Afzal Othi
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Andrew from England
As per my heartfelt wish, our Shahzad Ahmed came to this gathering and he immediately reminded me of that era which belongs to the decade of 60, 61, 62. I do not remember it properly and this matter is related to some extent to the spiritual teachings about which I used to travel to big places to gain knowledge and get education. But this was my early days and I had no intention of getting involved in this spiritualism nor was I interested in it. In the evening, I was having dinner with the children when there was a knock on our door. So I went and opened the door. There was a big thin young man with a beard, blond hair, English style, wearing worn jeans and a half-sleeved shirt. He was standing against the wall. He said to me, "You are Afzal." I said, "It is me." He remained silent for some time then kept looking at my face then he said, "I want to get some information from you, do you know something about spirituality?" I said, "Yes, I am." No, I have nothing to do with it. I have read about it. I can say that I am a journalist of this knowledge at most. But I have not entered into it.
By Afzal Othi11 months ago in BookClub
Establish a direct relationship with GOD to succeed in life
The word God is not God, it is the concept of God and something else, and the perception of God's essence is something different from that. Among the good habits of man and his permissible actions, the best thing is worship. It is a good habit to worship, but it is not necessary that you can reach the place through it where you desire to reach, for which your soul keeps yearning. We who came from the province very tired, after working hard and eating our way, had this desire to return to our homeland and the camps in our homeland where there are wise people and there is spirituality and monasticism, like smoking cannabis etc., wearing church clothes, working there, but this is not what is usually done there, there will be a life of luxury and luxury, so we also paid attention to this so that at least after living a complicated life with so many difficulties, such an environment should be available so that people can live in peace. But when the ladies and gentlemen reached there, they found out that it was a life full of hardship and struggle and Efforts and struggles are not in any other place because worshipping and talking about religion is a very easy task, but getting into it and adopting it practically is a very difficult task. That is, Sufism is not separate from Sharia. It is the same as prayer and fasting. Only along with knowledge, action is also given emphasis, and we were not used to doing this. And the subject we were talking about, Baba Noor Wala, had his own style and what he used to say was different, which we do not find in books and in bookish birds.
By Afzal Othi11 months ago in BookClub
Who is beloved ?
Ladies and gentlemen, when Eid comes, on the one hand, there is its own joy, on the other hand, there are many small Eids associated with it, which have been hanging with an old thread in the past. There was a time when we used to go to pray Eid holding our father's finger. Then this time came, we got rid of our finger and became completely free. Like young boys, we started going to pray Eid alone with our friends. Then this time came, holding our children's fingers. There were many Eids. Then this time came, we took our children's children with us and they turned back and told their fathers, "Grandpa is far behind. Go slowly. Still, we started praying Eid." I remembered this thing about this. Exactly 22 years ago today, I was leaving the four walls of my mosque after praying Eid and we were meeting people like this. When you go to pray Eid, you hug your friends, colleagues, loved ones and other worshippers and do them in a special way. You turn your head from one side to the other. So, while doing this, when we went out, we met many old friends. Suddenly, I thought that we are meeting our friends whom we know and who gather in this mosque. But there are also some people who are not our friends, but they must have done us some favor in some way. Then it occurred to me that I live in Model Town. The police station in this area sends soldiers to the city at night. Who are they who patrol on bicycles? I should also go with them and celebrate Eid and thank them for being our protectors and for making so many efforts and efforts for this. So, I did not know where our police station was. I asked the people and they said, "It is in the block." So, I took a car and went there to meet them. When I went, Haq Alam was in this police station. When people had gone to offer their prayers, the soldiers had been given leave. The police station chief, the SHO, was relieved of his dirty salutes. Wearing uniform and with a cigarette stuck in his finger, he was sitting on a chair to blow flowers. He had his feet on the table and there was no one there.
By Afzal Othi11 months ago in BookClub
We should abandon ingratitude and be happy with Allah's system
Let me tell you that in the world of block, people certainly know a lot about this new window we have opened, both in terms of literature and in terms of education, but very few people have been in such a situation that they have directly contacted the Babas and asked them something and gained knowledge. The people of the province have done such things, but this did not happen at our level. But one painful thing is that we, who kept going to them, could not fully satisfy them because I often fought with my Baba. Some of the assistance we received was in such a way that it hindered my worldly life. And even so, for 10 months, I never appeared in his service or went to ask him anything. There were big problems. Then the thing was that his way of thinking and his attitude towards life were completely different from our thinking and our jealousy, and it was very difficult to control him. Once, as we often complain about, people of Shaq sat in a tent there. They were complaining that look how painful Allah's system is that one person of great status rides around in a high-class car and another cannot even walk. A girl came there. She was married for a year but then she got divorced and her husband left her. There was another woman. She had boils on her, which we call boils, very big boils. And I used to ask them to do some treatment for her, but they would say, "Wait a minute, let's see." A day has passed, two days have passed. It was painful that no attention was being paid to it.
