... Taj Mahal. Agra. India.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazrat_Jalaluddin_Surkh-Posh_Bukhari

 

Hazrat Syed Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari also called Sayyed Jalaluddin Bukhari as well as Shah Mir Surkh-Posh of Bukhara (c. 1192-1291 AD) and also Pir Jalaluddin Qutub-al-Aqtab Makhdoom-e-Jahanian Jahan Gusht was a prominent "Suhrawardiyya" Sufi Saint and revered missionary. Hazrat Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari was called Surkh-posh ("Red-clad") on account of the red mantle he often wore. His name was Hassan Jalaluddin, while Jalal Azam and Mir Surkh (Surkh-Posh) Bukhari were his titles. He was also known as Jalal Ganj. He was born on Friday, 5th Zilhaj 595 Hijri in Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan. He was the son of Syed Ali Al-Moeed and grandson of Syed Ja’far Hussain. He got his early education in Bukhara under the supervision and guidance of his father. He completed his education in his seventh year and is known to have performed several miracles even in childhood. 1,500 learned men had accepted him as their spiritual leader before he had actually reached manhood.

 

He spent his whole life in traveling and several tribes, such as the Soomro, Samma, Chadhar, Sial, Dahir, Mazari and Warren etc. embraced Islam owing to his efforts.

 

He married Syeda Fatima, daughter of Syed Qasim in Bukhara. She was blessed with two sons, Syed Ali and Syed Ja’far.

 

After the death of his first wife, Syeda Fatima in Bukhara, he along with his two sons -Syed Ali and Syed Ja’far migrated at the age of forty years from Bukhara to Bhakkar, Punjab in 635 Hijri. However, as per the book "Makhdoom Jahanian Jahangasht" written by Muhammad Ayub Qadri, both the brothers went back to Bukhara after some time.

 

Syed Jalaluddin Hassan Mir Surkh Bukhari died in the age of 95 years on 19th Jamadiul Awwal 690 Hijri (20 May 1294) in Uchch Sharif, Punjab.

 

He is also known as Sayyid Jalal or Sher Shah Sayyid Jalal. His history and pedigree are given in extend in such works as the Mazher-i-Jalali, the Akber-ul-Akhyar, the Rauzat-ul-Ahbab, Maraij-ul-Walayat, Manaqabi Qutbi, the Siyar-ul-Aqtar, the Siyar-ul-Arifeen, the Manaqib-ul-Asifya etc. These books only exist in manuscript and are generally found in the possession of Bukhari Sayyids. Sayyid Jalal's life is given in brief below:

 

He also met Chengiz Khan, the mongol, and endeavoured to convert him to Islam, but Chengiz Khan ordered him to be burnt alive. The fire however turned into a bush of roses and on seeing this miracle Chengiz Khan became inclined to be more sympathetic towards Islam and Muslims. Chengiz offered to give his daughter in marriage to Hazrat Jalaludin. He at first refused to take Chengiz's daughter as his wife but then he heard a divine voice say that his descendants would spread far and wide and were destined to be Qutubs "saints" of the world, he consented to the marriage.

 

This proved to be true as his descendants are quite numerous, and many Sayyid families in the Punjab, Sindh, the United Provinces (Uttar Pradesh), Kachchh and Hyderabad Deccan, claim descent from him, and trace their origins to Uchch Sharrif.

 

His two male issues from his second wife, Fatima, the daughter of Sayyid Qasim Hussein Bukhari, Sayyid Ali and Sayyid Jaffar, are buried in tombs at Bukhara. He brought his son Sayyid Baha-ul-Halim with him to Sindh and he settled in Uchch in 1244 AD.

 

Sayyid Jalaluddin afterwards married Zohra, the daughter of Sayyid Badar-u-Din Bukhari, of whom was born Sayyid Mohammad Ghaus. On Zohra's death he married the second daughter of Sayyid Badar-u-Din, who give birth to Sayyid Ahmed Kabir, the father of Makhdoom Jahania. In 642 Hijri when Nassir-u-Din Mahmud, son's of Shams-u-Din Altamash, was Sultan (ruler) of the kingdom of Delhi, Sayyid Jalal reached Uch, which was then called Deogarh, and its people began through him, to embrace Islam. The Raja Deo Singh, its ruler, was greatly incensed at this, and spared no effort to cause him trouble, but being overawed by the Sayyid's miracles he fled to Marwar. Innumerable miracles are attributed to him. The reverence which he enjoyed may be judged from the fact that rulers used to wait upon him at Uch, for example in 642 H. Nassir-u-Din Mahmud, the eldest son of Shams-u-Din Altamash, paid him visit at Uch.

 

He died in 690 H. in the reign of Ghayas-u-Din Balban, and was buried at Sonak Bela 3 miles of Uch, but the river Ghaggar reaching quite close to his grave; his descendants removed his remains to Uch and buried them at the place where the shirne Hazrat Sadar-u-Din Rajan Qattal is now situated. Again in 1027 H. the then Sajjada Nashin Makhdoom Hamid son of Muhammad Nassir-u-Din, removed the remains, buried them in the present spot and erected a building over them. In 1261 H. Nawab Muhammad Bahawal Khan III made some additions to it and built a tank and well, called the khan sir, in compound of the shrine. In 1300 H. Nawab Sadiq Muhammad Khan IV had it repaired and made some additions. Both Hindus and Muslims in and outside the state have a firm faith in this Khanqah and all kinds of vows are made there.

 

His Mission: He spread Islam to Sindh and Southern Punjab and is responsible for conversion of Soomro and Samma tribes among others to Islam. He also laid the foundations of a religious school in Uch (also spelled Uchch). He moved back to Bukhara once and later returned to finally settle in Uchch in 1244 C.E.

 

He was founder of the "Jalali" Section of the Suhrawardi("Suhrawardiyya") Sufi Order. "Jalali" being named after him. Some of his successors in the line went to Gujerat and became very famous there. This includes Jalal b. Ahmad Kabir, popularly known as Makhdum-e-Jahaniyan (d. 1384 AD), who made thirty-six visits to Mecca; Abu Muhammad Abdullah, popularly known as Burhanuddin Qutb-e-Alam (d. 1453 AD) and Sayyed Muhammad Shah Alam (d. 1475 AD).

 

It is narrated that Makhdoom Syed Jalaluddin Bukhari had urged Gengis Khan to spare the innocent people and embrace Islam. Enraged by this bold act of Jalaluddin, Gengis Khan ordered that he might be thrown in fire. But to the utter surprise of Gengis Khan and his courtiers the fire did not hurt Jalaluddin Bukhari.

 

The great pioneers of the 13th century Sufi movement in South Asia were four friends known as "Chaar Yaar". Baba Farid Shakar Ganj of Pakpattan [1174-1266]; Jalaluddin Bukhari of Uchch [c. 1192-1294]; Baha-ud-din Zakariya of Multan [1170-1267] and Lal Shahbaz Qalandar of Sehwan [1177-1274 ] . It is said that 17 leading tribes of Punjab accepted Islam at the hands of Baba Farid . Some of these tribes were Kharals, Dhudhyan, Tobian and also Wattoo, a Rajput tribe. Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari converted the Soomro and Samma tribes of Sindh as stated earlier, the Sial, Chadhar, Dahir and Warren tribes of Southern Punjab and Sindh, and the Mazaris and several other Baluch tribes while Shahbaz Qalandar had a great following in Multan and Northern Sindh.

 

He is also reported to have met Makhdum Shah Daulah, a saint buried in Bengal, at Bukhara where he presented Makhdum Shah with a pair of gray pigeons as a token of good wishes. From Bukhara the Makhdum Shah party proceeded towards Bengal and settled at Shahjadpur, a locality under the jurisdiction of a Hindu king whose kingdom extended up to Bihar. The king ordered for the expulsion of Makhdum Shah and his companions. Consequently there ensued a severe fight between the two parties in which Makhdum Shah with all his followers, except Khwaja Nur, embraced martyrdom.

 

Mai Heer of the Sial tribe and of the "Heer-Ranjha" fame was daughter of Choochak Sial who was disciple of Hazrat Syed Ahmed Kabir, grandson of Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari.

 

His family was one of the most revered and prominent Muslim families during the rule of the Turkish dynasties in India including the Tughlaq Qabacha(Kipchak) and Mamluk dynasty of Delhi dynasties. His descendants are called Naqvi al-Bukhari. The part of Uchch where this family settled is called "Uchch Bukharian]] to this day. There are magnificent tombs of his descendants and disciples there. These include Hazrat Jahaniyan Jahangasht, Hazrat Rajan Qittal; Bibi Jawindi, and Channan Pir among others. Many of his disciples are buried in Bhanbhore and Makli near Thatta.

 

There were many religious leaders and sufi saints in his lineage. Among them Hazrat Shah Mohammad Ghouse migrated from Uchch and settled down in the Punjab, Hazrat Shah Jamal of Ichchra, Lahore' and numerous others.

 

Part of his family moved back to Turkistan and there were inter-marriages with the Tatar Mongol ruling clan of Bukhara. It is said that he was married to Genghis Khan's daughter as well. A branch of the family moved subsequently to what is now Bursa in Turkey.

 

His role in the Muslim Rishi tradition in Kashmir: His disciple Lal Ded (or Lalleshwari (Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani's First Teacher)exercised a seminal influence on Hazrat Nurani's own spiritual development. Lal Ded's life is shrouded in mystery and legend, the first references to her being made in Farsi Muslim chronicles many years after her death. It is believed that she was born in the village of Sampora, near Srinagar, in 13th century C.E. in a Kashmiri Pundit family. As was the then prevalent custom, she was married off at a very young age to a Brahmin temple priest from the village of Padmanpora, the present-day Pampore. Her mother-in-law is said to have cruelly mistreated her, and her husband, jealous of her spiritual attainments and her growing popularity among the people, forced her out of his house. She then took to the jungles, roaming about completely naked, performing stern austerities and meditational practices. She met Hazrat Jalaluddin Bukhari Makhdum Jahaniyan Jahangasht (d. 1308 C.E.) and embraced Islam at his hands, after which she 'ascended the stages of suluk (the Sufi path)', and thereafter travelled widely with him all over Kashmir.

 

She is called Lalla 'Arifa ('Lalla, the Gnostic'), Lalla Madjzuba ('Lalla, the Ecstatic') and Rabi'a-e-Sani. According to local lore, Lal Ded died in 1400 C.E. just outside the Jami'a mosque at the town of Bijbehara. Her body was not to be found, and in its place her followers discovered a pile of flowers. Her Hindu disciples consigned them to the flames, while her Muslim followers buried them, each in accordance with their own religious customs. She in turn influenced Hazrat Nuruddin Nurani who is considered by the Kashmiris, both Hindus as well as Muslims, as the patron saint of Kashmir. For this reason, he is lovingly referred to as the Alamdar-e-Kashmir ('flag bearer of Kashmir'), as well the Shaikh-ul 'alam ('the teacher of the whole world'). Although he was himself a Muslim and the order that he founded played a major role in the spread of Islam in Kashmir, he is regarded with deep veneration by the Hindus of Kashmir as well, for his message was one of universal love and harmony. Till this day, scores of people from all walks of life and from different religious communities flock to his shrine at Charar i Sharief. (The Muslim Rishis of Kashmir: Crusaders for Love and Justice, by Yoginder Sikand)

 

His Philosophy: The factors which gave birth to organised sufism were indeed serious ailments which had afflicted Muslim society for some time and had assumed menacing proportions by the 12th century A.D. It was easily discernible that Muslim political structure was crumbling and its entire moral and social fabric facing extinction. The most redeeming feature of this dark and dismal period was that this challenge was successfully met by the Muslim society from its own resources and from its own inherent strength by employing its own moral and intellectual weapons. The answer to this grave challenge was the sufi movement. Sufism gave a new lease of life to the Muslims, provided them with a bright vision, opened up fresh vistas for them, and guided them towards unexplored horizons. It was a glorious and splendid performance, unparalleled and unsurpassed in human history.

 

Hundreds of devoted workers left their hearths and homes, spread out over unknown regions hazarding strange climes and conditions with hardly any material resources to aid and assist them. Poverty and privation stalked their efforts while distance and inaccessibility stood in their way. But undaunted and undeterred they marched forward demolishing the distances, breaking the barriers, conquering the climes. And lo! they succeeded. What was the secret of their success? They had both strength of character and courage of conviction, were selfless and devoted to a cause.

 

Sufism became organised, and adopted a form and institution in the 12th and 13th centuries A.D. The two great pioneers in this field were Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani and Hazrat Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi (Persian:عمر سهروردى) 1144 - 1234) a.k.a. Shahabuddin Suhrawardy. By introducing the system of ’silsila’ which was a sort of association/order, and takia/khankha, a lodge or hospice, they invested the movement with a sense of brotherhood and provided it with a meeting place. The ’silsila’ and the takia/khankha were the king-pins of the organization. With a stream of selfless workers available and with no dearth of devoted and assiduous leadership, the movement made swift progress and spread far and wide.

 

The beginning, popularity and propagation of Sufism have been attributed to many causes among which may be mentioned: to free religious thought from the rigidity imposed by the ulema; to emphasise in the Islamic teachings the element of God’s love and mercy for His creation rather than His wrath and retribution; to practise what one professes and not merely indulge in slogans and soliloques; to stress the essence of faith rather than mere observance of formalities; to move away towards rural areas from the evil and debilitation effects of wealth, monarchy and bureaucracy concentrated in big cities; to demolish the edifice of false values based on pelf and power and restore morality to its proper place in the niche of Muslim society; to combat the fissiparous tendencies and centrifugal forces which were spreading their tentacles in the Muslim world; to discourage parochial feelings and eliminate racial pride which had assumed primary importance in Muslim thinking relegating the ideal of brotherhood to a secondary place etc.

 

According to Hasan Nizami, Suhrawardy sufis were the first to arrive in India and made their Headquarters in Sind. Suhrawardy order attained great influence in Pakistan under the leadership of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakaria of Multan. The famous Qadirya order later entered India through Sind in 1482 A.D. and Syed Bandagi Mohammad Ghouse, one of the descendants of the founder (Shaikh Abdul Qader Jilani 1078-1116) took up residence in Sind at Uchch and died in 1517 A.D.” (An Introduction to History of Sufism By A.J.Arbery.)

 

Uchch Sharif: Alexandria: Uchch was founded by Alexander the Great as "Alexandria" on the bank of the River Indus. Many followers came to study under him and later spread his theological message throughout the region.

 

Naqvi family: He is the primary progenitor of the "Syed" sub-clan called "Naqvi al-Bukhari". The clan is known as "Naghavi" in Iran and there are considerable numbers of "Naghavi" Syeds living in Iran and elsewhere. In Jordan and Iraq this surname is spelled "Naqavi".

 

The Shrine: He was buried in a small town outside Uchch, but his tomb was damaged by floods, so in 1617 AD, his shrine was rebuilt in Mohalla Bukhari in Uchch by the Nawab of Bahawalpur, Bahawal Khan II. In the 18th century, the Abbasi Nawabs annexed Uchch into the princely state of Bahawalpur. The shrine lies a short walk away from the cemetery and is also built on a promontory, so one can look out onto the rolling plains below and the desert in the distance. To one side is an old mosque covered with blue-tile work and in front of a pool of water is the tomb proper. A carved wooden door leads into the musty room containing the coffin of Hazrat Syed Bukhari.

 

The Town of Uchch: During the Islamic era in the subcontinent Uchch and Multan became the greatest centers of academic and cultural excellence. The twin cities attracted the persons having expertise in various prevalent arts and sciences from every corner of the world. Numerous personalities enjoying reasonable socio-religious and academic status stood attached to the city of Uch. Hazrat Safi-ud-Din Gazruni (980-1007 A.D) introduced the first academy of letters at Uch. Ali bin Hamid bin Abubakar Koofi, compiler of the most authentic historical document “ Chuch Nama” migrated from Iraq to Uch. Syed Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari (c.1198 A.D) made Uch a center of religious education and preaching. Hazrat Jahanian Jahan Gasht (1308-1384) belonged to this land of piety and righteousness. The well known reference of history “Tabqate Nasiri’s" writer Minhaj Siraj spent most part of his life at Uch.

 

Uchch Bukhari is the oldest settlement, dating back to about a thousand years and the monument complex. The complex is located on a mound that is considered the city’s highest point. Hundreds of small, unmarked graves lead up to the monuments and palm trees dot the landscape beyond the fields that were once the riverbed of the Sutlej below. The three largest tombs, of Bibi Jawandi, Hazrat Baha Ul Halim and Ustad Nurya, were all once complete mausoleums covered with exquisite glazed tile-work. Now they are in ruins, yet with their intricate tile-work still apparent, it is not difficult to imagine them in the prime of their glory.

 

There is not much information available on the individuals who were buried in these tombs, the actual graves of Bibi Jawandi, Ustad Nurya and Hazrat Baha Ul Halim are no longer marked by a cenotaph. Ustad Nurya is said to be the architect responsible for Bibi Jawandi’s mausoleum while Hazrat Baha Ul Halim was a direct descendant of Syed Jalaluddin Surkh-Posh Bukhari. Bibi Jawandi's mausoleum is the oldest of the three. The architectural style of her tomb is indigenous to Upper Sindh and Lower Punjab, where moulded bricks are used as decorative elements. According to historian Holly Edwards, who has done extensive research on Bibi Jawandi’s tomb, the bastions of the mausoleum are peculiar to the region. She has found only one other similar tomb in Central Asia. In addition, the wedge-shaped tiles that have been knitted into the structural core of the building are unique to this monument.

 

The Mela (Folk Festival): Mela Uchch Sharif is usually held in March/April and is a weeklong celebration. A large number of people from southern Punjab come to the historic town Uchch Sharif to pay homage to the great sufi saint, Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkhposh Bukhari (RA), for spreading Islam.

 

Following the centuries old tradition, people visit the shrine of Hazrat Jalaluddin Surukhposh Bukhari to start the mela. Majority of the people and devotees of Hazrat Syed Jalal spend the entire day at the shrine and offer Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid built by the Abbasid rulers.

 

The mela is held to mark the historic congregation of sufi saints held in 600 AH on the invitation of Hazrat Jalaluddin Surkhposh Bukhari. The mela is celebrated when Hindu calendar month 'Chait' starts where people perform folk dances, circus, plays and traditional bazaars are set up, selling sweets and drinks.

 

When communication means were poor in the past, people stayed in Uch Sharif for four to five days to enjoy the mela, but improvement in transportation had changed the atmosphere of the mela. Visitors return to their houses at night. (Reference used for this section: Daily Times)

 

Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya (Persian: بہاؤ الدین زکریا ) was a Sufi of Suhrawardiyya order (tariqa). His full name was Al-Sheikh Al-Kabir Sheikh-ul-Islam Baha-ud-Din Abu Muhammad Zakaria Al-Qureshi Al-Asadi Al Hashmi.

 

Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Zakariya known as Bahawal Haq was born at Kot Kehror, a town of Layyah District near Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, , around 1170.

 

His grand father Shah Kamaluddin Ali Shah Qureshi al Hashmi arrived Multan from Makkah en route to Khwarizm where he stayed for a short while. He was from the descendents of Asad Ibn Hashim the maternal grandfather of Hadhrat Ali ibn Abi Talib RA.

 

In Tariqat he was the disciple of Renowned Sufi Master Shaikh Shahabuddin Suharwardi who awarded him Khilafat only after 17 days of stay at his Khanqaah in Baghdaad.

 

For fifteen years he went from place to place to preach Islam and after his wanderings Bahawal Haq settled in Multan in 1222.

 

Source en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baha-ud-din_Zakariya

Multan (Explored)

 

fav main add karny walo ko multani sohan halwy ka ik daba mily ga :P

Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fath (1251–1335) commonly known by the title Rukn-e-Alam (pillar of the world) was among the eminent Sufi saints from Multan, Pakistan.

 

The Shaikh was the son of Pir Sadar-Al-Din Arif born at Multan on Friday, the 9th of Ramadan 649 Hijri (26 November 1251).[1] He was the grandson and successor of Shaikh Baha-Ud-Din Zakariya.

 

Shaikh Rukn-e-Alam (Rukn-al-Din) died on Friday, the 7th of Jumada al-awwal 735 Hijri (3 January 1335). He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather, according to his own will. After sometime, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum. Upon his death the Sheikh conferred his spiritual succession to Sheikh Hamid ud Din al Hakim, buried at Mau Mubarak in Rahim Yar Khan, who was his Khalifa e Awal and was married to his aunt, the daughter of Sheikh Baha ud Din Zikriya.

 

The saint is still revered today and his tomb is the focus of the pilgrimage of over 100,000 pilgrims from all over South Asia who visit and commemorate his memory.[2] Makhdoom Shahabuddin who is the Sajjada Nashin of Sheikh Hamid ud Din al Hakim is the current Sajjada Nashin and custodian of the Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam

The Khyber Pass is one of the most famous mountain passes in the World a 53-kilometer (33-miles) long, through the Hindu Kush mountain range It is one of the most important passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan and has had a long and often violent history. Conquering armies have used the Khyber as an entry point for their invasions. It was also been a major trade route for centuries.

 

The Khyber Pass winds northwest through the Sefid Koh Range near Peshawar, Pakistan to Kabul, Afghanistan, varying in width from 3 to 137 m. The mountains on either side can be climbed only in a few places. The pass is walled by precipitous cliffs that vary in height from about 180 to 300 m. The pass reaches its highest elevation at the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

 

The history of the Khyber Pass as a strategic gateway dates from 326 B.C., when Alexander the Great and his army marched through the Khyber to reach the plains of India. From their, he sailed down Indus River and led his army across the desert of Gedrosia. In the A.D. 900s, Persian, Mongol, and Tartar armies forced their way through the Khyber, bringing Islam to India. Centuries later, India became part of the British Empire, and British troops defended the Khyber Pass from the British Indian side. During the Afghan Wars the pass was the scene of numerous skirmishes between Anglo-Indian soldiers and native Afghans. Particularly well known is the battle of January 1842, in which about 16,000 British and Indian troops were killed. The British constructed a road through the pass in 1879 and converted it into a highway during the 1920s. A railroad was also built here in the 1920s.

 

The Khyber, in its checkered history, has seen countless invasions. It witnessed the march of Aryans and victorious advance of Persian and Greek armies. It also saw the Scythians, White Huns, Seljuks, Tartars, Mongols, Sassanians, Turks, Mughals and Durranis making successive inroads into the territories beyond Peshawar Valley and Indus. The very sight of the Khyber reminds one of the conquerors who forced their way through its dangerous defiles. It is this Pass through which the subcontinent was invaded time and again by conquerors like Timur, Babur, Nadir Shah and Ahmad Shah Abdali. Again, it was through this Pass that the Russian invasion of the subcontinent was feared by the British in the 19th century. The story of Khyber Pass is composed of such colour and romance, such tragedy and glory that fact really looks stranger than fiction in this case. The Khyber Pass has been a silent witness to countless great events in the history of mankind. As one drives through the Pass at a leisurely pace, imagination unfolds pages of history.

 

The Aryans descending upon the fertile northern plains in 1500 BC subjugating the indigenous Dravidian population and settling down to open a glorious chapter in history of civilization. The Persian hordes under Darius (6 century B.C.) crossing into the Punjab to annex yet another province to the Archaemenian Empire. The armies of Alexander the Great (326 BC) marching through the rugged pass to fulfill the wishes of a young, ambitious conqueror. The terror of Genghis Khan enwraping the majestic hills and turning back towards the trophies of ancient Persia. The White house bringing fire and destruction in their wake, the Scythians and the Parthians, the Mughals and the Afghans, conquerors all, crossing over to leave their impact and add more chapters to the diverse history of this subcontinent.

 

The Muslim armies first passed through in 997 AD under the command of Subuktagin and later his celebrated son, Mahmud of Ghaznawi, marched through with his army as many as seventeen times between 1001-1030 AD. Some of his campaigns were directed through the Khyber Pass. Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghaur, a renowned ruler of Ghauri dynasty, crossed the Khyber Pass in 1175 AD to consolidate the gains of the Muslims in India. He used Khyber Pass again in 1193 to measure strength with Pirthvi Raj Chouhan and show his mettle on the field of Tarain. This battle helped Muslims carve out a Muslim Kingdom in India. In 1398 AD Amir Timur, the firebrand from Central Asia, invaded India through the Khyber Pass and his descendant Zahiruddin Babur made use of this pass first in 1505 and then in 1526 to establish a mighty Mughal empire. In 1672, it was the Khyber Pass where the Afridis under the able leadership of Ajmal Khan defeated Muhammad Amin Khan's army and besides inflicting losses, both in men and material, on the enemy, the Afridis captured about 10,000 Mughal soldiers. Nadir Shah Afshar of Iran used the Khyber Valley in 1739 AD to attach Delhi. The famous Afghan King, Ahmad Shah Abdali, crossed the Khyber Pass in 1761 AD and crushed the Marattha confederacy on the field of Panipat (India). The Khyber Valley saw a great deal of fighting between 1839-1919. During the First Afghan War (1839-42) General Pollock used the Khyber Pass on his way to Afghanistan to retrieve the British honour. Again, in 1878, the British forces marched through the Khyber Pass to launch an offensive against the Afghans in the Second Afghan War (1878-79). In 1897 a revolt flared up on the frontier region and the valleys of Khyber started vibrating with the echoes of war.

 

The year 1919 again saw the movement of British troops through the Khyber during the Third Afghan War. The valiant sons of Khyber converged upon Peshawar in 1930 to give vent to their feelings of resentment against the indiscriminate firing of the British troops on freedom lovers in the famous Qissa Khawani Bazaar. The chapter of fighting in Khyber, however, came to a close with the dawn of Independence in August, 1947. Since the establishment of Pakistan, the situation has changed altogether and the sentinels of Khyber are now interested in the welfare of their country-Pakistan - with which is linked their own future. But one thing remains unchanged. The invasion of the Khyber Pass is still on. Conquerors no longer traverse it, tourist do. The Khyber Pass is attracting thousands of tourists every year, besides a large number of foreign dignitaries, including Heads of States and Government leaders.

 

For hundreds of years, great camel caravans traveled through the Khyber Pass, bringing goods to trade. These ancient merchants and traders brought luxurious silks and fine porcelain objects from China to the Middle East. Often, they stopped at Herat, the great oasis in western Afghanistan. The traders traveled in caravans as a protection against the hazards of travel. Even so, they were often robbed by local tribesmen when traveling through the Khyber Pass.

 

Today, two highways thread their way through the Khyber Pass-one for motor traffic, and one for the traditional caravans. A railway line also travels to the head of the pass. Recently, the Khyber Pass has been used to transport refugees from the Afghan civil war into Pakistan, and transport arms into Afghanistan. The highway over the Khyber Pass links Kabul to Peshawar. Villages lie on each side of the Khyber Pass. The people of the Khyber Pass are mainly Pashtuns.

 

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Shahabuddin sleeps on the pavement near the intercity bus station in Chittagong. He told me he was diagnosed with typhoid and malaria in consecutive years in the past and never had the money to undergo treatment. He says the fever came right after being beaten mercilessly by his father(his mother had already passed away), and when he was ignored by his previous employer when he went asking for help, he knew his future is dark.

 

His fate went further down when his wife died of a tumor in the abdomen, and now he stations himself near the bus statoin all day,unable to move. When asked if he wants to get married again,he says why put somebody else's life in jeopardy because of his disability.

 

His only plead was for a wheel chair(costing around 100$) which would help him move around a bit and somehow earn him a living through begging. He said he has been promised by a lot of folks, but no one returned with help.

 

There was a car parked infront of him so I had to kind of bend over to take this(and I didnt bother straightening the lines which came out as a result of that).

 

Dampara,Chittagong,Bangladesh

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This picture is #84 in my 100 strangers project. Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100strangers.com

    

Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fath (1251–1335) commonly known by the title Rukn-e-Alam (pillar of the world) commonly called Shah Rukne Alam was among the eminent Sufi saints from Multan, Pakistan.

The Shaikh was the son of Pir Sadar-Al-Din Arif born at Multan on Friday, the 9th of Ramadan 649 Hijri (26 November 1251). He was the grandson and successor of Shaikh Baha-Ud-Din Zakariya.

Shaikh Rukn-e-Alam (Rukn-al-Din) died on Friday, the 7th of Jumada al-awwal 735 Hijri (3 January 1335). He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather, according to his own will. After sometime, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum. Upon his death the Sheikh conferred his spiritual succession to Sheikh Hamid ud Din al Hakim, buried at Mau Mubarak in Rahim Yar Khan, who was his Khalifa e Awal and was married to his aunt, the daughter of Sheikh Baha ud Din Zikriya.

The saint is still revered today and his tomb is the focus of the pilgrimage of over 100,000 pilgrims from all over South Asia who visit and commemorate his memory. Makhdoom Shahabuddin who is the Sajjada Nashin of Sheikh Hamid ud Din al Hakim is the current Sajjada Nashin and custodian of the Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam.

Leafleting at the Dargah Sheikh Shahabuddin in India.

Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya (Persian: بہاؤ الدین زکریا ) was a Sufi of Suhrawardiyya order (tariqa). His full name was Al-Sheikh Al-Kabir Sheikh-ul-Islam Baha-ud-Din Abu Muhammad Zakaria Al-Qureshi Al-Asadi Al Hashmi.

 

Sheikh Baha-ud-Din Zakariya known as Bahawal Haq was born at Kot Kehror, a town of Layyah District near Multan, Punjab, Pakistan, , around 1170.

 

His grand father Shah Kamaluddin Ali Shah Qureshi al Hashmi arrived Multan from Makkah en route to Khwarizm where he stayed for a short while. He was from the descendents of Asad Ibn Hashim the maternal grandfather of Hadhrat Ali ibn Abi Talib RA.

 

In Tariqat he was the disciple of Renowned Sufi Master Shaikh Shahabuddin Suharwardi who awarded him Khilafat only after 17 days of stay at his Khanqaah in Baghdaad.

 

For fifteen years he went from place to place to preach Islam and after his wanderings Bahawal Haq settled in Multan in 1222.

