A Symphony of Misery

It is said that Emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burnt. The phrase ‘’Let them eat cake” is attributed to Queen Marie Antoinette, purported to be said at the peak of a bread crisis in post-revolution France. Whether these alleged incidents are true or not is a matter of debate for historians. We can only discuss that which is here, that which is now.

As the common man lines up outside stores in the clamor for sugar, the backdrop is that of multiple suicide bombings per week. Markets, mosques, hotels, schools and colleges all are no longer sacred grounds. Targets vary from the military to foreigners to innocent school children. The army is fighting a war in the North against the Taliban. And amidst it all, where are our esteemed leaders? They are sitting in the parliament debating an issue of extreme importance: the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

“If approved, the ordinance will tarnish the country’s image,” warned Nawaz Sharif

(Though the breaking news from late last night is that El-Presidente sat with Maulana Diesel and Dr Farooq Sattar and decided to not present NRO to the parliament)

As the fiddlers play a mighty tune in the halls of power, life outside continues for the common man. Meanwhile in the comforts of his chambers, the hero of the downtrodden, the commander of the black coats, the champion of the masses strums a different tune on his guitar.

“You will have to sell sugar at Rs 40 per kilogram until the submission of the report by the proposed commission,” said the chief justice

  I don’t know much about the Chief Justice’s schooling but of one thing I am sure: he didn’t study economics or business studies. How in the name of all that is holy does the CJ expect any trader to sell at Rs 40, something that is being supplied from the source at Rs 57 or so? In all his wisdom, the Chief Justice managed to make sugar scarce in the market. So much that it is now a black market item and prices can range from Rs 80 to 120 depending on the area. Senor Chaudhry in his uneducated attempt to alleviate the suffering of his people, has left a bitter taste in the mouth for many.

In the meantime we were blessed last week by a visit of the emissary of his Royal Highness, King Obama the First. Ms Clinton swept in prior to our first handout under the Kerry-Lugar bill to make sure we were thankful for the bone our masters threw our way. The fact that it came with a new leash is of course a whole different story. And the honorable lady, ignoring the countless lives that Pakistan has laid down in the fight America started, smacked us in the face with a taunt.

“Al-Qaida has had safe haven in Pakistan since 2002,” Clinton told senior newspaper editors in the country’s cultural capital, Lahore.

“I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where they are and couldn’t get them if they really wanted to,” she added.

Oh yeah. We love this game of hide and seek. Of course we know where Bin Laden is. We just love to see our people blown away (147 lost their lives in the fireworks show in Peshawar arranged for Lady Clinton’s visit). And the offensive in the North is just target practice for our military to keep them happy and well oiled. Why a shoe didn’t come flying towards Lady Clinton is a perplexing mystery.

As the orchestra continues to play this grand symphony, outside the grand halls of eliteness, another morning has dawned for the common man. A morning filled with the worries of spiraling inflation, the fear of sending kids to school, and a cup of tea with no sugar.

A Prayer for Salman – Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilaihi Rajeeoon

I’m told that I have a tendency to make new friends and acquaintances very easily. Yet oddly enough I am sometimes very awkward and quiet when meeting strangers. I guess it all really depends on the time, place and how well someone reciprocates to me.

A few months back I became active on Twitter and started blogging (joining the community we call Blaagers). This opened up an entirely new front in terms of social connections as I met people I otherwise would not have made links with. These new contacts range from well known celebs like Naveen Naqvi and Ayeshah Alam, activist bloggers like Dr Awab Alvi (aka Teeth Maestro), my blogging mentor Faisal K, blogging Divas like Sana Saleem and Kalsoom Lakhani, politicians like Marvi Memon, ultra geeks like Haris Nadeem, Mahdi (more commonly known as Enk), the head honcho of PASHA (Jehan Ara), the dynamic force behind CIO Pakistan (Rabia Garib), and two very inspiring individuals: the sister-brother duo Ayesha and Salman Mahmood.

Ayesha and Salman both suffer from Thalassemia

an inherited blood disorder which is the inability of the body to produce adequate amount of Hemoglobin in the red blood cells. The result is severe Anemia. (Source: Thalassemia Society of Pakistan)

Thalassemia patients require regular blood transfusions to take care of their anemic condition as well as treatment for removal of excess iron in their blood. Their growth is also restricted due to a lack of oxygen to their muscles. (To learn more about Thalassemia please visit the knowledge base of the FAITH FOUNDATION)

My initial exposure to Thalassemia was thru another online friend I made on the Karachi Stock Exchange forums on Yahoo! Groups, an extremely dynamic guy name Abdul Mateen Khan. A Pakistani based in Saudi Arabia, he is an inspiration also in that he has done a lot despite his disease. He is mostly known for his online Stock Exchange forum called TeziMandee.Com.

