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The sun setting over the Queensferry Crossing Scotland River Forth.
Bhagavad-Gita 2.55
The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O Pārtha, when a man gives up all varieties of desire for sense gratification, which arise from mental concoction, and when his mind, thus purified, finds satisfaction in the self alone, then he is said to be in pure transcendental consciousness.
"WHOROULY LIBRARY HALL ANNUAL BALL
The annual ball and supper in connection with the anniversary of the opening of this invaluable institution was held at the hall on Wednesday evening, the 25th inst., and proved still more successful than any of its predecessors, there being a large attendance, including visitors from Beechworth, Wangaratta, Moyhu, Everton and other parts of the district. The attendance numbered between 6O and 70 couples, who went through a comprehensive programme of dances with unabated vivacity under the direction of Mr. H. Price, of Whorouly, as M.C., to the excellent music supplied, by Carter's band. The supper, which was of the most recherche description, was supplied by the caterer, Mr. Kane, of Wangaratta, in his usual superior style, and during the interval thus created a number of dances, including the first set of quadrilles, were enjoyed to the music of a phonograph supplied by Mr. W. Connors, of the Whorouly Hotel. Dancing was then resumed, and protracted until an early hour in the morning, when the company dispersed, with entire gratification at the night's enjoyment.
The following are some of the principal dresses : —
Miss Barker — Navy blue silk, white dewdrop chiffon and applique trimmings.
Mrs. E. L. Barker — Pale blue silk, lace trimmings and pink roses.
Mrs. W. Connors— Black chiffon, taffeta spangled trimmings.
Mrs. Joseph Carmody — Black silk, heliotrope silk bodice.
Miss E. Carmody— Blue silk, taffeta and cream trimmings.
Miss Nellie Carmody— White Indian muslin dress, embroidery trimmings and Val. lace.
Miss Stasia Comerford — Paon glace, with chantille lace and insertion and gold mounts.
Miss Nellie Comerford — White Swiss embroidered robe, with lace and insertion.
Miss M. Comerford — Cream Sicillian, with chiffon and insertion trimmings, silk ornaments.
Miss C. Conneli — Wine messaline, cream applique trimmings.
Miss P. Conneli — Brown Louisenne, with cream applique and white Valencienues finishings.
Miss Maude Corbett— Cream chiffon
taffeta, with lace panel and silver ornaments.
Miss M. Durnan — Striped Sicilian, trimmed with glaco and all-over lace.
Mrs. G. Fackrell— Oream satin Empire gown, with gold trimmings.
Mrs. J. Goonan — White silk costume, lace trimmings.
Miss R. Graham (Dederang) — White silk evening dress, spangled net trimmings.
Miss Gilchrist (Beechworth) — Paleblue evening dress, silk trimmings.
Miss C. Harrington — Cream Chaly, with guipure trimmings.
Miss O. Horner — Empire gown, silk mouseline de soie, with silk Chantilly insertion, gold adornments.
Mrs. E. J. Kneebone — Black cashmere evening dress.
Miss G. Kneeboue — Blue cashmere, trimmed with lace and insertion.
Miss Alice Kay (debutante) — White mouseline de soie, Swiss insertion, Valenciennes lace, pink flowers.
Mrs. Lowcock (Melbourne) — White silk, pale green trimmings.
Miss Lowcock (debutante) — White muslin, lace and embroidery trimmings.
Mrs. J. Matheson — Cream silk.
Mrs. H. Milne — Pale blue silk empire gown, with silver trimmings.
Miss Milne — Black merv., cream applique trimmings.
Miss Alice Milno — Empire gown, cream
chiffon glace, sequin trimmings.
Miss Ada M. Mason— Empire gown of
white silk muslin pongee, pale blue sash,
handsomely trimmed with pearls, gold
rings and bangles.
Miss H. Mason (Everton) — Empire gown of white mouslino de soie, pale green trimmings.
Miss Mooney — Palo green silk, silver trimmings.
Miss Katie Moonoy — Silk fish-net, beautifully spangled with panels of silk gauze over pale blue silk, and pink carnations:
Mrs. J. Newton — Navy blue cashmere,
trimmed with silk, over-all lace and braid.
Miss Pavy Newton (Beechworth) — White muslin evening dress.
Miss H. O'Connor — Creani Sicilian, lace and net trimmings.
Miss L. O'Connor — White chifion muslin, lace trimmings.
Mrs. H. Price — Cream silk empire evening gown.
Miss H. S. Rothery — Wine-colored
satin, Charmeuse rose point lace.
Mrs. Spink — Black silk, white lace trimmings.
Miss Spink (debutante) — White silk, lace trimmings.
Mrs. C. J. Welch (Everton) — Gown of
cream figured Sicilian, relieved with pale forget-me-nots.
Mrs. W. Williamson — Black silk empire gown.
Miss Williamson — Cream satin Charmeuso Ainpire evening gown.
Miss M. Williamson — Cream silk empire evening gown.
Miss NValpole — Maize silk and violets.
Miss Alice Walpole — Pale blue silk, silver trimmings."
Ovens and Murray Advertiser
Saturday 28 August 1909 p2
My first Blurb book, Isaan Quiet.
www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/297643
This is a 96 page, 8x10 inch, landscape book with the ImageWrap-style binding (or paper-over-board as it is known in the book trade. Primarily used for children's books, ImageWrap lends itself well to any visually-oriented book).
I have been a museum art book designer for 14+ years, with near complete control of the design and printing of my projects from cradle to grave, including travel overseas to presscheck my books in Asia and Europe (supervise the printing on site at the printer). I also happen to be quite a shutterbug and Flickr addict, so when Blurb started, I was caught between my professional background (where I am known among many book printers as 'Mr. Picky') and my personal love of photography books . . . do I dare let go of my control and send my files to Blurb, wait two weeks and, very possibly, be disappointed?! Well, I let go of my anxiety and did it . . . and I have to say, it was worth it. The 'immediate gratification' of having a hardcover book of my own photographs is immensely satisfying. Of course, as expected, not every image is 'perfect' but I am surprised at how good it looks as a whole. More than 90% of the images meet my expectation for this process/product, with the other 10% being just slightly darker/flatter than expected. Not bad for sending images right out of 4 different cameras, taken over 4 years, with minor manipulation to some in PhotoShop. The binding (perfect bound with PUR glue, the book block held into the case with reinforced endsheets, not sewn signatures, etc.) and cover lamination are perfectly acceptable for a one-off $40.00 book. Certainly not the quality of the book you find at The Met, MOMA or on Photo-eye, but to be able to do this yourself, it's pretty cool. I will now be ordering a softcover version or two. :)
From my professional point-of-view, I see this more as a maquette or a comp of a book project, like having a CDr of your favorite music . . . it is a reasonable facsimile of the real 'printed' thing at a reasonable price without the considerable effort (profiling your printer, proofing images, printing a minimum of 500 copies, binding, shipping, distribution, having the book discounted 30% by Amazon so the publisher can't make any money, my favorite independent bookstores closing so people can't actually see the book in person - oops, etc.)
A friend said something today after looking at this book that reminded me why I love books . . . he looks at my Flickr photos often, but realized after looking at this book, that he never really 'looks' at them, not like he had when viewing the book.
(20 years ago I self-published a book which took considerable effort and did not come out nearly as nice as this.)
On a personal note, I did notice one of my images is slightly out-of-focus, and one has slight camera shake, neither of which I had noticed before, on-screen, blinded by my love of the moments they were taken. Mai bpen rai, bo bpen yang, nevermind.
while this was funny, it is also symptomatic of the times. more and more, whether it's talking too loud on cell phone in resteraunt or some other lack of etiquette/consideration people are becoming caught up in self importance and gratification. one's fun should not come at the inconvenience nor annoyance of others.
Learn to wield the jeweler's saw like a wizard's wand! Discover the historical fusion of art and trade among Scandinavia and Irish peoples as you hand craft your own pierced Celtic knot pendant. Students in this course will use sawing, piercing, soldering and polishing techniques to create a Celtic inspired knot necklace. The mere exercise of completing a one-day project of this scope speaks to the tradition of the transient lifestyle of the ancient silver smith traveling from town to town with tools in hand. Immediate gratification and a lifelong keepsake!
All tools, patterns and materials will be provided.
Interesting how life works. The most obvious warnings are often right in front of our faces, yet so many of us choose to remain ignorant. This has become a world in which our collective id has put our collective superego in an unrelenting headlock. The desire for instant gratification is an evolutionary throwback to our ancient relatives, and now a trait which once made our survival possible threatens to shorten our lifeline as a species.... So why do i still feel compelled to pull my car to the side of the road and risk getting hit by a dumptruck just for a stupid photo? I'm thinking Darwin might have some thoughts on that....
Along with two other judges I spent a very enjoyable day judging the Chilterns Association Championship but I have to ask does it all sit comfortably with me? Of course I was flattered to be asked but the very nature of the scoring system (three judges scoring on a scale of 2 - 5) tends to favour certain styles and genres of photography and I can fully understand why that is the case.
My question is therefore is it right to be associated with this sort of style of judging? Am I displaying double standards because I personally never enter any national or international exhibitions and nor would I. Why, because I see photography more as a medium of communication than instant gratification. The shear number of images to judge does not allow for any time consuming deliberation. Photography for me has a lot more depth than a score on a piece of paper.....
Copyright held by: Pickering And Inglis, 24-26 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, Lanarkshire G2 6PA
THE ANTICHRIST IS NERO RESURRECTED
Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar) Caesar - October 16, 54 - June 9, 68
Nero burned up the city, blaming Christians, because every time he would kill a bunch of Christians more would surface, so right before he committed suicide he admitted that he set fire to city in frustration.
What if the reason you don’t think Nero is the Antichrist is because your conscience is not attuned to it? You may treat the Antichrist as not an individual, but allegorically or as some organization, and thus, be deceived into taking the mark of the beast and being fooled by this man who is a pretext for war.
Nero was the worse human being in history. He was the first to really go after the Church in the Neronian persecutions. Compared to Domitian, it is like night and day. Nero was last of the Julio-Claudians. He was not only the sixth emperor of Rome, he was the first to persecute Christians so overtly. For the purposes of Revelation though he is considered the 5th. Domitian is the 6th at the time of John writing Revelation. "Five are fallen, and one is, the other is not yet come" (Rev. 17.10). Nero is not the 6th mentioned in Revelation 17 because Claudius adopted the name of Julius Caesar and was himself also adopted by Julius Caesar.
Emperor Augustus of Rome was born with the given name Gaius Octavius on September 23, 63 B.C. He took the name Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (Octavian) in 44 B.C. after the murder of his great uncle, Julius Caesar. In his will, Caesar had adopted Octavian and made him his heir.
The persecution began in the middle of November 64 A.D. and continued until June 8, 68 A.D. when Nero committed suicide, a period of 42 months. This where we get our 1260 days from in Revelation which point to the coming period of end time events. This last week of 7 years is separated from the 69 weeks in Daniel's prophecy. The 69 weeks pointed to the time when the Messiah would come and atone for sins. A great span of time separates the 69 weeks and the 70th week because Israel rejected their Messiah and the gospel of salvation is given to all the nations, not just Israel.