 

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baha-ud-din_Zakariya

irrevocable divorce)[1] that was practised by Muslims in India. It allowed any Muslim man to legally divorce his wife by stating the word talaq (the Arabic word for "divorce") three times in verbal, written, or more recently electronic form. It has been a subject of controversy and debates within the country, raising the issues of justice, gender equality, human rights and secularism. The government of India and the Supreme Court of India have been involved in addressing the issues. On 22 August 2017, the Indian Supreme Court struck down instant triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat) and termed it unconstitutional.[2] Three judges of the five-judge panel decided against triple talaq while two ruled in favour.[3]

 

The issue has also caused a debate on the need for a uniform civil code in India.[4]

 

Triple talaq is a form of divorce that was practised in India, whereby a Muslim man could legally divorce his wife by pronouncing talaq (the Arabic word for divorce) three times. The pronouncement could be oral or written, or, in recent times, delivered by electronic means such as telephone, SMS, email or social media. The man did not need to cite any cause for the divorce and the wife need not be present at the time of pronouncement. After a period of iddat, during which it is ascertained whether the wife is pregnant, the divorce becomes irrevocable.[5][6] In the recommended practice, a waiting period was required before each pronouncement of talaq, during which reconciliation is attempted. However, it had become common to make all three pronouncements in one sitting. While the practice was frowned upon, it was not prohibited.[7] A divorced woman might not remarry her divorced husband unless she first married another man, a practice called nikah halala. Until she remarried, she retained the custody of male toddlers and pre-pubertal female children. Beyond those restrictions, the children came under the guardianship of the father.[6]

 

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), had told the Supreme Court that women could also pronounce triple talaq, and could execute nikahnamas that stipulated conditions so that the husbands could not pronounce triple talaq.[8] The practice of instant divorce is already banned in 20 Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan.[9]

 

Background[edit source]

Further information: Islam in India and Divorce in Islam

The Muslim family affairs in India are governed by the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 (Muslim Personal Law), one of the first acts to be passed after the Government of India Act, 1935 became operational, introducing provincial autonomy and a form of dyarchy at the federal level. It replaced the so-called "Anglo-Mohammedan Law" previously operating for Muslims, and became binding on all of India's Muslims.[10][11]

 

The shariat is open to interpretation by the ulama (class of Muslim legal scholars). The ulama of Hanafi Sunnis consider this form of divorce binding, provided the pronouncement was made in front of Muslim witnesses and later confirmed by a sharia court. However, the ulama of Ahl-i Hadith, Twelver and Musta'li persuasions do not regard it as proper. Scholar Aparna Rao states that, in 2003, there was an active debate among the ulama.[6]

 

In traditional Islamic jurisprudence, triple talaq is considered to be a particularly disapproved, but legally valid, form of divorce.[12] Changing social conditions around the world have led to increasing dissatisfaction with traditional Islamic law of divorce since the early 20th century and various reforms have been undertaken in different countries.[13] Contrary to practices adopted in most Muslim-majority countries, Muslim couples in India are not required to register their marriage with civil authorities.[14] Muslim marriages in India are considered to be a private matter, unless the couple decided to register their marriage under the Special Marriage Act of 1954.[14] Owing to these historical factors, the checks that have been placed on the husband's unilateral right of divorce by governments of other countries, such as prohibition of triple talaq, have not been implemented in India.[14]

 

Opposition[edit source]

The practice had faced opposition from Muslim women,[15] some of whom filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court against the practice, terming it "regressive".[16] The petitioner asked for section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, to be scrapped, describing it as being against Article 14 of the Constitution.[17]

 

On 13 May 2017, during the hearings before its final judgement, the Supreme Court described triple talaq as the "worst form of marriage dissolution". It noted that the custom is banned in the Muslim-majority countries of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Afghanistan and Pakistan.[4][18]

 

On 8 December 2016, the Allahabad High Court observed in a ruling that the practice of Triple Talaq was unconstitutional and violated the rights of Muslim women.[19][20]

 

In March 2017, over 1 million Indian Muslims, a majority of whom were women, signed a petition to end triple talaq. The petition was started by the Muslim Rashtriya Manch, an Islamic organization affiliated to the right wing Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[21]

 

On May 10, 2017, senior cleric Maulana Syed Shahabuddin Salafi Firdausi denounced triple talaq and nikah halala, calling them un-Islamic practices and instruments to oppress women.[22][23]

 

Support[edit source]

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) defends the practice.[16] In April 2017, citing a report prepared by Muslim Mahila Research Kendra in coordination with Shariah Committee for Women, AIMPLB has claimed that Muslims have a lower rate of divorce compared to other religious communities, countering the argument that Muslims have the highest number of divorce in the country due to the practice of triple talaq. It also claimed that it had received forms from 35 million Muslim women across the country, supporting shariat and triple talaq.[24][25][26]

 

AIMPLB issued a code of conduct in April 2017 regarding talaq in response to the controversy over the practice of triple talaq. It also warned that those who divorce for reasons not prescribed under shariat will be socially boycotted in addition to calling for boycott of those who use triple talaq recklessly and without justification.[27] In addition, it also stated that it should be delivered in three sittings with a gap of at least one month each.[28]

 

Judgment[edit source]

A multi-faith bench heard the controversial triple talaq case in 2017.[29][30] Though two judges upheld validity of triple talaq (talaq-e-biddat), the three other judges held that it was unconstitutional, thus barring the practice by 3:2 majority. The bench asked the central government to promulgate legislation within six months to govern marriage and divorce in the Muslim community.[31] The court said that until the government formulates a law regarding triple talaq, there would be an injunction against husbands pronouncing triple talaq on their wives.[32][33]

 

See also[edit source]

 

Shias dont have Triple Talaq ..

Some of song while memorable as nostalgia

 

We had been remembered with great pleasure in our own language Bangla on black and white film, which these film created sixty and seventy decade with middle of eighty while these marked as ‘the film of golden era’. Where also song of these film were as honeyed! As same as we memorabled some of song which on broadcasted(radio and television)on the time while the song known as ‘adhunik gan’. After an independented Bangladesh while tuned on radio as marked voice with other name Hena Kabir which broadcasterd “rokomaries gan of biggyapon torongya” where on broadcasted in highly adhunik gan. The broadcaster with care and sensitively announced the first line of song where singer with lyricist and tuner name. But we have had hidden these song which named day of golden adhunik gan in our memory to avoided for uncultured environment. We would have been conceived that our these day of golden adhunik gan in needed to the preservation. Here expressed some of adhunik gan which become as greenness in our memorabled. To the singer name and their some of song with lyricist as well as tuner pressed vocabulary in alphabet and for an easy understood first line of a song in Bangla with phonetic placed in here with carely.

 

Singer Name:-(01) Abdur Rouf Song:- একটি মনের দাম দিতে গিয়ে, জীবন চলার পথটি হারিয়ে, কী আমি পেলাম // ekti moner dam dite gie jeebon cholar pothty hariye kee ami pelam Lyricist:- Shahidul Islam Tuner:- Kajol Rashid

 

Song:- কখন ছুটি হবে, কখন বাজবে সেই ঘন্টা // kokhon chhuti hobe kokhon bajbe sei ghonta Lyricist:- Shahidul Islam Tuner:- Alam Khan

 

Song:- আমার জানা এক বলাকা, দিন রাত আখি জলে ভাসতো // amar jana ek bolaka din rat akhi jole vasto Lyricist:- Shahidul Islam Tuner:- Atiqur Rahman

 

Song:- ভাংলে বাজার সবই যে শেষ, দেখবি কিছুই নাই // bhangle bazar sobi je shesh dekhbi kichhui nai Lyricist:- Abdul Hye al Hadi Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Singer Name:-(02) Abdul Alim Song:- রুপালী নদীরে, রুপ দেইখা তোর হইয়াছি পাগল // rupaly nodire rup daikha tor hoiachhi pagol Lyricist:- Anisul Haque Choudhury Tuner:- Anisul Haque Choudhury

 

Song:- পথ চলাতে ক্লান্তি আসে, ক্লান্তি নামের শেষে, ও তুই থামিস নারে, ওরে পথিক, পথ চলার এই বেশে // poth cholate klanti ase Lyricist:- (?) Tuner:- (?)

 

Singer Name:-(03) Anjuman Ara Song:- এ লগনের, পথ চেয়ে আমি বসেছিলাম, সে কথা কী তুমি জানতে // e logoner poto cheye ami bosechhilam Lyricist:- Dr Mohammad Moniruzzaman Tuner:- Shattya Shaha

 

Song:- সাগর ভেলায় ঝিনুক দিয়ে, নামটি তোমার লিখেছিলাম // sagor velay jhinuk die namti tomar likhechhilam Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Anwaruddin Khan

 

Song:- ও তার নাইরে গলার হার, আর গজমতির মালা // o tar naire golar har ar gojomotir mala Lyricist:- Farrookh Ahmed Tuner: Dheer Ali

 

Singer Name:-(04) Anwaruddin Khan Song:- লোকে বলে প্রেম আর, আমি বলি জ্বালা // loke bole prem ar ami boli jala Lyricist:- Anwaruddin Khan Tuner:- Anwaruddin Khan

 

Song:- কচি পাতার টিয়া রং // kochi patar tia rong Lyricist:- Anwaruddin Khan Tuner:- Aujit Roy

 

Song:- কিছু গান কিছু মান– দুটি মন যখন কাছে আসে // kichhu gan kichhu man–duti mon jokhon kachhe ase Lyricist:- Lokman Hossain Fakir Tuner:- Omar Faruque

 

Song:- পুরাতন মনটাতে আর সয়না তো // puraton montate ar soyna to Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Mir Kashim Khan

 

Song:- লজ্জা আমার, সোনার খাচা, আহা পায়রা আমার মন // lozza amar sonar khacha aha payra amar mon Lyricist:- Anwaruddin Khan Tuner:- Anwaruddin Khan

 

Song:- তুমি সূর্যের মতো সোনালী অলংকারে, সাজালে আমায় এ কোন্ অহংকারে // tumi surjer moto sonaly aulonkare Lyricist:- Anwaruddin Khan Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- ওগো শিল্পী বন্ধু আমার // ogo shilpie bondhu amar Lyricist:- Abdul Hye al Hadi Tuner:- Dheer Ali

 

Song:- পথে যেতে যেতে মনে হয় // pothe jete jete mone hoy Lyricist:- Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal Tuner:- Anwaruddin Khan

 

Song:- ওগো লাজুক লতা শুধু এই লগনে // ogo lazug lota shudhu ei logone Lyricist:- K G Mustafa Tuner:- Anwaruddin Khan

 

Song:- কোকিল যখন একলা বসে কুহু-কুহু ডাকে, কেমন কেমন যেনো লাগে // kokil jokhon ekla bose kuhu-kuhu dake Lyricist:- K G Mustafa Tuner:- Khodokar Nurul Alam

 

Singer Name:-(05) Aroti Dhar Song:- তুমি রহমতের নদীয়া, তুমি রহমতের নদীয়া, দয়া করো ওরে হযরত শাহজালাল আওলিয়া // tumi rohmoter nodia Lyricist:- Pranesh das Tuner:- Pranesh Das (*) the song of Pranesh Das(15 November 1917-01 September 1969)

 

Singer Name:-(06) Abida Sultana Song:- আমার দোষে কারো নাকি কপাল ভেংগেছে // amar dose karo naki kopal bhengechhe Lyricist:- Kazy Rosie Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Song:- সাদা কাগজটার মুল্য কী আছে, যদি না তাতে কিছু লেখা না থাকে // sada kagojtar mullyo ke achhe Lyricist:- Md Ashraf Hossain Tuner:- Raja Hossain Khan

 

Song:- কতো কেদেছি, কতো সেধেছি, হাত ধরেছি // koto kedechhi koto sedhechhi hat dhorechhi Lyricist:- Khan Ataur Rahman Tuner:- Khan Ataur Rahman

 

Song:- মধু চন্দ্রিমা এই রাত, যেনো গল্প বলে যায় // modhu chandrima ei rat jeno golpo bole jay Lyricist:- Munsi Wadud Tuner:- Munsi Wadud

 

Song:- দেখবো জসীম উদদীনের সোজন বাধিয়ার ঘাট // dekhbo josim uddiner sojon badhiar ghat Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Md Shahnewaj

 

Singer Name:-(07) Andro Kishor Song:- আমার রাজ্য তো নেই আছে শুধু রাজার মতো মন // amar razzyo to nei achhe shudhu rajar moto mon Lyricist:- Md Ashraf Hossain Tuner:- Raja Hossain Khan

 

Song:- মানুষের গড়া সভ্যতার ধ্বংশ হবে একদিন // manuser gora sovyotar dhongso hobe ekdin Lyricist:- Md Ashraf Hossain Tuner:- Raja Hossain Khan

 

Song:- ওগো বিদেশিনী তোমার চেরী ফুল দাও আমার শিউলী নাও // ogo bideshini tomar chery phool dao amar shiuly nao Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Sheikh Sadi Khan

 

Singer Name:-(08) Apel Mahmud Song:- লিখেছো আজ না আসিতে, রজনী কেটে গেলো ভাবিতে ভাবিতে // likhechho aj na asite rojoni kete gelo bhabite bhabite Lyricist:- Apel Mahmud Tuner:- Apel Mahmud

 

Song:- মন মাতোয়া বৌ গো, তুমি ঘোমটা খুলোনা // mon matoa bou go tumi ghomta khulona Lyricist:- Apel Mahmud Tuner:- Apel Mahmud

 

Song:- রাত্রী করে ঘরে এলে মা আমাকে বলে, সারাদিন তুই কোথায় ছিলি // ratree kore ghore ele ma amake bole Lyricist:- Monirazzaman Monir Tuner:- Md Shahnewaj

 

Song:- আবার কখনো যদি এ পথ দিয়ে যাও // abar kokhono jodi a poth die jao Lyricist:- Zahidul Haque Tuner:- Aujit Roy

 

Singer Name:-(09) Aunika Shaha Song:- ফুল যে ভালোবাসেনা, লোকে বলে, সে নাকি, মানুষ খুন করতে পারে // phool je bhalobasena loke bole se naki manus khun korte pare Lyricist:- Belal Ahmed Tuner:- Sattya Shaha

 

Singer Name:-(10) A H M Rafique Song:- জীবন নামের বাজপাখীটা // jeebon namer bajpakhita Lyricist:- Shahidul Islam Tuner:- A H M Rafique

 

Singer Name:-(11) Basir Ahmed Song:- কাকন কার বাজে রুমঝুম // kakon kar baje rumjhum Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Song:- তোমার কাজল কেশ, ছড়ালো বলে, এই রাত এমন মধুর // tomar kajol kesh chhoralo bole ei rat amon modhur Lyricist:- Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- প্রিয় পরাগ মেখেছো বলে তুমি আজ সুন্দর // prio porag mekhechho bole tumi aj sundor Lyricist:- Abu Haidar Sajedur Rahman Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Singer Name:-(12) Ferdausie Rahman Song:- রোজ ভাবি লিখবো রোজনামচা // roj bhabi likhbo rojnamcha Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- আমায় এমন একটা ফুল এনে দাওনা // amay emon ekta phool ene daona Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Jalal Ahmed

 

Song:- লোকে বলে প্রেম আর, আমি বলি জ্বালা // loke bole prem ar ami boli jala Lyricist:- Anwaruddin Khan Tuner:- Anwaruddin Khan

 

Song:- তুমি সূর্যের মতো সোনালী অলাংকারে, সাজালে আমায় এ কোন্ অহংকারে // tumi surjer moto sonaly aulonkare Lyricist:- Anwaruddin Khan Tuner:- Khondokar Nulrul Alam

 

Song:- তারার দেশের রাণী, আমি রাতেরো শশী // tarar desher rani ami ratero shoshee Lyricist:- Farrookh Ahmed Tuner:- Dheer Ali

 

Song:- লাজুক লাজুক চোখ মেলে ঐ সূর্যমূখী ফুটলো // lajuk lajuj chokh mele oi surjomukhee footlo Lyricist:- Azizur Rahman Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Song:- জানিনা ফুরায় যদি এই মধু রাতে // janina furaye jodie ei modhu rate Lyricist:- A N M Bazlur Rashid Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Song:- ভালো যে লাগেনা এই অলস দুপুরে // bhalo je lagena ei aulon dupure Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Song:- ঐ যে আকাশ, নীল হোলো আজ, সে শুধু তোমার প্রেমে // oi je akash neel holo aj se shudhu tomar preme Lyricist:- Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal Tuner:- Anwaruddin Khan

 

Song:- দুটি চোখে, চোখ রেখে, আমারে তুমি শুধালে, তুমি আমার মনের মতো কিনা // duti chokhe chokh rekhe amare tumi shudhale Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- কেনো কথা দিয়ে তুমি, ফিরেতো আর এলে না // keno kotha diye tumi fireto ar ele na Lyricist:- Dr Muhammad Moniruzzaman Tuner:- Ali Hossain

 

Song:- মধুময় পৃথিবীকে নীল আকাশ ডাকবে // modhumoy prithibeeke neel akash dakbe Lyricist:- Shamsur Rahman Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- মেঘ মেঘ আকাশটা স্বপ্নীল // megh megh akashta swopneel Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Raja Hossain Khan

 

Singer Name:-(13) Ferdaus Wahid Song:- পদ্মা নদীর তীরটি ঘেষে ছিলো যে এক গা, সেই গায়েতে ছিলো আমার বাপ দাদার ভিটা // podma nodir teerti ghese chhilo je ek ga Lyricist:- Mukul Chaudhury Tuner:- Alam Khan

 

Song:- এমন একটা মা দে না, এমন একটা মা, ওরে যে মায়ের সন্তানেরা, কাদলে আবার হাসতে জানে // emon ekta ma dena emon ekta ma Lyricist:- Dr Nasir Ahmed Aupu Tuner:- Dr Nasir Ahmed Aupu

 

Song:- আগে যদি জানতাম, তারে মন ফিরে চাইতাম, এই জ্বালা আর প্রানে সয়না // age jodi jantam tare mon fire chaitam Lyricist:- Md Nurul Huda Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Song:- পলাতক সময়ের হাত ধরে, পালিয়ে গিয়েছে সেই দিন গুলি // polatok somoyer hat dhore paliye giyechhe sei din guli Lyricist:- Kawsar Ahmed Chaudhury Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Song:- কৈশরে একদিন, খেলার ছলে, ভুল করে, যে পাখীটির বাসা ভেংগেছি // koishore ekdin khelar chhole bhool kore je pakheetir basa vengechhi Lyricist:- Shahidul Islam Tuner:- Sattya Saha

 

Singer Name:-(14) Hasina Momtaj Song:- ইতি তোমারই আমি // iti tomaree ami Lyricist:- Anwaruddin Khan Tuner:- Mir Kashim Khan

 

Song:- মনতো নয় মনের আয়না, জানি তো তারে ভোলা যায়না // monto noy moner ayna janito tare bhola jayna Lyricist:- ? Tuner:- ?

 

Song:- তন্দ্রা হারা নয়ওনো আমার, এ মাধবী রাতে // tondra hara noyono amar a madhubi rate Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Singer Name:-(15) Ismot Ara Song:- বাশী যেনো নাম ধরে, ডাকে বারে বারে, লাজে মরি হায়, কী যে বলি তারে // bashi jeno nam dhore dake bare bare Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Dheer Ali

 

Song:- গল্প যদি শুনতে চাও, আমার কাছে এসো // golpo jodi shunte chao amar kachhe eso Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Sattya Shaha

 

Song:- আমি চোখের জলে লিখেছিলাম, তোমার কাছে শেষ পত্র // ami chokher jole likhechhilam tomar kachhe shes potro Lyricist:- Lokman Hossain Fakir Tuner:- Kader Jameli

 

Singer Name:-(16) Khalid Hasan Song:- সেই চম্পা নদীর তীরে, দেখা হবে, আবার, যদি ফাগুন আসে গো ফিরে // sei chompa nodeer teere dekha hobe Lyricist:- Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal Tuner:- Abu bokor Khan

 

Singer Name:-(17) Khondokar Farooque Ahmed Song:- বাসন্তি রং শাড়ী পড়ে, কোন্ বধুয়া চলে যায়, চলতি পথে রুপবতী, পিছনে ফিরে ফিরে চায় // basonti rong shari pore Lyricist:- Fojle Khoda Tuner:- Dheer Ali

 

Song:- সে দিন তুমি, কী যেনো কী ভাবছিলে, একলা বসে দ্বারে, হঠাৎ এসে প্রশ্ন করি, ভাবছো কী আমারে // se din tumi kee jeno kee bhabchhile Lyricist:- Kaji Latifa Haque Tuner:- Dheer Ali

 

Singer Name:-(18) Khodokar Nurul Alam Song:- পৃথিবী যে, এতো সুন্দর, তোমাকে না দেখলে তা জানা হোতো না // prithibee je eto sundor tomake na dekhle ta jana hoto na Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- আমি চাদকে বলেছি আজ রাতে, জোছনা লুকাতে, তুমি ভয় পেওনা, ভয় পেওনা // ami chadke bolechhi aj rate Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Singer Name:-(19) Lucky Akand Song:- আমাকে তুমি ভালোবেসোনা // amake tume bhalobesona Lyricist:- S M Hedayet Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Song:- এই নীল মণিহার // ei neel monihar Lyricist:- S M Hedayet Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Singer Name:-(20) M A Hamid Song:- বাসন্তিকা, হয়তো বা তার নাম // basontika hoyto ba tar nam Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Dheer Ali(perhaps)

 

Song:- আহা একটি মেয়ে আমি দেখেছি সেদিন, এলোচুলো জানালায় দাড়িয়েছিলো, বিকেলের সোনা রোদে চমকে এসে // aha ekti meye ami dekhechhi sedin Lyricist:- Rejoanul Haque Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Singer Name:-(21) Mohammad Ali Siddiquee Song:- বারে বারে আমি তাই, তোমাকে ভুলিতে চাই // bare bare ami tai tomake bhulite chai Lyricist:- K S Firoz Tuner:- Kader Jameli

 

Song:- আমি ভুল করে, ফুল ভেবে, কাটার আঘাত নিলাম // ami bhul kore phool vebe katar aghat nilam Lyricist:- Gazi Abdur Razzak Tuner:- Kader Jameli

 

Singer Name:-(22) Mahmudunnabie Song:- এ জীবন যেনো এক ছন্দ, এ জীবন যেনো এক সুখ // a jeebon jeno ek chhondo a jeebon jeno ek sukh Lyricist:-Dr Mohammad Moniruzzaman Tuner:- Ali Hossain

 

Song:- মন তো জানেনা মন কী চায় // mon to janena mon chay kee Lyricist:- K T Hossain Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- জানি কবিতার চেয়ে তুমি সুন্দর তম, ওগো মোর ভাবনার নায়িকা // jani kobitar cheye tumi sundor tome oge bhabonar nayeeka Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Raja Hossain Khan

 

Song:- ভালোবাসি ভালবাসি, এযে মিথ্যে কথার মধুর নামান্তর // bhalobasi bhalobasi eje mittye kothar modhur namantor Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Song:- মনে তো পড়ে না কোনো দিন, আমিও যে শিল্পী ছিলাম // mone to pore na kono din amio je shilpie chhilam Lyricist:- Mohsin Reze Tuner:- Mahmudunnabie

 

Song:- দু চোখ আমার এ কোন্ আলোয়, আলো জ্বলে উঠলো // du chokh amar a kon aloy alo jole uthlo Lyricist:- Dr Mahammad Monirazzaman Tuner:- Ali Hossain

 

Song:- আমি ছন্দ হারা এক নদীর মতো ছুটে যাই, আমার চলার শেষ কোন্ সাগরে তার ঠিকানা জানা নাই // ami chhondo hara ek nodir moto chhute jai Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Mahmudunnabie

 

Song:- যারে আমি ভালোবাসি // jare ami bhalobasie Lyricist:- Mahmudunnabie Tuner:- Mahmudunnabie

 

Song:- কেনো আখী হোলো ছলোছল, কেনো মুখে কথা নেই, আমিতো গোপনে নিরবে বলেছি তোমারে // keno akhi holo chholochhol Lyricist:- Mustafizur Rahman Gama Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- সঙ্গীতা যদি বলি // songeeta jodi boli Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- এই দিন গুলো জানিনা, কোথায় দুরে, সুরের পাখায় হারিয়ে গেছে উড়ে // ei din gulo janina kothay dure surer pakhay Lyricist:- Azizur Rahman Tuner:- Muslehuddin

 

Singer Name:-(23) Mohammad Abdul Zabber Song:- ভাবনা আমার, আহত পাখীর মতো, পথের ধুলোয় লুটোবে // bhabona amar ahoto pakhir moto pother dhuloi lutobe Lyricist:- Fojle Khoda Tuner:- Basir Ahmed

 

Song:- প্রেম তুই দেনা আমায়, একটু পরিচয় // prem tui dena amay ektu porichoy Lyricist:- Shahidul Islam Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- অমন ভাবছো কেনো, দেখা হবেনা, আমিতো বলেছি তোমায়, তুমি আর কোনো দিন একা রবেনা // omon bhabchho keno dekha hobena Lyricist:- Md Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nulrul Alam

 

Song:- তারা ভরা রাতে, তোমার কথা যে, মনে পড়ে বেদনায় // tara bhora rate tomar kotha je mone pore bedonay Lyricist:- Azizur Rahman Tuner:- Muslehuddin

 

Song:- তোমার ওই ডাগর চোখে, সাগর দোলে, তাইতো চেয়ে রই // tomar oi dogor chokhe sagor dole taito cheye roi Lyricist:- Habibur Rahman Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- কলসী কাকে, ঘাটে যায়, কোন্ রুপসী, তারে চিনি, ও জানি, সে কয়না কথা সে ষোড়শী // kolsi kake ghate jay kon ruposi Lyricist:- Fojle Khoda Tuner:- Mohammad Abdul Zabber

 

Song:- শিল্পী আমি তাই কবিতা আমার ভালো লাগে // shilpie ami tai kobita amar bhalo lage Lyricist:- Fojle Khoda Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- আমি বন্ধু প্রেমে হইলাম পাগল, বন্ধু আমার কোথায় রইলো হায় // ami bondhu preme hoilam pagol bondhu amar kotay roilo hay Lyricist:- Fojle Khoda Tuner:- Dheer Ali

 

Song:- ওগো তন্বি তনু লতা বন্হি আখী, বলনা তোমায় আমি কী নামে ডাকি // ogo tanni tonu lata bonnie akhie bolona tomay ami kee name daki Lyricist:- Fojle Khoda Tuner:- Mohammad Abdul Zabber

 

Song:- নিঠৃর পৃথিবী দিয়েছো আমায়, আখী জল উপহার // nithur prithibee diyechho amay akhi jol upohar Lyricist:- Kazi Abul Fattah Tuner:- Mohammad Abdul Zabber

 

Singer Name:-(24) Mohammad Khushid Alam Song:- সূর্যটা আগুনের পিন্ড, সারাদিন আকাশেতে জ্বলছে, ঐ আকাশ তো কোনো দিন জ্বললো না // surjota aguner pindo saradin akashete jolchhe Lyricist:- Lokman Hossain Fakir Tuner:- Dheer Ali

 

Song:- তোমার দুহাত ছুয়ে শপথ নিলাম, থাকবো তোমারই আমি কথা দিলাম // tomar du hat chhuye sopoth nilam Lyricist:- Sirajul Islam Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- চঞ্চলা দু নয়নে বলনা কী খুচ্ছ, চম্পা না করবী না পলাশের গুচ্ছ // chonchola du noyone bolona kee khuchchho Lyricist:- Jebunnesa Jamal Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- ও আকাবাকা নদীর ধারে, ছিলো এক কোকিলা বন্ধু মন দিয়াছি তারে // o akabaka nodir dhare chhilo ek kokila Lyricist:- S M Hedayet Tuner:- Ali Hossain

 

Song:- সে সাগর দেখে সিক্ত দু চোখ, মুগ্ধ তোমার মন, বোঝনিতো তার ঢেউয়ের আড়ালে, আছে কতো সংঘাত // je sogor dekhe sikto du chokh Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam nb:- the song which Mohammad Rafiquzzaman’s first lyric on broadcasted in top middle of sixty decade.

