Translation of a (Love) Letter by Allama Iqbal to Miss Atiya Faizi

The translation is effective, however, the lasting effect of his own language is missing. I wonder to what extent a language rules a relationship. And I mean, its real context, transliteration [actual mapping of words] ...but what about the silences, the absences, something altogether quaint and comical has happened to this letter, I wonder if you can post the original along with it, so we can see the 'whole picture' better.

In the nearest language, it always works.

Tahir sahib very disappointing. Hamzaad wrote that you emailed the new article to all friends and I was not included in that list out of design...

Re: # 127 Asadi sahib,
Thanks for your two cents; dollars are hard to come by these days as we're all awaiting Gilani's return from the 'murder capitol of the globe'.

Qatrah qatrah darya banta hay!

Life is full of surprises. I've just been told that one ChowQ editor has fallen in love with another (I hope this is a male-female couple!) and that 'laaahve is in the air'. Not only are they considering opening the doors of their solitary cells, a general amenesty is in the offing too.

Regards.

Bol kay lab azad hain teray....

Tahir sahib I have put my two cents to chowk staff for publishing your article, just because you asked me to. I know how much those folk "love" me, all that "love" just might get you banned for good...that is why I didn't want to interfere....

Naqsh brother,

If you identify yourself with Islam, let me hug you, but if you wish to place sufism above Islam and the sunnah of the Prophets, then I must part ways right here.

I only want ChowQ editors to come to their senses regarding their anti-Islam/Pakistan stance by not promoting unbelief (and by banning believers). Do you or do you not share this objective?

The world is not divided into Wahabis or Sufis; there is a middle way: 'siratal mustaqeem'.

Let's follow THIS!

http://saheefah.org/2006/09/01/subkis-allegations-against-ibn-taymiyyah/

Al-S ubki said what he said because he was known in history as an Ash’ari bigot, who did not spare his own Sheikh al-Dhahabi from harsh criticisms. He not only had problems with Ibn Taymiyya, he had problems with the Hanbalis, and the Salafi Shafi’is, Malikis and Hanafis in bulk.

Ash’aris produced a number of intelligent mutakallims, such as al-Juwaini, al-Ghazzali, al-Shahrastani and al-Razi, who made huge contributions to the evolution of Ash’arism. Al-Subki, on the other hand, was just a bigot.

It is important to take note of a historical fact the so-called Muslim philosophers’ school came to an end by the death of Ibn Rushd, for they simply could not produce a philosopher as intelligent as him who would continue their legacy. At that time, of course, al-Ghazzali was always triumphant over the philosophers, giving them a deadly blow by writing his famous ‘Incoherence’, and thereby, strengthening the Ash’aris.

Very similarly, the Ash’ari legacy came to an end by the death of al-Razi, the like of whom the Ash’aris could not produce ever after, and again, as was the case with al-Ghazzali’s triumph over the philosophers, Ibn Taymiyya give the Ash’arites a deadly blow, championing the Madhab of the Salaf, and there simply wasn’t an Ash’arite of the calibre of al-Razi to counter him.

This is why, if you read al-Subki’s al-Sayf al-Thaqil in refutation of Ibn al-Qayyim’s nuniyya, he is simply parroting arguments that have been already refuted by Ibn Taymiyya in detail. He could not come up with anything new, because he was simply an unintelligent bigot. Most of the Ash’arite apologetics we see today are worse than al-Subki in their bigotry and even more ignorant of kalam.

Re: # 119 Asadi
"when do we get to read the Part 2 of "A whole lotta shakin goin on"?

It is indeed a great loss for the readers that the ChowQ-Stuffed have let lose the 'bakri' that had my article for lunch!

Let me re-send it to them now.

Since we supported YOU, how about asking THEM (without any the 'f' words) to publish my latest article titled 'The Ordeal Of John Suitcase'?

Regards.

PS: Probably they're afraid they'll all die laughing readindg it!

tahir,
you obviously haven't READ what I wrote. Ibn Taymiyyah was in the Qadri order of Sufis. I know that's hard for his Wahabi acolytes to swallow.

He was imprisoned for his heresies in aqeedah --may Allah have mercy on him.

His contemporary the great shaykh al-Subki said, 'His knowledge was greater than his wisdom'.

Re: # 118 Naqsh
"Offering prayers and remaining steadfast in the face of adversity IS the Prophetic way!"

I thought THIS was settled without a doubt!

Re: # 117 Naqsh
"life. He was a slightly confused individual too at times"

That's why the Qur'an says: 'The erring follow the poets..'

Regards

Re: # 117 Naqsh
"al Jilani was amongst those select awliya of Allah [Friends of God/saints] who could change taqdeer!

I won't have my 'taqdeer' changed by a dead saint! Did he change yours out in the U.K.?

The sufis also claim that the Prophet himnself was one of them, just like the Jews claim certain Prophets were Jews!

After having gone to prison many times, Ibn Tamiyyah died there! He vehemntly opposed the sufi orders, their Sheikh Ibn al-Arabi's teachings, and their grip over the caliphs and the courts! He led and fought against the Tatars while the 'taqdeer-changers' stayed in their 'khanqahs'!

I have before me 'THE LIFE OF SHEIKH AL-ISLAM IBN TAMIYYAH' (translated by Syed Raees Ahmed Ja'fry Nadvi).

And I haven't even started to quote from it yet!

Regards.

#114, Tahir sahib when do we get to read the Part 2 of "A whole lotta shakin goin on", sometimes you can use the ilog function too which chowk staff has again altered in my case by making my ilogs go straight to the list and not the FP. The thing about the ilog is that unlike the FP articles, " a whole lotta debatin" does not take place....

Offering prayers and remaining steadfast in the face of adversity IS the Prophetic way!

Tahir mian,

Ibn Taymiyyah--whilst unduly harsh on SOME Sufis--was HIMSELF initiated into the Qadri Sufi Order of Sayyidina Shaykh Abd al Qadir al Jilani -may Allah be pleased with him--and in his fataawa refers to him as 'Shaykuna' -- our Shaykh. He was even given the khirqa of Shaykh Ghawth al Azam! So, this parroting of the Wahabi-influenced folks that 'Ibn Taymiyya was anti-Sufi' is actually NOT true.

In fact in his book, "Al-Furqan bayn al awliya Allah wa awliya ash-Shaytan" he writes--may Allah have mercy on him!--that Shaykh Abd al Qadir al Jilani was amongst those select awliya of Allah [Friends of God/saints] who could change taqdeer!

As for Iqbal, he underwent many changes in his life but the influence of Rumi was paramount --especially at the end of his life. He was a slightly confused individual too at times.

Re: # 113 Asadi
ASadi sahib,

Be happy because you escaped after being declared 'fit to be killed'! I too face great opposition when the source of sectarian problems (you guessed it!) is challenged.

Today's mosques don't serve the same purpose they did in the Prophet's time. Very sad indeed.

Dr. Israr Ahmed on TV: ‘To delve into Mustanad matters is to go astray’.

Now this is actually Maududi speaking his mind through a Hadīth!

What can one do except offer prayers and remain patiently steadfast? Allah guides those who WILL to be guided.

Anyway, let's not fight despite the differnces; the other side is watching from across Wahga!

g'night....peace out for you, no peace for the thugs...