The fact that Nero killed by the sword is well documented. Paul, for example, is said to have died under Nero by decapitation with a sword. Tertullian credits “Nero’s cruel sword” as providing the martyr’s blood as seed for the Church. He urges his readers to “Consult your histories; you will there find that Nero was the first who assailed with the imperial sword the Christian sect.”
The number of a man who is the Antichrist is 666. This takes wisdom to understand (Rev. 13.18). See how this calculation points to Nero. By all means, study the information on preterist sites, but make sure you check your sources. They make the grave error of concealing who the Antichrist will be by denying his future existence and who he is going to be like (Nero) so as to be deceived by him and take the mark of the beast. Preterists claim the 1000 years has already happened or partial preterists will say it is happening now. But Revelation 20.3 says, "Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished." The nations still war and we hear rumors of wars.
History records that Nero took his own life with the sword. Roman historian Suetonius describes Nero’s death: “Then with the help of his secretary, Epaphroditus, he stabbed himself in the throat.”
It is interesting, from a historical perspective, that Nero was actually referred to as a “beast” by his contemporaries. For instance, the pagan writer Apollinius of Tyana, who lived at the time of Nero, states: “In my travels, which have been wider than ever man yet accomplished, I have seen many wild beasts of Arabia and India; but this beast, that is commonly called a Tyrant, I know not how many heads it has, nor if it be crooked of claw, and armed with horrible fangs.... And of wild beasts you cannot say that they were ever known to eat their own mother, but Nero gorged himself on this diet.”
Nero ruthlessly murdered his parents, his brother, his pregnant wife (whom he kicked to death) and other family members. He was a homosexual, who found sexual gratification in watching torture. He enjoyed dressing up as a wild beast and raping male and female prisoners. He illuminated his garden parties with the bodies of Christians, covered with pitch and set aflame.
Roman historian Tacitus (56-117 A.D.) spoke of Nero’s “cruel nature” that “put to death so many innocent men.” Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.) described Nero as "the destroyer of the human race” and ”the poison of the world.”Roman satirist Juvenal (60-140 A.D.) speaks of “Nero’s cruel and bloody tyranny.” Suetonius (70-160 A.D.), speaks of Nero’s “cruelty of disposition” evidencing itself at an early age. He documents Nero’s evil and states: “neither discrimination or moderation [were employed] in putting to death whosoever he pleased on any pretext whatever.” When Nero committed suicide on June 8, 68 A.D., two major inter-related historical situations faced the world. Both carried with them catastrophic consequences.
First, with the death of Nero, the Julian-Claudian line of emperors came to an end. In other words, the blood line which had received worship from the Roman Empire had been cut off forever. To the superstitious, pagan world this was most significant. This was no small matter to the subjects of the Roman Empire.
Second, catastrophe upon catastrophe followed the death of Nero and the extinction of the Roman Empire’s founding family. The empire found itself engulfed in civil wars, to the extent that “eternal Rome” was endanger of being reduced to rubble.
Josephus writes concerning these civil wars: “I have omitted to give an exact account of them, because they are well known by all, and they are described by a great number of Greek and Roman authors.”
Tacitus writes: “The history on which I am entering is that of a period rich in disasters, terrible with battles, torn by civil struggles, horrible even in peace. Four emperors failed by the sword; there were three civil wars, more foreign wars and often both at the same time.... In Rome there was more awful cruelty.... Besides the manifold misfortunes that befell mankind, there were prodigies in the sky and on the earth, warnings given by thunderbolts, and prophecies of the future, both joyful and gloomy, uncertain and clear. For never was it more fully proved by awful disasters of the Roman people or by indubitable signs that gods care not for our safety, but for our punishment.”
Suetonius wrote, concerning the long months following Nero’s death, that the empire “for a longtime had been unsettled, and as it were, drifting, through the usurpation and violent death of the three emperors, was at last taken in hand and given stability by the Flavian family.”
Titus Flavius Vespasianus restored political stability and established a new dynasty of the Roman Empire. Under the rule of Vespasian the empire was revived and the Beast lived once more.
The relevant verses in Revelation regarding the death and revivification of the Beast are most readily understood from the earth-shaking historical events after the suicide of Nero in 68 A.D. Not only will the person of Antichrist be revealed but so will the revived Roman empire.
Did you know that Nero was the great Grandson of Claudius and Claudius was adopted by Julius Caesar and Claudius changed his name to Julius Caesar. Rev. 13.18 is asking for your wisdom to see underneath.
Don’t think in terms of mass persecutions, think in terms of killing your own family members. That is highly evil beyond belief. Evil does not need to be wide open. It can be sitting right there in the heart of one man killing his own family members, my God!
Nero was much worse than Domitian. Tertullian said Domitian also cruel like Nero often ceased from his attempts. Banishment (as in John) is his more likely avenue whereas Nero would just put you to death.
Domitian was the 6th, the one “who is”. Hitler was not Nero. Antichrist will be far worse than Hitler, instead Nero who will kill his own family for God sakes!!
The possible negative consequences of this is that in not recognizing the difference in nature of Nero to other forms of evil men, you may confuse the Antichrist to be more like certain men in history as opposed to the real Antichrist nature of Nero.
A.D. 37-68, Roman emperor (A.D. 54-68), the son of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina II, who was the great-granddaughter of Augustus. Agrippina married (A.D. 49) Claudius I and persuaded him to adopt Nero. In A.D. 55, Agrippina saw that she was losing control of Nero and intrigued in favor of Claudius' son, Britannicus, but Nero poisoned the boy. Poppaea Sabina became Nero's mistress, and according to rumor she was to blame for the worst of his behavior. In A.D. 59 he murdered his mother and in A.D. 62 his wife Octavia; he later married Poppaea. When half of Rome was burned in a fire (A.D. 64), Nero accused the Christians of starting it and began the first Roman persecution. In A.D. 65 there was a plot to make Caius Calpurnius Piso emperor. The detection of this plot began a string of violent deaths, e.g., of Seneca, Lucan, and Thrasea Paetus. Nero had ambitions to be a poet and artist. Revolts in A.D. 68 caused him to commit suicide. Among his last words were, What an artist the world is losing in me!
A.D. 37-68, Roman emperor (A.D. 54-68), the son of Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus and Agrippina II, who was the great-granddaughter of Augustus. Agrippina married (A.D. 49) Claudius I and persuaded him to adopt Nero. In A.D. 55, Agrippina saw that she was losing control of Nero and intrigued in favor of Claudius' son, Britannicus, but Nero poisoned the boy. Poppaea Sabina became Nero's mistress, and according to rumor she was to blame for the worst of his behavior. In A.D. 59 he murdered his mother and in A.D. 62 his wife Octavia; he later married Poppaea. When half of Rome was burned in a fire (A.D. 64), Nero accused the Christians of starting it and began the first Roman persecution. In A.D. 65 there was a plot to make Caius Calpurnius Piso emperor. The detection of this plot began a string of violent deaths, e.g., of Seneca, Lucan, and Thrasea Paetus. Nero had ambitions to be a poet and artist. Revolts in A.D. 68 caused him to commit suicide. Among his last words were, What an artist the world is losing in me!
Ascension of Isaiah (mid-second century)
"Beliar (Nero). . . shall descend . . . in the form of a man, a lawless king, a slayer of his mother, who . . . will persecute the plant which the Twelve Apostles of the Beloved have planted. . . . He will act and speak in the name of the Beloved and say ‘I am God and before me there has been none else.’ And all the people in the world will believe in him, and will sacrifice to him. " (Ascension of Isaiah, 41 Ill)
Apollonius of Tyana (b. 4 B.C.)
"commonly called a Tyrant": "In my travels, which have been wider than ever man yet accomplished, I have seen many, many wild beasts of Arabia and India; but this beast, that is commonly called a Tyrant, I know not how many heads it has, nor if it be crooked of claw, and armed with horrible fangs. . . . And of wild beasts you cannot say that they were ever known to eat their own mothers, but Nero has gorged himself on this diet." (Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 38. Cited in John A. T Robinson, Redating the New Testament (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976), p. 235, from J. S. Phillimore (Oxford, 1912) 2:38.)
Augustine (4th Century)
"What means the declaration, that the mystery of iniquity already works?... Some suppose this to be spoken of the Roman emperor, and therefore Paul did not speak in plain words, because he would not incur the charge of calumny for having spoken evil of the Roman emperor: although he always expected that what he had said would be understood as applying to Nero." (quoted by Stuart in Apocalypse)
Clement of Alexandria (2nd Century)
"We have still to add to our chronology the following, -- I mean the days which Daniel indicates from the desolation of Jerusalem, the seven years and seven months of the reign of Vespasian. For the two years are added to the seventeen months and eighteen days of Otho, and Galba, and Vitellius; and the result is three years and six months, which is "the half of the week," as Daniel the prophet said. For he said that there were two thousand three hundred days from the time that the abomination of Nero stood in the holy city, till its destruction. For thus the declaration, which is subjoined, shows: "How long shall be the vision, the sacrifice taken away, the abomination of desolation, which is given, and the power and the holy place shall be trodden under foot? And he said to him, Till the evening and morning, two thousand three hundred days, and the holy place shall be taken away."
"These two thousand three hundred days, then, make six years four months, during the half of which Nero held sway, and it was half a week; and for a half, Vespasian with Otho, Galba, and Vitellius reigned. And on this account Daniel says, "Blessed is he that cometh to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days." For up to these days was war, and after them it ceased. And this number is demonstrated from a subsequent chapter, which is as follows: "And from the time of the change of continuation, and of the giving of the abomination of desolation, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days." " (The Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2, p. 334)
F.W. Farrar (1882)
"all the earliest Christian writers on the Apocalypse, from Irenaeus down to Victorious of Pettau and Commodian in the fourth, and Andreas in the fifth, and St. Beatus in the eighth century, connect Nero, or some Roman emperor, with the Apocalyptic Beast ." (p.541)
"the clue is preserved for us, not only by Jewish Talmudists, and Pagan historians and authors, such as Tacitus, Suetonius, Dion Cassius, and Dion Chrysostom; but also by Christian fathers like St. Irenaeus, Lactantius, St. Victorinus, Sulpicius Severus, and the Sibylline books, and even by St. Jerome, and by St. Augustine. Nothing can prove more decisively than these references that for four centuries many Christians identified Nero with the Beast."
Joel P. Green
"How would John's first readers have understood these images? Already in New Testament times, the emperor of Rome was increasingly seen not only as an agent of the gods, but as a god himself. For many, the emperor was the deity who guaranteed sustenance and fulfillment in life. Thus he was to be worshiped as a god. This state of affairs constituted no small problem for Christians, who gave their highest allegiance to their Lord and who looked to him, not to the Roman emperor, for daily provision. As this imperial religion developed further, the state would harass Christians more and more, pressing them to renounce Christ in favor of emperor worship. In such a context, the beast from the sea would have symbolized the deified emperor. His counterpart from the earth would have represented those persons - priests, philosophers, and the like - who promoted the imperial religion." (How to Read Prophecy, 76-77)
"this is a political antichrist, the Roman emperor demanding divine adoration. In claiming for himself the title Lord the emperor became for Christians a rival Christ, an antichrist." (How to Read Prophecy, 108)
Jewish Sibylline Oracles (Written "Sometime after A.D.70")
"Then Beliar will come from the Sebastinoi [i.e., the line of Augustus] and he will raise up the height of mountains, he will raise up the sea, the great fiery sun and shining moon, and he will raise up the dead. . . . But he will, indeed, also lead men astray, and he will lead astray many faithful, chosen Hebrews, and also other lawless men who have not yet listened to the word of God. (Sibylline Oracles 3:63-70; OTP 1:363.)