 

Song:- ওগো পাহাড়ী কন্যা ললিতা // ogo pahari konnya lolita Lyricist:- Shamsul Karim Kayes Tuner:- A H M Rafique

 

Song:- ছবি, তুমি মোরে ভুলে যেওনা // chhobi tumi more bhule jeona Lyricist:- Mahmudul Haque Dulal Tuner:- Yunus Ali

 

Song:- এ মন আমার, হারিয়ে গেছে, কোন্ অজানায় // a mon amar hariye gechhe kon aujanay Lyricist:- Mahmudul Haque Dulal Tuner:- Seikh Sadi Khan

 

Song:- আলতো পায়ে ছন্দ তুলে, সাঝের বেলা গাঙ্গের কুলে জল যে বধু যায় // alto paye chhondo tule sajer bela gangyer kule jol je budhu jay Lyricist:- Shirajul Islam Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Singer Name:-(25) Mohammad Rafifqul Alam Song:- মন রেখে কে কারে মন দিয়েছে, রুপের ঐ আগুন না হলে তো মন পোড়ানে হয়না // mon rekhe ke kare mon diyechhe Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- তোমাকে যেনো ভুলে না যাই, সে আশিষ দাও মোরে // tomake jeno bhule na jai se ashis dao more Lyricist:- S M Hedayet Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Song:- এক রিদয় হীনার কাছে, রিদয়ের দাম কী আছে // ek hridoy heenar kacche hridoyer dam kee achhe Lyricist:- Abdul Hye al Hadie Tuner:- Alauddin Ali

 

Song:- বৈশাখী মেঘের কাছে, জল চেয়ে তুমি কাদবে আমি চাইনা // baishakhi megher kachhe jol cheye tumi kadbe ami chaina Lyricist:- Abul Hayat Mohammad Kamal Tuner:- Aunup Bhottyachargyo nb:- the song later added as playback on the film named ‘smrity tumi bedona’(Dilip Som)

 

Song:- যে আমারে ভালোবাসে, ভালো চোখে দেখেনা সে // je amare bhalo base bhalo chokhe dekhena se Lyricist:- Md Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Alauddin Ali

 

Singer Name:-(26) Mitali Mukharjee Song:- আকাশটা তো নীল চিঠি নয়, জানলা খুলে আমার লেখা পড়বে // akashta to neel chithi noy janla khule amer lekha porbe Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nulrul Alam

 

Song:- ছোট্ট বেলা, মা আমাকে, হারিয়ে যাওয়ার ভয়ে পায়ে নূপুর পড়াতো // chhotto bela ma amake hariye jaoar bhoye paye nupur porato Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman(perhaps) Tuner:- Kondokar Nurul Ala(perhaps)

 

Song:- সুখ পাখীরে— বুঝলাম আমি সুখ সেতো নয় খাচায়… // sukh pakheere– bujhlam ami shukh seto noy khachay Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Aunup Bhattyachargyo

 

Singer Name:-(27) Nahid Niazi Song:- আকাশের ঐ মিটিমিটি তারার সাথে কইবো কথা, নাইবা তুমি এলে // akasher oi mitimiti tarar sathe koibo kotha Lyricist:- Azizur Rahman Tuner:- Muslehuddin

 

Singer Name:-(28) Muslehuddin/Nahid Niazi Song:- ওগো সোনার মেয়ে, যাওগো শুনে // ogo sonar meye jaogo shune Lyricist:- Muslehuddin Tuner:- Muslehuddin

 

Singer Name:-(29) Nargis Parveen Song:- পোড়া চোখ, পোড়া চোখ, কেনো তুই অন্ধ থাকিস না // pora chokh pora chokh keno tui aundho thakis na Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- সবাই বলে সেযে সর্বনাসা মুল, সে নাকি আমার এই ঘনো কালো চুল // sobai bole seje sorbonasa mool Lyricist:- Mohmmad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- ময়ুর মহলেও আমার মন বসবেনা যদি তোমাকে হারাই, দু:খ চীর সাথী হলেও দু:খ সেতো নয় // moyur moholeo amar mon bosbena Lyricist:- (?) Tuner:- (?)

 

Song:- যে আমার রিদয় করলো চুরি তার, হোলো না বিচার // je amar hridoy korlo churi tar holo na bichar Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- একি মণিহার এনে দিলে // eki monihar ene dile Lyricist:- Shahidul Islam Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- ভুল করে আসিনি, এসেছি পথ খুজে // bhul kore aseni esechhi poth khuje Lyricist:- Mahfuzur Rahman Mahfuz Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- মিলনের রাত যদি, এতো ছোটো হয় // miloner rat jodi eto chhoto hoy Lyricist:- Ashraf Farooque Tuner:- A H M Rafique

 

Singer Name:-(30) Niaz Mohammad Chaudhury Song:- আ- আ- আ- সারা জীবন আপন বলে যারে ভাবলে, আপন তো সেই নয় // a-a-a sara jeebon apon bole jare vable Lyricist:- Mahmudul Haque Dulal Tuner:- Md Fazlul Haque

 

Song:- এক তাজমহল জাগে এ মনে // ek tajmohol jage a mone Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Abu Taher

 

Song:- জীবন আনন্দ হয়ে সংসারে আজও আমি, সব কিছু ভুলে গিয়ে করিলেম দেন // jeebon anondo hoye songsare ajo ami Lyricist:- Osman Shaukat Tuner:- Md Shahnewaz

 

Song:- তোমার যাবার সময় বুঝি হয়ে যায়, আমার দেবার কিছু বাকি রয়ে যায় // tomar jabar somoy bujhi hoye jay Lyricist:- Osman Shaukat Tuner:- Md Shahnewaz

 

Song:- আজ এই বৃষ্টির কান্না দেখে, মনে পড়লো তোমায় // aj ei bristir kanna dekhe mone porlo tomay Lyricist:- Kawsar Ahmed Chaudhury Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Song:- ভালোবাসা পেয়েও কাদে, কিছু কিছু লোক // bhalobasa peyeo kade kichhu kichhu lok Lyricist:- Mahfuzur Rahman Mahfuz Tuner:- Sheikh Sadi Khan(?)

 

Song:- সুখ আমার, সুখ তারা // sukh amar sukh tara Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Abu Taher

 

Song:- এক ফোটা বিশ্বাস, আমায় কী আর পিয়াস মেটাবে // ek fota biswas amay kee ar pias mitabe Lyricist:- Osman Shaukat Tuner:- Md Shahnewaz

 

Song:- কিছু লোক, কিছু কধা বলবেই // kichhu loke kichhu kotha bolbei Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Abu Taher

 

Singer Name:-(31) Nilufa Yasmin Song:- জীবন, সেতো পদ্ম পাতার শিশির বিন্দু // jeebon seto podmo patar shishir bindu Lyricist:- Khan Ataur Rahman Tuner:- Khan Ataur Rahman

 

Singer Name:-(32) Papya Sowar Song:- নাই টেলিফোন, নাইরে পিওন, নাইরে টেলিগ্রাম // nai telephone naire peon naire telegram Lyricist:- Dr Mohammad Moniruzzaman Tuner:- Monsoor Ali

 

Song:- পাপিয়ারে পাপিয়া, দুজনে মিলিয়া আয়না মিতালী করি // papyare papya dujone milia ayna mitali kori Lyricist:- Dr Mohammad Moniruzzaman Tuner:- Monsoor Ali

 

Singer Name:-(33) Rokeya Siddiqua Song:- মন কী কেবল ঠুনকোচুরি– মন তো কেবল মন ভোলানো গয়না // mon kee kebol thunkochury–mon to kebol bholano goyna Lyricist:- Jebunnesa Jamal Tuner:- A H M Rafique

 

Song:- সুখ সাগরে ভাসলাম না সই, ভাসলাম চোখের জলে // sukh sagore vaslam na soi vaslam chokher jole Lyricist:- Fojle Khoda Tuner:- Raja Hossain Khan

 

Singer Name:-(34) Runa Laila Song:- ওই দুলছে, দেথ দোলন চাপা দুলছে // oi duchhe dekho dolon chapa dulchhe Lyricist:- Moshiul Alam Tuner:- Moshiul Alam

 

Song:- অনেক বৃষ্টি ঝড়ে তুমি এলে, যেনো একমুঠো রোদ্দুর আমার দুচোখ ভরে তুমি এলে // aunek bristy jhore tumi ele Lyricist:- Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- আমি নদীর মতো কতটা পথ ধরে তোমার জীবনে এসেছি, আমি সাগরের মতো গহীন হয়ে যে.. //ami nodir moto kotota poth dhore Lyricist:- Moshiul Alam Tuner:- Debu Bhottyachagyo

 

Song:- ণোটন ণোটন পায়রা গুলো, কোথায় উড়ে যায় // noton noton payra gulo kothay ure jay Lyricist:- Al Kamal Abdul Wahab Tuner:- Debu Bhottyachargyo

 

Song:- সুখ তুমি কী, বড় জানতে ইচ্ছে করে // sukh tumi kee boro jante ichchhe kore Lyricist:- Mohammad Mojakker Tuner:- Aujit Roy

 

Song:- সুখরে তুই আর কতো কাল // sukhre tui ar koto kal Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Alauddin Ali

 

Song:- আখী তাইতো এমন করে বলেছে, এমন আছে তোমার পথো পানে চেয়ে সারাক্ষন // akhi taito amon kore bolechhe Lyricist:- Dr Mohammad Moniruzzaman Tuner:- Muslehuddin

 

Song:- আমি তো সূজন দেখে, ভাব করেছি // ami to sujon dekhe bhab korechhi Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- হায়রে, স্মৃতি বড় জ্বালাময়, বারে বারে মনে হয় // hayre smrity boro jalamoy bare bare mone hoy Lyricist:- Nazrul Islam Babu Tuner:- Alauddin Ali

 

Song:- যখন থামবে কোলাহল // jokhon thambe kolahol Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Subol Das

 

Singer Name:-(35) Sabina Yasmin Song:- উচ্ছল মন মোর পাখী হয়ে আজ–ডানায় উড়ে যেতে চায় // uchhal mon more pakhee hoye aj Lyricist:- Abu Haider Sajedur Rahman Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- ওগো শোনো এক বন্দি পাখীর কথা // ogo shono ek bondi pakheer kotha Lyricist:- S M Hedayet Tuner:- Seikh Sadi Khan

 

Song:- আমি এইতো, আমি সেইতো, বিকেলের তো কিছু বাকি // ami eito ami seito bikeler to kichhu baki Lyricist:- Lokman Hossain Fakir Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- শুধু রৌদ্র কী পারে, রাঙ্গাতে রংধনু, বৃষ্টিতে ভেজা আকাশ যদি না থাকে // sudhu roudro kee pare rangate rongdhonu Lyricist:- Abid Anwar Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- এইতো এই, চলে গেছে, আর কিছুটা সময় // eito ei chole gechhe ar kichhuta somoy Lyricist:- Mukul Chaudhury Tuner:- Alam Khan

 

Song:- দু:খ আমার, আমার বাসর রাতের কলংক // dukhkho amar amar basor rater kolongko Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Sattya Shaha nb:- the song later added as playback on the film named ‘alongker’(Kamal Ahmed)

 

Song:- ও নয়ন পাখীরে, তোরে কোথায় বেধে রাথিরে, তোর নয়নে কেনো এতো জ্বালা // o noyon pakheere tore kothay bedhey rakhire Lyricist:- Alimuzzaman Chaudhury Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- ওগো চলো চলো–যে দিকে দু চোখ যায়, মন চায় ইশারায় // ogo cholo cholo–je dike du chokh jay mon chay isharay Lyricist:- Abu Haider Sajedur Rahman Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- দু:খেরো টিপ জ্বলেরে, জ্বলে ঝিকমিক ঝিকমিক, তুমি ভুল বুঝনা জোনাক সেতো নয় // dukhero tip jolere jole jhikmik jhikmik Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Sattya Shaha(?)

 

Song:- আমি শৈশবে মায়ের, আমি কৈশরে বাপের, আবার যৌবনে কেনো হলাম বন্ধু বান্ধবের // ami shoishobe mayer ami koisore baper Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Sattya Shaha

 

Song:- বলনা তুমি ছিলে কোথায় // bolona tumi chhile kothay Lyricist:- Kawsar Ahmed Chaudhury Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Song:- মাঝি নাও ছাইড়া দে, ও মাঝি পাল উড়াইয়া দে // majhi nao chhaira de o majhi pal uraia de Lyricist:- S M Hedayet Tuner:- Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul

 

Song:- তুমি এসেছো, বহুদিন পর, আমি কাদলাম // tumi esechho bohudin por ami kadlam Lyricist:-(?) Tuner:-(?)

 

Song:- শেষ করোনা শুরুতে খেলা // shes korona shurute khela Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Alauddin Ali

 

Singer Name:-(36) Saiful Islam Song:- সোনার কাঠি, রুপোর কাঠি, তোমার হাতে দিলাম, বিনিময়ে স্বপ্ন দেখার তন্দ্রটুকু নিলাম // sonar kathi rupor kathi tomar hate dilam Lyricist:- Noyeem Gohor Tuner:- Anwar Pervez

 

Song:- তুমি সন্ধ্যাকাশের, তারার মতো আমার মনে জ্বলবে // tumi sondhyakasher tarar moto amar mone jolbe Lyricist:- Musa Ahmed Tuner:- Ajmol Huda Mithu

 

Singer Name:-(37) Syed Abdul Hadi Song:- আমি সোনার হরীণ ধরতে এসে অনেক করেছি সন্ধি // ami sonar horeen dhorte ese onek korechhi sondhi Lyricist:- Abid Anwar Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- এ ঘরে ফাগুন এসেও গেছে ফিরে // a ghore fagoon eseo geche fire Lyricist:- Md Shiraj Tuner:- Aujit Roy

 

Song:- সময় আমাকে, আর সময় সময় দেবেনা // somoy amake ar somoy debena Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Abu Taher

 

Song:- কিছু বলো, কিছু বলো // kichhu bolo kichhu bolo Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- সীমার বাধনে বাধা আছি বলে, সীমানা ছাড়াতে পারিনা // seemar badhone badha achhi bole seemana chharate parina Lyricist:- Mahmudul Haque Dulal Tuner:-(?)

 

Song:- সব কিছু মোর, উজাড় করে, দিয়েছি তোমায় তুলে, কেমনে গেলে ভুলে // sob kichhu mor ujar kore diyechhi tomay Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Raja Hossain Khan

 

Song:- সথি চলনা, চল এবার জলসা ঘরে যাই // sokhi cholona chol ebar jolsa ghore jai Lyricist:- Kawsar Ahmed Chaudhury Tuner:- Lucky Akand

 

Song:- তোমার ওই মুখের হাসি, বিষের বাশী // tomar oi mukher hasi biser bashee Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Alauddin Ali

 

Song:- আমার ভালোবাসার স্বপ্ন আমি, জলাঞ্জলী দিলাম // amar bhalobasar swopno ami jolanjoly dilam Lyricist:- Nazrul Islam Babu Tuner:- Debu Bhattyachargyo

 

Singer Name:-(38) Shaokat Hayat khan Song:- কে বলবে আমায়, এমনটি কেনো হয় // ke bolbe amay amonti keno hoy Lyricist:- Lokman Hossain Fakir Tuner:- Kader Jameli

 

Singer Name:-(39) Shanaz Rahmatullah Song:- সাগরের তীর থেকে, মিস্টি কিছু হাওয়া এনে, তোমার কপালে ছোয়াবো গো // sogorer teer theke misti kichhu howa ene Lyricist:- Jebunnesa Jamal Tuner:- Karim Shahabuddin

 

Song:- তোমার আলোয় ভিড়ে, আমি যে বারে বারে, আসি ফিরে // tomar aloy vire ami je bare bare asi fire Lyricist:- Dr Mohammad Moniruzzaman Tuner:- Dheer Ali

 

Song:- তোমার আগুনে পোড়ানো, দুটি চোখে // tomar agune porano duti chokhe Lyricist:- Khan Ataur Rahman Tuner:- Khan Ataur Rahman

 

Song:- যে ছিলো দৃস্টির সীমানায়, যে ছিলো রিদয়ের আঙ্গিনায় // je chhilo dristir seemanay je chhilo hridoyer anginay.. Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Alauddin Ali

 

Song:- নেশার পাত্রে ঢেলে ফুলের গন্ধ—-তাতেই আনন্দ // neshar patre dhele phooler gondho—tatei anondo Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Anwar Pervez

 

Song:- পুরোনো আমাকে খুজে, দু:খ পাবে, ওগো নতুনের মাঝে আমি নেই // purono amake khuje dukhkho pabe Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Song:- এ জীবনের মঞ্চে, মোরা কেউবা কাদি, কেউবা হাসি // a jeeboner monche mora keuba kadi keuba hasi Lyricist:- Hemayet Hossain Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- ঐ আকাশ ভিড়ে, সন্ধ্যা নামে, রাতের আভাসে // oi akash vire sondhya name rater avase Lyricist:- Masud Karim Tuner:- Raja Hossin Khan

 

Song:- খোলা জানালায়, চেয়ে দেখি তুমি আছো // khola janalay cheye dekhi tumi achho Lyricist:- Mukul Chaudhury Tuner:- Raja Hossain Khan

 

Song:- সাগরের সৈকতে কে যেনো দুর হতে, আমায় ডেকে নিয়ে যায় // sogorer soikote ke jeno dur hote amay deke niye jay Lyricist:- Shahidul Haque Khan Tuner:- Anwar Pervez

 

Song:- আমিতো আমার, গল্প বলেছি, তুমি কেনো কাদলে // amito amar golpo bolechhi tumi keno kadle Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Somor Das(?)

 

Song:- বাশী যেনো অনুরাগে ডাকে সারাক্ষণ // bashee jeno aunurage dake sarakhkhon Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- আর নেমোনা অথই জলে সই // ar nemona othoi jole soi Lyricist:- Alimuzzaman Chaudhury Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- ওগো অভিমানী তুমি // ogo auvimanee tumi Lyricist:- Abu Haidar Sajedur Rahman Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Song:- কে যেনো সোনার কাঠি, ছোওয়ায় প্রানে // ke jeno sonar kathi chhoay prane Lyricist:- Jebunnesa Jamal Tuner:- Azad Rahman

 

Singer Name:-(40) Shammie Akhter Song:- সবাইতো বাচতে চায়, তবু ভালোবেসে, মরে যেতে, চায় কেনো এ মন // sobaito bachte chay tobu bhalobese more jete chay keno a mon Lyricist:- Gazi Mazharul Anwar Tuner:- Sattya Shaha

 

Song:- কেনো এমন, কেনো এমন হয়না, দুটি রিদয় যদি গোলাপ হোতো // keno emon keno emon hoyna duti hridoy jodi Lyricist:- Md Ashraf Hossain Tuner:- Sattya Shaha

 

Song:- জীবন সেতো ধন্য নয় // jeebon seto dhonnya noy Lyricist:- Syed Haider Tuner:- Monsur Ali

 

Song:- আমি সুখ পাখী চাইনা তো আর, দু:খ শুধু // ami shukh pakhee chaina to ar dhukhkho shudhu Lyricist:- Shahidul Islam Tuner:- A H M Rafique

 

Song:- সেইতো সুখ তারা এখনো জাগে // seito shukh tara ekhono jage Lyricist:- Md Mojakker Tuner:- Abdul Ahad

 

Song:- ভালোবাসলেই সবার সাথে, ঘর বাধা যায়না // bhalo baslei sobar sathe ghor badha jayna Lyricist:- Mahfuzur Rahman Mahfuz Tuner:- Seikh Sadi Khan

 

Song:- মনে হয় হাজার বছর ধরে, দেখিনা তোমায় // mone hoy hajar bosor dhore dekhina tomay Lyricist:- Nazrul Islam Babu Tuner:- Seikh Sadi Khan

 

Singer Name:-(41) Shakila Zafar Song:- আমার স্বপ্ন যদি লাল গোলাপটা হোতো // amar swopno jodi lal golapta hoto Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafifquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- শুধু আলোয় আলোয়, ভরিয়ে দিলে // sudhu aloye aloye bhoriye dile Lyricist:- Kazi Shiraj Tuner:- Somor Das

 

Singer Name:-(42) Subir Nandi Song:- বন্ধু হতে চেয়ে তোমার, শত্রু বলে গন্য হলাম // bondh hote cheye tomar sotru bole gonnya holam Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Sattya Shaha nb:- the song later added as playback on the film named ‘matir manus’(Mustafa Mehmud)

 

Song:- আমাদের সেই পাড়া গায়—- // amade sei para gay Lyricist:- Nahid Nazrul Tuner:- Badrul Alam Bokul

 

Song:- আমার দুটি চোখ পাথর তো নয়, তবু কেনো ক্ষয়ে ক্ষয়ে যায় // amar duti chokh pathor to noy tobu keno Lyricist:- Zahidul Haque Tuner:- Sheikh Sadi Khan

 

Song:- হাজার মনের কাছে প্রশ্ন রেখে, একটি কথাই শুধু জেনেছি আমি // hazar moner kachhe proshnyo rekhe ekti kothai Lyricist:- Nazrul Islam Babu Tuner:- Seikh Sadi Khan

 

Song:- আমি বৃষ্টির কাছ থেকে, কাদতে শিখেছি, আমায় আর কান্নার ভয় দেখিয়ে কোনো লাভ নেই // ami bristir kachh theke kadte shikhechhi Lyricist:- Gazi Abdur Razzak Tuner:- Debu Bhattyachargyo

 

Song:- বধুয়ার মান ভাঙ্গাতে জীবন গেলো, আমি মান কী তা বূঝিনা // bodhuar man bhangate jeebon gelo ami man kita bujhina Lyricist:- (?) Tuner:- (?)

 

Song:- পাহাড়ের কান্না দেখে, তোমরা তাকে ঝরণা বলো // paharer kanna dekhe tomra take jhorna bolo Lyricist:- Mohammad Rafiquzzaman Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- আমি মির্জা গালিব নই, আমি নই ওমর খৈয়ম // ami mirza galib noi ami noi omor khoyyam Lyricist:- Kazi Shiraj Tuner:- Monsur Ali

 

Song:- আধার আমায়, ভয় করেনা, চোখ থেকে সব আলোর–মুছে দাও // adhar amay voy korena chokh theke sob alor Lyricist:- Abul Hayat Mohammad al Kamal Tuner:- Khondokar Nurul Alam

 

Song:- কথা দাও, কথা গুলো ফেরত নেবেনা // kotha dao kotha gulo ferot nebena Lyricist:- Zahidul Haque Tuner:- Aujit Roy

 

Singer Name:-(43) Zafar Ikbal Song:- সুখে থাকো, ও আমার নন্দিনী, হয়ে কারো ঘরনী // sukhe thako o amar nondinee hoye karo ghoronee Lyricist:- Moniruzzaman Monir Tuner:- Alauddin Ali

 

Singer Name:-(44) Zinat Rehana Song:- ভোর বেলা স্বপ্ন দেখলাম, ঝাকে ঝাকে প্রজাপতি উড়ছে // vor bela swopno dekhlam jhake jhake projapoti urchhe Lyricist:- Jebunnesa Jamal Tuner:- Golam Hossain Ladu nb:- the song remarked as mourning-song.

 

Song:- শুধাইওনা তুমি মোরে, হয়েছিলো ভুল // shudhyona tumi more hoyechhilo bhul Lyricist:- Jebunnesa Jamal Tuner:- Kader Jameli

 

Song:- ওই চোখেতে কাজল আর আকবোনা, এই কপালে টিকলি আর পড়বোনা // oi chokhete kajol ar akbona ei kopale tikli ar porbona Lyricist:- Abu Haidar Sajedur Rahman Tuner:- Azad Rahman. Md Amir Hossain Shaheen (talk) 18:31, 13 April 2013 (UTC)

Historical Background

 

Ajmer is situated at the foot of an 800-feet high mountain on the top of which stands, in solemn splendour, the celebrated fort of Garh Beetli or Bithali named after Bithaldas Gaur the trusted General of Emperor Shah Jahan, which is now called Taragarh (the star citadel). This city stretches out in all directions of a spacious valley and is hemmed in on all sides by picturesque hills. Its holy traditions are equally replete with Rajput chivalry and Muslim supremacy in the past history of Hindustan. Few cities of India can boast of Ajmer’s religious sanctity for both Hindus and Muslims, its glorious history and it natural beauty. It was in Ajmer that Khawaja Muinuddin Chishti laid the permanent foundation of Islam in India in 1192 A.D. by his spiritual powers and peaceful preachings. It was in Ajmer that Sir Thomas Roe, as ambassador of King James I of England, had his audience with Emperor Jahangir on 19th January 1616 A.D. which laid the steping stone of the British Raj in India through the charter of free trading granted to the East India Company by the Emperor. It was in Ajmer that Shah Jahan, on the death of Jahangir, proclaimed himself Emperor of India while returning from Udaipur and proceeding to Delhi in 1627 A.D. And it was in Ajmer again that a beginning of the decline of Moghul Empire was made with the victory of Aurangzeb against his brother Dara Shikeh after a furious battle on 11th, 12th and 13th March 1659 A.D. In addition to these major historical events, Ajmer has seen many vicissitudes of time in its long history of about 1400 years.

 

Why Ajmer Was Chosen

 

Why Ajmer was particularly selected to be pivot of Hazrat Khawaja Muinuddin Chishti’s mission in India? This is a pertinent question which may be asked by some critical readers. A careful study of the history of India before Khawaja Saheb’s arrival, and of the period of his stay in Ajmer will answer this question satisfactory. We have already thrown sufficient light on this point in one of the previous chapters. In this chapter, we trace a brief history of Ajmer and the Khawaja Saheb’s Dargah which attracts millions of people every year to seek spiritual blessings of the great saint.

 

Geographically, Ajmer is situated in the heart of Rajasthan, at one time the citadel of India kingdom, and thus it suited the grand mission of Khawaja Saheb best. Politically, Ajmer the seat of a most powerful kingdom of the last Rajput Emperor of India, Raja Prithviraj Chauhan (1179-1192 A.D.) whose whole life was “one of unbroken chain of chivalrous deeds and glorious exploits which have won for him eternal fame and a name that will last as long as chivalry itself.” Prithviraj was the son of Someshwara (1170-1179 A.D.) who was the 29th descendant in the lineage of King Vasudeva who flourished as far back as 551 A.D. Vasudeva has descended from Chahuan (the founder of the Rajput clan of Chauhans) whose date is untraceable in the description of Ajmer. As given in Sarga IX of the famous documentary “Prithviraj Vijaya”, runs as below:-

 

The city was so densely populated and there were so many gardens, tanks and wells that not more than one-tenth of the earth was visible to sun, and water in the wells was only two cubits from the ground surface. Karpurdevi (mother of Prithviraj) under whose regency he was brought up also founded a town”.

 

Describing Ajmer in his “Picturesque India” (p.77) Mr. Caine, says:-

 

“It is an ancient, beautiful city full of interest, both historical and architectural; its gay busy bazars and its old houses with carved fronts, some of which are among the finest in India, giving added attractions to its superb situation. A well built stone wall with give gateways surrounds the city”.

 

Anasager Lake

 

According to “Prithviraj Vijaya” Arnoraja or Raja Anaji (1130-1150 A. D.) the grandfather of Emperor Prithviraj Chauhan, had built the picturesque lake of Anasagar at Ajmer in order to purify the land which was alleged to have been despoiled by the spilling of the Mussalman blood in a battle fought at this place. (It is the same Anasagar lake on the banks of which the Khawaja Saheb had stayed after his arrival in Ajmer in 1192 A. D. The exact place of his stay is known as ” Chilla Khawaja Saheb ” which is situated on the top of the Anasagar Ghati). In 1637 A. D., Shah Jahan built five beautiful pavilions (called Baradaris) of polished marble on the embankment of Anasagar which are still preserved in their original glory.

 

Jama Al-Tamish Or Dhai Din-Ka-Jhonpra

 

One of the oldest and most interesting historical building of Ajmer, is Jama Al-tamish popularly known as Dhai-din-ka-Jhonpra, situating in Ankerkot at the foot of the Taragarh hill According to Tod Rajasthan ” it is a relic of nobler days and architect and the antiquarian because of its multifarious artistic attractions.

 

The monumental mosque has, however, been the subject of diverse opinion about its origin. According to Ajmer Historical and Descriptive (by Dewan Bahadur Harbilas Sarda) it is claimed to be a Saraswati Mandir which is said to have been built in 1153 A. D. by Raja Visaldeva who was the first Chauhan Emperor of India. But according to the Arabic inscription appearing on the marble arch in the centre of the mosque and the convincing arguments advanced by the author of Main-ul-Arifin (P. 150-154) it is recognised to be a mosque ever since its origin which was built by Sultan Shahabuddin Ghori in 595 A. H. (12th century A.D.) wherein Hazrat Khwaja Muinuddin Chishti himself (who came to Ajmer in 587 A. H.) is said to have offered his prayers for a considerable time. Later on, Sultan Shamsuddin Altamish of Delhi (607 to 633 A. H.) is reported to have built its present massive structure of red stone which was completed in 614 A. H. by Ali Ahmed mason under the supervision of one Mohammed Ariz – a claim which is also substantiated by another Arabic inscrition on its central arch. (Ahsan-us-Siar, P. 87-92). In any case, this magnificent mosque is one of the rare historic monuments of India.

 

General Cunningham., Director of Archaeology Government of India, who inspected this mosque in 1864 A. D., appears to have fallen into the error of accepting the common belief that it was built in Dhai-din i.e. two and a half days, as its name implies out of the material released from some demolished temples – a judgment which is difficult to believe in view of its extensive and massive stony structure replete with extremlely fine and most intricate workmanship on stone. It seems that only the smaller marble arch in the centre of the mosque may have been finished in 2-1/2 days to meet an emergency but the whole massive structure, with its elaborate Arabic tracings and delicate engraving details, is definitely a work of many years sustained labour.

 

Writing of the beautiful details of this marvellous edifice, Mr. Furgusson, author of the Eastern and Indian Architecture (P. 513 ) says – “As example of surface decoration, the Jhonpra and the mosque of Al-tamish at Delhi are probably unrivalled. Nothing in Cairo or in Persia and nothing in Spain or Syria is so exquisite in detail and can approach them for beauty or surface decoration. The gorgeous prodigality of ornamental work , the fascinating richness of tracery, the delicate sharpness of finish, the fascinating richness of tracery, the delicate sharpness of finish, the endless variety of detail and the accurate and laborious workmanship, are eternal credit to its past Indian engineers and masons”. There is a rich variety of Quranic verse inscribed all over the building to tax the brains of both inquisitive historians and the antiquarians alike . In short, it is a model of excellence in the art Indian architecture.

 

Dargah Of Miran Syed Husain

 

On the highest point of Taragarh fort stands the Dargah of Hazrat Miran Syed Husian Asghar Khangswar who was the governor of Ajmer after its conquest by Sultan Shahabuddin Ghori.. On the death of Qutubuddin Aibak in 1210 A.D., the Rathor and Chauhan Rajputs joined in a night attack on the Taragarh Fort when most of the men of Miran Saheb were out collecting taxes in the district, and the number of his garrison was, therefore, numerically very small. The Rajpurs thus massacred Miran Saheb and his garrison to a man on 18th Rajab.

 

The Fort Of Taragarh

 

According to Akhbar-ul-Akhyar, the first fort built on a hill in India was the fortress of Taragarh at Ajmer. Its unique defence and strength lie in the impregnable ruggedness and acclivity of the mountain upon which it is built. This ancient fort has seen many historic battles and nerve-wrecking sieges and has changed hands with the Rajput, Muslim, Maratha and the British conquerors during its long and checkered history. Ajameru Doorg, as it was originally called, was built by Raja Ajairaj Chauhan who was the king of Sapadlaksh territory having Sakambhari (now Sambhar as his capital in the early part of 6th century A.D. He also built the town of Ajmer and the village of Ajaisar, lying in the south of Foysagar lake, still commemorates his name.