By Afzal Othi11 months ago in BookClub
We have to change ourselves by knowing ourselves
This is a very pleasant morning. It was winter, the weather was very cold and the morning had dawned very bright. We were sitting at the camp with the desire to hear some things from Baba Ji Noor Wale. When I mention Antere or Baba to you, it is very difficult to understand you because if I had said instead that one day we were sitting in the lawn of the Institute of Human Relations and our director Mr. Bakhshni was telling us something about the relatedness to the human race, it would have been easier for you to understand. The thing is that words also have their own world. First of all, words clearly have meanings, like Gul means flower or Ahan means iron or Bal Gabriel means Gabriel's wings. But along with the meanings of words, words also have their own personality. They also have a height, they also have a temperament, they also have bitterness and they also have compassion and their entire personality and all the training that they undergo, in their own way, has its own effect on the reader and listener. That is why the word "big camp" despite all its conditions and connotations does not come to our grasp because we have not seen it, we have not passed through it, it has never been ours. So we were sitting there and in our own way we were presenting some suggestions for the betterment and greatness of Pakistan, we were formulating some programs. There was Maulvi Musa of the Mystery, a very sharp and intelligent man, and Allah had given him such a mind that he would understand things very quickly and would present his opinion very quickly.
By Afzal Othi11 months ago in BookClub
We should treat everyone with respect and appreciation
If we examine, we are a little stingy in the matter of expressing gratitude and even in the people we live among, these habits have not been awakened. I do not know why. We are very good people, we are lovely people, we provide good and happy things for each other. But we are stingy in the matter of praise and appreciation. This custom has not even become a habit here and we have not considered that praise and appreciation is also obligatory. If it is not obligatory somewhere, then it should be done so that unity and harmony are created between humans. Unfortunately, here, people are praised after their departure. If you go to the largest graveyard in Lahore, Miani Sahib, you will see many books on which the name of the deceased, date of birth and date of death are written. Then there will also be descriptive words along with it. Now that poor person cannot go out and see what is written on the book. It was not useful for him. It would have been better if he had been praised and appreciated while he was alive. It is a source of support for him to know that the people around him are very encouraging people. There is an incident where some companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) were there before him. The new ones came and said, "O Messenger of Allaah, these companions of yours seem very dear to me and I like them. I am not very familiar with them, but they are very kind-hearted." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, "Did you tell them this?" He said, "Yes, I did not." He said, "Go immediately, follow them and put your hand on their shoulder and say, "I like you, I like you." So they ran after them and said, "I love you very much." Obviously, they must have responded to his love with love. We are lacking in some love. It is not that we do not have it in our hearts. I think we have enough love in our hearts. Our people sing songs and tell stories. We are very loving people, but we cannot express it with our tongues. I do not know why. And the expression of praise and scolding should be spontaneous and spontaneous.
By Afzal Othi11 months ago in BookClub
The effects of culture in our lives
I have been specifically asked to present something to you about culture. In this regard, today's program may be a little different, but I will definitely try to easily go through the difficult stages that have been or are being presented in the search for the culture of our lives. Ladies and gentlemen, I have seen about 62 different definitions or discussions about culture, but in the field of knowledge, humanities and social sciences have not been able to reach any specific final conclusion. That is, our very worthy anthropologist, a woman like Benedict, or the great French scholar Levi Star, and then on the literary level, T.S.L. Eliot, all of them have defined it. But the truth is that I am courageous and have a stone in my heart and with great courage, I understand that Westerners are not able to give the correct definition of culture in such a way that they consider culture to be associated with human life, this life that we are living. But for this, it is necessary to expand this life far and wide until you understand the life to which it belongs. Not from the intermediate parts between birth and death, but with this endless journey of life that goes from here to here after, these poor people have this life and its knowledge and know about it, so they often say that the relationships of a certain group of people, their beliefs, their games, their movements, their courage and honesty, whose culture is and becomes a part of it, we accept this.