"One who has fifty as an initial will be commander, a terrible snake, breathing out grievous war, who one day will lay hands on his own family and slay them, and throw every-thing into confusion, athlete, charioteer, murderer, one who dares ten thousand things. He will also cut the mountain between two seas and defile it with gore. But even when he disappears he will be destructive. Then he will return declaring himself equal to God. But he will prove that he is not. Three princes after him will perish at each other’s hands." (.5:28-35; OTP 1:393.)
"a savage-minded man, much-bloodied, raving nonsense, with a full host numerous as sand, to bring destruction on you." (5:96; OTP 1:395.)
"a terrible and shameless prince whom all mortals and noble men despise. For he destroyed many men and laid hands on the womb. (5:143- 145; OTP 1:396.)
"There will come to pass in the last time about the waning of the moon a war which will throw the world into confusion and be deceptive in guile. A man who is a matricide will come from the ends of the earth in flight and devising penetrating schemes in his mind. He will destroy every land and conquer all and consider all things more wisely than all men. He will immediately seize the one because of whom he himself perished. He will destroy many men and great rulers, and he will set fire to all men as no one else ever did. Through zeal he will raise up those who were crouched in fear. There will come upon men a great war from the West. Blood will flow up to the band of deep-eddying rivers. Wrath will drip in the plains of Macedonia, an alliance to the people horn the West, but destruction for the king." (Oracles 5:361-374; OTP 1:401-402.)
"making himself equal to God." (12:79, 81, 86; OTP 14-47.)
Dr. James Kennedy, Jerry Newcomb
"He had received the finest of pagan philosophical educations, and yet he degenerated into one of the worst conceivable men. He visited brothels, frequently in disguise. He practised, as one historian says, "lewdness on boys... striking, wounding, mudering." He took a mistress. He wanted to have an affair with her and his wife objected. What do you do in a case like that? Well, it should be obvious to any and all: you simply kill your wife! - Which is what he did. But his mother objected. So he killed his mother. But he wasn't completely without feeling. In fact, when he looked down on her corpse at her funeral he said, "I did not know I had so beautiful a mother."
And so he married his mistress. Then one day she made the sad mistake of nagging him because he came home late from the races. She was in the latter stages of pregnancy. Nero kicked her in the stomach, killing both her and the child. Keep in mind, this was the ruler of the world at that time!" (What if Jesus Had Never Been Born?, 160)
Pate, Haynes
“Nero’s infamous character merits the title of “beast applied to him by the seer of the Apocalypse (v.1). Revelation 13:1-6 gives the generic background of the beast, which is the roman empire of the first century, The seven heads correspond to the seven hills of Rome, while the ten horns allude to the Caesars of the first century, however one may number them (v.1). The blasphemous worship demanded by the beast distinctly reminds one of the imperial cult of the first century, and the war the beast wages on the saints cannot help but recall the intense persecutions Nero, and later Domitian, inflicted on Christians because they did not worship Caesar. Nero’s persecution of Christians from November AD 64 to June AD 68 could account, in part, for the forty-two months (or 3 ½ years) of oppression mentioned in Rev. 13:5. The reference in Revelation 13:11-15 to the beast of the land securing worship for the beast from the sea (Rome was across the sea from the place of the writing of the Apocalypse, Asia Minor) reminds one of the local priests of the imperial cult in Asia Minor whose task was to compel the people to offer a sacrifice to Caesar and proclaim him Lord. Megalomaniac that he was, Nero had coins minted in which he was called “almighty God” and “Savior.” Nero’s portrait also appears on coins as the god Apollo playing a lyre. While earlier emperors were proclaimed deities upon their deaths, Nero abandons all reserve and demanded divine honors while still alive (as did also Caligula before him, AD 37-41). Those who worshipped the emperor received a certificate or mark of approval – charagma, the same word used in Revelation 13:16. Furthermore, in the reign of Emperor Decius (AD 249-251), those who did not possess the certificate of sacrifice to Caesar couldn not pursue trades, a prohibition that conceivably goes back to Nero, reminding one of Revelation 13:17” (C Martin Pate and Calvin B. Haynes, Doomsday Delusions, 41-42)
Orosius, Paulus (early fifth century)
"he (Nero, by context) was the first at Rome to torture and inflict the penalty of death upon Christians, and he ordered them throughout all the provinces to be afllicted with like persecution; and in his attempt to wipe out the very name, he killed the most blessed apostles of Christ, Peter and Paul." (The Seven Books of History Against the Pagans 7:7.)
Pliny the Elder (contemporary of Nero; died in the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79)
"Marcus Agrippa is said to have been born in this manner [i.e., breech position], almost the solitary instance of a successful career among all those so born – although he too is deemed to have paid the penalty which his irregular birth foretold, by a youth made unhappy by lameness, a lifetime passed amidst watiare and ever exposed to the approach of death, by the misfortune caused to the world by his whole progeny but especially due to his two daughters who became the mothers of the emperors Gaius Caligula and Domitius Nero, the two firebrands of mankind. . . . Nero also, who was emperor shortly before and whose entire rule showed him the enemy of mankind." (Pliny, Natural History 7:45.)
Ernest Renan (1873)
"THE period covered by the present volume is, after the three or four years of the public life of Jesus, the most extraordinary in the entire development of Christianity. Here, by a singular touch of the great unconscious Artist who appears to rule in the seeming caprice of historic evolution, we shall see Jesus and Nero - Christ and Antichrist - set, as it were, in contrast, face to face, like heaven and hell. The Christian consciousness is now full-grown. Hitherto it has known little else than the law of love: Jewish intolerance, though harsh, could not fret away the bond of grateful attachment cherished in the heart of the infant Church for her mother the Synagogue, from whom she is still hardly sundered. Now at length the Christian has before him an object of hate and terror. Over against the memory of Jesus rises a monstrous form, the ideal of evil, as He had been the ideal of holiness. Held in reserve, -like Enoch or Elias, to play his part in the last great tragedy of the world, Nero completes the cycle of Christian mythology: he inspires the first sacred book of the new canon; by a frightful massacre he lays the corner-stone of Romish primacy, and opens the way to that revolution which is to make of Rome a second Jerusalem, a holy city. At the same time, by a mysterious coincidence not infrequent in great crises of human destiny, Jerusalem is overthrown; the Temple disappears; Christianity, disburdened of a restraint already painful and advancing to a broadening freedom, follows out its own destinies apart from conquered Judaism. " (Antichrist, Intro.)
Philip Schaff (1877)
"the Neronian persecution [was] the most cruel that ever occurred" (History of the Christian Church, 8 vols. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, (1910) 1950] 1 :386).
"Nero's mother, Agrippina the younger, daughter of Germanicus and of Agrippina the elder, was assassinated at Nero's command in 60 a.d. in her villa on Lake Lucrine, after an unsuccessful attempt to drown her in a boat so constructed as to break to pieces while she was sailing in it on the lake. His younger brother Britannicus was poisoned by his order at a banquet in 55 a.d. His first wife Octavia was divorced in order that he might marry Poppaea, the wife of his friend Otho, and was afterward put to death. Poppaea herself died from the effects of a kick given her by Nero while she was with child." (footnote to Eusebius, #291)
"We learn from Tacitus, Ann. XV. 39, that Nero was suspected to be the author of the great Roman conflagration, which took place in 64 a.d. (Pliny, H. N. XVII. I, Suetonius, 38, and Dion Cassius LXII. 18, state directly that he was the author of it), and that to avert this suspicion from himself he accused the Christians of the deed, and the terrible Neronian persecution which Tacitus describes so fully was the result. Gibbon, and in recent times especially Schiller (Geschichte der Römischen Kaiserzeit unter der Regierung des Nero, p. 584 sqq.), have maintained that Tacitus was mistaken in calling this a persecution of Christians, which was rather a persecution of the Jews as a whole. But we have no reason for impeaching Tacitus' accuracy in this case, especially since we remember that the Jews enjoyed favor with Nero through his wife Poppaea. What is very significant, Josephus is entirely silent in regard to a persecution of his countrymen under Nero. We may assume as probable (with Ewald and Renan) that it was through the suggestion of the Jews that Nero's attention was drawn to the Christians, and he was led to throw the guilt upon them, as a people whose habits would best give countenance to such a suspicion, and most easily excite the rage of the populace against them. This was not a persecution of the Christians in the strict sense, that is, it was not aimed against their religion as such; and yet it assumed such proportions and was attended with such horrors that it always lived in the memory of the Church as the first and one of the most awful of a long line of persecutions instituted against them by imperial Rome, and it revealed to them the essential conflict which existed between Rome as it then was and Christianity." (footnote to Eusebius, #307)
Sulpicius Severus (403)
"As to Nero, I shall not say that he was the worst of kings, but that he was worthily held the basest of all men, and even of wild beasts. It was he who first began a persecution; and I am not sure but hew will be the last also to carry it on, if, indeed, we admit, as many are inclined to believe, that he will yet appear immediately before the coming of Antichrist. Our subject would induce me to set forth his vices at some length, if it were not inconsistent with the purpose of this work to enter upon so vast a topic. I content myself with the remark, that he showed himself in every way most abominable and cruel, and at length even went so far as to be the murderer of his own mother. After this, he also married a certain Pythagoras in the style of solemn alliances, the bridal veil being put upon the emperor, while the usual dowry, and the marriage couch, and wedding torches, and, in short, all the other observances were forthcoming--things which even in the ease of women, are not looked upon without some feeling of modesty. But as to his other actions, I doubt whether the description of them would excite greater shame or sorrow. He first attempted to abolish the name of Christian, in accordance with the fact that vices are always inimical to virtues, and that all good men are ever regarded by the wicked as casting reproach upon them. For, at that time, our divine religion had obtained a wide prevalence in the city. Peter was there executing the office of bishop, and Paul, too, after he had been brought to Rome, on appealing to Caesar from the unjust judgment of the governor. Multitudes then came together to hear Paul, and these, influenced by the truth which they were given to know, and by the miracles(1) of the apostles, which they then so frequently performed, turned to the worship of God. For then took place the well-known and celebrated encounter of Peter and Paul with Simon.(2) He, after he had flown up into the air by his magical arts, and supported by two demons (with the view of proving that he was a god), the demons being put to flight by the prayers of the apostles, fell to the earth in the sight of all the people, and was dashed to pieces. " (Section XXVIII)
Moses Stuart (1836)
"The idea that Nero was the man of sin mentioned by Paul, and the Antichrist spoken of so often in the epistles of St. John, prevailed extensively and for a long time in the early church.."