  

courtesy

 

dargahajmer.com/ajmer-sharif/

Continued: A Love Non-Distracting

 

“The advice from Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) to Hazrat Ali (ratu) that every man seeks closeness to Allah through some form of obedience. And that he should seek His Closeness through the company of the wise and special friend of His so that he reaches his goal quickly and leave all others behind.

 

یا علی از جمله‌‌ی طاعات راه

بر گزین تو سایه‌‌ی خاص اله‌‌

 

O Ali, above all devotional acts in the Way (of God) do choose the shadow of protection of the chosen Favourite of God.

 

هر کسی در طاعتی بگریختند

خویشتن را مخلصی انگیختند

 

Every one took refuge in some act of devotion and discovered for themselves some means of deliverance.

 

تر برو در سایه‌‌ی عاقل گریز

تا رهی ز آن دشمن پنهان ستیز

 

Go ahead, take refuge in the shadow of the Sage, that thou may escape from the Enemy that opposes you in secret.

 

از همه طاعات اینت بهتر است

سبق یابی بر هر آن سابق که هست‌‌

 

Of all acts of devotion this is the best for you and you will gain precedence over every one that has outrun others.

 

چون گرفتت پیر هین تسلیم شو

همچو موسی زیر حکم خضر رو

 

When you give yourself to a Spiritual Master, surrender yourself to him like the Prophet Moses (as) walked with Khizr (as).

 

صبر کن بر کار خضـری بی نفاق

تـا نـگـویـد خـضـر رو هـذا فـراق

 

O sincere one! Be patient with Khizr then so he does not say, “Leave. Now we separate.”

 

گرچه کـشتی بشکـند تو دم مزن

گرچه طفلی را کُشَد تو مو مَکَن

 

If he breaks the boat, do not protest. If he kills the child, do not be sad.

 

دست او را حق چو دستِ خویش خواند

تـا یَــــدُ الله فــــوقَ اَیْـــــدِیـهـم بــــرانـد

 

Now that God has named his hand to be His Own by even saying, “The Hand of God is upon theirs.”

 

دستِ حق میـراندش زنده‌ش کند

زنده چـه بود جـانِ پـاینده‌ش کند

 

You are in need of a guide in this jungle, don’t go alone. In this jungle don’t go alone.

 

هـرکـه تـنها نادِرا این ره بُـرید

هـم بـعونِ هـمّت پــیران رسـید

 

It is unlikely that this place is successfully traversed alone.

The one who reached their goal did so only by the inner attention of the Friends of God.

 

دستِ پیر از غایبان کوتاه نـیست

دست او جـز قَــبـضـهٔ الله نـیست

 

The hand of the Spiritual Master is even attentive to those absent.

His hand is undoubtedly the Hand of God.

 

غـایبان را چون نواله می‌دهند

پیش مهمان تا چه نـعمتها نهند

 

When the inattentive can receive such blessings extraordinary,

imagine what you will receive as the one present willingly.

 

Subhan Allah!

 

I went back to Uzair’s lecture: “In the 18 verses, the background is quite spectacular. Maulana Rum is the scholar of his time. And all scholars have an element of pride in them because of the effect their words have on others which is evident before them. He is also a teacher, he is the “mufti,” the Islamic jurist, of the city. Konya is a city of wealth and he is known and respected throughout it. In those days a faqeer enters the city and takes up residence in an inn in the bazaar where sugar is sold. And this is Maulana Shams Tabrez (ra).

 

Now the incident of the “bay’at” of Maulana Rum (ra) on the hands of Shams Tabrez is very well known and has 6-7 variations. I will share with you the one that drew me to the Masnavi:

 

A class on hadith is taking place in the courtyard. Before Maulana Rum (ra) sit 50-100 students. Nearby is a fountain on the edge of which lie a few books on the subject. In the time the books were hand written since there were no printing presses. It took several years for a single one to be completed so they were of immense value and extremely precious.

 

Maulana (ra) is instructing the class while Maulana Shams Tabrez (ra) scales the wall and sneaks into the courtyard. He comes close to where Maulana (ra) is sitting who turns to look at him wondering from his appearance who this man was. He certainly didn’t look like one of his students with his tattered clothes and torn shoes, matted hair and disheveled look.

 

Having caught his attention, Maulana Shams(ra) asked him, “Een che kardi?” What are you doing?

 

Maulana Rum (ra) turned his face dismissively and replied condescendingly, “Aan che to nami dani.” You don’t know (anything) about it.

 

Maulana Shams (ra) retreated and went to sit by the edge of the fountain and one by one starting to push the ancient texts into the water. Upon hearing the splash, Maulana Rum (ra) noticed that the books had disappeared. He leapt up and shouted for him to stop.

 

Walking over to where Maulana Shams (ra) was sitting, now he asked him, ““Een che kardi?” What are you doing?

 

And received the reply, “Aan che to nami dani.” You don’t know (anything) about it.

 

The story goes that Maulana Rum (ra) starts hitting him and his students rush to join him. Maulana Shams (ra) held up his hands in protest asking why they were beating him. Maulana Rum (ra) answered, “Because these books are books of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) ahadith and you have destroyed them all.”

 

Maulana Shams (ra) said in response, “Oh the books! Wait then for a moment” and saying that he jumped into the water. One by one he started to take the books out. Once the book was out of the water, he slapped it as if to clean it and dust blew off it. He placed it on the edge and said, “Take a look.”

 

Maulana Rum (ra) picked up the book and found it to be dry as a bone. Then Maulana Shams (ra) took out another book and did the same. Bewildered, Maulana Rum (ra) looked at Shams and asked, “Will they come out dry by my hand as well or only yours?”

 

Maulana Shams (ra) answered, “While I am in the water, they will come out dry by your hand as well.”

 

Subhan Allah! It was my favourite line of the story.

 

Maulana Rum (ra) picked up a book from the water and dusted it. It was completely dry. He called his students over. They started picking out books too. Now Maulana Shams (ra) had thrown in 10-12 books sitting on the side of the fountain but 300 or so emerged from the water.

 

Maulana Rum (ra) was elated. He pointed towards the piles and said to his students, “Take these into the library and place them there carefully.”

 

Maulana Shams (ra) stopped him. “What are you doing?”

Maulana Rum (ra) explained he wanted to keep the books in the library for they were precious.

 

On hearing that Maulana Shams (ra) admonished him, “This is the hadith you are teaching your students? 10 of the books were yours. 300 plus have come out from the water that don’t belong to you and you are taking them all? This is the morality they are learning from you? This is the knowledge you are imparting to them?”

 

In that moment Maulana Rum (ra) fell to his feet and exclaimed, “Then give me the “ilm,” the knowledge, you have that you have been bestowed by The Divine.” And this is the start.”

 

Then Uzair went back to the first couplet of the Masnavi and explained the instrument that Maulana references in it; the ney.

 

“The ney is different from the flute. It is held by the teeth not the lips. It is breathed out from not in to. As the fingers press on some notes and leave others, so the placement and movement of the fingers create the melodies. So what Maulana is saying this; the ney, the instrument itself, has nothing to it. It is a piece of dead wood. The sound is coming from the player of the instrument, his hands are creating the melody. And Allah is The Breather.”

 

Then he cited the verse.

 

فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُۥ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ سَـٰجِدِينَ

 

And when I have formed him fully and breathed into him of My Spirit,

fall down before him in prostration!”

 

Surah Sad, Verse 72

 

“And the fingers are the training of the guide.

 

The ney was nothing until it was separated from the tree, from the forest. If it had remained there, as a piece of bark it would have eventually fallen to the ground and become dust. Now though it is a conveyer of notes.

 

What Maulana is saying here is that the suffering in the world, the guide is the one who makes you go through different stages and trials, he plays you like the flautist, so that the melodic sounds you emit reverberate in the entire world. The blower is Allah, the player is the Spiritual Master. The separation from the jungle is what has rendered the wood an instrument. It is what it is only because it is separated.

 

Remember, two people have had the deepest impact and influence on Maulana Rum; Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra), Ghaus ul Azam and Hazrat Muhuyddin Ibn e Arabi (ra). He has restated their philosophies in the Masnavi. And where do these philosophies in turn come from? Maula Ali (ratu).

 

Ghaus ul Azam (ra) was asked by Allah Almighty, “Do you want My Closeness?”

 

He answered, “I do.”

 

So Allah said, “Come near. And then He said to him,

 

إنقطع ثم اتصل واتصل ثم أوصل

 

Disconnect (from all others)

then connect (to Me)

and keep connecting

then communicate (with all others through Me).”

 

I was not expecting Uzair to say these lines. Since I had heard them in one of his lectures years ago, I had written the words in so many pieces, spoken the words in so many gatherings, whispered them to myself and my loved ones. But Uzair bringing it up in this context of the ney and its separation from its source was something else altogether.

 

“Maulana is taking the concept of the ney from here actually. From what Ghaus ul Azam is saying as told by Allah. ‘Separate from all others. And connect to Me. And I will connect with you, And then you will rejoin the others. But before you were joined to them through your own self. This time around, you will join with them through Me.’”

 

I let out a deep sigh.

 

I am a sigher by nature. I didn’t notice it till those around me commented on it. “You sigh a lot,” someone first said to me in college. I was surprised to hear the words. Then I forgot about them. Over the years when I was alone I noticed them myself, those long-winded sighs. Then I started noticing them in others, especially children.

 

It was such an unexpected sound from a child. It seems to hold such a deep sadness. A sadness that a soul holds within it, that the “batin” possesses and the overt self, the “zahir,” is totally unaware of. Maybe the sigh is the first sound of the ney awaiting the fingers of the Master. So that the Hand of God will one day will transform the sound of that sigh into melodious notes that intoxicate another soul.

 

On an afternoon in Karachi while sitting with my friend’s friends from Karachi a topic came up I knew nothing about; the vagus nerve. I wasn’t paying much attention to the conversation. It was some important nerve in the body blah blah and the ways that the nerve was activated that they were discussing were not of interest to me; cold showers, a lot of exercise, deep breathing, meditation.

 

Then one of them said, “And humming.”

 

“Humming?” I echoed. I hummed and sang the words of the kalam for my videos all day long when I was working on them.

 

“Yup,” she said.

 

When I went home I looked it up.

 

“What is the vagus nerve? The ”wandering” or vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body. Leaving the brain stem, the vagus nerve branches off in different directions and extends as far down as the abdomen. It connects the brain and the gut, lungs, and heart. And it plays a critical role in helping us “rest and digest.” Increasing the tone of the vagus nerve enables our body to relax faster after experiencing stress.

 

Traveling down past the neck and into the body, the vagus nerve performs some of its most vital tasks. Its main function is to regulate the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS), a special part of the nervous system that maintains the homeostasis of body functions, such as heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and digestion.

 

When homeostasis is disrupted through exercise, illness, or stress, a subsystem of the ANS, the Sympathetic Nervous System, kicks in and prepares the body to move, respond, or adapt to the change. This state of readiness is also known as the Fight or Flight System. When the stress is over, the Parasympathetic Nervous System down-regulates the body, bringing its functions back to baseline. Working in opposition to the Fight or Flight System, the Parasympathetic Nervous System is known as the Rest and Digest System.

 

We can thank the vagus nerve for keeping the heart rate from elevating too high for too long, maintaining blood vessel constriction (which regulates blood pressure) during activity, reactivating the digestive system after being shut down, and stabilizing the respiration rate and making sure it coordinates with the heart.

 

Because of its communication between the viscera and the brain, the vagus nerve plays an important role in body/brain interactions. Recently, neuroscientists have found a link between the presence of good gut bacteria (probiotics) and elevated mood and improved cognition. Apparently, good bacteria produce approximately 95 percent of the body’s serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for improved mood.

 

The vagus nerve appears to also assist in regulation of inflammatory responses from the body. Vagal communication between inflammatory responses and the brain can also allow the brain to regulate this inflammation and promote adaptations to acute injury and chronic irritation. The vagus nerve passes through by the vocal cords and the inner ear and the vibrations of humming is a free and easy way to influence your nervous system states.”

 

Unreal!

 

From my classes on “tajweed” in Fes, the rules of recitation of the Quran, I had learnt that the sound of the “shadda” on a letter, which means it is said with a double emphasis, gave it a longer stretch of two beats. Of the different levels of recitation, when it is “in a slow-paced manner with clarity, clearly distinguished letter by letter and with tranquility,” it is called “tarteela.”

 

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ لَوْلَا نُزِّلَ عَلَيْهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ جُمْلَةًۭ وَٰحِدَةًۭ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ لِنُثَبِّتَ بِهِۦ

فُؤَادَكَ ۖ

وَرَتَّلْنَـٰهُ تَرْتِيلًۭا

 

And said those who disbelieve ask, "Why not was revealed to him the Quran all at once?"

 

(It is so) in this manner that We may strengthen thereby your heart.

 

And We have recited it ‘tarteela,’ with a distinct recitation.

 

Surah Al-Furqan, Verse 32

 

The name of the Prophet (peace be upon him) has two “meem.” There is one in the beginning and the one in the middle has a “shadda” on it. The application of the rule then to it creates a natural hum. Muhammmmmmad! When I learnt about humming activating the vagas nerve that day, I could not help but think, all I was doing when I hummed was saying the “meem” of his name endlessly. No matter the song. The thought was having such swooning effect on my overt being, I could only imagine what it was doing to my nervous system.

 

In the same days I came upon Maulana’s (ra) words about musicality in the Universe. The essence of sound as its form, any form, our own included, was known me to when I discovered from Sheikh Nurjan, the Naqshbandi Master, that we are energy beings first that then gain form through sound.

 

But Maulana’s (ra) revelations about it opened another dimension altogether. How music was heard differently by the extraordinary and therefore the effect it had upon them of “wajd,” a state of spiritual ecstasy.

 

The Masnavi: “The sound of the rubaab played in the court of the King. But for the lovers of God, the “ushaaq,” the rubaab’s sound is a reminder of the promise they made in the Realm of the Souls to God, the Ahd e Alast (when He asked, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ and we answered, ‘Indeed You are.’

 

The sound of the dhol, the drum, for the lovers of God holds similarity to the sound of the Nufikha As-Saur, the trumpet of Israfeel. (Even though for the rest of humanity it is the sound of the Day of Judgement, which invokes fear. But for those whose nafs is “mutmainna,” content with God, even that sound is the sound of happiness for it will bring reunion).

 

The scholars say that the different raag, with their particular combination of notes, have been taken from the movement of the orbits of the skies. And the 12 notes of the chromatic scales of music draw a parallel with the 12 constellations.

 

وَلَقَدْ جَعَلْنَا فِى ٱلسَّمَآءِ بُرُوجًۭا وَزَيَّنَّـٰهَا لِلنَّـٰظِرِينَ

 

And indeed in the Heavens we have set up great constellations and beautified it for the observers.

 

Surah Al-Hijr, Verse 16

 

The seven notes of music, the major scale, are taken from seven of the planets. The air that is between the Earth and the sky creates all the sounds in the world. These sounds are then imitated by the voice and the Tanbura.

 

The believers, the Momin, know that all these raag, these songs, they come from the singing of the heavenly “Hoors”, the heavenly maidens, and from the running waters of the rivers of Jannat, and the movement of the trees of Heaven. The melodies of the raag create the thought of reunion with The Creator for those who are His Lovers. When the listener holds within them these feelings, the music intensifies this burning love for the Divine.”

 

In my readings, in particular of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (ra) and in general the Chisti silsila, that I myself belong to, I had heard of the effect of the “sama’a,” in their case the qawali, upon their souls. In his case for he is “Mehboob e Ilahi,” “The one who Allah holds a beloved,” I had read of instance after instance where the effect of music transported his soul in a moment from the world to an audience before His Lord during a sama’a.

 

Since I had heard Uzair’s lecture on Maulana, I was fixated on the stations of the spiritual path. I thought the be all and end all was love. Yet it was the third station of seven. “Ikhlaas” had come next. I had been praying for sincerity in my prayer but I had not known what I was even asking for. I had heard so many lectures in which Uzair and others cited the words of Auliya Karaam who stressed feeling the presence of Allah, focusing on the nearness of Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) during the saying of the namaz.

 

I had tried different ways to do that. Mostly the images of the Ka’aba and the Green Dome were as far as I got. My speed of recitation had slowed considerably over the years. I took my time. The verse I connected with most often was “As Salam o Alayka Ayyuha Nabiyyu wa Rahmutallah e wa Barakatahu.” That was because of the hadith that when one sent a “salam” upon his blessed person, he always returned it. Mostly, I was just happy I wasn’t blazing through it anymore.

 

Then while writing this piece, Maulana blew my heart wide open. I was perusing my book on the stories in the Masnavi when a title caught my eye; “Ibadat ka haqeeqi mafhoom,” the original meaning of worship.

 

The prayer of the people behind Daqooqi (ra)

 

One day a wali Allah, (a Friend of God), Hazrat Daqooqi (ra) stood as the Imam to lead the prayer. A few of his contemporaries, whose hearts were soft as silk, stood behind him to say it. As soon as the “takbeer” was uttered (Allah u Akbar – Allah is The Greatest), they departed from this transient world like the sacrificed animal.

 

The meaning of that “takbeer” became this; “We sacrifice ourselves for you, O Lord, in the way that the “takbeer” is said before the slaughter of animals for food.” So they said Allah u Akbar and sacrificed their nafs, the ego, cutting its head off so that the soul is saved from its evil deeds.

 

Be like the body of Hazrat Ismail (as) when he surrendered to his father after he told him about his dream. Like his body, become free, liberated from desire and greed. Through the utterance of Bismillah, (In the Name of Allah), the contemporaries starting shivering in remembrance of their God.

 

After that moment, they stood before God shedding tears as if on the Day of Judgment where Allah, Exalted is He, will ask; “What have you brought for Me in this time that I gave you? I granted you an age of living, I gave you livelihood, you were given strength and power. So what did you do with them? The ability to see, the ability to hear, what did you use it for? I bestowed you the blessings of the other senses. What did you do with them? You had hands and feet, the means and tools given to work, what work did you perform with them?”

 

Qari Sahib had told me that Nabi Pak (ra) had described this scene to the Sahaba;

 

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:‏‏‏‏ لَا تَزُولُ قَدَمَا عَبْدٍ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ حَتَّى يُسْأَلَ عَنْ عُمُرِهِ فِيمَا أَفْنَاهُ،

‏‏‏‏‏‏وَعَنْ عِلْمِهِ فِيمَ فَعَلَ،

‏‏‏‏‏‏وَعَنْ مَالِهِ مِنْ أَيْنَ اكْتَسَبَهُ وَفِيمَ أَنْفَقَهُ،

‏‏‏‏‏‏وَعَنْ جِسْمِهِ فِيمَ أَبْلَاهُ

 

The Prophet of God (peace be upon him) said, “The feet of no person will move until he has been asked (by God) about what works did he do in his life,

about his knowledge and his deeds as a result of it,

and his livelihood and how he earned it and how he spent it,

and about his body and how he sinned with it.”

 

The Masnavi: “Standing before God, in “qayam,” these questions were asked of Mankind from God. But because they are in a state of awe and ashamed because of the inability to answer, they immediately went into “ruku’” (the act of touching the hands on the knees), a state of humility.

 

Feeling ashamed they uttered the words for the greatness of God in that position (Subhan a Rabbi Al-Azeem). Allah commanded them, “Rise from your ‘ruku’’ and answer Me.” They raised their heads and stood up for a moment. Then losing strength again, they fell into prostration. Then they was ordered again to raise their heads.

 

They raise themselves only for a second to fall back into prostration a second time. Then again Allah says “Raise your head.”

 

After the second “raka’t,” they cannot bring himself to stand again, so they sit and Allah says to them again, “I bestowed you countless blessings, how were you grateful for them? I gave you wealth, where is the profit of that?”

 

Since they have nothing to offer, Mankind is unable to answer. Now they want an intercessor so they can be excused from this accountability. They turn to their right shoulder and says “salam” and call upon the Prophets and the Friends of God to come to their help, to aid them knowing they are stuck in a place from which there is no escape. The Prophets will say, “There is no help for you today from us. The time given to you has passed.”

 

Then they turn to their left shoulder and says “salam” and ask for their family and friends to come to their side. They too will say, “We cannot help you today.” Disappointed by all of them, their hearts will be shattered into a thousand pieces.

 

Finally they will raise their hands before their Merciful Lord and shed tears of repentance saying He is the First One and He is the Last One, so that they save themselves from their punishment. Learn from the actions of namaz that this is what will happen to you one day. Say to Him that He is The One who guides and we are the one who wish to be guided.”

 

بچه بیرون آر از بیضه نماز

سر مزن چون مرغ بی تعظیم و ساز

 

So you come out of your namaz like a chick leaves the egg, new born, pure.

And not like the chicken who wanders everywhere aimlessly.

 

The first time I read the story it was late at night. I went to sleep thinking nothing of it. The next morning when I woke it was for Fajr. I started my prayer and out of nowhere, burst into tears. Then I cried non-stop through it. For the first time in my life I pictured myself standing before God, Him asking me questions and I felt scared. Never before had I thought of myself in any moment with God that had held in it fear.

 

I wanted the namaz to end so badly the thought only made me cry more. The whole thing was so unexpected. How could Maulana Rum (ra) of all of Allah’s Friends, the one whose words are so full of love, so deeply romantic with the most exquisite expression that only softened the heart undeniably, how could he be the one who instills fear in my heart that never before existed? I had previously only concentrated on the Softness, the Mercy, the Forgiveness of Allah, because it was all I experienced. Even in the hardest of times.

 

In that morning prayer, for the first time in my life, I uttered verses in parallel. In my overt being, the verses of the namaz, and in my heart, my “qalb” whispered “Astaghfiruallah,” “I seek the forgiveness of Allah.” By the time I finished just the first two “raka’t” I was drained. But lifting the hands for a prayer was a must. It was how the story ended. My dua that day was only one and it was not to God. It was to His Beloved (peace be upon him). “Please ya Rasool Allah,” I begged, “ask Allah not to ask me anything.”

 

I went to bed weeping with a tasbeeh in my hand that I couldn’t even bring myself to read upon. I only clutched it close to my heart as I cried. I woke up the next morning fearing the hours to Zuhr. For three days the experience repeated itself in every prayer. Then like all things of beauty, it tapered off and when it did, what I had been anxious about, I wished and longed for.

 

A day or so later I went to the beach by myself. I tried to read my New Yorker but I was distracted and couldn’t focus on anything. Different thoughts interrupted me. I kept pondering about what had happened and one hadith kept coming to my mind. I have used it so many times in my writing in a particular context, it surprised me that it was the one I was reminded of.

 

إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْقُلُوبَ تَصْدَأُ كَمَا يَصْدَأُ الْحَدِيدُ

قِيلَ يَارَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَمَا جَلاؤُهَا

وذِكرُ الموت تِلاوَةُ الْقُرْآنِ كثرةُ ذِكرِ اللَّهِ قَالَ

 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Indeed, the hearts rust like iron rusts.”

 

They said, “So what will polish them?”

 

He said, “The abundance of remembrance of Allah, recitation of the Quran and remembering death.”

 

Remembering death!

 

I had never feared death. It wasn’t unusual. Many people who have close family, especially a parent, die when they are young, become oblivious to it. At first they become indifferent to life and when it keeps going, death, more and more, becomes the reason there will be union.

 

As Hazrat Khwaja Moineenuddin Chisti Ajmer (ra) says most beautifully:

 

الموت جسرا يوصل الحبيب الى الحبيب

 

Death is the bridge that joins the beloved with the beloved.

 

But I realized that in my lovey dovey relationship with God, I had never really thought of the Afterlife. I always knew someone would save me. I had imagined our meeting, even written about it but my thought had always been child-like, if not outright childish. It was all about me of course. What I would ask Him. I never once thought about what God might ask me.

 

Uzair says the role of the Prophets, all of them was the same. They asked for belief in Tauheed (the One-ness of God), Risalat (prophethood), Aakhirat (the Day of Judgment). I believed in the Day of Judgment but I never considered it. Until now. The hadith about the Last Day when people would go from Prophet to Prophet asking them to intercede for them, until they were eventually sent by them all to Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) held a new meaning for me.

 

Each Prophet had declined the ask to appear before God for a single sin they had committed over their entire lives. Just one! That one sin made them feel so deeply ashamed, they declined to go before their Lord and ask something of Him. My list of sins was exhaustive and it was still in play, yet I had never thought of it as anything.

 

Over the next few days I realized the story was a gift from Maulana to me. He didn’t want me to be of the “ghafileen,” by not thinking of the Day of Judgment the way God wanted me to think of it. And it was not lost on me that the prayer had the effect it had because a Friend of God was leading it.

 

قُلْ مَن يَرْزُقُكُم مِّنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ أَمَّن يَمْلِكُ ٱلسَّمْعَ وَٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ

وَمَن يُخْرِجُ ٱلْحَىَّ مِنَ ٱلْمَيِّتِ وَيُخْرِجُ ٱلْمَيِّتَ مِنَ ٱلْحَىِّ وَمَن يُدَبِّرُ ٱلْأَمْرَ ۚ

فَسَيَقُولُونَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ

فَقُلْ أَفَلَا تَتَّقُونَ

 

Say O Prophet, “Who provides you with sustenance out of Heaven and Earth, or who has full power over hearing and sight? Who brings forward the living and the dead, and the dead from the living? Who administers all matters?

 

They will say, “Allah.”

 

Then say, “Will you not then be mindful of Him?”

 

Surah Yunus, Verse 31

 

I wanted to know what Ghaus Pak (ra) said about the last word of the verse, “tattaqoon,” as in O you who practice taqwa: “They are the ones try to prepare with precaution to avoid the fallout from Allah’s Grip and His Reckoning. You associate others with Him who give you no benefit and can bring upon you no harm and you will not spared from Him because of them at all.”

 

I was meant to read the story to feel fear for once, which I did intensely in the beginning. But more than that it was so I could continue to mindfully polish my heart. A heart whose rust never wanes. Like the dust in Karachi that is wiped one day and appears as the same the next! It was so I could understand why Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) is asked to say in the Quran by his Lord:

 

قُلْ إِنَّ صَلَاتِى وَنُسُكِى وَمَحْيَاىَ وَمَمَاتِى لِلَّهِ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

 

Say (O Blessed Prophet (peace be upon you)), “Indeed my prayer, my acts of worship, my living and my dying, are for Allah alone, the Lord of the worlds.

 

Surah Al-Anam, Verse 162

 

I had to look up the verse in the Tafseer e Jilani by Ghaus Pak (ra) because of the word “salat-i,” my prayer:

 

“Say, you who is the most perfect of all Prophets, who is the reflection of the One-ness of the Allah Almighty’s Essence, whilst surrendering all your affairs and that which has happened to you as well as that have emanated from you to your Lord!

 

Say, “The heart-felt inclinations of my body and my soul, and my worship, which is the means for closeness and connection with my Lord, and the necessities for my living and dying, all, are sincerely for Allah alone, The One who does as He wills in the overt and inward existence of the Universe forever and by His Choice alone.”

 

Over time, slowly, prayer by prayer, I realized my tears were of repentance. The same note in the stories in this piece, in the story for my video, had entered my life, piercing my heart. It was like I had invited them. Because I had not even chosen the story for the video except by reading the Fateha and opening the book blindly to a page.

 

The Masnavi has hundreds of stories. It was impossible for me to choose one arbitrarily. To make sure it was the right story, I had opened it a second time to see what else appeared and then try to to decide between them but it had opened to the same story, settling the matter.

 

I thought of my weeping in my namaz for those days. I had shed my tears in silence thinking about when He would ask what I brought for Him. I had nothing. I had shed them in regret imagining if He asked what had I done with that which He bestowed me. It was nothing. And for the first time in my life, I realized the heart wrenching emotion that tears of repentance actually express: “Why did it take me so long to get here?”

 

After every Quran class that I have been going to for years now, a prayer is said by Dannu at the end. I had always uttered it fleetingly. Now I understood why she shed such heartfelt tears every single time. Finally I understood her ask. I didn’t want to be asked anything, whether we were front of others and even if we were all alone.

 

It was unsurprising of course that my Prophet (peace be upon him), who taught me about the Afterlife, is the one who I invoked before my heart began to feel calm again. He would be the only reason Allah might spare me in that moment I had experienced only in my imagination in the last few days with such intensity, it had ripped my soul apart.

 

He would be the one who would save me and everyone else that day. When everybody else would decline, he would invoke the intercession he was promised on the night he was brought to the Heavens, on the Night of Ascension.

 

‏‏‏‏‏‏فَيَأْتُونِي، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَأَنْطَلِقُ حَتَّى أَسْتَأْذِنَ عَلَى رَبِّي، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَيُؤْذَنَ لِي، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُ رَبِّي وَقَعْتُ سَاجِدًا، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَيَدَعُنِي مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ،

 

‏‏‏‏‏‏ثُمَّ يُقَالُ:‏‏‏‏ ارْفَعْ رَأْسَكَ وَسَلْ تُعْطَهْ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَقُلْ يُسْمَعْ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏وَاشْفَعْ تُشَفَّعْ،

‏‏‏‏‏‏فَأَرْفَعُ رَأْسِي فَأَحْمَدُهُ بِتَحْمِيدٍ يُعَلِّمُنِيهِ،

‏‏‏‏‏‏ثُمَّ أَشْفَعُ فَيَحُدُّ لِي حَدًّا، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَأُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏ثُمَّ أَعُودُ إِلَيْهِ فَإِذَا رَأَيْتُ رَبِّي مِثْلَهُ،

‏‏‏‏‏‏ثُمَّ أَشْفَعُ فَيَحُدُّ لِي حَدًّا، ‏‏‏‏‏‏فَأُدْخِلُهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ، ‏‏‏‏‏‏ثُمَّ أَعُودُ الرَّابِعَةَ،

 

‏‏‏‏‏‏فَأَقُولُ:‏‏‏‏ مَا بَقِيَ فِي النَّارِ إِلَّا مَنْ حَبَسَهُ الْقُرْآنُ وَوَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ الْخُلُودُ،

 

Then people will come to me and I will go with them and ask to see God. Then I will be granted audience and as soon I will see Him, I will go into prostration and until He calls me, I will remain in prostration.