Like Abdul Mateen, Salman too is an dynamic guy. He works as a web developer for a US based company called Directors Advantage (working night hours to coordinate with the US timings). He is also the founder of the Karachi based Fight Against Thalassemia Foundation (FAiTh). Their mission is to educate the masses about the disease, provide help to those who are affected and help arrange blood for those who need (one transfusion is needed per month!)

Last week, Salman and Ayesha drummed up support for a Blood Drive to be held at Fatmid Foundation, and this past Sunday several of us headed over to donate blood for a severe shortage that Fatmid was facing. We were expecting to meet Salman and Ayesha at the drive, however, we were given the news that Salman was diagnosed with Meningitis on Saturday and was admitted at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH).

Meningitis is a dangerous disease that can be devastating and deadly even for a strong healthy individual. Given Salman’s Thalassemia, the disease is even more dangerous and he is under critical care.

Ayesha (Left) and Salman (Third From Left) with DiscoMaulvi and other Blaagers at a Tweetup at McDonalds (Photo Credit: Jamal Ashiqain)

I urge all the readers of From The Pulpit to pray sincerely for Salman’s health and his speedy recovery. Salman is a fighter who has not let Thalassemia put him down. Meningitis will Insha’Allah be conquered by him with our prayers. For those friends who would like to visit Salman, visit timings are: 12 to 12.30 pm and 5 to 6 pm. And to just visit Ayesha you may go till 7 pm. Salman is in the Critical Care Unit.

May Allah Almighty, the Most Merciful, grant Salman health and a speedy recovery. May He, the Most Beneficent, give Salman’s family patience and strength during this trial. Aameen.

UPDATE 1

I visited Salman this morning around noon. Unfortunately Ayesha had gone for a transfusion and I don’t know anyone else in their family. I managed to go in to the ICU and see Salman. One of the attendants there told me his condition was the same as yesterday and that he was in a coma.

UPDATE 2 (Oct 17, 09:00 PM)

Faisal K and Dr Awab went to see Salman in the evening. Dr Awab tweeted the following (20:15 PST):

Visit to AKU met @blessedayesha > @skdev dire condition ICU Ventilator/ no response/ pupils not reacting > DUA’s for fellow #Blaager

It seems Salman’s condition has worsened during the day. It is indeed really sad to see one of the Blaagers battling for his life. Please pray hard for Salman. A dua narrated from the Prophet (SAW) is as follows:

أَسْأَلُ اللَّهَ الْعَظِيمَ رَبَّ الْعَرْشِ الْعَظِيمِ أَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ

“I ask Allah who is the Lofty and the Lord of the Mighty Throne that He cures you”
Prophet (SAW) said that by reciting this dua seven times, the ill person will regain his health and if death occurs then that (death) is a different issue (i.e. death is written it cannot be prevented).
(Source: Mishkat)

It is also narrated in Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 70, Number 579:

Narrated ‘Aisha:

Whenever Allah’s Apostle paid a visit to a patient, or a patient was brought to him, he used to invoke Allah, saying, “Take away the disease, O the Lord of the people! Cure him as You are the One Who cures. There is no cure but Yours, a cure that leaves no disease.”

Whether any of the above or any other way that you choose, please do pray for Salman.

UPDATE 3 (Oct 19, 12:00 AM)

The updates from the hospital unfortunately are not very encouraging. The doctors report that Salman’s pupils are not responding to light, nor his skin to touch. They say his brain might be dead, but rest of his organs are alive. If there is no improvement in his condition in the next 24 hours, it seems they may take him off the ventilator and let nature take over. It is harsh for us but the reality unfortunately is that once the brain stops response the chances are very slim. May Allah forgive Salman and give his family patience. May He revive Salman and make him well as only He the Almighty, the All-Powerful can do.

UPDATE 4 (Oct 19, 10:30 AM)

At 9:28 AM, Ayesha tweeted:

Same condition…. I ask whatever is better for Salman…am not selfish. Please Allah just do what is better for him……

Doctors have give 01:00 PM as the deadline for Salman to respond. I request all to sincerely pray hard in whatever form you can. It has been suggested by some to pray 02 Rakat of prayer, followed by dua on an individual basis. Since this has been a practice of mine also I endorse this suggestion. I think this is the most concrete way of praying for him (as opposed to tweeting duas to his Twitter ID which is a bit too weird for me).