"Augustine says: What means the declaration, that the mystery of iniquity already works?... Some suppose this to be spoken of the Roman emperor, and therefore Paul did not speak in plain words, because he would not incur the charge of calumny for having spoken evil of the Roman emperor: although he always expected that what he had said would be understood as applying to Nero." (Excurs. iii.)
Tacitus
"inflicted unheard-of punishments on those who . . . were vulgarly called Christians" (Tacitus, Annals 15:44). Suetonius praises Nero for the persecution of Christians, but mentions no Domitianic persecution (Nero 16).
Merrill C. Tenney (1965)
"Having exhausted the imperial treasury by his heedless expenditures, he looked for some method of replenishing it. Heavy taxation of the estates of childless couples, false accusations followed by confiscation of wealth, and outright murder of the aristocracy or else invitation to suicide made life unbearable. Wealthy men lived in dread of the emperor’s displeasure, and so great was the terror that the senatorial class endured unimaginable insults and mistreatment as the price of staying alive. Men betrayed their best ftiends, perjured themselves, and stooped to any infamy to aver the emperor’s hatred or cupidity." (New Testament Times (Chicago: Moody, 1965, p. 289).
Conclusion
The view I have espoused here may, in all likelihood, run contrary to what you have been previously taught. My encouragement to you, would be to examine this teaching in light of the Scriptures. Bearing in mind John’s original audience (Rev. 1:4,11), his call for their careful consideration (Rev. 1:3; 13:9), and his contemporary expectation (Rev. 1:1, 3).
David Chilton in his book, Days of Vengeance, makes this comment:
“It is significant that ‘all the earliest Christian writers on the Apocalypse, from Irenaeus down to Victorinus of Pettau and Commodian in the fourth, and Andreas in the fifth, and St. Beatus in the eighth century, connect Nero, or some Roman emperor, with the Apocalyptic Beast’. There should be no reasonable doubt about this identification. St. John was writing to first-century Christians, warning them of things that were “shortly” to take place. They were engaged in the most crucial battle of history, against the Dragon and the evil Empire which he possessed. The purpose of the Revelation was to comfort the Church with the assurance that God was in control, so that even the awesome might of the Dragon and the Beast would not stand before the armies of Jesus Christ.”
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Once the world was overburdened by the unnecessary defense force of different kings, who were actually demons, but were posing themselves as the royal order. At that time, the whole world became perturbed, and the predominating deity of this earth, known as Bhūmi, went to see Lord Brahmā to tell of her calamities due to the demoniac kings. Bhūmi assumed the shape of a cow and presented herself before Lord Brahmā with tears in her eyes. She was bereaved and was weeping just to invoke the Lord's compassion. She related the calamitous position of the earth, and after hearing this, Lord Brahmā became much aggrieved, and he at once started for the ocean of milk, where Lord Viṣṇu resides. Lord Brahmā was accompanied by all the demigods headed by Lord Śiva, and Bhūmi also followed. Arriving on the shore of the milk ocean, Lord Brahmā began to pacify the Lord Viṣṇu who formerly saved the earthly planet by assuming the transcendental form of a boar.
In the Vedic mantras, there is a particular type of prayer called Puruṣa-sūkta. Generally, the demigods offer their obeisances unto Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by chanting the Puruṣa-sūkta. It is understood herein that the predominating deity of every planet can see the supreme lord of this universe, Brahmā, whenever there is some disturbance in his planet. And Brahmā can approach the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, not by seeing Him directly, but by standing on the shore of the ocean of milk. There is a planet within this universe called Śvetadvīpa, and on that planet there is an ocean of milk. It is understood from various Vedic literatures that just as there is the ocean of salt water within this planet, there are various kinds of oceans in other planets. Somewhere there is an ocean of milk, somewhere there is an ocean of oil, and somewhere there is an ocean of liquor and many other types of oceans. Puruṣa-sūkta is the standard prayer which the demigods recite to appease the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṣīrodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu. Because He is lying on the ocean of milk, He is called Kṣīrodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through whom all the incarnations within this universe appear.
After all the demigods offered the Puruṣa-sūkta prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they apparently heard no response. Then Lord Brahmā personally sat in meditation, and there was a message- transmission from Lord Viṣṇu to Brahmā. Brahmā then broadcast the message to the demigods. That is the system of receiving Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is received first by Brahmā from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, through the medium of the heart. As stated in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, tene brahma hṛdā: the transcendental knowledge of the Vedas was transmitted to Lord Brahmā through the heart. Here also, in the same way, only Brahmā could understand the message transmitted by Lord Viṣṇu, and he broadcast it to the demigods for their immediate action. The message was: the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear on the earth very soon along with His supreme powerful potencies, and as long as He remains on the earth planet to execute His mission of annihilating the demons and establishing the devotees, the demigods should also remain there to assist Him. They should all immediately take birth in the family of the Yadu dynasty, wherein the Lord will also appear in due course of time.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, Kṛṣṇa, personally appeared as the son of Vasudeva. Before He appeared, all the demigods, along with their wives, appeared in different pious families in the world just to assist the Lord in executing His mission. The exact word used here is tatpriyārtham, which means the demigods should appear on the earth in order to please the Lord. In other words, any living entity who lives only to satisfy the Lord is a demigod. The demigods were further informed that the plenary portion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Ananta, who is maintaining the universal planets by extending His millions of hoods, would also appear on earth before Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance. They were also informed that the external potency of Viṣṇu (māyā), with whom all the conditioned souls are enamored, would also appear just to execute the purpose of the Supreme Lord.
After instructing and pacifying all the demigods, as well as Bhūmi, with sweet words, Lord Brahmā, the father of all prajāpatis, or progenitors of universal population, departed for his own abode, the highest material planet, called Brahmaloka.
The leader of the dynasty, King Śūrasena, was ruling over the country known as Mathurā (the district of Mathurā), as well as the district known as Śūrasena. On account of the rule of King Śūrasena, Mathurā became the capital city of all the kings of the Yadus. Mathurā was also made the capital of the kings of the Yadu dynasty because the Yadus were a very pious family and knew that Mathurā is the place where Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa lives eternally, just as He also lives in Dvārakā.
Once upon a time, Vasudeva, the son of Śūrasena, just after marrying Devakī, was going home on his chariot with his newly wedded wife. The father of Devakī, known as Devaka, had contributed a sufficient dowry because he was very affectionate toward his daughter. He had contributed hundreds of chariots completely decorated with gold equipment. At that time, Kaṁsa, the son of Ugrasena, in order to please his sister, Devakī, had voluntarily taken the reins of the horses of Vasudeva's chariot and was driving. According to the custom of the Vedic civilization, when a girl is married, the brother takes the sister and brother-in-law to their home. Because the newly married girl may feel too much separation from her father's family, the brother goes with her until she reaches her father-in- law's house. The full dowry contributed by Devaka was as follows: 400 elephants fully decorated with golden garlands, 15,000 decorated horses, and 1800 chariots. He also arranged for two hundred beautiful girls to follow his daughter. The kṣatriya system of marriage, still current in India, dictates that when a kṣatriya is married, a few dozen of the bride's young girlfriends (in addition to the bride) go to the house of the king. The followers of the queen are called maidservants, but actually they act as friends of the queen. This practice is prevalent from time immemorial, traceable at least to the time before the advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa 5,000 years ago. So Vasudeva brought home another two hundred beautiful girls along with his wife.
While the bride and bridegroom were passing along on the chariot, there were different kinds of musical instruments playing to indicate the auspicious moment. There were conchshells, bugles, drums and kettledrums; combined together, they were vibrating a nice concert. The procession was passing very pleasingly, and Kaṁsa was driving the chariot, when suddenly there was a miraculous sound vibrated from the sky which especially announced to Kaṁsa: "Kaṁsa: you are such a fool. You are driving the chariot of your sister and your brother-in-law, but you do not know that the eighth child of this sister will kill you."
Kaṁsa was the son of Ugrasena, of the Bhoja dynasty. It is said that Kaṁsa was the most demonic of all the Bhoja dynasty kings. Immediately after hearing the prophecy from the sky, he caught hold of Devakī's hair and was just about to kill her with his sword. Vasudeva was astonished at Kaṁsa's behavior, and in order to pacify the cruel, shameless brother-in- law, he began to speak as follows, with great reason and evidence. He said, "My dear brother-in-law Kaṁsa, you are the most famous king of the Bhoja dynasty, and people know that you are the greatest warrior and a valiant king. How is it that you are so infuriated that you are prepared to kill a woman who is your own sister at this auspicious time of her marriage? Why should you be so much afraid of death? Death is already born along with your birth. From the very day you took your birth, you began to die. Suppose you are twenty-five years old; that means you have already died twenty-five years. Every moment, every second, you are dying. Why then should you be so much afraid of death? Final death is inevitable. You may die either today or in a hundred years; you cannot avoid death. Why should you be so much afraid? Actually, death means annihilation of the present body. As soon as the present body stops functioning and mixes with the five elements of material nature, the living entity within the body accepts another body, according to his present action and reaction. It is just as when a man walks on the street; he puts forward his foot, and when he is confident that his foot is situated on sound ground, he lifts the other foot. In this way, one after another, the body changes and the soul transmigrates. See how the plantworms change from one twig to another so carefully! Similarly, the living entity changes his body as soon as the higher authorities decide on his next body. As long as a living entity is conditioned within this material world, he must take material bodies one after another. His next particular body is offered by the laws of nature, according to the actions and reactions of this life.
"This body is exactly like one of the bodies which we always see in dreams. During our dream of sleep, we create so many bodies according to mental creation. We have seen gold and we have also seen a mountain, so in a dream we can see a golden mountain by combining the two ideas. Sometimes in dreams, we see that we have a body which is flying in the sky, and at that time we completely forget our present body. Similarly, these bodies are changing. When you have one body, you forget the past body. During a dream, we may make contact with so many new kinds of bodies, but when we are awake we forget them all. And actually these material bodies are the creations of our mental activities. But at the present moment we do not recollect our past bodies.
"The nature of the mind is flickering. Sometimes it accepts something, and immediately it rejects the same thing. Accepting and rejecting is the process of the mind in contact with the five objects of sense gratification: form, taste, smell, sound, and touch. In its speculative way, the mind comes in touch with the objects of sense gratification, and when the living entity desires a particular type of body, he gets it. Therefore, the body is an offering by the laws of material nature. The living entity accepts a body and comes out again into the material world to enjoy or suffer according to the construction of the body. Unless we have a particular type of body, we cannot enjoy or suffer according to our mental proclivities inherited from the previous life. The particular type of body is actually offered to us according to our mental condition at the time of death.
"The luminous planets like the sun, moon or the stars reflect themselves in different types of reservoirs, like water, oil or ghee. The reflection moves according to the movement of the reservoir. The reflection of the moon is on the water, and the moving water makes the moon also appear to be moving, but actually the moon is not moving. Similarly, by mental concoction, the living entity attains different kinds of bodies, although actually he has no connection with such bodies. But on account of illusion, being enchanted by the influence of māyā, the living entity thinks that he belongs to a particular type of body. That is the way of conditioned life. Suppose a living entity is now in a human form of body. He thinks that he belongs to the human community, or a particular country or particular place. He identifies himself in that way and unnecessarily prepares for another body which is not required by him. Such desires and mental concoctions are the cause of different types of body. The covering influence of material nature is so strong that the living entity is satisfied in whatever body he gets, and he identifies with that body with great pleasure. Therefore, I beg to request you not to be overwhelmed by the dictation of your mind and body."