 

Then He will say, “Raise your head O Muhammad! Intercede and your intercession will be granted.”

 

I will raise my head and speak in His praise that which God Almighty Himself taught me. Then I will begin my intercession and there will be a limit set for me and I will make them enter Heaven.

 

When I will come back for the fourth time, then I will say “There are no more people left in Hell except those who are destined to remain in it forever (by You).”

 

And it was him who had made the point of Maulana’s (ra) story crystal clear. A single namaz said with sincerity, would render a person pure of all sin, like a new born, like the Haj did. The incident, like all of his life, had a different meaning for me every time I cited it. This time it was simply in his reason for God’s forgiveness towards a man who was literally hounding him for punishment for a sin that was making him guilty and distressed.

 

Hazrat Abu Umama (ratu) narrates:

 

We were sitting in the mosque in the company of Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him).

 

A person came there and said, “O Messenger ‌of God (peace be upon you)! I have committed an offence which deserves the imposition of Hadd (punishment for a transgression) upon me, so impose it upon me.”

 

Allah's Messenger ‌(peace be upon him) kept silent.

 

He repeated it and said, “O Messenger ‌of God (peace be upon you), I have committed an offence which deserves the imposition of Hadd upon me, so impose it upon me.”

 

He (the Holy Prophet ‌(peace be upon him)) kept silent, and it was at this time that Iqama was pronounced for prayer (and the prayer was observed).

 

And when Allah's Apostle (‌peace be upon him) had concluded the prayer, the person followed Allah's Messenger ‌(peace be upon him). Hazrat Abu Umama continues:

 

I too followed Allah's Messenger ‌(peace be upon him) after he had concluded the prayer, so that I should know what answer he would give to that person.

 

That person remained attached to Allah's Messenger ‌(peace be upon him) and said, “O Messenger ‌of God (peace be upon you), I have committed an offence which deserves imposition of Hadd upon me so impose it upon me.”

 

Hazrat Abu Umama (ratu) reported that Allah's Messenger ‌(peace be upon him) said to him, “Didn't you see that as you got out of the house, you performed ablution perfectly well.”

 

He said, “O Messenger ‌of God (peace be upon you)! of course. I did it.”

 

He again said to him, “Then you observed prayer along with us.”

 

He said, “O Messenger ‌of God (peace be upon you)! Yes, it is so.”

 

Thereupon the Messenger of Allah ‌(peace be upon him) said to him, “Verily, Allah has exempted you from the imposition of Hadd or he said, ‘From your sin.’”

 

“You performed ablution well, you observed prayer along with us.” The blessings of a prayer behind the Master of of the Universe!

 

Another hadith came to my mind, one that I had never previously understood. In fact, I could never relate to the lectures in which I had heard that the “haqq,” the right of uttering the prayer is fulfilled, when one can see God or at least when God sees them.

 

“Use imagery,” I heard the scholars say but I didn’t know how to apply that. The thought itself did bring focus on the act for me more so than before but my mind still constantly wandered. Sadly I confess, I had spent so much time in that endless wandering, I actually had been able to identify where it was languishing.

 

It was always one of two things; either I was thinking about my to-dos, immediately or otherwise pending or I was broiling over something someone had done to upset me and I had held on to it instead of letting it go.

 

The hadith that I was thinking of now with a new zeal was the one in which Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) defines “ehsaan” when Hazrat Gibrael once appears before him to ask him some questions.

 

As narrated by Hazrat Omar Farouq (ratu):

 

One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the Prophet (peace be upon him).

 

Resting his knees against his and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said: "O Muhammed, tell me about islam."

 

The messenger of Allah said: "Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is the messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadhan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House, if you are able to do so." `

 

He said:"You have spoken rightly," and we were amazed at him asking him and saying that he had spoken rightly.

 

He said: "Then tell me about imaan."

 

He said:"It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny, both the good and the evil thereof."

 

He said:"You have spoken rightly."

 

He said, " Then tell me about ehsaan."

 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "It is to worship Allah as though you are seeing Him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you".

 

He said: "Then tell me about the Hour". He said: "The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner."

 

He said: "Then tell me about its signs."

 

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute herdsman competing in constructing lofty buildings."

 

Then he took himself off and I stayed for a time. Then he said: "O Omar, do you know who the questioner was?" I said: "Allah and His messenger know best". He said: "He was Jebreel (Gabriel), who came to you to teach you your religion."

 

گفت پيغامبر که حق فرموده است

قصد من از خلق احسان بوده است

 

The Prophet (peace be upon him) of God said that Allah says, “The purpose of My creating you was to bestow you with ehsaan (My Bounty).”

 

I called Qari Sahib to ask him one question only. In the story of those who followed Daqooqi (ra) in prayer, the Prophets had all turned away, the friends and family had turned away. Yet everything Maulana Rum (ra) says is about the need of the guide, a “murshid,” is that it is beyond essential. That the way to gain knowledge of God, closeness with him is not only accelerated through connection to His Favourites, it is impossible without them. He was the savior in the world and the Hereafter, so wasn’t there a mixed message?

 

Qari Sahib smiled. “The beauty of the Masnavi is that it is a reflection of the Quran. Maulana himself calls it "the marrow of the Quran." So everything that is said in it is in fact inspired by Allah and His Verses and then of course the ahadith.

 

In this story, or that matter any story in it, anyone who has knowledge of the Quran can connect every single thought Maulana (ra) expresses to a verse from The Book.”

 

Then he gave me the example:

 

“We will all be standing before God.”

 

يَوْمَ يَقُومُ ٱلنَّاسُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

 

The Day that Humankind will stand before God, The Lord of the Worlds.

 

Surah Al-Mutaffifeen, Surah 6

 

“Everyone will be asked about the blessing they received.”

 

ثُمَّ لَتُسْـَٔلُنَّ يَوْمَئِذٍ عَنِ ٱلنَّعِيمِ

 

Then surely you will be asked that Day about what you did with the pleasures of life.

 

Surah At-Takathur, Verse 9

 

“No one will ask about another Maulana (ra) says.”

 

فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِى ٱلصُّورِ فَلَآ أَنسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍۢ وَلَا يَتَسَآءَلُونَ

 

Then when the trumpet of Ressurection is blown, no ties of kinship will bind them on that Day, neither will they ask about one another.

 

Surah Al-Mumineen, Verse 101

 

“No one will be able to say a single word on their part.”

 

يَوْمَئِذٍۢ يَتَّبِعُونَ ٱلدَّاعِىَ لَا عِوَجَ لَهُۥ ۖ وَخَشَعَتِ ٱلْأَصْوَاتُ لِلرَّحْمَـٰنِ فَلَا تَسْمَعُ إِلَّا هَمْسًۭا

 

And on that Day everyone will follow the summoning Voice from which there will be no escape.

Then all voices will be hushed before the Most Gracious and only faint whispers will be heard.

 

Surah Taha, Verse 108

 

“But then there is also the exception. Because there is always an exception.

 

ٱلْأَخِلَّآءُ يَوْمَئِذٍۭ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلَّا ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ

 

On that Day, close friends will be enemies to each other, except for those who are mindful of God.

 

Surah Al-Zukhruf, Verse 67”

 

“So you see,” Qari Sahib ended on this note, “the Quran itself says that the “Muttaqeen” will be friends and they will also be intercessors. Maulana (ra) is talking to the ordinary to warn them and to encourage them to prepare for that meeting with their Lord. To not be oblivious to it and disregard it. That is why he ends the way he does. And yet it is uplifting because he also says that the prayer, each and every prayer holds in it, for the reader, the possibility of absolute renewal.”

 

The journey of the seeker is “ma’rifat,” knowing God. Ghaus Pak (ra) says that without surrender (islam), there is no “imaan” (faith) and without “imaan,” there is no “iqaan” (certainty) and without “iqaan,” there is no “ma’rifat.” And each time I learn the same thing. The acts of my own life never reveal anything to me about my God.

 

As Hazrat Shahabuddin Suhrawardi (ra) says, Allah is not found by those who search for Him. He’s a non-material Being. But the ‘bay’at,’ a pledge of allegiance to a Spiritual Master, is a thing that if you take it, you can find the Hand of God.”

 

The first hand Allah called His Own was the hand of His Beloved, Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him). Then those who pledged their allegiance to him, in deep devotion and perfect emulation, placing their hand in his, also received the same blessing; through their hand could also be found the Hand of God. The “hand” is figurative but it was clear from Ghaus Pak’s (ra) tafseer of the pledge at Hudaibiah that Allah promises His Own Power and Authority to them.

 

It’s funny how one learns in life. When the “influencers” who actually cause change, in thought and in action, are no longer around, two possibilities remain. Traversing the path alone and going around in circles or turning to someone else, someone in the know.

 

My interests, some intensely passionate when they were shared with my loved ones, simply died when they died. It was then that I made Allah my Rabbi, my Lord who raises me, and my journey resumed. From being someone with intense attachment issues, I learnt to become detached.

 

My feelings became engaged with the Realm of the Unseen and its “makeen,” the ones who live there. In the world I gained a Spiritual Master at 16. Stage two! But I didn’t know then I had the Hand of God so close to my own. I wish I had.

 

Maulana Rum (ra) says that when Allah takes an oath countless times in different ayaat in the Quran, no object of an oath taken by God can be temporary or transient. In their “zahir,” the overt, they range from the skies that have been lifted and the Earth that has been laid, to the first star that appears in the dawn of the night, to the oceans and their waves that break into each other.

 

The specificity of the choices are spell-binding. Allah swears by the sun but not by the sun that is out all day. The Knower of Subtleties swears by the sun when it is at its peak. By the moon but not any moon. The moon that trails the sun and is revealed in its presence so both can be seen. He swears by the day when all is visible, and the night when nothing can be seen and the things we see and the things we are unable to see. He even swears by colours: the light of the dawn, the glow of the sunset, the blackness of the night and what it shrouds, the moon when it is full. The list goes on and on.

 

Maulana (ra) says that anything that is fleeting is not worthy of being sworn upon by Allah who is Al-Baaqi, The Everlasting. Therefore, according to him, almost always the oath taken is upon a facet of His Beloved (peace be upon him) for everything reflects the light of his heart.

 

عکس راز مرد حق دانيدروز

عکس ستاريش شام چشم دوذ

 

Think of the light of the day as the inner being of The Truthful One (Nabi Kareem (saw)),

the evening that closes the eyes is the reflection of his concealing (the flaws of others).

 

زاں سببفرمويزداں و الضحی

و الضحی نور ضمير مصطفی

 

This is the reason that Allah swears upon Ad-Duha (the dawnlight),

for Ad-Duha is the light of the heart of Mustafa (peace be upon him).

 

The meaning of the word, qalb, is also that which forever changes.

 

Hence the invocation by Nabi Kareem, “Ya Muqallib ul Qaloob, thabit qalbi ala deenik,” “O Changer of hearts forever changing, make my heart steadfast, unchanging, upon the state of being pious/conscious/consistent/obedient/fearful in Your Faith.”

 

When entrenched in the world, no doubt, the heart lands on one person and one thing, then another and another. It is certainly the opposite of “thabit,” steadfast. Maybe that’s why it’s so hard to find a love that intensifies focus on anything, much less God.

 

But one day it tires of the endless change. One vision becomes longed for which can take up the heart’s entire space forever. Filling it with the love of The Divine is the ask of all asks. For then it is a love that is in its manner God-like, that is infinite, that allows for increased giving, widening its embrace to everyone, a Universe, while all other expressions and reasons for loving ultimately exhaust and even become exhausting.

 

Qari Sahib said to me years ago, “Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) takes us towards Allah and Allah sends us back to him. Thus our soul’s journey proceeds back and forth between the two and we find our way forward.”

 

Never did his words resonate with my heart as they do now. In those days of fear filled prayers before God, I only called out to the Prophet (peace be upon him). And now in my prayers full of yearning, I plead before God to make my heart a space worthy for His Beloved to occupy.

 

I want to grovel before God and find the apples of Heaven falling in my lap in the name of His Favoured. Like the man who one day awoke and found the cow strolling in his front door, I pray for my “nafs” to die, my “aql” to be free after a lifelong of captivity. I found it at long last, my love non-distracting. Now I await it entering my heart and making it still forever.

 

وَلِكُلٍّ وِجْهَةٌ هُوَ مُوَلِّيهَا

 

And for everyone is a direction - he turns towards it.

 

Surah Al-Baqarah, Verse 128

 

It was said (by the Mufassiroon) for the verse:

 

قِیْلَ اَلْمُرَادُ بِھَا لِکُلِّ اَحَدٍ قِبْلَةٌ

فَقِبْلَةُ الْمُقَرَّبِيْنَ الْعَرْشُ وَالرُّوْحَانِيِّيْنَ الْكُرْسِيُّ وَالْكَرُّوْبِیْنَ الْبَیْتُ الْمَعْمُوْرُ وَالْاَنْبِیَاءُ قَبْلَکَ بَیْتُ المُقَدَّسِ

وَ قِبْلَتُكَ الْکَعْبَةُ وَ ھِیَ قِبْلَةُ جَسَدِکَ،

وَ أَمَّا قِبْلَةُ رُوْحِکَ فَأَنَا

وَ قِبْلَتِیْ أَنْتَ

 

“There is a Qibla, direction, for everyone.

 

For those brought nearer to Allah (Muqarabeen), their Qibla is Al-Arsh, The Throne.

 

For the Spirits it is the Kursi, The Chair (of Knowledge).

 

For the Karrubeen, the angels, it is Beit ul Ma’moor (a mosque in Heaven).

 

And for the Prophets before you (O Muhammad (peace be upon you), it is Beit ul Muqaddas.

 

And for you O Beloved, your Qibla is the Ka’aba and it is the Qibla of your physical being, whereas the Qibla of your soul is Me.

 

And My Qibla (Focus) is you.”

 

وَاصْبِرْ لِحُكْمِ رَبِّكَ فَإِنَّكَ بِأَعْيُنِنَا

 

So be patient with your Lord’s Judgment, for indeed, you are in Our Eyes.

 

Surah At-Tur, Verse 48

 

www.youtube.com/channel/UCqb01bB-J3kyiu-HKIX2MKw

July 1, 2023

 

Listed below:

 

1) 2023 10k and 5k Participants

2) Links to past Canada Day Races photo albums

  

A) 10k Runners (bib no., name, finish time)

 

(information from Sportstats)

 

1,,,,,,Nona Ahmadi…….1:09:3

2,,,,,,Eduardo Alcala…….50:09

3,,,,,,Katherine Aldred…….56:27

5,,,,,,Olivier Aubert…….59:52

6,,,,,,Diana Babor…….1:10:50

7,,,,,,Sarah Barkley…….1:15:14

9,,,,,,Richard Bellefeuille…….43:48

10,,,,,Jen Bird…….1:09:08

11,,,,,Guillermo Bonilla…….45:26

12,,,,,Alexandra Borutski-Paquette…….59:19

14,,,,,Charles-Antoine Breau…….1:11:28

15,,,,,Noah Breeze…….49:50

16,,,,,Carolyn Brooker…….1:09:09

17,,,,,Justin Buccione…….48:00

19,,,,,Chris Canton…….48:41

20,,,,,Randy Chafy…….45:47

21,,,,,Caden Chaisson…….49:59

22,,,,,Emily Chaisson…….50:03

23,,,,,Lindi Chambers…….1:20:42

24,,,,,Audrey Charbonneau…….53:21

25,,,,,Emma Cimona…….1:04:53

26,,,,,Amanda Cochrane…….1:11:06

27,,,,,Jeffrey Cochrane…….58:33

28,,,,,Alexandra Coffin…….45:37

29,,,,,Adriana Contreras…….51:14

30,,,,,Maurice Conway…….1:05:18

31,,,,,Laine Cooper…….1:37:44

32,,,,,Alexander Cremer…….45:21

34,,,,,Luc Dagenais…….43:20

36,,,,,Matthieu Desjardins…….46:40

38,,,,,Taha Doueidar…….52:10

39,,,,,Hussein El Hajj…….41:06

40,,,,,Costas Farassoglou…….49:15

41,,,,,John Farrell…….1:06:13

42,,,,,Andrea Ferreira Kubota…….56:21

43,,,,,James Floch…….39:47

44,,,,,Meghan Foottit…….42:23

45,,,,,Cormac Foster…….58:29

47,,,,,mary julia fraser…….49:24

48,,,,,Eric Frazier…….45:49

49,,,,,Lee Gagne…….51:30

50,,,,,Fan Gao…….48:21

51,,,,,Charlotte Gardner…….53:53

52,,,,,Vincent Gauthier…….49:17

53,,,,,Dustin Gavin…….41:14

54,,,,,Neil Gilchrist…….1:02:10

55,,,,,Nancy Girard…….45:39

56,,,,,Stef Goldsborough…….58:28

57,,,,,Paul Gover…….1:27:26

58,,,,,Jonathan Haines…….40:28

59,,,,,Leslie Hamilton…….1:14:47

60,,,,,Anne Herrell-O…….1:03:19

61,,,,,Gregg Hodgins…….42:37

62,,,,,Sara Howse…….1:08:34

63,,,,,Shengxi Huang…….52:00

64,,,,,Chris Huddleston…….46:55

65,,,,,Ian Hunter…….58:41

66,,,,,Alexandra Hynes…….36:26

67,,,,,Kate Jackson…….1:14:36

68,,,,,Rita Jackson…….1:14:36

69,,,,,Erika Jordan…….37:28

70,,,,,Theresa Kavanagh…….1:03:36

71,,,,,Hanna Kebedom…….59:27

72,,,,,Sarah Kelly…….1:13:46

73,,,,,Emma Kent…….1:21:00

74,,,,,Chris Khristophi…….59:21

75,,,,,Barry Knapp…….1:00:43

76,,,,,Stefanie Kotschwar…….58:23

77,,,,,Thomas Kyte…….33:58

78,,,,,Rick Lage…….41:08

79,,,,,Billy LaGrave…….50:47

80,,,,,Janet Lam…….1:13:38

81,,,,,Ramon Lashley…….1:14:21

82,,,,,Stephen Lee…….1:12:10

83,,,,,Jessica Lesperance Couteaux…….59:19

84,,,,,Krista Levesque…….56:00

85,,,,,Ricki Lin…….47:22

86,,,,,Emma Lindblad…….56:17

87,,,,,Renee London…….1:00:11

88,,,,,Simon Ly…….1:00:34

91,,,,,Justine MacNair…….45:13

92,,,,,Darren MacPherson…….50:35

94,,,,,Said Mansour…….50:49

95,,,,,Maxime Marian…….33:57

97,,,,,Edlene Martins de Andrade…….55:39

98,,,,,David Masson…….1:10:21

99,,,,,Shirley Masson…….1:10:21

100,,,,Evan May…….1:06:32

101,,,,Ron McBride…….1:01:35

102,,,,Joseph McGrath…….58:31

103,,,,Pat McMahon…….45:12

105,,,,Abby Moffitt…….58:29

106,,,,Luc Morin…….59:40

107,,,,Steve Moritsugu…….47:43

108,,,,Ben Mortimer…….58:44

111,,,,Karolyne Moyes…….57:53

112,,,,Katie Moyle…….1:01:24

114,,,,Daniel Murawsky…….45:54

115,,,,Emma Murray…….1:16:36

116,,,,Mohamed Nadi…….1:02:24

117,,,,Omar Nadi…….51:14

118,,,,Jean-Vincent Noël…….40:55

119,,,,Brian O'Malley…….49:09

120,,,,Linda O’Mara O'Mara…….1:34:50

121,,,,Soo Owens…….50:16

124,,,,Joel Paquette…….54:50

126,,,,Neil Pearson…….1:21:39

127,,,,Edith Pérusse McCallum…….1:03:09

131,,,,Victor Pun…….46:55

132,,,,Mary Richardson…….58:20

133,,,,Andria Robin…….51:20

134,,,,Erin Savoie…….41:42

135,,,,Amie Schombs…….1:24:37

136,,,,Mark Schombs…….56:56

137,,,,Dominique Sévigny…….53:30

138,,,,Alana Sheridan…….56:17

139,,,,Matt Sheridan…….58:40

140,,,,Norman Shippee…….55:11

141,,,,Patricia Silva-Roy…….47:28

142,,,,Vanessa Silva-Roy…….1:03:51

144,,,,Nasr Slabi…….57:12

145,,,,Jeff Smart…….40:25

146,,,,Kiersten Steven…….1:02:33

147,,,,Janine Stewart…….46:12

148,,,,Davinder Kaur Tamber…….1:01:10

150,,,,Marlena Thibeault…….1:09:37

151,,,,Michael Thomas…….45:46

152,,,,Ashwani Tiwari…….57:23

153,,,,Laura Tomkins…….1:21:39

154,,,,Michael Tracey…….43:14

155,,,,Sandra Tremblay…….55:19

156,,,,Michiyo Tsutsumi…….1:03:12

157,,,,Shawn Turcotte…….51:04

158,,,,Valerie Tweedle…….1:12:55

160,,,,Carlos Vervloet…….38:52

161,,,,Daniel Vincent…….39:14

162,,,,Louise Vockerodt…….1:20:42

163,,,,Donald Walker…….1:07:15

164,,,,Bernie Ward-Crixell…….1:19:25

165,,,,Katie Whately…….1:15:14

169,,,,Tyler Yakichuk…….49:01

170,,,,Tom Zinck…….56:24

171,,,,Vahab Ahansaz…….55:01

172,,,,Hussein Al-Mufti…….42:41

173,,,,Boubacar Bah…….54:13

174,,,,Avery Bendell…….58:43

175,,,,Colin Bendell…….55:59

176,,,,Rachid Bouda…….1:00:38

177,,,,Christian Calpito…….1:18:25

178,,,,Jonathan Calpito…….1:01:16

179,,,,Maxime Carrière…….1:07:29

180,,,,James Cassidy…….1:15:03

181,,,,Caleb Cauchon…….1:00:38

182,,,,Colin Cauchon…….48:45

183,,,,Eric Cauchon…….1:00:38

184,,,,Jonathan Chen…….42:11

185,,,,Radeen Choudhury…….45:54

186,,,,Benjamin Clark…….43:43

187,,,,David Cooper…….49:16

188,,,,Alexis Cremer…….49:47

189,,,,Max Cristin…….45:07

190,,,,Walter Custodio…….46:04

191,,,,Oliver Da Silva…….52:51

192,,,,Andrew Deak…….32:57

193,,,,Roxane Delaney…….58:41

194,,,,Debra Denault…….1:18:04

195,,,,Joany Deslandes…….53:38

196,,,,Marie-Josee Desroches…….54:30

197,,,,Morgan Dow…….39:48

198,,,,Rebecca Du Vall…….1:08:21

199,,,,Katherine P Dupuis…….58:23

201,,,,Evan Fitzgerald…….46:55

202,,,,Andre Fortier…….58:14

203,,,,Brian Fraser…….51:36

204,,,,Julie Fudge…….1:01:17

205,,,,Clare Gallant…….56:23

207,,,,Elaina Geauvreau…….1:13:37

208,,,,Jordan Grady…….40:41

209,,,,Taylor Halfinger…….49:21

210,,,,Amy Harkness…….37:53

211,,,,Ellchiro Hayashi…….46:59

212,,,,Andrea Hill…….38:12

213,,,,Dylan Hunt…….53:29

214,,,,Brian Irwin…….49:06

215,,,,Deborah Jackman…….54:36

216,,,,Andrea Jackson…….1:08:09

217,,,,Iyad Kaghad…….1:05:15

218,,,,Jonathan Lacoste…….44:11

219,,,,Jong Kook Lee…….1:02:24

220,,,,Angela MacDonald…….57:22

221,,,,Dana MacDonald…….42:57

222,,,,Jacob Mansfield…….54:32

223,,,,Julie Matte…….1:00:07

224,,,,Karen McElroy…….46:06

225,,,,Guy Moffitt…….51:37

226,,,,Ahmad Mohanna…….54:30

227,,,,Valerie Monty…….1:07:29

228,,,,Julianna Moore…….1:09:30

229,,,,Barry Morton…….48:20

230,,,,Kathleen Moss…….51:52

231,,,,Julia Muggeridge…….45:17

232,,,,Chris Murawsky…….56:53

233,,,,David Murawsky…….39:53

234,,,,Elizabeth Murawsky…….54:18

235,,,,Nathaniel Neilipovitz…….49:14

236,,,,Meredith Nelson…….51:50

237,,,,Brady Nixon…….41:45

238,,,,Amelie Olivier-Fortier…….58:07

239,,,,Paul Owens…….45:10

240,,,,Janice Palmer…….49:52

241,,,,Max Peacock…….46:51

242,,,,Fred Pelletier…….53:45

243,,,,Bao Phan…….57:06

245,,,,Paul Richter…….57:06

246,,,,Daniel Riendeau…….58:01

247,,,,David Roy…….46:44

249,,,,Parker Spence…….54:35

250,,,,Alix Springer…….58:41

251,,,,Neill Syversen…….53:21

252,,,,Sharmila Taft…….49:01

253,,,,Damon Thomas…….42:39

254,,,,Michel Vezarov…….44:26

255,,,,Monica Villalon…….54:27

256,,,,Mai Vo…….1:04:56

257,,,,Allison Wara…….57:51

258,,,,Benjamin Wilkinson…….53:45

259,,,,Olivier Young…….43:17

261,,,,Jeff Zhao…….56:36

262,,,,Jeff Pritchard…….58:26

263,,,,Omer Majeed…….53:10

264,,,,Maarukh Abbas…….55:25

265,,,,Antony Pringle…….46:12

266,,,,Adrien Pringle…….51:15

267,,,,Tomasz Dlugosz…….45:12

268,,,,Pranav Singh Sandhu…….1:07:16

269,,,,Gurnav Sandhu…….1:20:25

270,,,,Khushpal Sandhu…….1:20:19

271,,,,Aira Saini…….1:17:06

272,,,,Mike Sedletskyi…….1:16:39

273,,,,Iain Gray…….52:13

274,,,,Youness Demnati…….58:38

275,,,,Karly DeCaire…….1:13:16

276,,,,Nicolas Abanto Enns…….32:53

277,,,,Martin Labine…….59:27

278,,,,Mélina Charlebois…….59:27

279,,,,Kevin Briggs…….59:04

280,,,,Nick Frey…….49:57

281,,,,Joshua Sayavong…….1:13:27

282,,,,Anna Petersen…….1:06:28

283,,,,Bruce Miller…….58:04

1366,,,Emma Dobson Takoff…….56:15

1651,,,Veronica Allan…….38:50

1652,,,Anna Andersson…….46:40

1653,,,John Baizana…….49:44

1654,,,Marilou Banville…….41:56

1655,,,Kristine Belmore…….1:08:40

1656,,,Rex Benning…….1:06:50

1657,,,Chris Bonyun…….1:17:57

1658,,,Zach Borutski…….46:14

1659,,,Karina Branje…….53:45

1662,,,Gregory Calnan…….44:35

1663,,,Jen Chaisson…….59:03

1664,,,Sharon Chisholm…….1:28:25

1665,,,Connie Coffin…….55:35

1667,,,Chris Cremer…….44:15

1669,,,Amelia Eaton…….1:03:20

1671,,,Joseph Fergus…….55:13

1672,,,Catherine Ferry…….51:51

1673,,,Cameron Fraser-Boyce…….56:45

1675,,,Dina Guth…….47:15

1676,,,Colin Ho…….46:29

1677,,,Ron Hoffe…….54:37

1678,,,Gillian Hosick…….1:03:09

1679,,,Helene Joly…….1:33:35

1680,,,Karen Kennedy…….52:26

1681,,,Daniel Kopalski…….47:42

1683,,,Robert Lawrence…….58:23

1684,,,Carolyn Lynch…….1:09:14

1685,,,Lynn Macdonald…….1:16:57

1686,,,Brian Martin…….1:15:21

1687,,,Julie Mathieson…….56:46

1688,,,Andrew McCully…….1:03:51

1689,,,Charlie Mortimer…….34:57

1690,,,Lina Musa…….1:19:26

1691,,,Grace Myles…….51:07

1692,,,Marie-France Noel…….41:38

1693,,,Bruce Ouimet…….47:00

1694,,,Ron Owen…….1:02:32

1695,,,Brent Pellett…….1:06:13

1698,,,Sarah Rotz…….51:55

1699,,,Hannah Searson…….55:11

1700,,,Arielle Stirling…….1:02:08

1701,,,Elaine Stott…….1:22:16

1702,,,Jerry Stroobach…….57:23

1703,,,Audrey Taylor…….52:30

1704,,,Umakanth Thirugnanam…….59:51

1705,,,Paul Turner…….42:11

1706,,,Charlotte Van Walraven…….43:30

1707,,,Chris Voice…….43:12

1708,,,Mandie Vossenberg…….57:47

1709,,,James Walker…….42:40

1710,,,Laura Wilson…….47:08

1711,,,Braden Wyatt…….51:28

1712,,,Roger Wyllie…….40:55

1713,,,Rick Wynen…….50:16

1714,,,Darlene Yee…….55:53

1715,,,Stephanie Aloia…….58:23

1716,,,Richard Borsos…….56:04

1717,,,Jillian Brady…….44:05

1718,,,Glenn Cheney…….43:40

1719,,,Erin Cordeiro…….1:02:57

1721,,,Jerry Deng…….43:30

1722,,,Benoit Desrochers…….1:14:48

1723,,,Craig Gauthier…….53:16

1724,,,Christian Giguere…….52:28

1726,,,Connor Hammond…….36:34

1728,,,Patrick Kong…….36:39

1729,,,Heather Lewis…….48:33

1730,,,Sara Lyman…….49:32

1731,,,Jessica MacIver…….54:23

1732,,,Jorge Martinez…….1:20:44

1733,,,Susan McIntyre…….1:20:53

1734,,,Karen Morales…….1:20:44

1735,,,Sarah Muldoon…….53:16

1737,,,Tim Olynych…….57:48

1738,,,Gleb Otochkin…….43:05

1739,,,Nick Ouzas…….1:08:03

1740,,,Stephen Pechkoff…….46:01

1741,,,Alfredo Peredo…….49:44

1743,,,Kyle Porter…….33:32

1744,,,Deanna Rothwell…….53:57

1745,,,Kevin Scherf…….45:01

1746,,,David Simpson…….52:54

1747,,,Kuniko Soda…….46:42

1748,,,Danny Traub…….45:17

1749,,,Blair Morgan…….32:38

1750,,,Gary Yee…….57:49

1751,,,Samantha Cremer…….52:44

1752,,,Melissa Chee…….55:29

1758,,,Greg Giokas…….1:02:28

 