By Afzal Othi11 months ago in BookClub
Praise for Sage (Baba)
Today I will explain to you the definition of a Sage. A sage or Babaji is a person who gives ease to another human being. This is his definition. It must have come to your mind that Baba is a heavy beggar. He wears a basket-colored shirt, has a garland of beads around his neck, holds a whip to punish his people in his hand, and has red saree in his eyes. That was all. Wearing a three-piece suit, the wearer has a high-class red tie with a gold pin in the middle. There is no gender restriction in this. Men, women, children, old people, middle-aged people. All these people are sages in their time and every time they pass by, they do the work of giving ease to some people momentarily and make something permanent. This is thanks to Shiva and we respect them very much. Babas have come in my life and I used to wonder from which province and how they know the art of giving ease to people. This is my regret that I have reached this age. I have not been able to give or receive anything from anyone on my behalf and I am afraid that no one will ever expect him to. When we were in the third year, Kirpal Singh was our companion. We used to call him Karpala Singh. The poor fellow was like a Punjabi fog singer. He wears a yellow dress and comes in a very crooked manner. One day, we were going to the Anarkali Bazaar in Lahore. There was a beggar in front of the stationery shops. He said, "Baba, give me something in the name of Allah." I did not pay any attention to him. Then he addressed Kirpal Singh and said, "O Baba, give me something." He said, "Baji, at this time, I do not have anything, and he really did not have it." The beggar, instead of taking anything from him, took him in his arms and kissed him passionately. He said, "You have given me the treasures of the whole world. You have given me everything. You have everything. You have called me Bhaji." I was touched by this word. No one has called me elder brother till today. Now, After that, there was no need for anything. In those days, all the hostel boys used to secretly go to the cinema. There was a theater outside Lahore Bati. I, Arunda, Ghulam Mustafa, Karpal, all of us went to the cinema. We returned at night. It was very cold in Anarkali. It was around Christmas time. The second one was very cold. The second one was very cold. In this world of cold, there was a fog. There was a crack on the board. One day, as happens, a painful sound was heard.
By Afzal Othi12 months ago in BookClub
If you are generous, Allah (GOD) Almighty will give you a lot
This is a story of that time when I had come from a new province, there was a lot of talk about gathering information from someone about what is called the One Wisdom of the East here. In this regard, I had to go to different places in different areas and corners. I used to search for such camps where elders lived. You must have heard this word from me many times. So I used to go to the camp of Hazrat Shah Sahib and try to get information from him about the knowledge that is not available in the knowledge books and it clashed with my knowledge in a big way because I was prepared in a different way. In terms of knowledge, the knowledge there was a different kind of knowledge, but I was interested in it. But along with that, there was a problem that my colleagues and my contemporaries, who were writers, considered it very bad that an educated person of ours, Sayyiduna, had come from such a distance and was growing in the province. What kind of nonsense business has he got involved in and it also caused them great pain. And big columns were also written against me. My wife was very angry, saying, "What are you doing?" So I used to go there secretly and fearlessly. One day, I went there in the evening and we were praying Maghrib prayers. Baba ji was standing with me. Maulvi Sahib was leading the prayers.
By Afzal Othi12 months ago in BookClub
A Teacher in The Court of Rome, Italy
When we brothers came to Lahore City from our village to get education, our father gave us a house which was on Flame Road. Akhtar Sherani lived there. Since I was a first year student, I was not that familiar with his name or his work, but my elder brothers knew him and respected him very much. However, among the many other kindnesses our father had done, he also provided us with a cook who cooked our food. His name was Abdul. Abdul had two great passions in life. One was to speak English and to study English, as nowadays English is considered knowledge and there is a fight for acquiring English. Abdul was also very fond of it. The other was that he had a great passion for good communication. So sometimes, when his brother would send him a letter to post, he would say, "If you give me your bicycle, I will go with great pleasure." When we passed by his bicycle, we would greet him, but we had never touched it. So, he was always kind to Abdul and he would take a bicycle to GPO from Fleming Road to post a letter to him and according to my calculations he would return in four and a half minutes and in that state his breath would be heavy and sweat would be on his forehead.
By Afzal Othi12 months ago in BookClub
Scholars of the World
The elders whom I often mention, and especially old man Noor Wale, their style of speaking and their attitude of presenting and wrapping up their talk were very different from the common people. For example, they used to say that whoever does not accept good, good will befall him. They say that prayers are obligatory, not service. Then another similar long statement, which we are a little confused about and now I am a little free from this confusion, was that the sender has sent a person for some work or action, not just for reading and teaching. Those who consider reading and teaching as action waste the time given for action. Now this was a big nonsense. For us, who were supposed to write and teach, it was like a bombshell. But if you think about it honestly, think about it. The kind of conversation that we had while sitting in a tent, the kind that we have on TV or We considered what is done in the program or in university classes or in college graves. Among those who considered it was the late Habib Jalib, who also used to come there and especially Safdar Mir, who is also deceased. He did not participate in the discussion but was present.
By Afzal Othi12 months ago in Education
Disappointment
This is a whirlpool of despair, a cruel whirlpool. If a person keeps wandering on its edge, there is some hope of escape, but when he goes too deep, then there is no escape left. I have just come from a gathering where young boys and girls are commenting on their current situation, and a similar state of despair and hopelessness had developed within them, as it had once developed within us when we were their age. In our time, since there were no psychiatrists, no doctors, no psychologists, we used to run to those elders to cure our sorrows. They must have had some hidden prescription, which we could call our elders, so they could find solutions to our problems and give them to us. When we used to ask the elders where they got such a prescription, they would say that you too can learn this art of spiritual medicine because the prescription is a slave to the beggar. You only have to open it and hand it over to him.
By Afzal Othi12 months ago in BookClub