Vasudeva thus requested Kaṁsa not to be envious of his newly married sister. One should not be envious of anyone, because envy is the cause of
fear both in this world and in the next when one is before Yamarāja (the lord of punishment after death). Vasudeva appealed to Kaṁsa on behalf of Devakī, stating that she was his younger sister. He also appealed at an auspicious moment, at the time of marriage. A younger sister or brother are supposed to be protected as one's children. "The position is overall so delicate," Vasudeva reasoned, "that if you kill her, it will go against your high reputation."
Vasudeva tried to pacify Kaṁsa by good instruction as well as by philosophical discrimination, but Kaṁsa was not to be pacified because his association was demoniac. Because of his demoniac associations, he was always a demon, although born in a very high royal family. A demon never cares for any good instruction. He is just like a determined thief: one can give him moral instruction, but it will not be effective. Similarly, those who are demoniac or atheistic by nature can hardly assimilate any good instruction, however authorized it may be. That is the difference between demigod and demon. Those who can accept good instruction and try to live their lives in that way are called demigods, and those who are unable to take such good instruction are called demons. Failing in his attempt to pacify Kaṁsa, Vasudeva wondered how he would protect his wife Devakī. When there is imminent danger, an intelligent person should try to avoid the dangerous position as far as possible. But if, in spite of endeavoring by all intelligence, one fails to avoid the dangerous position, there is no fault on his part. One should try his best to execute his duties, but if the attempt fails, he is not at fault.
Vasudeva thought of his wife as follows: "For the present let me save the life of Devakī, then later on, if there are children, I shall see how to save them." He further thought, "If in the future I get a child who can kill Kaṁsa--just as Kaṁsa is thinking--then both Devakī and the child will be saved because the law of Providence is inconceivable. But now, some way or other, let me save the life of Devakī."
There is no certainty how a living entity contacts a certain type of body, just as there is no certainty how the blazing fire comes in contact with a certain type of wood in the forest. When there is a forest fire, it is experienced that the blazing fire sometimes leaps over one tree and catches another by the influence of the wind. Similarly, a living entity may be very careful and fearful in the matter of executing his duties, but it is still very difficult for him to know what type of body he is going to get in the next life. Mahārāja Bharata was very faithfully executing the duties of self-realization, but by chance he contacted temporary affection for a deer, and he had to accept his next life in the body of a deer.
Vasudeva, after deliberating on how to save his wife, began to speak to Kaṁsa with great respect, although Kaṁsa was the most sinful man. Sometimes it happens that a most virtuous person like Vasudeva has to flatter a person like Kaṁsa, a most vicious person. That is the way of all diplomatic transactions. Although Vasudeva was deeply aggrieved, he presented himself outwardly as cheerful. He addressed the shameless Kaṁsa in that way because he was so atrocious. Vasudeva said to Kaṁsa, "My dear brother-in-law, please consider that you have no danger from your sister. You are awaiting some danger because you have heard a prophetic voice in the sky. But the danger is to come from the sons of your sister, who are not present now. And who knows? There may or may not be sons in the future. Considering all this, you are safe for the present. Nor is there cause of fear from your sister. If there are any sons born of her, I promise that I shall present all of them to you for necessary action."
Kaṁsa knew the value of Vasudeva's word of honor, and he was convinced by his argument. For the time being, he desisted from the heinous killing of his sister. Thus Vasudeva was pleased and praised the decision of Kaṁsa. In this way, he returned to his home.
After due course of time, Vasudeva and Devakī gave birth to eight male children, as well as one daughter. When the first son was born, Vasudeva kept his word of honor and immediately brought the child before Kaṁsa. It is said that Vasudeva was very much elevated and famous for his word of honor, and he wanted to maintain this fame. Although it was very painful for Vasudeva to hand over the newly born child, Kaṁsa was very glad to receive him. But he became a little compassionate with the behavior of Vasudeva. This event is very exemplary. For a great soul like Vasudeva, there is nothing considered to be painful in the course of discharging one's duty. A learned person like Vasudeva carries out his duties without hesitation. On the other hand, a demon like Kaṁsa never hesitates in committing any abominable action. It is said, therefore, that a saintly person can tolerate all kinds of miserable conditions of life, a learned man can discharge his duties without awaiting favorable circumstances, a heinous person like Kaṁsa can act in any sinful way, and a devotee can sacrifice everything to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Kaṁsa became satisfied by the action of Vasudeva. He was surprised to see Vasudeva keeping his promise, and being compassionate upon him and pleased, he began to speak as follows: "My dear Vasudeva, you need not present this child to me. I am not in danger from this child. I have heard that the eighth child born of you and Devakī will kill me. Why should I accept this child unnecessarily? You can take him back."
When Vasudeva was returning home with his first-born child, although he was pleased by the behavior of Kaṁsa, he could not believe in him because he knew that Kaṁsa was uncontrolled. An atheistic person cannot be firm in his word of honor. One who cannot control the senses cannot be steady in his determination. The great politician, Cāṇakya Paṇḍit, said, "Never put your trust in a diplomat or in a woman." Those who are addicted to unrestricted sense gratification can never be truthful, nor can they be trusted with any faith.
At that time the great sage Nārada came to Kaṁsa. He was informed of Kaṁsa's becoming compassionate to Vasudeva and returning his first- born child. Nārada was very anxious to accelerate the descent of Lord Kṛṣṇa as soon as possible. He therefore informed Kaṁsa that personalities like Nanda Mahārāja and all the cowherd men and girls and the wives of the cowherd men in Vṛndāvana, and, on the other side, Vasudeva, his father Śūrasena and all his relatives born in the family of Vṛṣṇi of the Yadu Dynasty, were preparing for the appearance of the Lord. Nārada warned Kaṁsa to be careful of the friends and well-wishers and all the demigods taking birth in those families. Kaṁsa and his friends and advisors were all demons. Demons are always afraid of demigods. After being thus informed by Nārada about the appearance of the demigods in different families, Kaṁsa at once became alert. He understood that since the demigods had already appeared, Lord Viṣṇu must be coming soon. He at once arrested both his brother-in-law Vasudeva and Devakī and put them behind prison bars.
Within the prison, shackled in iron chains, Vasudeva and Devakī gave birth to a male child year after year, and Kaṁsa, thinking each of the babies to be the incarnation of Viṣṇu, killed them one after another. He was particularly afraid of the eighth child, but after the visit of Nārada, he came to the conclusion that any child might be Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it was better to kill all the babies who took birth of Devakī and Vasudeva.
This action of Kaṁsa is not very difficult to understand. There are many instances in the history of the world of persons in the royal order who have killed father, brother, or a whole family and friends for the satisfaction of their ambitions. There is nothing astonishing about this, for the demoniac can kill anyone for their nefarious ambitions.
Kaṁsa was made aware of his previous birth by the grace of Nārada. He learned that in his previous birth he was a demon of the name Kālanemi and that he was killed by Viṣṇu. Having taken his birth in the Bhoja family, he decided to become the deadly enemy of the Yadu dynasty; Kṛṣṇa was going to take birth in that family, and Kaṁsa was very much afraid that he would be killed by Kṛṣṇa, just as he was killed in his last birth.
He first of all imprisoned his father Ugrasena because he was the chief king among the Yadu, Bhoja, and Andhaka dynasties, and he also occupied the kingdom of Śūrasena, Vasudeva's father. He declared himself the king of all such places.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the First Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, "Advent of Lord Kṛṣṇa."
- The Krsna book
by Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad
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Sri Sri Londonisvara mandir, London 🇬🇧
3rd September, 2018
These kinds of contrarian arguments—so popular at The New York Times and like publications—are dangerous. They get swallowed up and absorbed by the mainstream culture and become used as weapons, allowing people who should know better to dismiss those who raise legitimate concerns about rape and harassment and abuse of power as “no fun,” “man-hating” and “anti-sex.”
This stereotype, as anyone who has seen or heard about a SlutWalk (or talked to most self-identified feminists in the last 50 years) can tell you, is simply not true.
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img code photo .... Ms. Magazine ... November, 1977 ... Sexual Harassment on the Job and How to Stop It. Lovers Guide to Living Together Legally, Woody Allen, Ida – Queen of Cajun Sound, Letters of Anne Sexton
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Contrarian Views on Sex Harassment: Dangerous, Not Funny
November 15, 2011 by Sarah Seltzer
msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/11/15/contrarian-views-on-s...
Herman Cain’s campaign has raked in donations even after a handful of damning sexual harassment allegations have surfaced. Penn State students rallied and rioted on behalf of their coach, even after it was revealed that he failed to report a witnessed child rape to the police.
Our rape culture, our misunderstanding of the way assault and harassment demean and hurt victims, is worse than ever. Denial is running rampant.
You’d think our national op-ed pages would rush to publish feminist-minded pieces by victim’s advocates, arguing that we take sexual assault and harassment more seriously, that we update our attitudes to reflect our laws, and update those laws, too, if needed.
What we got instead, in The New York Times, was a column by professional antifeminist Katie Roiphe, with the essential message that sexual harassment is just ladies who can’t take a joke. The headline is, “In Favor of Dirty Jokes and Risqué Remarks,” and the URL spells out “Sexual Harassment? What on Earth is That?”
I knew that ’90s nostalgia was in style again, but I didn’t expect this type of Anita Hill-era retread.
These kinds of contrarian arguments—so popular at The New York Times and like publications—are dangerous. They get swallowed up and absorbed by the mainstream culture and become used as weapons, allowing people who should know better to dismiss those who raise legitimate concerns about rape and harassment and abuse of power as “no fun,” “man-hating” and “anti-sex.” This stereotype, as anyone who has seen or heard about a SlutWalk (or talked to most self-identified feminists in the last 50 years) can tell you, is simply not true.
Before we deconstruct the argument, let’s take note of its arguer’s history. Katie Roiphe has been described by Rebecca Traister as the “enfant terrible” of the feminist movement, dogging women’s advocates ever since 1991 when she published The Morning After, a book that tried to discredit the notion of acquaintance rape on campus. (Parodying the content of that book, the Awl’s Choire Sicha once memorably introduced her thus: “Katie Roiphe—whose first book, You’re Actually Just a Whore: Raping
Doesn’t Happen at College, was so ridiculous that she should never have been published again.”)
You get the idea. Insert feminist idea and expect a knee-jerk Roiphe retort, one filled with allusions to her own delightful rapport with the male gender, unlike those other feminists who are always killing the buzz with complaints like “rape is bad.”
This weekend, in the classic Roiphe vein, she writes, essentially, that sexual harassment laws mean that dirty jokes have been criminalized, no one can have any fun at work and the long arm of the law now prohibits flirty, bold women (presumably like herself) from parrying innuendo for innuendo. Instead, in a world as bleak as 1984‘s dystopia, all would-be wits must become silent desk-drones lest they and their repartee-partners be hauled off and booked at their local precinct.
Except that’s not what sexual harassment is. It’s not about conversation, but about abuse of authority or privilege.