B) 5k Runners (bib no., name, finish time)

 

(information from Sportstats)

 

13……Mathew Bray…….29:08

96……Cristina S. Martinez…….29:33

122…..Dan Pak…….35:01

206…..Sohrab Ganjian…….23:33

244…..Heather Richardson…….26:50

451…..Mandie Ackermann…….40:57

453…..Bukola Akingbade…….43:31

454…..Muna Ali…….43:31

455…..Ryane Aubut…….45:51

456…..Myka Auger-Cyr…….57:05

457…..Colleen Bastien…….26:47

459…..Brooke Beauvais…….34:50

460…..Adrian Becklumb…….20:38

461…..Jonathan Belhumeur…….30:51

463…..Cameron Bellefeuille…….21:38

464…..Mike Bellefeuille…….35:18

465…..Vicki Bencze…….31:15

466…..Andrea Bernier…….25:53

467…..Jacques Bernier…….24:17

469…..Christina Blair…….26:18

470…..Hans Bockholt…….56:46

471…..Ma-Li Bockholt…….51:10

472…..Marjory Bonyun…….39:12

473…..Finlay Boyce…….23:08

474…..Elizabeth Brown…….57:18

475…..Jennifer Buckingham…….45:06

476…..Preston Buckingham…….40:38

477…..Nina Burman…….41:46

478…..Tracy Cameron…….39:08

479…..David Capra…….32:25

480…..Thomas Capra…….27:22

481…..Sophia Carrier…….28:23

482…..Ifi Chafy…….25:00

483…..Zain Charania…….32:54

484…..William Chisholm…….26:58

485…..Anita Choquette…….27:58

486…..Cathy Chorniawy…….45:06

487…..Marjorie Churchill…….57:20

489…..Peggy Cooke…….28:43

491…..Marie Cousineau…….25:07

492…..Alex Cullen…….36:38

493…..Finn Cullen…….36:39

494…..Miles Cullen…….35:42

495…..Kariane Curadeau…….30:51

496…..Regis Curadeau…….28:31

497…..David Dawson…….18:55

498…..Michael Del Giudice…….17:26

500…..Nicole Disch…….47:28

501…..Heather Domereckyj…….27:24

504…..Nathalie Dupuis-Desormeaux…….23:40

505…..Stacy Durant (Jones)…….26:05

506…..Mark Edwards…….25:58

507…..Stephanie Eikenberry…….33:45

510…..Geoff Embree…….30:03

511…..Andrea English…….31:12

512…..Carine Eppich…….25:42

514…..Megan Floch…….26:05

516…..Ellie Ford…….35:21

517…..James Ford…….27:40

518…..Jon Ford…….35:28

519…..Claudia Fortin-Chollet…….25:52

520…..Jenny Fowler…….32:58

521…..Kathleen Fowler…….47:00

522…..Coralee Froats…….33:11

523…..Ellaine Galaraga…….43:10

524…..Kayla Gall…….34:06

525…..Tana Gall…….34:14

526…..Trista Gervais…….55:17

527…..Diane Gordon…….49:14

528…..Stephanie Gordon…….20:05

529…..Phil Hall…….40:31

530…..Tara Hall…….40:32

531…..Louise Hamelin…….29:59

532…..Anna Hayman…….41:04

533…..Matthew Hicks…….20:50

534…..Linda Hobbs…….33:10

535…..Amanda Hodgins…….1:40:35

536…..Solange Hondermann…….23:35

537…..Michael Hope…….28:44

538…..Wendy Hopkins…….39:48

539…..Krista Ielo…….24:07

540…..Krista Jackson…….34:32

541…..Josee Joly…….1:00:55

542…..Joshua Juanitas…….20:34

543…..Vicky Kinch…….21:15

544…..Allison Knapp…….36:43

545…..Scott Knapp…….36:45

546…..Catherine Kruger…….37:29

547…..Julie Laplante…….23:52

548…..Dmitry Laskin…….26:26

549…..Guy Lavergne…….30:17

550…..Antoine Lefebvre…….19:32

551…..Stephanie Leyland…….21:14

552…..Benjamin Lieu…….40:24

553…..Adam Lin…….20:17

554…..Jeremy Lincoln…….22:25

555…..Maggie Lofkrantz…….34:40

556…..David Long…….33:30

557…..Trisha Long…….38:08

558…..Wade Long…….25:11

559…..Ken Lorbetskie…….16:36

560…..Hillary Low…….32:55

561…..Michael Low…….32:55

562…..Vivian Luk…….37:34

564…..Blake Maddicks…….25:07

565…..Dwayne Maddicks…….51:05

566…..Judy Marsh…….29:41

567…..Adam Martin…….22:29

568…..David Scott Martin…….32:48

569…..Hazel Mathieson…….36:54

570…..Soren Mathieson…….38:15

571…..Gary Maxwell…….28:02

572…..Julie McCarthy…….26:09

573…..Patrick McCarthy Powers…….23:14

574…..Kayla Mccrank…….32:09

575…..Glen McDonald…….34:01

576…..Lynn McFarlane…….40:41

577…..Elizabeth McHugh…….51:42

578…..Abigail McKenzie…….42:47

579…..Allison McKenzie…….27:49

580…..Finley McKenzie…….49:37

588…..Eileen Mortimer…….45:56

589…..Henri Mota…….43:38

590…..Luka Munjin…….21:59

591…..Kemp Murphy…….38:19

592…..Danica Murray…….26:38.

593…..Jill Murray…….22:27

594…..Joanne Murray…….24:06

596…..Tzur Noyhouzer…….29:24

598…..Rick O'Shaughnessy…….51:44

599…..Tyler Palleck…….32:58

600…..Dayanandini Pathmanathan…….29:42

601…..Aila Payroveolia…….31:11

602…..Warren Perry…….35:15

603…..Gilsan Pessoa Santos…….34:42

605…..Jackie Pothier…….32:07

606…..Tim Powers…….25:34

608…..Zeena Rashid…….19:09

609…..Christophe Rene…….26:52

610…..Will Richardson…….19:44

612…..Pat Ringland…….34:18

613…..Langley Rock…….49:09

614…..Steffanye Rock…….48:53

615…..Zoe Rock…….38:33

616…..Ethan Rodgers…….50:04

617…..Leslie Rodgers…….50:09

618…..Susan Rossy…….38:44

619…..Lynn Rowsell…….51:45

620…..Dan Roy…….20:48

623…..Alexanne Saumure-Régimbald…….33:48

624…..Christine Scharf…….40:04

625…..Roxanna Schonberg…….35:19

626…..Ambreen Shahabuddin…….36:04

627…..Monique Shear…….31:52

628…..Amanda Sheaves…….34:59

629…..Kaiden Sheaves…….34:59

630…..Owen Shi…….27:59

631…..Laurie Shusterman…….35:26

632…..Keteer Singh…….24:35

633…..Dorotka Skirlo…….25:04

634…..Ben Smith…….21:52

635…..Geoffrey Smith…….35:55

636…..Noah Smith…….17:26

637…..Sabrina Smith…….25:12

638…..Jay Sneddon…….17:31

639…..Ron Stadnyk…….33:59

640…..Sheri Steeves…….57:22

641…..Xavier Supper…….33:48

642…..Shannon Sweeney…….28:42

643…..Coleman Tataryn…….32:02

644…..Shen Tay…….22:19.0

645…..Rekha Thakur…….39:53.0

646…..Jared Thomas…….37:36.0

650…..Cole Tilbury…….25:02.0

651…..Lauren Tilbury…….33:08.0

652…..Raelyn Tilbury…….42:26.0

653…..Troy Tilbury…….33:09.0

654…..Aditya Tiwari…….41:10.0

655…..Arjun Tiwari…….42:36.0

656…..Darene Toal-Sullivan…….29:53.0

657…..Kennedy Turcotte…….33:32.0

658…..Louise Turcotte…….57:20.0

660…..Elysia Van Zeyl…….28:44.0

661…..Elina Vepsa…….36:23.0

662…..Sonia Waharte…….28:10.0

663…..Jim Walsh…….43:09.0

664…..Keith Warne…….23:59.0

665…..Sonja Webb…….25:28.0

666…..Mike Wheeler…….25:04.0

667…..Janet White…….30:38.0

668…..Alexander Williams…….26:19.0

669…..Lindsey Williams…….37:12.0

671…..Doug Wright…….24:22.0

673…..Rachel Wright…….30:20.0

674…..Kaylen Young…….30:32.0

675…..Mariam Abu Blanco…….41:19.0

676…..Mariam Al-Bayati…….1:00:52.0

677…..andrew albert…….25:43.0

678…..Leah Albert…….30:34.0

679…..Diego Alcubierre…….17:46.0

680…..Kristofer Anderson…….24:57.0

681…..Carla Benish…….32:40.0

682…..Catherine Benish…….32:01.0

683…..Charlotte Benish…….32:41.0

685…..Amy Blais…….33:41.0

686…..Eric Brown…….19:28.0

687…..Claire Cameron…….33:08.0

688…..Mary Cameron…….33:14.0

689…..Jasmine Carrière…….46:08.0

690…..Luc Carrière…….46:08.0

691…..Zakary Carrière…….45:56.0

692…..Clark Carvish…….24:53.0

693…..Stuart Chambers…….52:52.0

694…..Grace Charness…….29:07.0

695…..Andrea Clark…….33:08.0

696…..Leah Clark…….33:12.0

697…..Randy Cocek…….18:59.0

698…..Jennifer Conley…….29:53.0

699…..Randy Cumming…….35:55.0

701…..Mike Day…….45:30.0

702…..Natalie Day…….32:00.0

703…..Yumey Diaz…….24:49.0

704…..Thomas Dodd…….20:08.0

705…..Benjamin Drew…….25:00.0

706…..Stephen Drew…….21:01.0

707…..Catherine Dufour…….27:55.0

708…..Daniel Eddy…….31:26.0

709…..Adam Eikenberry…….33:58.0

710…..Michael Elten…….20:01.0

711…..Malcolm Embree…….34:08.0

712…..Justin Fraser…….26:43.0

713…..Sandra Freedman…….30:28.0

717…..Lingling Gu…….31:44.0

718…..Emily Hamilton…….1:20:25.0

719…..Yiming Han…….27:28.0

720…..Jen Hoffman-Keith…….33:40.0

722…..Mariela Hull…….45:39.0

724…..Alexa Jakubaitis…….31:26.0

725…..Carole Joly…….1:00:56.0

726…..Lily Jones…….21:23.0

727…..Ben Kane…….19:11.0

728…..Delaney Keindal…….27:00.0

729…..Dylan Keith…….33:40.0

730…..Christine Kelly…….33:27.0

732…..Dylan Labine…….22:20.0

733…..Dan Lacasse…….27:13.0

734…..Karen Lauer…….39:35.0

735…..Christel Le Petit…….31:51.0

736…..Soohyun Lee…….34:18.0

737…..Dominique Lemelin…….31:03.0

738…..Susan Leslie…….40:35.0

739…..Benjamin Lieu…….28:22.0

740…..Jay Litkey…….35:27.0

741…..Michael Litkey…….35:28.0

742…..Cameron MacLaine…….28:32.0

743…..Zachary Marino…….19:08.0

744…..Alexander Maxwell…….15:30.0

745…..Kathryn McGrail…….44:49.0

746…..Caleb McGrail-Deslauriers…….44:45.0

747…..Laura McLellan…….25:05.0

748…..melissa mech…….43:04.0

749…..Samuel Meisenheimer…….18:35.0

750…..Amanda Menard…….34:46.0

751…..Jeffrey Menard…….24:48.0

752…..Nadia Miller…….29:17.0

753…..Paul Miller…….22:38.0

754…..Dineo Molepo Stearns…….36:17.0

755…..Eleyana Molepo Stearns…….34:37.0

756…..Ben Mooy…….36:53.0

757…..Audrey Morris…….22:29.0

758…..Rose Muggeridge…….26:58.0

759…..Hannah Nelles…….29:42.0

762…..Paula Noyes…….38:32.0

763…..Michael O’Neill…….29:23.0

764…..Brianna O’Regan…….28:12.0

765…..Isaac Olynych…….35:07.0

766…..Lee Ann O'Regan…….28:12.0

768…..Kristin Paterson…….25:00.0

771…..Tim Phinney…….43:15.0

772…..Rebecca Pieterson…….17:34.0

773…..Zachary Pilon-Robinson…….17:18.0

774…..Daniela Pizarro…….39:02.0

775…..Andreea Rada…….27:25.0

776…..Mila Rowley…….23:50.0

777…..Raphael Rowley…….21:41.0

778…..Steve Rozic…….25:59.0

779…..Alan Rushforth…….45:36.0

780…..Sara Rushforth…….45:36.0

782…..Anneke Saacks…….36:23.0

783…..Keila Santos Dias…….43:12.0

784…..Elaine Saunders…….24:09.0

785…..Rebecca Schmekel…….30:17.0

786…..Stephanie Schott…….31:01.0

787…..Julianne Sloan…….30:26.0

788…..Jenna Sudds…….32:18.0

789…..Erik Syversen…….34:21.0

790…..Joan Syversen…….32:45.0

791…..Mary Syversen…….34:56.0

792…..Camilla Taft…….28:36.0

793…..Jaiden Taft…….22:15.0

794…..Naseem Tarawnah…….30:45.0

795…..Matthew Timms…….21:04.0

796…..Susan Wall…….40:40.0

799…..Jacob Weikle…….25:40.0

800…..Kate Wiklo…….28:21.0

801…..Lawrence Williams…….26:37.0

802…..Jodi Wilson…….31:26.0

803…..Benjamin Wood…….40:08.0

804…..Jieying Yang…….38:38.0

805…..D. Sisay Yirga…….26:32.0

806…..Addison Yurack…….23:51.0

807…..Harlow Yurack…….25:30.0

808…..Jamie Charlebois…….18:55.0

809…..Ava Baker…….29:43.0

810…..Grace Baker…….29:33.0

811…..Chelsey Garde…….34:33.0

812…..Jordan Stroud…….31:32.0

813…..Julia Verberk…….27:00.0

814…..Owen Day…….18:49.0

815…..Zachary Sikka…….16:14.0

816…..Qiuzi Ouyang…….44:28.0

817…..Hamid Behnia…….19:33.0

819…..Jon Anderson…….22:48.0

820…..Heather MacKeen…….35:28.0

821…..Amarjit Gill…….40:10.0

822…..Harjit Gill…….52:01.0

823…..Jennifer Savidge…….32:48.0

824…..Fritzlor Auguste…….18:45.0

825…..Michelle Baird…….27:46.0

826…..Rhona Gray…….30:19.0

827…..Alec Gaillard…….38:14.0

828…..Kelly Crowe…….38:29.0

829…..Hung Nguyen…….35:07.0

830…..William Hubrecht…….24:31.0

831…..Aaron Merilainen…….17:02.0

832…..Nayan Polushin…….25:31.0

833…..Saurav Polushin…….30:44.0

834…..Leela Polushin…….35:56.0

835…..Archita Ghosh…….55:47.0

836…..William Polushin…….26:07.0

837…..Boris Couteaux…….27:24.0

838…..Keely Barnes…….34:26.0

839…..Adrian Mota…….43:35.0

840…..Saoirse Kealey…….19:03.0

841…..Logan Kerr…….23:45.0

842…..Lia McKinnie…….20:39.0

845…..Dan Durant…….25:08.0

1352….Cassandra Boville…….32:19.0

1353….Kevin Boyce…….20:49.0

1354….Mhairi Boyce…….30:15.0

1356….Kyla Bruff…….35:21.0

1358….Lydia Butler…….24:12.0

1359….Emily Carpenter…….26:54.0

1360….Neelam Charania…….32:53.0

1361….May Chow…….55:22.0

1362….Laura Clarke…….19:33.0

1363….Jason Dai…….37:20.0

1364….Mike Day…….45:29.0

1367….Kyra Dobson Takoff…….32:42.0

1368….Zoë Dobson Takoff…….27:43.0

1369….Carole Dolan…….40:17.0

1370….Shannon Filatov…….42:36.0

1371….Ava Ford…….28:26.0

1372….Christyn Ford…….27:05.0

1373….Lianna Ford…….28:27.0

1374….sarah ford…….31:32.0

1375….Colleen Francis…….28:26.0

1376….Heather Fraser…….48:36.0

1377….Jordan Fraser…….29:52.0

1378….Peter Fraser…….48:34.0

1379….Mark Gall…….32:01.0

1380….Charlotte Hayman…….45:18.0

1381….Kathy Heney…….55:01.0

1382….Emily Hladkowicz…….1:00:23.0

1383….Ethan Hutton…….28:14.0

1384….Joanne Hutton…….28:24.0

1385….Wyatt Hutton…….27:49.0

1386….Dave Johns…….34:10.0

1387….Grace Johns…….34:10.0

1388….Isabel Johns…….34:09.0

1389….Isabella Jordan…….24:43.0

1391….Kurt Kenny…….21:17.0

1392….Petr Kocourek…….35:22.0

1393….Mikayla Kurbel…….26:26.0

1394….Andrew Ledger…….33:08.0

1396….Dielle MacArthur…….29:52.0

1397….Jessica Macleod…….29:00.0

1398….Patrick McKenna…….32:36.0

1399….Nathan Murphy…….38:20.0

1400….Tomer Noyhouzer…….29:24.0

1403….Luca Pagliarello…….25:56.0

1404….Deborah Parent…….24:44.0

1405….Emily Pawsey…….34:53.0

1406….Jason Pawsey…….34:53.0

1408….Alana Prudhomme…….26:33.0

1409….ROBERT REAL…….25:13.0

1410….Dan Rück…….55:58.0

1411….Veronique Saint-Omer…….22:54.0

1415….Jen Smith…….27:35.0

1416….Shawn Smith…….19:36.0

1417….JohnnieWalker Stevens…….52:28.0

1418….Michelle Stewart…….28:33.0

1419….Karen Tataryn…….38:53.0

1420….Nicolas Thouin…….18:42.0

1422….Christina Towers…….30:05.0

1423….Mary Towers…….30:04.0

1425….Michelle Vercler…….23:14.0

1426….Lucie Villeneuve…….26:59.0

1427….Laura Walker…….26:47.0

1428….Heather Wright…….36:18.0

1429….Benson Yee…….37:04.0

1430….Derick Yung…….27:40.0

1431….Judith Apps…….35:17.0

1432….Sandy Archibald…….34:09.0

1433….Kelsey Bradley…….26:57.0

1434….James Bruce…….19:02.0

1435….Nyara Milena Campanha Reis…….35:43.0

1436….Colin Campbell…….29:04.0

1437….Julien Caswell…….33:29.0

1438….Alexander Chambers…….25:44.0

1439….Lynn Chambers…….29:04.0

1440….Catherine Charbonneau…….25:41.0

1441….Kieran Day…….17:43.0

1443….Michael Eisen…….56:45.0

1444….Nadine Frost-Corinaldi…….18:34.0

1446….Joanne Grozelle…….26:44.0

1447….Mike Grozelle…….21:32.0

1448….Sam Grozelle…….21:32.0

1449….Ted Grozelle…….24:02.0

1450….Haley Hammond…….21:53.0

1451….Kathryn Hull…….32:35.0

1455….Suzanne Lafrance…….40:19.0

1456….Nadine Lawrence…….30:39.0

1457….Bryson Lynch…….29:39.0

1458….Gilles Malboeuf…….26:57.0

1460….Greg McLaren…….29:26.0

1461….Jessica McLaren…….29:26.0

1462….Jodi Moncrieff…….32:17.0

1463….Alexandria Orr…….33:30.0

1464….Jonathan Quapp…….22:55.0

1465….Angela Quinlan…….40:43.0

1466….Ann Speak…….35:28.0

1468….Allison Sutherland…….56:35.0

1469….Maria-Elisa Tabunar…….44:27.0

1471….Kit Ward-Crixell…….56:27.0

1472….Liam Watson…….17:40.0

1473….Hailey Wheeler…….32:00.0

1474….Michelle Wheeler…….32:00.0

1475….Anna Ziegler…….27:04.0

1476….Graydon Snider…….16:30.0

1477….Owen McAllister…….24:54.0

1478….Clara McAllister…….28:51.0

1479….Clare Kyte…….45:23.0

1480….Paul Riek…….19:20.0

1481….Peter Carpenter…….24:15.0

1482….Sally Carpenter…….31:19.0

1485….Heather Smith…….30:21.0

1742….Michael Polanyi…….23:42.0

 

Sportstats:

10k www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=118583

 

5k www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=118584

 

1k www.sportstats.ca/display-results.xhtml?raceid=118585

 

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Canada Day Road Race Photos:

 

2022 - www.flickr.com/photos/ianhun/albums/72177720300283659

 

2019 - www.flickr.com/photos/ianhun/albums/72157709438194186

 

2018 - www.flickr.com/photos/ianhun/albums/72157698207935914

 

2017 - www.flickr.com/photos/ianhun/albums/72157685730422096

 

2016 - www.flickr.com/photos/ianhun/albums/72157670394099396

 

2015 - sorry, no pics!

 

2014 - www.flickr.com/photos/ianhun/albums/72157645505027893

 

2008-13 www.flickr.com/photos/ianhun/albums/72157624941096281

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IMG_8239

 

The Bangladesh Awami League (AL) (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ আওয়ামী লীগ; translated from FarsiBangladesh People's League), commonly known as the Awami League, is the mainstream center-left, secular political party in Bangladesh. It is also currently the governing party after winning the 2008 Parliamentary elections in Bangladesh.

The Awami League was founded in Dhaka, the former capital of the Pakistani province ofEast Bengal, in 1949 by Bengali nationalists Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani,Shamsul Huq, and later Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. The Awami League was established as the Bengali alternative to the domination of the Muslim League in Pakistan. The party quickly gained massive popular support in East Bengal, later named East Pakistan, and eventually led the forces of Bengali nationalism in the struggle against West Pakistan's military and political establishment. The party under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, would lead the struggle for independence, first through massive populist and civil disobedience movements, such as the Six Point Movement and 1971 Non-Cooperation Movement, and then during the Bangladesh Liberation War. After the emergence of independent Bangladesh, the Awami League would win the first general elections in 1973 but was overthrown in 1975 after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.The party was forced by subsequent military regimes into political wilderness and many of its senior leaders and actvists were executed and jailed. After the restoration of democracy in 1990, the Awami League emerged as one of the principal players of Bangladeshi politics.

Amongst the leaders of the Awami League, five have become the President of Bangladesh, four have become the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and one became the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Since the independence of Bangladesh, the party has been under the control of the family of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. His daughter and also the incumbent Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, have been heading the party since 1981.

The Bangladesh Awami League styles itself as the leader of the "pro-liberation" forces in Bangladesh, pointing towards the secular and social democratic sections of the political establishment in the country which played the leading role during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. The party constitution states, and in two cases defines the reason for, four fundamental principles in guiding its philosophy and policies. They include-

Bengali nationalism

Democracy

Secularism, that is to ensure freedom of religion and non-communal politics

Socialism, that is to establish an exploitation-free society and social justice

The four principles are similar to those of the original Four State Principles in Bangladesh's constitution which

Included nationalism, secularity, democracy and socialism.

Prior to the 2008 general elections in Bangladesh, the Awami League announced in its manifesto, its "Vision 2021" and "Digital Bangladesh" action plans to transform Bangladesh into a fast developing Middle Income Country by 2021.[2] The party also uses the term "Sonar Bangla", or golden Bengal, to describe its vision for Bangladesh to become a modern developed nation. The term is reminiscent of Bangladesh's national anthem and a utopian vision in Bengali nationalism.

History

The history of the Bangladesh Awami League falls into three distinct eras:

The Early Pakistan Era, when the party championed the rights of the Bengali people in Pakistan;

The Movement for Independence, when the party led the forces of Bengali nationalism in establishing the sovereign state of Bangladesh;

The Post Independence Era, when the party is a major player in Bangladeshi politics and often suffered volatile experiences.

Early Pakistan Era

On 14 August 1947, the partition of British India saw the establishment of the Muslim state of Pakistan on the basis of the Two-Nation Theory. The new country compromised of two wings, separated by 1000 miles of Indian Territory, in the Indian Subcontinent. The western wing consisted of the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, North West Frontier Province and Balochistan, while the province of East Bengal constituted the eastern wing. From the onset of independence, Pakistan was led by its founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his Muslim League party.

In 1948, there was rising agitation in East Bengal against the omission of Bengali script from coins, stamps and government exams. Thousands of students, mainly from the University of Dhaka, protested in Dhaka and clashed with security forces. Prominent student leaders including Shamsul Huq, Shawkat Ali, Kazi Golam Mahboob, Oli Ahad, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Abdul Wahed were arrested and the police were accused of excessive brutality while charging protesters. In March, senior Bengali political leaders were attacked whilst leading protests demanding that Bengali be declared an official language in Pakistan. The leaders included the A. K. Fazlul Huq, the former Prime Minister of undivided Bengal. Amidst the rising discontent in East Bengal, Jinnah visited Dhaka and announced that Urdu would be sole state language of Pakistan given its significance to Islamic nationalism in South Asia. The announcement caused uproar in East Bengal, where the native Bengali population resented Jinnah for his attempts to impose a language they hardly understood. The resentment was further fueled by rising discrimination against Bengalis in government, industry, bureaucracy and the armed forces and the dominance of the Muslim League. The Bengalis argued that they were they constituted the ethnic majority of Pakistan's population and Urdu was remote to the land of Bengal, located in the eastern Indian Subcontinent. Moreover, the rich literary heritage of the Bengali language and the deep rooted secular culture of Bengali society led to a strong sense of linguistic and cultural nationalism amongst the people of East Bengal. Against this backdrop, Bengali nationalism began to take root within the Muslim League and the party's Bengali members began to rebel.

All Pakistan Awami Muslim League

Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, founding President of the Awami League

On 23 June 1949, Bengali nationalists from East Bengal broke away from the Muslim League, Pakistan's dominant political party, and established the All Pakistan Awami Muslim League. The party was founded at the Rose Garden mansion in the old part of Dhaka. Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani and Shamsul Huqwere elected the first President and General Secretary of the party respectively, while Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad and A. K. Rafiqul Hussain were elected the party's first Joint Secretaries.[10] The party was formed to champion the rights of masses in Pakistan against the powerful feudal establishment led by the Muslim League. However, due to its strength stemming from the discriminated Bengali population of Pakistan's eastern wing, the party eventually became associated and identified with East Bengal.

Rose Garden in Old Dhaka, the birthplace of the Awami League

In 1952, the Awami Muslim League and its student wing played an instrumental role in the Bengali Language Movement, during which Pakistani security forces fired upon thousands of protesting students demanding Bengali be declared an official language of Pakistan and famously killing a number of students including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar. The events of 1952 is widely seen by historians today as a turning point in the history of Pakistan and the Bengali people, as it was the starting point of the Bengali nationalist struggle that eventually culminated in the creation of Bangladesh in 1971. In 1953, the party's council meeting voted to drop the word "Muslim" from its name in order to give it a more secular outlook, owing to need of including the province's large Hindu population in Pakistani politics.

United Front

United Front cabinet of Chief Minister A. K. Fazlul Huq

In the run up to the East Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections in 1954, the Awami League took the lead in negotiations in forming a pan-Bengali political alliance including the Krishak Praja Party, Nizam-e-Islam and Ganatantri Dal. The alliance was termed the Jukta Front or United Front and formulated the Ekush Dafa, or 21-point Charter, to fight the Muslim League. The party also took the historic decision to adopt the traditional Bengali boat, which signified the attachment to rural Bengal, as its election symbol.

The election swept the United Front coalition into power in East Bengal with a massive mandate of 223 seats out of 237 seats. The Awami League itself bagged 143 seats while the Muslim League won only 9 seats. A. K. Fazlul Huq assumed the office of Chief Minister of East Bengal and drew up a cabinet containing many of the prominent student activists that were leading movements against the Pakistani state. They included Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the Awami League, who served as commerce minister.

Leaders of the new provincial government demanded greater provincial autonomy for East Bengal and eventually succeeded in pressuring Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra, himself a Bengali, to endorse the proposed constitutional recognition of Bengali as an official language of Pakistan. The United Front also passed a landmark order for the establishment of the Bangla Academy in Dhaka. As tensions with the western wing grew due to the demands for greater provincial autonomy in East Bengal, Governor-General Ghulam Muhammad dismissed the United Front government on 29 May 1954 under Article 92/A of the provisional constitution of Pakistan.

Tenure in Central Government

In September 1956, the Awami League formed a coalition with the Republican Party to secure a majority in the new National Assembly of Pakistan and took over the central government. Awami League President Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy became the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Suhrawardy pursued a reform agenda to reduce the long standing economic disparity between East and West Pakistan, greater representation of Bengalis in the Pakistani civil and armed services and he unsuccessfully attempted to alleviate the food shortage in the country. The Awami League also began deepening relations with the United States. The government moved to join the Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation (SEATO) and Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO), the two strategic defense alliances in Asia inspired by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Maulana Bhashani, one of the party's founders, condemned the decision of the Suhrawardy government and called a conference in February, 1957 at Kagmari in East Bengal. He protested the move and the support lent by the Awami League leadership to the government. Bhashani broke away from the Awami League and then formed the leftist National Awami Party (NAP).

