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“By God the pleasure that a believing man attains from waking up in the middle of the night, gazing at the sky full of stars reading the verses: “Surely in the creation of the heavens and earth and the nights and days are signs for the believers” which is the voice of the universe and comes from the heart of existence and his voice becoming in one with creation - the pleasure of that moment is equal to a whole life of material pleasure in the world.”

— Shaheed Motaharri

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Jupiter !

Credits: NASA

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“When Moses A.S. asks to see God on Sinai, he is told: “Never can you see Me.” And yet “wheresoever you turn, lo, there is the face of God:” the Maker may be veiled, but His works, His evidentiary signs, are made strikingly palpable to all men.”

— Imam ghaazali

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“Attitudes towards beauty are entwined with our deepest conflicts surrounding flesh and spirit. We view the body as a temple, a prison, a dwelling for the immortal soul, a tormentor, a garden of earthly delights, a biological envelope, a machine, a home. We cannot talk about our response to our body’s beauty without understanding all that we project onto our flesh.”

- Survival of the prettiest: The science of Beauty, Nancy L. Etcoff, (July 2000), USA, First Anchor Books Edition pp 28-28.

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mere rashk-e-qamar by nusrat fateh ali khan

میرے رشکِ قمر تو نے پہلی نظر، جب نظر سے ملائی مزہ آ گیا mere rashk-e-qamar tu ne pehli nazar, jab nazar se milaaii maza aa gaya O my envy of the moon, when your eyes first met mine, I was overjoyed

برق سی گر گئی، کام ہی کر گئی، آگ ایسی لگائی مزہ آ گیا barq si gir gaii kaam hi kar gaii, aag aisi lagaaii maza aa gaya Lightning struck and destroyed me; you ignited such a fire that it made me ecstatic

جام میں گھول کر حسن کی مستیاں، چاندنی مسکرائی مزہ آ گیا jaam mein ghol kar husn ki mastiyaan, chaandni muskuraaii maza aa gaya Mixing beauty’s mischief into my drink, the moonlight smiled – how enjoyable!

چاند کے سائے میں اے میرے ساقیا، تو نے ایسی پلائی مزہ آ گیا chaand ke saaey mein ae mere saaqiya, tu ne aisi pilaaii maza aa gaya In the moon’s shadow, O my cup-bearer, you made me drink such a wine that I was ecstatic

نشہ شیشے میں انگڑائی لینے لگا، بزمِ رنداں میں ساغر کھنکنے لگے nasha sheeshe mein angraaii lene laga, bazm-e-rindaan mein saaghar khanakne lage Intoxication spread through the bottle, and goblets clinked in the party of debauchees

میکدے پہ برسنے لگیں مستیاں، جب گھٹا گھر کے چھائی مزہ آ گیا maikade pe barasne lagiin mastiyaan, jab ghata ghir ke chaaii maza aa gaya Mischief descended upon the tavern, and when storm clouds poured down, I was overjoyed

بےحجبانہ وہ سامنے آ گئے، اور جوانی جوانی سے ٹکرا گئی behijaabana woh saamne aa gae, aur jawaani jawaani se takra gaii Unveiled, she came before me, and her youthful splendor collided with mine

آنکھ اُن کی لڑی یوں میری آنکھ سے، دیکھ کر یہ لڑائی مزہ آ گیا aankh un ki lari yuun meri aankh se, dekh kar yeh laraaii maza aa gaya Her eyes clashed with mine in such a way that seeing this fight made me joyful

آنکھ میں تھی حیاہ ہر ملاقات پر، سرخ عارض ہوئے وصل کی بات پر aankh mein thi hayaa har mulaaqaat par, surkh aariz hue wasl ki baat par Modesty was in her eyes every time we met; her cheeks blushed red when I spoke of our union

اُس نے شرما کے میرے سوالات پہ، ایسے گردن جھکائی مزہ آ گیا us ne sharma ke mere sawaalaat pe, aise gardan jhukaaii maza aa gaya Embarrassed by my questions, she lowered her head in such  a way that I was delighted

شیخ صاحب کا ایمان مٹ ہی گیا، دیکھ کر حسنِ ساقی پگھل ہی گیا shaikh saahib ka eemaan mit hi gaya, dekh kar husn-e-saaqi pighal hi gaya The shaikh’s faith was obliterated; upon seeing the cup-bearer’s beauty, it melted away

آج سے پہلے یہ کتنے مغرور تھے، لٹ گئی پارسائی مزہ آ گیا aaj se pehle ye kitne maghroor the, lut gaii paarsaaii maza aa gaya Before today, how proud he was; now his piety has been lost – how enjoyable!

اے فناؔ شکر ہے آج بعدِ فنا، اُس نے رکھلی میرے پیار کی آبرو ae Fana shukar hai aaj baad-e-fana, us ne rakhli mere pyaar ki aabroo O Fana, today I am grateful that after my demise, she has maintained the honor of my love

اپنے ہاتھوں سے اُس نے میری قبر پر، چادرِ گل چڑھائی مزہ آ گیا apne haathon se us ne meri qabar par, chaadar-e-gul charhaaii maza aa gaya With her own hands, she spread a sheet of flowers on my grave – how delightful!