Ask nearly any woman who worked in an office environment before those laws Roiphe decries came into effect and they will tell you that it wasn’t very much fun, and it wasn’t mutual—each day was a gauntlet, in fact. At the Daily Beast, Leslie Bennetts explains why what Herman Cain is accused of doing was wrong, and why it should be taken seriously:
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Sexual harassment is about the lust for sexual gratification, obviously, but it’s also about power. When a man in a position of authority pressures a woman to service him sexually even if she doesn’t want to, and her ability to refuse is compromised by … her dependent status, the man is committing an egregious abuse of power. For him, that’s a large part of the point: he’s demonstrating his dominance and demanding that the woman acknowledge her subservience.
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Beyond the sort of quid pro quo (or implied quid pro quo) behavior Bennetts describes, there’s the notion of a hostile environment. Roiphe makes the ignorant assumption that all ribald or sexual chatter in the office is an actionable offense (it also assumes that most people are dying to talk dirty at work, but that is another story) and that office environments are dominated by prudes who yell “see you in court!” when they hear any reference they deem impure.
In reality, a hostile environment is described as a repeated and protracted problem that is ignored or not addressed. Amanda Marcotte wrote a rebuttal of Roiphe, noting her utter misunderstanding of this basic legal and workplace concept:
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Roiphe is, without a shred of evidence, claiming that sexual harassment complaints and lawsuits are generally about a single comment or quickly dispatched advance. In reality, for something to rise to the level of sexual harassment, it has to be a ‘hostile work environment,’ aka persistent abuse. No one is getting [sued] for one day saying something a little off-color, and it’s intellectually dishonest for her to suggest otherwise.
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Marcotte also notes that the vagueness of words like “hostile” and “uncomfortable” are there not to be able to qualify everything off-color as sexual harassment, but to allow people to discern the difference:
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As the Clarence Thomas situation showed, sexual harassers are endlessly inventive with their euphemisms or gestures. If anything, they deliberately act as weird as possible in an act that is so common that psychologists have a name for it: gaslighting, i.e. acting strange to disorient the victim so that she doubts herself. … Thus, the language of ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘hostile’ is good language, since a reasonable person can see that putting a pubic hair on a Coke can is a hostile gesture designed to make the victim uncomfortable.
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At Slate, Roiphe’s colleague KJ Dell’Antonia also has a response, taking on Roiphe’s assertion that no smart and competent woman would be “derailed” by an unwanted advance. This is true, she writes, noting that harassment laws and protocols have helped those smart and competent women:
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Real sexual harassment happens. That it happens less than it once did is because as a society, we’ve legislated against it, actively discussed it, and attempted, however ambiguously, to define it. That gives smart, competent young women the ability to whack their colleagues upside the head (harassment!) and say, as I once did to a friend: Dude, you just cannot forward that joke to everyone on your team.
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Indeed, the existence of those laws and discussions has empowered women to be able to speak up when they feel a colleague is nudging a line—and often in a friendly way, without resorting to suing.
One advantage of this column is that it’s brought out Roiphe’s opponents’ wit. Jezebel’s Erin Gloria Ryan mocks Roiphe by taking her rhetoric to the extreme:
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If we simply laughed and acted charmed when men did stuff like speculate on our cup sizes in front of each other, there would be so many more female CEOs right now. … It is truly an outrage that so many men have been put to death for telling women in the elevator that they’re pretty.
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Exactly. The idea that there’s some sort of office-to-courtroom pipeline for everyday encounters is risible.
Sexual harassment is a genuine bar to equality, and the onslaught of denial in both the Herman Cain situation and, even worse, the Penn State rape coverup scandal, shows that we need to talk about these dynamics in the places we work and play seriously.
In the Nation, Dave Zirin has a chilling series of anecdotes about the denial of rape culture that took place under Penn State’s Joe Paterno.
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In 2003, less than one year after Paterno was told that Sandusky was raping children, he allowed a player accused of rape to suit up and play in a bowl game. Widespread criticism of this move was ignored. In 2006, Penn State’s Orange Bowl opponent Florida State, sent home linebacker A.J. Nicholson, after accusations of sexual assault. Paterno’s response, in light of recent events, is jaw-dropping. He said, ‘There’s so many people gravitating to these kids. He may not have even known what he was getting into,
Nicholson. They knock on the door; somebody may knock on the door; a cute girl knocks on the door. What do you do? Geez. I hope—thank God they don’t knock on my door because I’d refer them to a couple of other rooms.’ [The local branch of NOW] called for Paterno’s resignation and short of that, asked to dialogue with Paterno and the team. Neither Paterno nor anyone in the power at Penn State accepted the invitation.
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Paterno’s comments are the kind of flip, obnoxious, victim-blaming that oils the wheels of a much more insidious rape culture. And so, while it’s necessary to make fun of Roiphe’s reactionary writing, it’s also important to remember that the culture she aids and abets is neither witty, ribald nor clever. It’s tragic.
Excerpted with permission from AlterNet. Read the full version here.
Part of the #HERvotes blog carnival.
Cover of Ms. magazine, November 1977. Copyright Ms. magazine.
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Cameradactyl Rex, Mamiya Sekor 100mm, Lomograflok Back, Instax Wide
Slightly overexposed, maybe 1 stop
Award-winning rescuer reunited with men he saved
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony. (pic: USCG)
An American rescue swimmer who saved four men from a sinking ocean-going rowing boat was reunited with three of the people he rescued in an emotional ceremony at IMO Headquarters yesterday (19 November).
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for his part in the dramatic rescue of four ocean racers from the Pacific Ocean. He was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony.
The three rowers, along with Mr. Colin Parker from New Zealand, had been taking part in part in the Great Pacific Race in June 2014 when their four-man boat Britannia 4 began sinking in severe conditions. The race support vessel had been unable to reach the stricken rowing boat and its crew due to 30 knot winds and 15 to 20-foot waves. The rowers owe their lives to the efforts of rescue swimmer AST Leon, who had been lowered to the sea to assist them, and to the successful hoists performed by the helicopter crew in conditions compounded by darkness, lack of visual cues and horizon and breaking waves.
Speaking at the ceremony, AST Leon said he was pleased to meet the rescuees for the first time since the fateful night, and in entirely different circumstances. He said he was honoured and humbled to be receiving the award and thanked his fellow crew members, who had flown the helicopter through gale force winds to winch AST Leon down to the rowers in the stormy seas below and who had performed a series of demanding recovery hoists to initially rescue three of the men.
When fuel levels on the helicopter became dangerously low and it had to leave the scene to refuel, AST Leon remained with the fourth rower Mr. Hart, huddled in the tiny bow portion of the swamped vessel that remained above water. The two men protected each other from the breaking waves and freezing temperatures. Finally, the helicopter was able to return through the stormy night and hoist the two men to safety.
“I would especially like to thank the crew of the helicopter, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and flight mechanic Michael Spraggins, because nothing I do, can be done without them; and everything we do is a team effort – especially for this case,” AST Leon said. .
Rescuee Sam Collins thanked AST Leon and the helicopter crew at the ceremony, acknowledging that setting out to row the Pacific Ocean had been for their own gratification, while AST Leon had acted selflessly to rescue them.
“What Chris did was a completely selfless act. Something quite special. Chris Leon woke up in the morning and no doubt brushed his teeth, had a normal day. And then, in the darkness of night, a year and a half ago, he launched himself off the side of a helicopter into gale force winds and over six metre high seas just to save our lives,” Mr. Collins said.
“And as a result we are alive. We will have children. Our children will go on to have children. And we can hopefully repay him, by making the most of our lives. So what I am trying to say, is: thank you, Chris, you really deserve this award for what was a truly exceptional act of bravery at sea,” Mr. Collins said.
AST Leon and the crew of the rescue helicopter CG-6531, US Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco were nominated by the United States. AST Leon received a medal for the highest award and a certificate. His fellow crew on the night of the rescue, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and Aviation Maintenance Technician Michael Spraggins received certificates for their role.
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu presented the Bravery Award medal and certificate to Mr. Leon.
Certificates of commendation
During the award ceremony, certificates of commendation were also presented to the following:
Vicente Somera from the Philippines, crew member of the container ship Lars Maersk, was at the ceremony in person to receive a certificate for his role in rescuing a stricken yachtsman from the Enya II in heavy weather in the Tasman Sea, some 70 nautical miles from the nearest land, when the container ship responded to a distress alert. Crew member Somera, with little regards for his own safety, climbed down an accommodation ladder to grab the yachtsman, using his own body to shield him from being crushed by the swinging ladder. Mr. Somera was nominated by Australia.
Skipper Jean-Claude Van Rymenant was also at the ceremony in person to receive the certificate awarded to him and the crew of the rescue launch SNS 129 Notre Dame de la Garoupe, volunteer rescuers based in the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin. They were nominated by France for the rescue of a woman, her husband and a baby from a yacht as Cyclone Gonzalo hit the island in October 2014. In high winds and poor visibility, the rescue crew swam to the Voyage II, which had struck a reef, and managed to bring the family to safety. The crew went on to assist people from around 20 more ships and boats which had been grounded in the cyclone.
Father Ilia Kartozia (posthumously), Abbot of the Monastery of Saint David the Builder, Patriarchate of Georgia, was nominated by Georgia for his role in helping fellow passengers to escape the Norman Atlantic ro-ro ferry, which was carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew when its car deck caught fire in heavy storms during a crossing from Greece to southern Italy. Survivors reported that Father Ilia had encouraged them during the rescue and had refused opportunities to save himself, giving up his place in a lifeboat to make room for a Greek woman and her baby. Despite the best efforts of rescuers, Father Ilia fell into the sea and sadly drowned. His body was found on the Italian shore. The certificate was received by Igumen Father Dorote Barbakadze, Dean of the Georgian Orthodox Church in London, on behalf of Father Ilia.
Lieutenant John Hess, Lieutenant Matthew Vanderslice, Aviation Maintenance Technician Derrick Suba and Aviation Survival Technician Evan Staph, crew members of the rescue helicopter CG 6033, US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, were nominated by the United States for rescuing a father-son team aboard the yacht Sedona, who had set sail for Australia but had been stranded some 150 nautical miles from the nearest land during a powerful winter storm. Freezing temperatures, high seas and strong winds hampered efforts to reach the stricken yacht and seven difficult and dangerous hoists were needed to rescue the two men. The certificates were received on their behalf by Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy at United States Coast Guard, Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards at the United States Coast Guard and Mr. Edward Heartney, Counsellor for Environment, Science, Technology and Health at the US Embassy in London, and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to IMO.
Letters of Commendation
In addition, Letters of Commendation have been sent to:
• Captain Lai Zhixing, Master of the rescue vessel Nan Hai Jiu 111, Nanhai Rescue Bureau, nominated by China, for a rescue during Typhoon Kalmaegi.
• The crew of the Xinfa Hai, nominated by China, for saving the cargo vessel Thor Commander near the Great Barrier Reef.
• Petty Officer William Hubert and two crew members of the helicopter Rescue Tango, Detachment of 35F flotilla at Tahiti-Faa’a, French Navy, nominated by France for rescuing 10 crew members of a fishing boat.
IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea
This annual award was established by IMO to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.
For the 2015 award, 27 nominations for the bravery award were received, from 10 IMO Member States and two non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
www.al-islam.org/short/martyrdom/
Imam Husain And His Martyrdom
By Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Renowned English translator and commentator of the Holy Qur'an
(Progressive Islam Pamphlet No. 7, September, 1931)
Introduction:
The month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, brings with it the memory of the sacrifice of Imam Husayn [a], the grandson of Prophet Muhammad [s], and his noble family and friends. This short text reflects the deep admiration of its author towards Imam Husayn [a] and an insight into the tragedy of Karbala, its reasons and its consequences. It is presented with the hope that it will foster the Islamic unity and the brotherly love that the author seeks in his preface.
The author, of course, is none other than the well-known Sunni English translator and commentator of the Qur'an, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, who died in 1952 in England. Little would he have known that his English translation and commentary of the Qur'an would become so popular in the West and East alike, wherever English is read and understood.
And little would he have known that later editions of his Qur'an translation and commentary would undergo tampering such that favorable references to Imam Husayn [a] would be deleted, amongst other changes!(*) Perhaps there are some out there who want to see the memory of Imam Husayn [a] wiped out. Perhaps Karbala is not quite over yet.
The Shi'a Encyclopedia team
(*) A detailed and documented case study is now available on Tahrif! Investigating Distortions in Islamic Texts.
Imam Husain And His Martyrdom, Abdullah Yusuf Ali (d. 1952), 41 pages
Lahore: M Feroz-ud-Din & Sons, 1931.
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Preface
The following pages are based on a report of an Address which I delivered in London at an Ashura Majlis on Thursday the 28th May, 1931 (Muharram 1350 A.H.), at the Waldorf Hotel. The report was subsequently corrected and slightly expanded. The Majlis was a notable gathering, which met at the invitation of Mr. A. S. M. Anik. Nawab Sir Umar Hayat Khan, Tiwana, presided and members of all schools of thought in Islam, as well as non-Muslims, joined reverently in doing honour to the memory of the great Martyr of Islam. By its inclusion in the Progressive Islam Pamphlets series, it is hoped to reach a larger public than were able to be present in person. Perhaps, also, it may help to strengthen the bonds of brotherly love which unite all who hold sacred the ideals of brotherhood preached by the Prophet in his last Sermon.
A. Yusuf Ali.
Imam Husain And His Martyrdom
Sorrow as a Bond of Union
I am going to talk this afternoon about a very solemn subject, the martyrdom of Imam Husain at Kerbela, of which we are celebrating the anniversary. As the Chairman has very rightly pointed out, it is one of those wonderful events in our religious history about which all sects are agreed. More than that, in this room I have the honour of addressing some people who do not belong to our religious persuasion, but I venture to think that the view I put forward today may be of interest to them from its historical, its moral and its spiritual significance. Indeed, when we consider the background of that great tragedy, and all that has happened during the 1289 lunar years since, we cannot fail to be convinced that some events of sorrow and apparent defeat are really the very things which are calculated to bring about, or lead us towards, the union of humanity.
How Martyrdom healed divisions
When we invite strangers or guests and make them free of our family circle, that means the greatest outflowing of our hearts to them. The events that I am going to describe refer to some of the most touching incidents of our domestic history in their spiritual aspect. We ask our brethren of other faiths to come, and share with us some of the thoughts which are called forth by this event. As a matter of fact all students of history are aware that the horrors that are connected with the great event of Kerbela did more than anything else to unite together the various contending factions which had unfortunately appeared at that early stage of Muslim history. You know the old Persian saying applied to the Prophet:
Tu barae wasl kardan amadi;
Ni barae fasl kardan amadi.
"Thou camest to the world to unite, not to divide."
That was wonderfully exemplified by the sorrows and sufferings and finally the martyrdom of Imam Husain.
Commemoration of great virtues
There has been in our history a tendency sometimes to celebrate the event merely by wailing and tribulation, or sometimes by symbols like the Tazias that you see in India, - Taboots as some people call them. Well, symbolism or visible emblems may sometimes be useful in certain circumstances as tending to crystallise ideas. But I think the Muslims of India of the present day are quite ready to adopt a more effective way of celebrating the martyrdom, and that is by contemplating the great virtues of the martyr, trying to understand the significance of the events in which he took part, and translating those great moral and spiritual lessons into their own lives. From that point of view I think you will agree that it is good that we should sit together, even people of different faiths, - sit together and consider the great historic event, in which were exemplified such soul-stirring virtues as those of unshaken faith, undaunted courage, thought for others, willing self-sacrifice, steadfastness in the right and unflinching war against the wrong. Islam has a history of beautiful domestic affections, of sufferings and of spiritual endeavour, second to none in the world. That side of Muslim history, although to me the most precious, is, I am sorry to say, often neglected. It is most important that we should call attention to it, reiterated attention, the attention of our own people as well as the attention of those who are interested in historical and religious truth. If there is anything precious in Islamic history it is not the wars, or the politics, or the brilliant expansion, or the glorious conquests, or even the intellectual spoils which our ancestors gathered. In these matters, our history, like all history, has its lights and shades. What we need especially to emphasise is the spirit of organisation, of brotherhood, of undaunted courage in moral and spiritual life.
Plan of discourse
I propose first to give you an idea of the geographical setting and the historical background. Then I want very briefly to refer to the actual events that happened in the Muharram, and finally to draw your attention to the great lessons which we can learn from them.
Geographical Picture
In placing before you a geographical picture of the tract of country in which the great tragedy was enacted, I consider myself fortunate in having my own personal memories to draw upon. They make the picture vivid to my mind, and they may help you also. When I visited those scenes in 1928, I remember going down from Baghdad through all that country watered by the Euphrates river. As I crossed the river by a bridge of boats at Al-Musaiyib on a fine April morning, my thoughts leapt over centuries and centuries. To the left of the main river you have the old classic ground of Babylonian history; you have the railway station of Hilla; you have the ruins of the city of Babylon, witnessing to one of the greatest civilisations of antiquity. It was so mingled with the dust that it is only in recent years that we have begun to understand its magnitude and magnificence. Then you have the great river system of the Euphrates, the Furat as it is called, a river unlike any other river we know. It takes its rise in many sources from the mountains of Eastern Armenia, and sweeping in great zig-zags through rocky country, it finally skirts the desert as we see it now. Wherever it or its interlacing branches or canals can reach, it has converted the desert into fruitful cultivated country; in the picturesque phrase, it has made the desert blossom as the rose. It skirts round the Eastern edge of the Syrian desert and then flows into marshy land. In a tract not far from Kerbela itself there are lakes which receive its waters, and act as reservoirs. Lower down it unites with the other river, the Tigris, and the united rivers flow in the name of the Shatt-al-Arab into the Persian Gulf.
Abundant water & tragedy of thirst
From the most ancient times this tract of the lower Euphrates has been a garden. It was a cradle of early civilisation, a meeting place between Sumer and Arab, and later between the Persians and Arabs. It is a rich, well watered country, with date-palms and pomegranate groves. Its fruitful fields can feed populous cities and its luscious pastures attract the nomad Arabs of the desert, with their great flocks and herds. It is of particularly tragic significance that on the border of such a well-watered land, should have been enacted the tragedy of great and good men dying of thirst and slaughtered because they refused to bend the knee to the forces of iniquity. The English poet's lines "Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink" are brought home forcibly to you in this borderland between abundant water and desolate sands.
Kerbela and Its Great Dome
I remember the emotion with which I approached Kerbela from the East. The rays of the morning sun gilt the Gumbaz-i-Faiz, the great dome that crowns the building containing the tomb of Imam Husain. Kerbela actually stands on one of the great caravan routes of the desert. Today the river city of Kufa, once a Khilafat capital, is a mere village, and the city of Najaf is famous for the tomb of Hazrat Ali, but of little commercial importance. Kerbela, this outpost of the desert, is a mart and a meeting ground as well as a sacred place. It is the port of the desert, just as Basra, lower down, is a port for the Persian Gulf. Beautifully kept is the road to the mausoleum, to which all through the year come pilgrims from all parts of the world. Beautiful coloured enamelled tiles decorate the building. Inside, in the ceiling and upper walls, there is a great deal of glass mosaic. The glass seems to catch and reflect the light. The effect is that of rich coruscations of light combined with the solemnity of a closed building. The tomb itself is in a sort of inner grill, and below the ground is a sort of cave, where is shown the actual place where the Martyr fell. The city of Najaf is just about 40 miles to the South, with the tomb of Hazrat Ali on the high ground. You can see the golden dome for miles around. Just four miles from Najaf and connected with it by a tramway, is the deserted city of Kufa. The mosque is large, but bare and practically unused. The blue dome and the Mihrab of enamelled tiles bear witness to the ancient glory of the place.
Cities and their Cultural Meaning
The building of Kufa and Basra, the two great outposts of the Muslim Empire, in the 16th year of the Hijra, was a visible symbol that Islam was pushing its strength and building up a new civilisation, not only in a military sense, but in moral and social ideas and in the sciences and arts. The old effete cities did not content it, any more than the old and effete systems which it displaced. Nor was it content with the first steps it took. It was always examining, testing, discarding, re-fashioning its own handiwork. There was always a party that wanted to stand on old ways, to take cities like Damascus readymade, that loved ease and the path of least resistance. But the greater souls stretched out to new frontiers - of ideas as well as geography. They felt that old seats were like dead wood breeding worms and rottenness that were a danger to higher forms of life. The clash between them was part of the tragedy of Kerbela. Behind the building of new cities there is often the burgeoning of new ideas. Let us therefore examine the matter a little more closely. It will reveal the hidden springs of some very interesting history.
Vicissitudes of Mecca and Medina
The great cities of Islam at its birth were Mecca and Medina. Mecca, the centre of old Arabian pilgrimage, the birthplace of the Prophet, rejected the Prophet's teaching, and cast him off. Its idolatry was effete; its tribal exclusiveness was effete; its ferocity against the Teacher of the New Light was effete. The Prophet shook its dust off his feet, and went to Medina. It was the well-watered city of Yathrib, with a considerable Jewish population. It received with eagerness the teaching of the Prophet; it gave asylum to him and his Companions and Helpers. He reconstituted it and it became the new City of Light. Mecca, with its old gods and its old superstitions, tried to subdue this new Light and destroy it. The human odds were in favour of Mecca. But God's purpose upheld the Light, and subdued the old Mecca. But the Prophet came to build as well as to destroy. He destroyed the old paganism, and lighted a new beacon in Mecca - the beacon of Arab unity and human brotherhood. When the Prophet's life ended on this earth, his spirit remained. It inspired his people and led them from victory to victory. Where moral or spiritual and material victories go hand in hand, the spirit of man advances all along the line. But sometimes there is a material victory, with a spiritual fall, and sometimes there is a spiritual victory with a material fall, and then we have tragedy.