The controversy over One Unit (the division of Pakistan into only two provinces, east and west) and the appropriate electoral system for Pakistan, whether joint or separate, also revived as soon as Suhrawardy became Prime Minster. In West Pakistan, there was strong opposition to the joint electorate by the Muslim League and the religious parties. The Awami League however, strongly supported the joint electorate. These differences over One Unit and the appropriate electorate caused problems for the government.

By early 1957, the movement for the dismemberment of the One Unit had started. Suhrawardy was at the mercy of central bureaucracy fighting to save the One Unit. Many in the business elite in Karachi were lobbying against Suhrawardy's decision to distribute millions of dollars of American aid to East Pakistan and to set up a national shipping corporation. Supported by these lobbyists, President Iskander Mirza demanded the Prime Minister's resignation. Suhrawardy requested to seek a vote of confidence in the National Assembly, but this request was turned down. Suhrawardy resigned under threat of dismissal on October 10, 1957.

 

Ayub Khan coup and martial law

On 7 October 1958, President Iskander Mirza declared martial law and appointed army chief General Ayub Khan as Chief Martial Law Administrator. Ayub Khan eventually deposed Mirza in a bloodless coup. By promulgating the Political Parties Elected Bodies Disqualified Ordinance, Ayub banned all major political parties in Pakistan. Senior politicians, including the entire top leadership of the Awami League, were arrested and most were kept under detention till 1963.

In 1962, Ayub Khan drafted a new constitution, modeled on indirect election, through an electoral college, and termed it 'Basic Democracy'. Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy joined Nurul Amin, Khwaja Nazimuddin, Maulvi Farid Ahmed and Hamidul Haq Chowdhury in forming National Democratic Front against Ayub Khan's military-backed rule and to restore elective democracy. However the alliance failed to obtain any concessions. Instead the electoral colleges appointed a new parliament and the President exercised executive authority.

Wide spread discrimination prevailed in Pakistan against Bengalis during the regime of Ayub Khan. Harsh restrictions were imposed on major Bengali cultural symbols, including a ban on the airing of Rabindra Sangeet public. The University of Dhaka became a hotbed for student activism advocating greater rights for Bengalis and the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.

On 5 December 1963, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was found dead in his hotel room in Beirut, Lebanon. His sudden death under mysterious circumstances gave rise to speculation within the Awami League and the general population in East Pakistan that he had been poisoned.

1966 to 1971

he 6-point demands, proposed by Mujib, were widely accepted by the East Pakistani populace, as they proposed greater autonomy for the provinces of Pakistan. After the so-called Agartala Conspiracy Case, and subsequent end of the Ayub Khan regime in Pakistan, the Awami League and its leader Sheikh Mujib reached the peak of their popularity among the East Pakistani Bengali population. In the elections of 1970, the Awami League won 167 of 169 East Pakistan seats in the National Assembly but none of West Pakistan's 138 seats. It also won 288 of the 300 provincial assembly seats in East Pakistan.[14][15] This win gave the Awami League a healthy majority in the 313-seat National Assembly and placed it in a position to establish a national government without a coalition partner. This was not acceptable to the political leaders of West Pakistan and led directly to the events of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The AL leaders, taking refuge in India, successfully led the war against the Pakistani Army throughout 1971.

 

1975 to 1996

These negative developments led to a widespread dissatisfaction among the people and even inside the Army. On 15 August 1975 some junior members of the armed forces in Dhaka, led by Major Faruk Rahman and Major Rashid, assassinated Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and all his family members. Within months, on November 3, 1975, four more of its top leaders, Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, CaptainMuhammad Mansur Ali and A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman were killed inside the Dhaka Central Jail. Only Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana, two daughters of Mujib, survived the massacre as they were in West Germany as a part of a cultural exchange program. They later claimed political asylum in the United Kingdom. Sheikh Rehana, the younger sister, chose to remain in the UK permanently, while Sheikh Hasina moved to India and lived in self imposed exile. Her stays abroad helped her gain important political friends in the West and in India that proved to be a valuable asset for the party in the future.

After 1975, the party remained split into several rival factions, and fared poorly in the 1979 parliamentary elections held under a military government. In 1981 Sheikh Hasina returned after the largest party faction, the "Bangladesh Awami League", elected her its president, and she proceeded to take over the party leadership and unite the factions. As she was under age at the time she could not take part in the 1981 presidential elections that followed the assassination of then President Ziaur Rahman.

The Awami League emerged as the largest opposition party in parliament in the elections in 1991, following the uprising against Ershad. It made major electoral gains in 1994 as its candidates won mayoral elections in the two largest cities of the country: the capital Dhaka and the commercial capital Chittagong. Demanding electoral reforms the party resigned from the parliament in 1995, boycotted the February 1996 parliamentary polls, and subsequently won 146 out of 300 seats in June 1996 parliamentary polls. Supported by a few smaller parties, the Awami League formed a "Government of National Unity," and elected a non-partisan head of state, retired Chief Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed.

 

1996 to 2001

AL's second term in office had mixed achievements. Apart from sustaining economic stability during the Asian economic crisis, the government successfully settled Bangladesh's long standing dispute with India over sharing the water of the river Ganga (also known as Padma) in late 1996, and signed a peace treaty with tribal rebels in 1997. In 1998, Bangladesh faced one of the worst floods ever, and the government handled the crisis satisfactorily. It also had significant achievements in containing inflation, and peacefully neutralising a long-running leftist insurgency in south-western districts dating back to the first AL government's time. However, rampant corruption allegations against party office bearers and ministers as well as a deteriorating law and order situation troubled the government. Its pro poor policies achieved wide microeconomic development but that left the country's wealthy business class dissatisfied. The AL's last months in office were marred by sporadic bombing by alleged Islamist militants. Hasina herself escaped several attempts on her life, in one of which two anti-tank mines were planted under her helipad in Gopalganj district. In July 2001, the second AL government stepped down, becoming the first elected government in Bangladesh to serve a full term in office.

The party won only 62 out of 300 parliamentary seats in the elections held in October 2001, despite bagging 40% of the votes, up from 36% in 1996 and 33% in 1991. The BNP and its allies won a two thirds majority in parliament with 46% of the votes cast, with BNP alone winning 41% up from 33% in 1996 and 30% in 1991.

2001 to 2008

In its second term in opposition since 1991, the party suffered the assassination of several key members. Popular young leader Ahsanullah Master, a Member of Parliament from Gazipur, was killed in 2004. This was followed by a grenade attack on Hasina during a public meeting on August 21, 2004, resulting in the death of 22 party supporters, including party women's secretary Ivy Rahman, though Hasina lived. Finally, the party's electoral secretary, ex finance minister, and veteran diplomat Shah M S Kibria, a Member of Parliament from Habiganj, was killed in a grenade attack in Sylhet later that year.

In June 2005, the Awami League won an important victory when the AL nominated incumbent mayor A.B.M. Mohiuddin Chowdhury won the important mayoral election in Chittagong, by a huge margin, against BNP nominee State Minister of Aviation Mir Mohammad Nasiruddin. This election was seen as a showdown between the Awami League and the BNP. However, the killing of party leaders continued. In December 2005, the AL supported Mayor of Sylhet narrowly escaped the third attempt on his life as a grenade thrown at him failed to explode.

In September 2006, several of the party's top leaders, including Saber Hossain Choudhury MP and Asaduzzaman Nur MP, were hospitalized after being critically injured by police beatings while they demonstrated in support of electoral-law reforms. Starting in late October 2006, the Awami League led alliance carried out a series of nationwide demonstrations and blockades centering on the selection of the leader of the interim caretaker administration to oversee the 2007 elections. Although an election was scheduled to take place on January 22, 2007 that the Awami League decided to boycott, the country's military intervened on January 11, 2007 and installed an interim government composed of retired bureaucrats and military officers.

Throughout 2007 and 2008, the military backed government tried to root out corruption and get rid of the two dynastic leaders of the AL and BNP. While these efforts largely failed, they succeeded in producing a credible voter list that was used in the December 29, 2008 national election.

National election 2008

The Awami league participated in the national election on December 29, 2008 as part of a larger electoral alliance that also included theJatiya Party led by former military ruler General Ershad as well as some leftist parties. According to the Official Results of the 2008 National Elections posted by the Election Commission, Bangladesh Awami League has won 230 out of 299 constituencies, and together with its allies, have a total of 262 seats. The Awami League and its allies received 57% of the total votes cast. The AL alone got 48%, compared to 36% of the other major alliance led by the BNP which by itself got 33% of the votes. Ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as party head, is the Prime Minister-Elect. Her term of office is likely to begin on January 10, 2009. She is expected to head a 30-35 member government that will include cabinet members from the Awami League's electoral allies.

Wings of Bangladesh Awami League

Bangladesh Awami Jubo League

Bangladesh Students League

Bangladesh Krishak League

Bangladesh Sromik League

Bangladesh Swechchasebak League

  

Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak also called "Lakh Baksh Sultan" (the donator of hundreds of thousands) (Urdu: قطب الدین ایبک) (Qutb-ud-din meaning "Axis of the Faith") was the first Muslim Emperor of India who ruled from his capital in Delhi where he built Qutub Minar and the Quwwat Al Islam mosque[1]. He was a Turkish warrior by descendency, Turkic ruler, the first Sultan of Delhi and founder of the Slave dynasty (also known as the Ghulam dynasty) of India. He ruled as an emperor for only four years, from 1206 to 1210 but because of his super efficient administration and farsighted vision[citation needed], his name has become inseparable from the history of South Asia. Though he ruled for only four years, he was able to furnish stable law and administrative system in the country, started many constructive projects and tried the best possible alternatives for the wellbeing of his subjects. Although he was a strict follower of Sunni Islam and his forces were aggressive against the native Hindu population at the time of their victorious arrival, he exercised considerable tolerance towards the local Hindu, Jain and Buddhist population after he became the emperor of the newly born sultanate. In the architectural field, his biggest contribution is the famous Qutub Minar in New Delhi which he constructed to mark two of the historical events of India. Firstly to announce about the military and official arrival of his faith Islam in the Indian Subcontinent and secondly to announce about their triumphant victory over the Rajput forces whom they defeated in a huge battle before arrival. He was also popularly called the "Lakh Annadata" (the giver of thousands of grains) or "Lakh Baksh Sultan" because of his generous and donative nature. He was also a very prolific and refined player of the game of polo. He died while playing the same game at Lahore.[2]Qutbuddin was born somewhere in Central Asia; he was of Turkic descent.[3][4] While still a child he was captured and sold as a slave (ghulam). He was purchased by the chief Qazi of Nishapur, a town in the province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran. The Qazi treated him like one of his own sons, and Aibak received a very good education in all the major subjects, was a very brave warrior and an appreciable ruler and intelligent in languages including fluency in Persian and Arabic[5] and training in archery and horsemanship. When his master died, his master's sons, who were jealous of Aibak, sold him to a slave merchant. Aibak was, then, finally purchased by the great General Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri, then governor of GhazniStarting with his native Ghor, an Aimak principality, Shahabuddin Ghauri proved to be a distiguished personality of the history and managed to establish control over most of present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India. Under his command, Qutbuddin sacked Delhi in 1193 after the victory in the Battle of Terrain.[6] As governor of northern India, Aibak was very refined and established the first verifiable Muslim administration through collection of state taxes, establishing the rule of law, equitable distribution of land and revenues to the nobles under his charge, and governance based on a mixture of locally elected representation through Mashura courts and nominated administrators on every rank to ensure the good working of the government.

Qutbuddin rose through the ranks to become the Emperor Muhammad Ghauri's most trusted general. His greatest military successes occurred while he was directly under Ghauri's guidance and leadership. Qutb was responsible for executing and consolidating Ghauri's conquests in northern India. He was left in increasingly independent charge of the Indian campaigns and the exaction of levies from the areas in India that were under Sultan Ghauri's conquests, as after 1192 the ambitious Sultan Ghauri concentrated on In 1206, the Emperor Ghauri appointed Qutb-ud-din Aibak as his Naib us Sultanat in India[7] at a grand darbar (reception) at Lahore, which was attended by a large majority of the nobles and dignitaries of his vast empire. It was at this occasion that Ghauri bestowed upon Qutb-ud-din the title of Aibak, meaning "Axis of the FaithMuhammad Ghauri established the first real Muslim state as well as empire in North India. Upon Sultan Ghauri's death in 1206, Qutb, after a brief power struggle, succeeded in establishing himself as ruler of the empire in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India;Shahabuddin Muhammad's Central Asian possessions had been captured by none other than the Mongol warlord, Genghis Khan.The Qutab Minar, now a World Heritage Site in New Delhi, India, was built during his time.

The areas over which Aibak established his rule were those over which he already exercised power as Ghauri's local receiver-general of periodic exactions and levies. He did not attack other kingdoms without any reason and concentrated on the development of the existing empire. Therefore, although his formal tenure as ruler was only four years, Aibak managed to consolidate thoroughly the administrative system that was established by his predecessor and master Shahabuddin Ghauri. This was achieved despite his having to quell powerful rebellions by nobles like Taj-ud-din Ildiz and Nasir-ud-din Qubacha. Qutbuddin ruled his empire initially from the Capital Lahore and later moved the capital to Delhi; he is hence considered the first Muslim ruler of South Asia.

Qutbuddin Aibak was a very refined and inticrate builder. He led the constructions of the security towers, check posts, tax posts and a few of the forts in the most important cities of his empire to avoid plunderings and loots. He also initiated the construction of Delhi's earliest Muslim monuments, the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and the Qutub Minar. Historical records compiled by Muslim historian Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai attest to the iconoclasm of Qutbuddin Aibak. The first mosque built in Delhi[9].These were completed by his successor, Iltutmish. Aibak,was otherwise known as "Lakh Baksh" or "giver of hundred thousands" because of his generous nature. He was thus a pious Muslim, praised by contemporary Muslim clerics for his good and balanced way of living. He also patronized Nizami and Fakh-i-Mudabbir, both of whom dedicated their works to Aibak. Tazul Maasir is a work primarily dealing with Aibak.in machchhu dem in 1979 for over flov to morbi honaret

horseback (polo aka chougan in India), his horse fell and the sultan was impaled on the pommel of his saddle. He was buried near the Anarkali bazaar in Lahore. Aibak's son Aram, died in 1211 CE [2], so Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, another ex-slave and an Sultan Qutbuddin died accidentally in 1210. While he was playing a game of polo on outstanding ruler of Turkic ancestry who was married to Aibak's daughter, succeeded him as Sultan of Delhi.Aibak's tomb is located behind Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore today and is a famous tourist site. In the early 1970s, it was renovated at the orders of the then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.[10]

 

Uzair gave another example of why the Sunnah of Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) was from when we were souls. Again the verse was well known. It was when God asked all the soul ever created as they stood before Him if He was their Lord – alastu bi Rabbikum?

 

وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنۢ بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ مِن ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ ۖ

قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ ۛ شَهِدْنَآ ۛ أَن تَقُولُوا۟ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَـٰذَا غَـٰفِلِينَ

 

And when took your Lord from (the) Children (of) Adam - from their loins - their descendants and made them testify over themselves, "Am I not your Lord?"

 

They said, "Yes we have testified." Lest you say (on the) Day (of) the Resurrection, “Indeed, we were about this unaware.” – Surah Al-A’raf, Verse 172

 

“Ibn e Katheer, amongst many other Mufassareen, says that when the question was asked, all the souls became quiet for they did not know God. They had not been raised by Him so they were silent. It was the Prophet Muhammad’s (peace be upon him) soul that first said, “bala.”And in emulation of him, the souls said, “bala,” (yes we have testified).”

 

“Wow,” I thought. My first moment of emulation! Maybe this was why Ghaus Pak (ra) says that to some extent we all possess the understanding of our Creator (Fayil Haqeeqi). We had already witnessed Him, heard Him, seen Him. If emulation began in the Realm of the Souls (Alim e Arwah), that lent hope that it was possible again.

 

Uzair continued: “So did Sunnah start then? Sheikh ul Akbar, Hazrat Moeenuddin Ibn e Arabi (ra) says that the reality of Mustafa (peace be upon him) given to him by God is beyond the understanding of human beings. There are no bounds to it. That is why in the Quran it is made crystal clear.

 

When in doubt, when in confusion or contradiction, within yourself or amongst yourselves, go back to him. Do not use your own intellect, do not make your own decision.”

 

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ أَطِيعُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُو۟لِى ٱلْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ ۖ

فَإِن تَنَـٰزَعْتُمْ فِى شَىْءٍۢ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيْرٌۭ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلًا

 

O you who believed! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those (having) authority among you. Then if you disagree in anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is best for you and more suitable in the end – Surah An-Nisa, Verse 59

 

The lecture was amazing. I don’t know if for me it confirmed things more than challenged them but it certainly drove home a single point. As far as learning anything related to God was concerned, everything about everything lay in a single human being.

 

Then Uzair started smiling.

 

“But of course those who cannot stomach the fact that there is a dimension of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that is beyond the physical will always find reasons to disbelieve. They will memorize the Quran and read it their entire lives but they will deny its design. They will deny that there is a connection between the Creator and His Beloved (peace be upon him) that is outside their knowing. But the Quran testifies to that too.”

 

He read one of my most favourite verses of Surah An-Najm to make his point:

 

فَأَوْحَىٰٓ إِلَىٰ عَبْدِهِۦ مَآ أَوْحَىٰ

 

Then did God reveal to him what He revealed to him – Surah An-Najm, Verse 10

 

“Why does God do that? He discloses that he revealed something to Huzoor (peace be upon him) but if He is not going to say what that was, why mention it at all? But He does exactly that. Mentions it and then leaves it there that it is between only the two of them.

 

But whoever will believe will believe and whoever will disbelieve will disbelieve. Shahabuddin Suhrawardi (ra) says that the sun sometimes hides behind the clouds but it still heats the fields. It cannot be denied even if it cannot be seen. Whatever you are getting from this world you are getting through the bounty of one persons alone, Allah’s Beloved. He is Sirajun Muneera, the sun that gives light in perpetuity.

 

The Quran says that whenever and whatever comes your way present the difficulty before My Prophet (peace be upon him) because he sees your deeds. And those in emulation of him are the believers and they will see them too because of him.”

 

وَقُلِ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ

وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُون

 

And say (unto them O Prophet!), “Act and God will behold your deeds

 

and so will His Apostle (peace be upon him) and the believers.

 

And in the end you will be brought before Him who knows all that is beyond a created being’s perception as well as that can be witnesses by a creature’s senses or mind.

 

And then He will make you understand what you have been doing – Surah At-Tauba, Verse 105

 

“There are some whose gaze is not different from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and God’s. because of their attachment and connection to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) to God. They are dissolved in him and he is dissolved in God.”

 

Everything I was hearing cast a new light on verse after verse that I had known and read multiple times. But this was an entirely new layering of meaning. It was where Uzair ended the lecture that was the highest note indeed.

 

“What do you think the purpose of a Spiritual Master is in one’s life? Why do you think a guide is deemed essential? What is the role that he plays for you that is so critical? It is basically only one. To make you alert to your pride and then make it vanquished within yourself. It is to make you face the encumbrances of your ego.”

 

In the days I was writing this piece, the month of Rabu Thani started. The month is significant indeed. On the 11th of the lunar calendar (November 26th in 2020) is the Urs Mubarik of the one who I study most intensively as is evident from his most frequent mention in all my writing in the last few years: Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) – Ghaus Pak. I read his books, his sermons, his exegesis of the Quran.

 

I hope with a burning intensity that my soul connects to his, I pray that he takes me under his wing, I long that my ilm (knowledge) and my shaoor (understanding) are borne from him. His personality is majestic and intimidating. He is both jamali and jalali. One thing is certain; he is dissolved in the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he is dissolved in God!

For me he is a saviour. In my greatest times of difficulty, I have only read to myself a couplet from his famed Qaseeda Ghausia and my anxiety has evaporated before I utter the last words because they always make me smile.

 

مُرِیْدِیْ ھِمْ وَطِبْ وَاشْطَحْ وَغَنّیْ

وَاِفْعَل‌ْ مَاتَشَآءُ فَالْاِسْمُ عَالِ

 

O my disciple! Delve into the love of your God, be fearless, rejoice and sing.

And do whatever you will because my name is amongst the highest.

 

A few days ago, I was saying my namaz at Maghrib in my room. One story kept going in and out of my head. It was an incident that all Muslim children learn about the life of Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him); the woman who threw the garbage on him every single day that he walked down her street. On the day she didn’t throw it, he knocked on her door and and found her to be unwell. He cleaned her home, made her some food and took care of her till she recovered. The lesson in the story for me for 50 years of my life was the same as the first time I heard the story as a child; he was kind.

 

Then quite randomly the incident came up and a friend of mine posed the question; “Why did he continue to walk on that street day after day? He could have easily changed his route. Why did he submit himself to that difficult experience again and again?” Then she answered it herself. “It was because he knew that it was her need to throw that garbage on him. She was old. Her fury at him was for being who he was, saying what he was, propagating a message that would void her entire beliefs, which formed her identity, her existence. He never took it personally.”

 

On the prayer mat that evening I realized that the ones I avoid now because their words infuriate me was indeed a shallow response and no doubt it was rooted in pride. My ego was bruised, I took such deep offense from words uttered by those who knew nothing when it came to the faith. Like the old woman they just held onto their beliefs and I’m not certain if they were even their own. They had begun to fear that the faith they were born into might wipe out the identity they had created and with it their superficial existence in the world. They threw garbage on me and my first reaction was to change my route!

 

I started wondering in the case of the garbage lady, did the difficulty actually befall her or Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him). I used to think it was him but it was really her. He had been taught how to deal with it by his God, his Rabb, the One who raised him. She was old yet still struggling with her demons. It made me feel ashamed. There was nothing to run from except my own sense of superiority that I was masking under feeling attacked.

 

Soon after I came upon a verse from Surah At-Taghabun about trials and their link to faith:

 

مَآ أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ إِلَّا بِإِذْنِ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَمَن يُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ يَهْدِ قَلْبَهُۥ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ عَلِيمٌۭ

 

No calamity can ever befall unless it is by Allah’s Will. Hence whoever believes in God, He will guide his heart. And Allah is Knower of all things – Verse 11

 

Ghaus Pak (ra) says that being steadfast on the belief that any disaster or difficulty that comes one’s way comes only by the Command of God is the way to solidify faith (imaan). The one who believes in God and surrenders all their matters to Him, thinks of Him their Caretaker and considers Him as enough, that person’s heart will receive guidance from Him. That guidance renders the heart lit with signs of His Oneness, thus bringing certainty.

 

I realize now that when a trial befalls me through another person, the real battle has only three real players, me, my nafs and Iblis. The test in fact came upon all of three of us. Each just hoped for a different outcome. When Iblis failed himself, he simply engaged with the nafs for his desired outcome. My failure!

 

Uzair ended his lecture: “Hazrat Shabuddin Suhrwardi (ra) and for that matter all Sufiya think the same thing: ‘Think of everyone, each and every person, whether they are a believer (mo’min) or a denier (kafir) as being better than you. Maybe the mo’min who you think doesn’t pray does an act that your worship will never raise your rank to. And maybe the one who doesn’t believe today will become a believer tomorrow and then God might change all their sins to good deeds.”

 

يَوْمَ يَجْمَعُكُمْ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْجَمْعِ ۖ ذَٰلِكَ يَوْمُ ٱلتَّغَابُنِ ۗ

وَمَن يُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ وَيَعْمَلْ صَـٰلِحًۭا يُكَفِّرْ عَنْهُ سَيِّـَٔاتِهِۦ

وَيُدْخِلْهُ جَنَّـٰتٍۢ تَجْرِى مِن تَحْتِهَا ٱلْأَنْهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِينَ فِيهَآ أَبَدًۭا ۚ ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْفَوْزُ ٱلْعَظِيمُ

 

Think of the time when He shall gather you all together unto the Day of the Last Gathering – that Day of loss and gain!

Whoever believes in God and does good deeds, He will efface his sins and admit him into the gardens with rivers flowing through them where they will remain forever.

That is the ultimate success – Surah At-Taghabun, Verse 9

 

Then he related a hadith I have never heard of before.

 

“Once Huzoor (peace be upon him) laughed. When asked why he said, ‘I saw the last of the ones who was to be sent to Hell. His sins filled volumes so Allah Almighty said to the angels, “Forget his grave sins (Gunah e Kabeera) for now. Present the smaller ones.’””

 

Huzoor (peace be upon him) says, “I saw the man looking scared. He was thinking ‘But what will happen to me once these end and the others are brought forward.’ Once the list of sins was related, Allah Subhan Ta’ala said, ‘We are Ghafoor ur Rahim, so change his sins small to good deeds of the same proportion.’

 

Just as He said that the man leapt up, ‘But what about the larger sins?’”

 

So the point is no one knows what will happen on that Day and who will get what from Allah. But one thing is certain. Pride is the impediment of evolving and it is the gateway to Hell. So the role of the Spiritual Master is in fact singular. To make a person kill their “I.” The ego is the disease that they cure, that one no one can cure themselves.”

 

On a different occasion Uzair had told me that the rulers of their times used to send their sons to the Auliya, the Friends of God, in their kingdoms for their character development. The first duty assigned to the princes was for them to sit at the entrance of the mosque and straighten the shoes of the people who went to pray there. That’s what they did, five times a day, every day, to break their sense of entitlement that was in fact written in their destiny. It’s too bad the rich parents of today’s time had nowhere to send their kids.

 

Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) said that the one with an iota of pride in their heart would not enter Paradise. He loved the poor, he lived with the poor, he lived like them. He chose weakness over strength. He embraced humility, he called it his pride. He also said that the more one bent, humbled themselves, to please God according to their own effort, the more they would be raised by their Lord according to His Desire.

 

Ghaus Pak (ra) says that zuhd, detachment from the superficial attractions in this world, cannot be created nor can it be achieved by oneself. It needs time and the emulation, the obedience, being in service of the Friends of God.

 

فَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ مَا ٱسْتَطَعْتُمْ وَٱسْمَعُوا۟ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ وَأَنفِقُوا۟ خَيْرًۭا لِّأَنفُسِكُمْ ۗ وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ

 

So be mindful of God as much as you can. Hear and obey and be charitable. For he who is safeguarded from their own selfishness, they are the successful ones – Surah At-Taghabun – Verse 16

 

In Surah Yaseen is a line I am drawn to because it states again the condition to be able to take heed from Allah’s Beloved (peace be upon him) starting with the word “innama”, only and only.

 

إِنَّمَا تُنذِرُ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ ٱلذِّكْرَ وَخَشِىَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ ۖ فَبَشِّرْهُ بِمَغْفِرَةٍۢ وَأَجْرٍۢ كَرِيمٍ

 

You, O Beloved, can only and only warn the one who follows the message and stands in awe of The Merciful even though He is beyond perception. So give him good news of forgiveness and a generous reward – Surah Yaseen, Verse 11

 

Tafseer e Jilani: “The one who will receive reformation and the benefit of guidance from your warning, O Prophet (peace be upon you), is the one who listens to the Quran carefully with acceptance, then obeys its commands, who considers it deeply and reads it with truthfulness. It is the one who gains advice from the advice it gives, the examples it presents and learns from the lessons others suffered out of their waywardness.

 

It will be the one who is afraid of Allah’s Anger and Retribution while it was unseen. It will be the one who saved themself from it before it came down because they held the belief that Allah holds the power to punish any wrongdoer at any time.

 

So O Beloved (peace be upon you), give glad tidings to the one who did listen willingly, with acceptance the verses and applied its commands with sincerity in deed, being conscious of God and placing hope in Him. And give them the good news that they will receive the forgiveness which is already prepared for them and awaits them from God and that no deed of theirs will be void or wasted or nullified and the reward for their deeds will be multiplied many fold.”

 

Recently someone in my group class someone asked Qari Sahib to go over the Ayaat e Shifa, the verses of healing. I think a family member was unwell and they wanted to read them and pray for their health to return. The first was this:

 

وَنُنَزِّلُ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ مَا هُوَ شِفَاءٌ وَرَحْمَةٌ لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَا يَزِيدُ الظَّالِمِينَ إِلَّا خَسَارً

 

We sent down from the Quran that which is a healing and a mercy for the believers.

 

And it only increases the unjust in their loss – Surah Al-Isra’, Verse 82

 

After we had spent 45 minutes on the first part of the verse, the healing effect of the Book, Qari Sahib moved on to the next verse. I stopped him.

 

“But Sir, what about the second part of this verse? We have the do’s. What about the don’ts?”

 

I already knew, as did everyone else in my class, that the Quran was a mercy. My problem was being unjust to myself. The verse was saying that reading the Quran in that state was only going to deteriorate my situation, deepen my “loss.”

 

Qari Sahib gave the tafseer of the verse from Ghaus Pak (ra).

 

“The healing from the Quran will come to those who will gain ability (taufeeq) from the honor (sharf) of following and obeying Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him). Then according to their own level of capability to be obedient, they will gain guidance and the secrets and signs in the Book will be unveiled to them.

 

The zalim, the unjust, are the ones who transgress the boundaries set by Allah as well as disobey His Commands out of denial and pride. But the injustice is upon themselves because for them the Quran becomes a means of loss ever deepening. The khassara is that these people deny hikmat, which in this case means the purpose of their own creation which was to gain ma’rifat, recognizing God and to believe in Tauheed, His Oneness.”

 

Sometimes I can’t stop sighing. I feel like a rat running around in circles. Or that guy from Memento who kept forgetting everything every 10 minutes. I make the same mistakes again and again. Nothing sticks. In those times, Uzair’s words ring in my head.

 

The verses of the Quran have a singular purpose, and that is to elevate the human being in terms of their behavior, develop their character. And anyone who enters this realm with the intention to learn will never return without being changed.

In those days I feel like my heart is the darkest night, no shades of gorgeous midnight blues, just an abyss. No stars, no moon in sight, just a waiting, a longing for a shooting star, for that one flash of light to come, even if it has to disappear. Then my friend Abida happens to send me something that felt like a reprieve.