Some of the readers have left suggestions for duas in the comments below. Since they have not provided the necessary source for the duas I can not confirm if they are from authentic Ahadith but am including them for the readers:

Please recite the following masnoon dua’s after offering 2 rakat namaz haajat.

اللهم رب الناس ، أذهب البأس ، إشف أنت الشافي لا شفاء إلا شفاؤك شفاء لا يغادر سقماً

اَسْئَلُ الله العَظِيْم رَبَّ العَرْشِ العَظِيْم اَنْ يَشْفِيَكَ
(Source: Owaies)

 

AMMAA YUJEEBUL MUZ’TARRA IZA DAA’U WA YAKHSHIFUSSU
(Source: Raza Abbas)

The Final Update

At 01:15 pm, Ayesha tweeted

Ventilator being removed

At 02:01 pm

Innal lahi wa inna ilahi raa’jaon. @skdev is no longer among us.

And with that we lost a friend, a fellow Blaager, a brother. He struggled in life against a disease many of us are totally unaware of. Some of us still probably have no clue what it is. Salman may have left this world but his memory will live with us in the FAITH Foundation that he founded. We, the Blaagers, should ensure that this Foundation continues to operate in memory of our friend.

Salman’s funeral will be held at the Kutchi Memon Graveyard near Ghaas Mandi after Maghrib today. Please see below for the map of the graveyard or visit here.

View Larger Map

Verily to Allah belongs all that He takes and all that He grants and to Him returns everything at an appointed time. May Allah firgive his sins, grant him Jannat-ul-Firdaus & may He grant Ayesha and the rest of the family with patience & strength to bear with this monumental loss.

Ramadan: Save and Continue

      

Nearly everyone in this age of modern technology has at some stage worked with a PC. We have used it to draft documents, amend these documents, copied and pasted onto documents, used the "undo" icon, edited documents, just to mention a few of the time saving operations that we find on this device.

After opening a document that we have worked upon previously and made the necessary changes and improvements a little box appears on the screen asking the question:
Do you want to save the changes you have made to this document?

You are then given the option of selecting the YES tab or the NO tab.

• Selecting the YES tab will give you the desired results.
• Selecting the NO tab literally takes you back to square one. All the effort made in editing, improving and shaping the document becomes an exercise in futility.

Don’t we all find ourselves in a similar predicament when the blessed month of Ramadan passes us? Just think of your book of deeds like a document on your PC.

During the month of Ramadan we have done amongst other things the following:

• Increased our Ibaadah and acts of charity;
• Took control of our feelings and emotion;
• Responded with compassion and sensitivity to the needs of other;
• Multiplied our good deeds;

At the same time we have spent many hours on the Musallah begging for Allah’s forgiveness for our sins, errors and transgressions.

The vital question that needs to be asked is:

Do we want to save the changes that we have made in the month of Ramadan? Are we going to press the YES tab or the No tab?

Pressing the YES tab will leave us with a new, improved version. A version of heightened spirituality, a version of righteousness, a version that is pleasing to our Creator.

Pressing the NO tab will take us back to square one; back to our old habits before Ramadan, back to the life of sin and immorality, back to a life of heedlessness and back to a life subjecting ourselves to the wrath of the Almighty.

How do we improve on this document

How do we improve on this document; the document of our lives, the document of our deeds, the document that we are going to present to Allah the Almighty on the Day of Reckoning? Here are some hints:

• Copy and Paste from the life of our illustrious master Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi Wasallam.
• Use the "undo" icon by making Taubah immediately after any transgression as the Hadith states "The one who repents from sin is like one who has committed no sin at all"
• There may not be a need to do a "spell check" but there is certainly a need to do a "sincerity check" and a "Shariah check"? Are we complying?

There may be files and folders that we want to keep while there could be some others we would not even want others to know exist.

Many of us begged Allah to "delete" our sins and dark deeds .We cried before Allah, shed tears of remorse and vowed not to commit those sins in future. Going back to the sins that we have asked Allah’s forgiveness for would be like making a visit to the "recycle bin".

What about viruses?

PC users are also very wary about e-mails they receive and the sites that they visit, fearing the admission of a virus that may pollute their system and cause it to malfunction.

Why do we then subject our minds and thoughts to immoral sites and dens of vice which would pollute our moral system and cause us to malfunction?

What anti-virus software have we installed to ward off the variety of Fitnahs that confront us everyday?

Fortunate is the person who has saved the changes. Extremely unfortunate is the person who has made no changes as he /she has nothing to save.

Source: The True Call e-mail list
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