* Note on the takhallus: The takhallus (Urdu: تخلص) is the pen name adopted by a poet in Urdu, and is usually incorporated into his/her poems near the end. It often has a double meaning as both a name and as a word. Fana Buland Shehri included his takhallus in this qawwali when he says, “ae Fana shukar hai aaj baad-e-fana, us ne rakhli mere pyaar ki aabroo”. Fana is the author’s name, but it also means “annihilation”. This adds another meaning to that line: “O annihilation (death), today I am grateful that after my demise, she has maintained the honor of my love”.

translation by hamza shad 

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Boreas (1903) by John William Waterhouse

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Everything submits to Him and everything exists by Him. He is the satisfaction of every poor, dignity of the low, energy for the weak and shelter for the oppressed. Whoever speaks, He hears his speaking, and whoever keeps quiet, He knows his secret. On Him is the livelihood of everyone who lives, and to Him returns whoever dies.

— Imam Ali ع | Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 109

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On Iran & the Scourge of Sectarianism

This week, i've been thinking about the state of the Muslim ummah, the importance of wilayah, and the need for cultivating Islamic unity as the world draws closer to an uncertain climax in the struggle between tyranny and freedom. Israel continues to brutally massacre dozens of starving Palestinians in Gaza each day, and has now murdered hundreds of innocent people in Iran. I can't even begin to fathom or comprehend such staggering numbers- so many innocent lives taken, so many families destroyed. May God grant victory to Iran, liberation to Palestine, and destruction to Israel and the entire imperial cadre facilitating these crimes against humanity. As Iran has been launching its retaliatory strikes, i've observed what i believe to be an unfortunate yet seemingly inevitable phenomenon: throughout this year, there were many prominent figures in the ummah who made it a habit to parrot certain indignities against Shi'as; insinuating that we are inherently devious or untrustworthy, claiming that Iran's enmity toward Israel was mere pageantry designed to obfuscate some nefarious ulterior agenda. 

Those of us who understand the reality of things observed these claims quietly, noticing which of our brothers and sisters in prominent positions were most privy to becoming tools of the classic imperialist agenda of divide and conquer, with its latest, most devious iteration taking the form of sectarianism. For those of you who have contributed to fueling sectarianism in any degree: congratulations on unwittingly playing the role the Zionists handcrafted for you- i hope whatever ego boost you derived from punching down on Shi'as was worth it. The most maddening part of the anti-Iran claims, in particular, is how painfully disconnected they are from the reality of how much Iran has suffered in order to maintain its opposition to Zionism and Imperialism. While the bloated Arab governments enabling Israel's atrocities have flourished, punitive Western sanctions have completely crippled the economic health of Iran. When my parents briefly visited Iran in May, they said paper money was useless because inflation had devalued the currency so badly, the cost of ordinary objects was well into the millions. 

As we mourn our fallen brothers and sisters in Iran, and continue to grieve the genocide of our brothers and sisters in Palestine, this week has brought a great deal of sadness for the Shi'a world. But it has also been a week of staggering clarity, in which Haqq has become so self-evident, even ordinary Americans have taken to openly praising Iran and Sayyid Khamenei, the very entities the Zionists and Imperialists have spent decades vilifying. And many mainstream Sunnis have been making dua for the safety of their brothers and sisters in Iran, who were once widely isolated and dehumanized. But no matter where the rest of the ummah stands, the orientation of every Shi'a will always remain with Haqq- this is the path illuminated for us by the Ahlulbayt (as); this is the path they paved and sanctified with their blood. As the voices of the Takfiris, Salafis, Madkhalis, and other agents of sectarian bigotry are finally being drowned out by the voices of sensible, God-fearing Muslims who understand the value of being an ummah truly united under the guidance and leadership of Rasulallah (pbuh), we're seeing a sharper divide than ever between those who understand Haqq and those who don't have the insight to recognize it. But in the sea of those voices, there have always been brave, thoughtful souls who went against the grain in favor of unity when it wasn't convenient. I had the pleasure of crossing paths with one such scholar last month- more on that soon, iA :)

x r

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Indian Sunset: Deer by a Lake by Albert Bierstadt, 1880-1890.

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Netanyahu's Iran nuclear bomb claim timeline: 1992-present.

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“The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world.”

— Paul Farmer

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akka, palestine (2021)

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Humanity needs three things today - a spiritual interpretation of the universe, spiritual emancipation of the individual and basic principles of a universal import directing the evolution of human society on a spiritual basis. Modern Europe has, no doubt, built idealistic systems on these lines, but experience shows that truth revealed through pure reason is incapable of bringing that fire of living conviction which personal revelation alone can bring.

Murtadha Mutahhari Relationship between Science and Faith.

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