 

It was poetry written by Hafiz Shirazi, a Master. In it he addresses Hazrat Yaqoub, the Prophet Jacob (as), who was separated from his beloved son, Hazrat Yousaf (as), the Prophet Joseph, for 40 years. For those decades they were apart, as a father he felt his son was alive, but he didn’t know anything more than God wanted him to know. In translating it I understood that every moment experienced was carefully chosen and came in the time it was destined to come.

 

یکی پرسید از آن گم کرده فرزند

که ای روشن گهر پیر خردمند

 

Someone asked him, the one who lost his son,

O sage who is wise and enlightened with intelligence!

 

ز مصرش بوی پیراهن شنیدی

چرا در چاه کنعانش ندیدی؟

 

You smelt the shirt coming for you from Egypt.

Then why did you not see him in the well in Canaan (your own town)?

 

بگفت احوال ما برق جهان است

دمی پیدا و دیگر دم نهان است

 

So he answered, “Our matters are like the lightening strikes of the Universe,

which appear rarely and disappear at once.

 

گهی بر طارم اعلی نشینیم

گهی بر پشت پای خود نبینیم

 

Sometimes we are seated in the highest station (nearness to God),

sometimes we cannot even see the top of our own feet.

 

اگر درویش در حالی بماندی

سر دست از دو عالم برفشاندی

 

If the seeker stayed in the same state at all times,

then he would become withdrawn from this world and the Hereafter.

 

Last week I began working on a new video for the Urs Mubarik. The kalam was Hazrat Sultan Bahu’s, a prominent Sufi saint from Jhang. It was in Punjabi and it was an istighaasa – an utterance of a plea. The verse was renowned but I was not familiar with it. The first thing I noticed was how Hazrat Sultan Bahu (ra) had captured in eight lines what was distinct about Ghaus Pak (ra); he was the Saint of the saints, he was Allah’s Beloved, anything he asked of God he received.

 

Only two people, other than Rasool Allah (peace be upon him), are given the honor by title of being called Allah’s Beloveds: Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (Mehboob e Subhani) and Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya (ra) (Mehboob e Ilahi). While translating the text with Qari Sahib he said something that changed my whole approach towards the meaning of the plea.

 

“Think of the help being asked for not for a worldly difficulty but a spiritual impediment. A state of bewilderment that you don’t fathom and you can’t escape.”

 

سن فریاد پیراں دیا پیرا

میری عرض سنیں کن دھر کے ہُو

 

Hear my plea O Master of all Spiritual Masters!

Listen to my entreaty and accept it please.

 

بیڑا اڑیا میرا وچ کپرا ندے

جتھے مچھ نہ بہندے ڈر کے ہُو

 

My matter is stuck in such a snare of my own self,

that anything that corrupts feels scared treading there with ease.

 

شاہ جیلانی محبوب سبحانی

میری خبر لیو جھٹ کر کے ہُو

 

O King of Jilan, Beloved of Almighty Allah!

Respond to me, rescue me hastily.

 

پیر جنہاندے میراں باہو

اوہ کدھی لگدے ترکے ہُو

 

The ones whose Spiritual Master are kings (before God), O Bahu!

They reach their purpose most easily.

 

That night as I recited the verses to myself in the darkness of my room I wept. Every other time I had made a video with kalam of the Sufi Masters, it was an act of love on my part. I did it in honor of them, their words. Tazeeman is exactly the right way to put it in Urdu. But this kalam, this one had to be rendered ahtiyajan, in a state of need. In territory where even Iblis is scared but I exist and endure, only a plea to a healer would work.

 

And the healer of all healers, the manifestation of God’s Mercy and His most perfect creation gives a way out to all in a single shard of a single date:

 

قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَدِيَّ بْنَ حَاتِمٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏

تَمْرَةٍ ‏‏ ‏ اتَّقُوا النَّارَ وَلَوْ بِشِقِّ

 

Hazrat`Adi bin Hatim narrates that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say:

“Save yourself from Hell-fire even by giving half a date-fruit in charity.”

 

“How hard is it,” I thought, “to give someone a sliver of a single date?” But I knew the answer well. My veils were all related to bukhl, miserliness. Emotional, financial. Even though I try and try to be more generous and in fact, have been more so in the timeline of my life, it is my instantaneous response that betrays the stagnant state of my batin and instantly veils my heart. I usually even end up doing the “right” thing but on too many occasions, my initial reaction is reluctance. And what kills me is that it is always for no real reason. Then I feel the tightening in my chest and I reform my action. Whether it comes to money or my urges to restrain the giving of my love.

 

Me, my nafs and Iblis. In a tug of war.

 

I deny or hide from what I have been told and am disobedient. Then I obey. But I wish so much that I only obeyed. Straight off the bat, no hesitation! For bukhl is the most obstinate of the diseases of the heart. It’s the steel covering over mine. Instant darkness! I learnt from a Naqshbandi Master that before one can truly claim submission before Allah, they have to first be able to govern their own behaviour.

 

“Anyone that is stuck within their vices that they cannot stop, that vice is a lord over them.”

 

أَفَرَءَيْتَ مَنِ ٱتَّخَذَ إِلَـٰهَهُۥ هَوَىٰهُ وَأَضَلَّهُ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ عِلْمٍۢ وَخَتَمَ عَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِۦ

وَقَلْبِهِۦ

وَجَعَلَ عَلَىٰ بَصَرِهِۦ

غِشَـٰوَةًۭ فَمَن يَهْدِيهِ مِنۢ بَعْدِ ٱللَّهِ ۚ

أَفَلَا تَذَكَّرُونَ

 

Have you (O Beloved) seen the one who takes his own desires as his god and whom Allah has let go astray knowingly.

 

And He sets a seal upon his hearing and his heart and puts over his vision a veil?

 

Then who will guide him after God?

 

Then will you not reflect?

Surah Al-Jathiyah, Verse 23

 

Shuggy Aunty says the most difficult thing in the world is being one. Even though that state of one-ness is also God’s Essence.

 

قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ

 

Say O Beloved (peace be upon you), “He is Allah, The One.” – Surah Ikhlas, Verse 1

 

I find it easy. I harbor no bitterness around my own state of being alone. I have no disappointments of what might have been but wasn’t. Whether my solitude was chosen for me or by me I never questioned it. People come and go and my aloneness remains and it doesn’t leave me wanting. Often I have deliberated on it to check if I am perhaps saying it and not meaning it but I know it’s true. Because when I asked for anything for myself, it stopped being about this world years ago.

 

This year in particular I have been noticing for people my age (50 plus) that what’s killing them is loneliness. But they are not physically alone. They have children or a spouse, or parents, or are surrounded by others day in and day out. Yet they feel alone. They stopped expressing their innermost thoughts except to themselves, if even that. The words that do leave their mouth are in some form of repetition of an expression expected of others or their own overt selves. Then they became resigned to that state.

 

Despite my probing myself and defining my faults, thinking it caused shift, I was no better off than them. In my dealings with people I failed every day. Through my spiritual journey if my heart hadn’t hardened it hadn’t softened as much as it should have. I realized through this writing that it’s because I’m constantly seeing through a lens that filters right and wrong. Hazrat Mujjadid al Fisani (ra) was right. I’m forever casting others into the pit of munkir and kafir, the deniers of truth.

 

I was recently skimming a piece I wrote a few years ago. In it I was addressing a set of parents in a village in the mountains where I taught in a school for a week. It was the line I concluded my speech with that caught my eye, “The power of our connection with God is a function of our connection with people.”

 

The litmus test of the progress of my spirituality is ultimately how my relationships with people changed as a result what I have learnt about God through His Beloved (peace be upon him) and His Friends. From Ghaus Pak (ra) again:

 

إنقطع ثم اتصل واتصل ثم أوصل

 

Disconnect (from all others)

then connect (to Me)

and keep connecting

then communicate (with all others through Me).

 

And years later I was still choosing “disconnect” each time. There was something wrong. I discussed it with Qari Sahib in depth. Told him about my judgmental prideful reactions to people whose behaviour disturbed me. It didn’t create anger, I was clear about that. Relieved actually but I was left rattled. He pointed me to a verse:

 

أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُ ٱللَّهُ مَا فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَأَعْرِضْ عَنْهُمْ وَعِظْهُمْ وَقُل لَّهُمْ فِىٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ قَوْلًۢا بَلِيغًۭا

 

As for them God know all that is in people’s hearts so ignore what they say (leave them alone), advise them and speak to them about themselves in a gravely searching manner – Surah An-Nisa, Verse 63

 

Ghaus Pak (ra): Speak to them then in private and say that which will be of influence and affect them, that which will bring a shift in their nature and they might take as advice.

 

For me the line meant to just continue to be loving with those I already loved. Meeting them was becoming more and more rare as it was. What was the point of being distant, feeling distant? For Ghaus Pak (ra) also is the one why says that how can one who does receive insight (through their faith as a grace from God) forget that it is a gift, a bounty from the Creator that not all people are chosen to receive.

 

وَلَا يَأْتَلِ أُولُو الْفَضْلِ مِنكُمْ وَالسَّعَةِ أَن يُؤْتُوا أُولِي الْقُرْبَىٰ وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَالْمُهَاجِرِينَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ

 

And let not those who possess grace and ease among you swear not to give to the near of kin and to the needy and to emigrants for the cause of Allah.

 

وَلْيَعْفُوا وَلْيَصْفَحُوا أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيم

 

Let them forgive and show indulgence.

For do you not desire that God forgive you your sins?

And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, most Merciful – Surah An-Nur, Verse 22

 

I saw where my error lay. It didn’t matter so much whether others had changed or not or how much. I had been taught how to deal with them. I was still in the old mode of protecting myself, my self esteem, from eons before when I had not known how. This time the sidestepping was not out of necessity or fear or harm they might cause me. It was out of pride. A new choice had to be exerted as a poet once insisted:

 

دو رنگی خوب نئیں یک رنگ ہو جا

سراپا موم ہو یا سنگ ہو جا

 

To be of states opposing within yourself is troubling,

so either let your heart melt or let it become hard.

 

Nabi Kareem’s (peace be upon him) gentleness of manner held the key to his excellence in behaviour. And it was gifted to him from God.

 

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍۢ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ

وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ ٱلْقَلْبِ لَٱنفَضُّوا۟ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ

فَٱعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ ۖ

فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ

 

So it was by the Mercy from Allah that you were gentle towards them.

 

And if you had been rude and harsh of heart, surely they would turned away from you.

 

Pardon them, ask forgiveness for them, and consult them about the matter.

 

But once you decide on a course of action, put your trust in God. God loves those who trust Him – Surah Aal –e- Imran, Verse 159

 

Tafseer e Jilani: Rasool Pak’s (peace be upon him) gentleness in the verse is marked especially because it was precisely towards those who turned away from him, were disobedient to him and refused to follow him. When they harmed him, bringing pain and suffering upon him, he forgave them. Then he prayed to his Lord to forgive them as well so that for the sake of his ask, Allah would forgive them. Then after forgiving them and interceding on their behalf, he brought them into his circle of advisors. But the finality of every matter lies in the decision made by the Beloved (peace be upon him). Once it has been made, everything is left by him to Allah and Allah alone.

 

After 35 pages and days of agonizing I finally let out a sigh of relief. When the snare is of the self, only the rescue hasty from a Friend of God carries one safely to the other side. Otherwise it’s just stops and starts and a lot of drowning in between.

 

Ghaus Pak says that anything that is for the sake of God will reach its completion. It will be everlasting, it will increase. Anything for any other will not sustain. It will change, it will disappear. So when you try to do something, whatever it is, separate its doing from your ego, your desires and your sinful urges. The act should not even be attempted unless it is is only for God and in obeyance to His Commands willingly, the commands which have been stated clearly with certainty.

 

“Detach yourself from your own self and others and the world and Allah will grant you peace from His Creation, all of it. The condition is only to cleanse your heart from its rust, from your desires and your self. Be with the truthful and Allah will aid you as He aids them. For there is no love except His Love. And there is no tranquility without His Remembrance.”

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh14jE5uueU&feature=youtu.be

 

Uzair’s lecture: www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkbp0n5H_mo  

 

Syed Ahmad Sultan Sakhi Sarwar is also known as Lakh Data, Sakhi Sultan and Lalan Wali Sarkar. He was the son of Hazrat Zainul Abedin, who migrated from Baghdad and settled in Shahkot (near Multan) in 1220 AD. He studied in Lahore and later went to Dhounkal, near Wazirabad for higher education.

Sakhi Sarwar preached Islam in Sodhra, near Wazirabad. He also stayed at Dhounkal with his contemporary saints Shaikh Shahabuddin Suhrawardy and Hazrat Moinuddin Ajmeri. From Dhounkal, Sakhi Sarwar came to Dera Ghazi Khan and settled in Nagaha, now named after him, Sakhi Sarwar.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhi_Sarwar

Shahabuddin a PWD scanning Z card on BRT station, December 1, 2020. The Asian Development Bank is helping Pakistan provide safe, modern urban and universal accessible transport services for cleaner and healthier environment in Peshawar, Pakistan. (ADB Photo, Rahim Mirza)

Sultan Qutb-ud-din Aibak also called "Lakh Baksh Sultan" (the donator of hundreds of thousands) (Urdu: قطب الدین ایبک) (Qutb-ud-din meaning "Axis of the Faith") was the first Muslim Emperor of India who ruled from his capital in Delhi where he built Qutub Minar and the Quwwat Al Islam mosque[1]. He was a Turkish warrior by descendency, Turkic ruler, the first Sultan of Delhi and founder of the Slave dynasty (also known as the Ghulam dynasty) of India. He ruled as an emperor for only four years, from 1206 to 1210 but because of his super efficient administration and farsighted vision[citation needed], his name has become inseparable from the history of South Asia. Though he ruled for only four years, he was able to furnish stable law and administrative system in the country, started many constructive projects and tried the best possible alternatives for the wellbeing of his subjects. Although he was a strict follower of Sunni Islam and his forces were aggressive against the native Hindu population at the time of their victorious arrival, he exercised considerable tolerance towards the local Hindu, Jain and Buddhist population after he became the emperor of the newly born sultanate. In the architectural field, his biggest contribution is the famous Qutub Minar in New Delhi which he constructed to mark two of the historical events of India. Firstly to announce about the military and official arrival of his faith Islam in the Indian Subcontinent and secondly to announce about their triumphant victory over the Rajput forces whom they defeated in a huge battle before arrival. He was also popularly called the "Lakh Annadata" (the giver of thousands of grains) or "Lakh Baksh Sultan" because of his generous and donative nature. He was also a very prolific and refined player of the game of polo. He died while playing the same game at Lahore.[2]Qutbuddin was born somewhere in Central Asia; he was of Turkic descent.[3][4] While still a child he was captured and sold as a slave (ghulam). He was purchased by the chief Qazi of Nishapur, a town in the province of Khorasan in northeastern Iran. The Qazi treated him like one of his own sons, and Aibak received a very good education in all the major subjects, was a very brave warrior and an appreciable ruler and intelligent in languages including fluency in Persian and Arabic[5] and training in archery and horsemanship. When his master died, his master's sons, who were jealous of Aibak, sold him to a slave merchant. Aibak was, then, finally purchased by the great General Shahabuddin Muhammad Ghauri, then governor of GhazniStarting with his native Ghor, an Aimak principality, Shahabuddin Ghauri proved to be a distiguished personality of the history and managed to establish control over most of present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India. Under his command, Qutbuddin sacked Delhi in 1193 after the victory in the Battle of Terrain.[6] As governor of northern India, Aibak was very refined and established the first verifiable Muslim administration through collection of state taxes, establishing the rule of law, equitable distribution of land and revenues to the nobles under his charge, and governance based on a mixture of locally elected representation through Mashura courts and nominated administrators on every rank to ensure the good working of the government.

Qutbuddin rose through the ranks to become the Emperor Muhammad Ghauri's most trusted general. His greatest military successes occurred while he was directly under Ghauri's guidance and leadership. Qutb was responsible for executing and consolidating Ghauri's conquests in northern India. He was left in increasingly independent charge of the Indian campaigns and the exaction of levies from the areas in India that were under Sultan Ghauri's conquests, as after 1192 the ambitious Sultan Ghauri concentrated on In 1206, the Emperor Ghauri appointed Qutb-ud-din Aibak as his Naib us Sultanat in India[7] at a grand darbar (reception) at Lahore, which was attended by a large majority of the nobles and dignitaries of his vast empire. It was at this occasion that Ghauri bestowed upon Qutb-ud-din the title of Aibak, meaning "Axis of the FaithMuhammad Ghauri established the first real Muslim state as well as empire in North India. Upon Sultan Ghauri's death in 1206, Qutb, after a brief power struggle, succeeded in establishing himself as ruler of the empire in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India;Shahabuddin Muhammad's Central Asian possessions had been captured by none other than the Mongol warlord, Genghis Khan.The Qutab Minar, now a World Heritage Site in New Delhi, India, was built during his time.

The areas over which Aibak established his rule were those over which he already exercised power as Ghauri's local receiver-general of periodic exactions and levies. He did not attack other kingdoms without any reason and concentrated on the development of the existing empire. Therefore, although his formal tenure as ruler was only four years, Aibak managed to consolidate thoroughly the administrative system that was established by his predecessor and master Shahabuddin Ghauri. This was achieved despite his having to quell powerful rebellions by nobles like Taj-ud-din Ildiz and Nasir-ud-din Qubacha. Qutbuddin ruled his empire initially from the Capital Lahore and later moved the capital to Delhi; he is hence considered the first Muslim ruler of South Asia.

Qutbuddin Aibak was a very refined and inticrate builder. He led the constructions of the security towers, check posts, tax posts and a few of the forts in the most important cities of his empire to avoid plunderings and loots. He also initiated the construction of Delhi's earliest Muslim monuments, the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque and the Qutub Minar. Historical records compiled by Muslim historian Maulana Hakim Saiyid Abdul Hai attest to the iconoclasm of Qutbuddin Aibak. The first mosque built in Delhi[9].These were completed by his successor, Iltutmish. Aibak,was otherwise known as "Lakh Baksh" or "giver of hundred thousands" because of his generous nature. He was thus a pious Muslim, praised by contemporary Muslim clerics for his good and balanced way of living. He also patronized Nizami and Fakh-i-Mudabbir, both of whom dedicated their works to Aibak. Tazul Maasir is a work primarily dealing with Aibak.in machchhu dem in 1979 for over flov to morbi honaret

horseback (polo aka chougan in India), his horse fell and the sultan was impaled on the pommel of his saddle. He was buried near the Anarkali bazaar in Lahore. Aibak's son Aram, died in 1211 CE [2], so Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, another ex-slave and an Sultan Qutbuddin died accidentally in 1210. While he was playing a game of polo on outstanding ruler of Turkic ancestry who was married to Aibak's daughter, succeeded him as Sultan of Delhi.Aibak's tomb is located behind Anarkali Bazaar, Lahore today and is a famous tourist site. In the early 1970s, it was renovated at the orders of the then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto.[10]

Shahabuddin a PWD using Zu Peshawar Wi-Fi facility on BRT, December 1, 2020. The Asian Development Bank is helping Pakistan provide safe, modern urban and universal accessible transport services for cleaner and healthier environment in Peshawar, Pakistan. (ADB Photo, Rahim Mirza)

Hazrat Sheikh Shahabuddin Suharwardi's ra parents were childless, until his mother approached Hazrat Ghous-ul-Azam Sheikh AbdulQadir al Gilani(rahmatullah alaih) and asked him to pray that she may be blessed with a son. Raising His hands Hazrat Ghous ul Azam prayed and said that Allah the Beneficient would grant her wish. He desired the child when born to be named Shahabuddin and predicted that the child would rise up to be a Sheikh of Sheikhs.He is founder of Silsila Soharwardia.

www.tawhidia.com

www.facebook.com/AstanaSharif

Shahabuddin Muhammad Shah Jahan, was the fifth Mughal Emperor of India. He is also known as Shah Jahan I. He ruled from 1628 until 1658. The period of his reign was the golden age of Mughal architecture. Shah Jahan erected many splendid monuments, the most famous of which is the Taj Mahal at Agra, built in 1632–1654 as a tomb for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Today he lies here, in this Tomb.

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HAZRAT SHEIKH SHAMSUDDIN - AASHIQ ALLAH (R.A) - (1317)

The Dragaah is in mehrauli, ½ km away from EIDGAAH in north green area. A KACHHA ROAD leads to this dargaah, the road starts from the nrth of the EIDGAAH. It is a very famous DARGAAH.

 

It was built in 1317 by Sultaan Qutubuddin Mubaarak Shah Khilji (1316-20) during his reign. In the east of the DARGAAH, there is a hill on which the CHILLAGAAH of BABA FARID is situated, and the nearby hill around this DARGAAH has been a place of meditation for many great sufi saints.

Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fath (1251–1335) commonly known by the title Rukn-e-Alam (pillar of the world) commonly called Shah Rukne Alam was among the eminent Sufi saints from Multan, Pakistan.

The Shaikh was the son of Pir Sadar-Al-Din Arif born at Multan on Friday, the 9th of Ramadan 649 Hijri (26 November 1251). He was the grandson and successor of Shaikh Baha-Ud-Din Zakariya.

Shaikh Rukn-e-Alam (Rukn-al-Din) died on Friday, the 7th of Jumada al-awwal 735 Hijri (3 January 1335). He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather, according to his own will. After sometime, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum. Upon his death the Sheikh conferred his spiritual succession to Sheikh Hamid ud Din al Hakim, buried at Mau Mubarak in Rahim Yar Khan, who was his Khalifa e Awal and was married to his aunt, the daughter of Sheikh Baha ud Din Zikriya.

The saint is still revered today and his tomb is the focus of the pilgrimage of over 100,000 pilgrims from all over South Asia who visit and commemorate his memory. Makhdoom Shahabuddin is the current Sajjada Nashin and custodian of the Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam

A U.S. Special Forces officer and Col. John Mulholland, deputy commander of Regional Command - North, greets Gen. Abdul Rahimi, the police chief of Baghlan province, during a visit to Combat Outpost Shahabuddin, Baghlan province Oct. 28. Only weeks earlier the area was deserted as insurgents overran the COP and terrorized the local population. Coalition forces including German Task Force Masir-e Sharif, the 10th Mountain Division and U.S. Special Forces now have a permanent presence in the area in order to aid the local Afghans with security. (Photo by Sgt. Katryn McCalment)

Prof Ghulam Azam was born in 7th November'1922 at his maternal gandfather's Laxmibazar home in Dhaka. He hails from a well-respected family of religious scholars. Laxmibazar is a well-known hub of spiritual practice and his maternal grandfather Shah Sayed Abdul Monaem was the Shah Shaheb (spiritual leader) at that time. His ancestoral home is Maulvi Bari (house of religious scholars), Birgaon village, Nabinagor sub-district, district of Brahminbaria. His great grandfather, Munshi Shahabuddin, was known as the most prominent religious scholar on the east of the Meghna River.

 

Prof Azam’s father was Maolana Ghulam Kabir and mother was Sayeda Ashrafunnisa. In 1950 his father purchased land in Moghbazar, Dhaka; Prof Azam has been resident there since. His father was an Islamic and modern man. He was the teacher of a high school and also the marriage registrar (Kazi) of Dhaka city.

 

Prof Azam has 3 brothers and 5 sisters (1 brother & 1 sister remain living), and he is the eldest. He and his siblings displayed exceptional academic excellence. He was consistently among the highest achieving from his academic peers and went on to complete a degree in Arabic, English and Political Science in 1946 from Dhaka University. He then completed his masters in Political Science in 1948 also from Dhaka University. Prof Azam was a student activist, and particularly active in the Bangla Language Movement. He was elected for two consecutive terms as Secretary General to Dhaka University’s Students Union (1947-49/1948-49). He went on to join Rangpur Carmichael College as Lecturer then Professor of Politics.

 

Of his brothers, the first, Dr. Ghulam Muazzam, passed his M.B.B.S degree from Calcutta Medical College. He was a gold medalist in his batch in which national professor Nurul Islam was also his batchmate. He was the principal of Sylhet and Rangpur Medical colleges and professor of Acra Medical College in Ghana through Commonwealth invitation. He rose to become the leading Pathologist in Bangladesh and wrote several books. Two of the books are Science in the Quran and The Quran and Medical Science (written in Bangla). The second brother was an electrical engineer and chief engineer in a division of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC). His third brother Dr Mahdiuzzaman was also an Electrical Engineer. He was a professor in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) and a research fellow at the University of Manchester, UK. Prof Azam’s sisters were educated women for their time; among them, one was a lecturer in Bangla Literature. Husbands of the sisters include Advocate Moshihur Rahman, Maolana Alauddin Al-Azhari (the first Bangladeshi graduate of Al-Azhar University and author of Bangladesh’s key textbook in Arabic Language) and Maolana Kazi Shariatullah (Secretary General of Bangladesh Kazi Association).

 

Prof Azam is married to Sayeda Afifa Azam, daughter of Maolana Mir Abdus Salam of Bogra. Their marriage was on 28th December'1951. They have six sons and no daughters. His eldest son completed his degree and masters in Economics from the University of Manchestor, UK. He works for a development bank in the Middle East. His second son is a businessman in UK and third son works for a company also in UK. His fourth son is an ex-brigadier general and award winning officer of the Bangladesh Army who was dismissed without explanation by the current Awami League government upon their rise to power. Prof Azam’s fifth son is a management consultant in UK and his youngest son completed his doctorate from Aligarh University and is a lecturer at a British University.

The great painter Shahabuddin Ahmed

 

Client : Man's World Bangladesh [ Magazine Cover issue ]

 

Facebook : www.facebook.com/mortuzaalamphotography

 

© "All rights are reserved" worldwide by Mortuza Alam and MW Bangladesh. Please do not use the picture without permission

 

Photo uploaded with the permission of the client.

Khwaja Shahabuddin, Brig. Nawazish, anwar Sadat and Ikramullah are visible

Kunjungan Hormat Kepada YBhg Datuk Haji Mohd Shahabuddin Bin Omar, Setiausaha Persekutuan Sarawak

The great painter Shahabuddin Ahmed

 

Client : Man's World Bangladesh [ Magazine Cover issue ]

 

Facebook : www.facebook.com/mortuzaalamphotography

 

© "All rights are reserved" worldwide by Mortuza Alam and MW Bangladesh. Please do not use the picture without permission

 

Photo uploaded with the permission of the client.

Sheikh Rukn-ud-Din Abul Fath (1251–1335) commonly known by the title Rukn-e-Alam (pillar of the world) commonly called Shah Rukne Alam was among the eminent Sufi saints from Multan, India (now in Pakistan).

The Shaikh was the son of Pir Sadar-Al-Din Arif born at Multan on Friday, the 9th of Ramadan 649 Hijri (26 November 1251). He was the grandson and successor of Shaikh Baha-Ud-Din Zakariya.

Shaikh Rukn-e-Alam (Rukn-al-Din) died on Friday, the 7th of Jumada al-awwal 735 Hijri (3 January 1335). He was buried in the mausoleum of his grandfather, according to his own will. After sometime, however, his coffin was transferred to the present mausoleum. Upon his death the Sheikh conferred his spiritual succession to Sheikh Hamid ud Din al Hakim, buried at Mau Mubarak in Rahim Yar Khan, who was his Khalifa e Awal and was married to his aunt, the daughter of Sheikh Baha ud Din Zikriya.

The saint is still revered today and his tomb is the focus of the pilgrimage of over 100,000 pilgrims from all over South Asia who visit and commemorate his memory. Makhdoom Shahabuddin is the current Sajjada Nashin and custodian of the Mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam.

Photo: President of Jamia Alumni Association, Murshid Kamal addressing the Iftar Party gathering in Riyadh. (From L-R) Dr. Hafeezur Rahman, Head of Jamaat Islami Hind, Riyadh, Mr. R. N. Vats, Second Secretary, community welfare, Embassy of India, Riyadh and Mohammed Shahabuddin, Member Advisory council.

The great painter Shahabuddin Ahmed

 

Client : Man's World Bangladesh [ Magazine Cover issue ]

 

Facebook : www.facebook.com/mortuzaalamphotography

 

© "All rights are reserved" worldwide by Mortuza Alam and MW Bangladesh. Please do not use the picture without permission

 

Photo uploaded with the permission of the client.

Villagers harvest wheat outside Combat Outpost Shahabuddin, Baghlan province Oct. 28. Only weeks earlier the village was deserted as insurgents overran the COP and terrorized the local population. Coalition forces including German Task Force Masir-e Sharif, the 10th Mountain Division and U.S. Special Forces now have a permanent presence in the area in order to aid the local Afghans with security. (Photo by Sgt. Katryn McCalment)

El diputado Pepe Auth fue el moderador de la mesa redonda “Ciudadanía: espectadores o protagonistas del desarrollo", en la que participaron como panelistas Benito Baranda, director de América Solidaria y reconocido en Chile por su labor con el Hogar de Cristo; Sebastián Burr, empresario, columnista y escritor; Beatriz Paredes, diputada Federal de la Cámara de Diputados de México y ex presidenta del Partido Revolucionarios; y Shahabuddin Yaqoob Quraishi, director de la Comisión Electoral de la India. El debate se realizó en la sala del Senado, en Valparaíso, en el marco del Seminario “Los desafíos de un desarrollo integral”, realizado este 4 y 5 de julio del 2011 como parte de las actividades de celebración oficial de los 200 años del Congreso Nacional.

www.bcn.cl/bicentenario/bicentenario/mesa-redonda-ciudada...

Press conference today to announce the merger of the two factions of Mushawarat, 27 October, 2013 -- 4 pm

at Mushawarat Central Office, D-252 Abul Fazal Enclave – part 1, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025 Maulana Muhammad Salim Qasmi, Syed Shahabuddin Maulana, Maulana Ahmad Ali Qasmi, Mufti Ataur Rahman Qasmi, Maulana Junaid Ahmad Banarsi, Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan and Ejaz Ahmad Aslam