs 10,000 for rape and 8% Entertainment Tax by Zardari.”

******

In ancient Greece (469 – 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, “Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?”

“Wait a moment,” Socrates replied. “Before you tell me I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s called the Test of Three.”

“Test of Three?”

“That’s right,” Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me about my student let’s take a moment to test what you’re going to say. The first test is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?”

“No,” the man said, “actually I just heard about It.”

“All right,” said Socrates. “So you don’t really know if it’s true or not. Now let’s try the second test, the test of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?”

“No, on the contrary…”

“So,” Socrates continued, “you want to tell me something bad about him even though you’re not certain it’s true?”

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Socrates continued. “You may still pass though, because there is a third test – the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?”

“No, not really.”

“Well,” concluded Socrates, “if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?”

The man was defeated and ashamed. This is the reason Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem.

It also explains “why he never found out that his wife was regularly having Sex with his student Plato.”

Should I Tick The World Off?

Wednesday, January 14th, 2009

I’ve been facing a dilemma. I want to ask some questions but I’m apprehensive w.r.t. the consequences.

I’ve decided to cancel the third Zakir Naik post about Karbala and the Quraan when I saw the comments in my first Zakir Naik post [I still might do one on Yazeed(L.A.) and another on Muawiyah(L.A.)]. People do not understand the Quraan and still act like they were the ones it was revealed to. No offense, but our “Ummah” is immature to the core.

They refuse to question their beliefs, ignoring that the only thing capable of making them learn more is the question “Why?”

One of my elders, Syed Fayyaz Haider Zaidi, said to me:

“The beliefs of your parents are not religion!”

And when I pondered over it, I realized how true it was. You should too. I’ve questioned my beliefs before, and am happy to say that each “Why?” strengthens my faith in Allah and his Prophet (S.A.W.W.). Their have been times when I was baffled beyond measure but when I thought about those things I realized how great Allah was. I now stand proud of my God!

Some of these things, I’ve shared with you. Most, I haven’t. I don’t think people can take the burden and not go crazy. And when they go crazy, I become the heretic.

I must say, I didn’t think on my own. I was helped all along. Allah made me lucky that I was born at the right time to receive that help. By whom, some of you know. Some do not. But I don’t think anyone is interested, so I’m not naming that helper.

My concept of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.W.) differs greatly from that of people I meet. To such an extent that I fear being declared a heretic by others. Because no one tries to understand how great he truly is! People are hell bent on declaring him a common man with mistakes, using the same Quraan that they do not understand, under the slogan “Quraan kaafi hai!”

Well it’s not, for your information. (There is a better answer but it’s not good for people with bloated egos and pea-sized brains who refuse to think. So just keep in mind the hadees: “I’m leaving behind with you two things…“)

This also brings me back to my dilemma. Should I pose those questions here or not? Should I be brave and not give a crap what the world thinks?

I’m currently neither in the emotional state nor the mood to bear the burden of long and stupid comments but there is a part of me that wants to tick the world off. To say things that no one wants to believe but are actually true.

I remember my old office, listening to Nauhas in Muharram with my Sunni colleagues. They had respect for the Prophet’s (S.A.W.W.) family and for that I respected them a lot. They actually used to ask me to put on certain Nauhas that they liked and I had sort of become a “Nauha Jockey”. But good times don’t last long, do they?

Today, I see people interested in the Gaza crisis, bashing Israel and all, yet they get thorns in their tongues when it comes to the massacre of the Prophet’s (S.A.W.W.) own family. They can’t bear the mention of what happened then. Well let me tell you something: the Gaza massacre is nothing compared to the Yazeedi brutality (read Muslim brutality) of that time. Read and think about Karbala, if not from a Muslim’s point of view then do it as a human. Otherwise all this cry over Gaza is sheer hypocrisy, nothing else. What’s happening in Gaza is happening to the whole population. Imagine if it all happened to just one family.

Done that?

Welcome to Karbala, 61 AH!

Back to my dilemma, should I transfer some of the burden to your brain? Are you ready for it? It won’t be easy, trust me on this and it will require a lot of thinking, and research if you want to investigate.

Hmmm?

And do remember that behind every smile, there are a thousand secret sorrows! ;)

(Man, I’m getting good at philosophy. Maybe I should quit trying to be a software engineer and become a philosopher or writer? Am I good enough?)

Anyone in the mood to listen to Nadeem Sarwar’s “Kya Muhammad Ka Pyara Nahin Hoon?” vintage version?

P.S. Sorry if this post disturbed you. Following posts may go several steps ahead.