Spirit of Damascus
Islam's first extension was towards Syria, where the power was centred in the city of Damascus. Among living cities it is probably the oldest city in the world. Its bazaars are thronged with men of all nations, and the luxuries of all nations find ready welcome there. If you come to it westward from the Syrian desert, as I did, the contrast is complete, both in the country and in the people. From the parched desert sands you come to fountains and vineyards, orchards and the hum of traffic. From the simple, sturdy, independent, frank Arab, you come to the soft, luxurious, sophisticated Syrian. That contrast was forced on the Muslims when Damascus became a Muslim city. They were in a different moral and spiritual atmosphere. Some succumbed to the softening influences of ambition, luxury, wealth pride of race, love of ease, and so on. Islam stood always as the champion of the great rugged moral virtues. It wanted no compromise with evil in any shape or form, with luxury, with idleness, with the seductions of this world. It was a protest against these things. And yet the representatives of that protest got softened at Damascus. They aped the decadent princes of the world instead of striving to be leaders of spiritual thought. Discipline was relaxed, and governors aspired to be greater than the Khalifas. This bore bitter fruit later.
Snare of Riches
Meanwhile Persia came within the Muslim orbit. When Medain was captured in the year 16 of the Hijra, and the battle of Jalula broke the Persian resistance, some military booty was brought to Medina - gems, pearls, rubies, diamonds, swords of gold and silver. A great celebration was held in honour of the splendid victory and the valour of the Arab army. In the midst of the celebration they found the Caliph of the day actually weeping. One said to him, "What! a time of joy and thou sheddest tears?" "Yes", he said, "I foresee that the riches will become a snare, a spring of worldliness and envy, and in the end a calamity to my people." For the Arab valued, above all, simplicity of life, openness of character, and bravery in face of danger. Their women fought with them and shared their dangers. They were not caged creatures for the pleasures of the senses. They showed their mettle in the early fighting round the head of the Persian Gulf. When the Muslims were hard pressed, their women turned the scale in their favour. They made their veils into flags, and marched in battle array. The enemy mistook them for reinforcements and abandoned the field. Thus an impending defeat was turned into a victory.
Basra and Kufa: town-planning
In Mesopotamia the Muslims did not base their power on old and effete Persian cities, but built new outposts for themselves. The first they built was Basra at the head of the Persian Gulf, in the 17th year of the Hijra. And what a great city it became! Not great in war and conquest, not great in trade and commerce, but great in learning and culture in its best day, - alas! also great in its spirit of faction and degeneracy in the days of its decline! But its situation and climate were not at all suited to the Arab character. It was low and moist, damp and enervating. In the same year the Arabs built another city not far off from the Gulf and yet well suited to be a port of the desert, as Kerbela became afterwards. This was the city of Kufa, built in the same year as Basra, but in a more bracing climate. It was the first experiment in town-planning in Islam. In the centre was a square for the principal mosque. That square was adorned with shady avenues. Another square was set apart for the trafficking of the market. The streets were all laid out intersecting and their width was fixed. The main thoroughfares for such traffic as they had (we must not imagine the sort of traffic we see in Charing Cross) were made 60 feet wide; the cross streets were 30 feet wide; and even the little lanes for pedestrians were regulated to a width of 10.5 feet. Kufa became a centre of light and learning. The Khalifa Hazrat Ali lived and died there.
Rivalry and poison of Damascus
But its rival, the city of Damascus, fattened on luxury and Byzantine magnificence. Its tinsel glory sapped the foundations of loyalty and the soldierly virtues. Its poison spread through the Muslim world. Governors wanted to be kings. Pomp and selfishness, ease and idleness and dissipation grew as a canker; wines and spirituous liquors, scepticism, cynicism and social vices became so rampant that the protests of the men of God were drowned in mockery. Mecca, which was to have been a symbolical spiritual centre, was neglected or dishonoured. Damascus and Syria became centres of a worldliness and arrogance which cut at the basic roots of Islam.
Husain the Righteous refused to bow to worldliness and power
We have brought the story down to the 60th year of the Hijra. Yazid assumed the power at Damascus. He cared nothing for the most sacred ideals of the people. He was not even interested in the ordinary business affairs of administration. His passion was hunting, and he sought power for self-gratification. The discipline and self-abnegation, the strong faith and earnest endeavour, the freedom and sense of social equality which had been the motive forces of Islam, were divorced from power. The throne at Damascus had become a worldly throne based on the most selfish ideas of personal and family aggrandisement, instead of a spiritual office, with a sense of God-given responsibility. The decay of morals spread among the people. There was one man who could stem the tide. That was Imam Husain. He, the grandson of the Prophet, could speak without fear, for fear was foreign to his nature. But his blameless and irreproachable life was in itself a reproach to those who had other standards. They sought to silence him, but he could not be silenced. They sought to bribe him, but he could not be bribed. They sought to waylay him and get him into their Power. What is more, they wanted him to recognise the tyranny and expressly to support it. For they knew that the conscience of the people might awaken at any time, and sweep them away unless the holy man supported their cause. The holy man was prepared to die rather than surrender the principles for which he stood.
Driven from city to city
Medina was the centre of Husain's teaching. They made Medina impossible for him. He left Medina and went to Mecca, hoping that he would be left alone. But he was not left alone. The Syrian forces invaded Mecca. The invasion was repelled, not by Husain but by other people. For Husain, though the bravest of the brave, had no army and no worldly weapons. His existence itself was an offence in the eyes of his enemies. His life was in danger, and the lives of all those nearest and dearest to him. He had friends everywhere, but they were afraid to speak out. They were not as brave as he was. But in distant Kufa, a party grew up which said: "We are disgusted with these events, and we must have Imam Husain to take asylum with us." So they sent and invited the Imam to leave Mecca, come to them, live in their midst, and be their honoured teacher and guide. His father's memory was held in reverence in Kufa. The Governor of Kufa was friendly, and the people eager to welcome him. But alas, Kufa had neither strength, nor courage, nor constancy. Kufa, geographically only 40 miles from Kerbela, was the occasion of the tragedy of Kerbela. And now Kufa is nearly gone, and Kerbela remains as the lasting memorial of the martyrdom.
Invitation from Kufa
When the Kufa invitation reached the Imam, he pondered over it, weighed its possibilities, and consulted his friends. He sent over his cousin Muslim to study the situation on the spot and report to him. The report was favourable, and he decided to go. He had a strong presentiment of danger. Many of his friends in Mecca advised him against it. But could he abandon his mission when Kufa was calling for it? Was he the man to be deterred, because his enemies were laying their plots for him, at Damascus and at Kufa? At least, it was suggested, he might leave his family behind. But his family and his immediate dependants would not hear of it. It was a united family, pre-eminent in the purity of its life and in its domestic virtues and domestic affections. If there was danger for its head, they would share it. The Imam was not going on a mere ceremonial visit. There was responsible work to do, and they must be by his side, to support him in spite of all its perils and consequences. Shallow critics scent political ambition in the Imam's act. But would a man with political ambitions march without an army against what might be called the enemy country, scheming to get him into its power, and prepared to use all their resources, military, political and financial, against him?
Journey through the desert
Imam Husain left Mecca for Kufa with all his family including his little children. Later news from Kufa itself was disconcerting. The friendly governor had been displaced by one prepared more ruthlessly to carry out Yazid's plans. If Husain was to go there at all, he must go there quickly, or his friends themselves would be in danger. On the other hand, Mecca itself was no less dangerous to him and his family. It was the month of September by the solar calendar, and no one would take a long desert journey in that heat, except under a sense of duty. By the lunar calendar it was the month of pilgrimage at Mecca. But he did not stop for the pilgrimage. He pushed on, with his family and dependants, in all numbering about 90 or 100 people, men, women and children. They must have gone by forced marches through the desert. They covered the 900 miles of the desert in little over three weeks. When they came within a few miles of Kufa, at the edge of the desert, they met people from Kufa. It was then that they heard of the terrible murder of Husain's cousin Muslim, who had been sent on in advance. A poet that came by dissuaded the Imam from going further. "For," he said epigramatically, "the heart of the city is with thee but its sword is with thine enemies, and the issue is with God." What was to be done? They were three weeks' journey from the city they had left. In the city to which they were going their own messenger had been foully murdered as well as his children. They did not know what the actual situation was then in Kufa. But they were determined not to desert their friends.
Call to Surrender or Die
Presently messengers came from Kufa, and Imam Husain was asked to surrender. Imam Husain offered to take one of three alternatives. He wanted no political power and no revenge. He said "I came to defend my own people. If I am too late, give me the choice of three alternatives: either to return to Mecca; or to face Yazid himself at Damascus; or if my very presence is distasteful to him and you, I do not wish to cause more divisions among the Muslims. Let me at least go to a distant frontier, where, if fighting must be done, I will fight against the enemies of Islam." Every one of these alternatives was refused. What they wanted was to destroy his life, or better still, to get him to surrender, to surrender to the very forces against which he was protesting, to declare his adherence to those who were defying the law of God and man, and to tolerate all the abuses which were bringing the name of Islam into disgrace. Of course he did not surrender. But what was he to do? He had no army. He had reasons to suppose that many of his friends from distant parts would rally round him, and come and defend him with their swords and bodies. But time was necessary, and he was not going to gain time by feigned compliance. He turned a little round to the left, the way that would have led him to Yazid himself, at Damascus. He camped in the plain of Kerbela.
Water cut off; Inflexible will, Devotion and Chivalry
For ten days messages passed backwards and forwards between Kerbela and Kufa. Kufa wanted surrender and recognition. That was the one thing the Imam could not consent to. Every other alternative was refused by Kufa, under the instructions from Damascus. Those fateful ten days were the first ten days of the month of Muharram, of the year 61 of the Hijra. The final crisis was on the 10th day, the Ashura day, which we are commemorating. During the first seven days various kinds of pressure were brought to bear on the Imam, but his will was inflexible. It was not a question of a fight, for there were but 70 men against 4,000. The little band was surrounded and insulted, but they held together so firmly that they could not be harmed. On the 8th day the water supply was cut off. The Euphrates and its abundant streams were within sight, but the way was barred. Prodigies of valour were performed in getting water. Challenges were made for single combat according to Arab custom. And the enemy were half-hearted, while the Imam's men fought in contempt of death, and always accounted for more men than they lost. On the evening of the 9th day, the little son of the Imam was ill. He had fever and was dying of thirst. They tried to get a drop of water. But that was refused point blank and so they made the resolve that they would, rather than surrender, die to the last man in the cause for which they had come. Imam Husain offered to send away his people. He said, "They are after my person; my family and my people can go back." But everyone refused to go. They said they would stand by him to the last, and they did. They were not cowards; they were soldiers born and bred; and they fought as heroes, with devotion and with chivalry.
The Final Agony; placid face of the man of God
On the day of Ashura, the 10th day, Imam Husain's own person was surrounded by his enemies. He was brave to the last. He was cruelly mutilated. His sacred head was cut off while in the act of prayer. A mad orgy of triumph was celebrated over his body. In this crisis we have details of what took place hour by hour. He had 45 wounds from the enemies' swords and javelins, and 35 arrows pierced his body. His left arm was cut off, and a javelin pierced through his breast. After all that agony, when his head was lifted up on a spear, his face was the placid face of a man of God. All the men of that gallant band were exterminated and their bodies trampled under foot by the horses. The only male survivor was a child, Husain's son Ali, surnamed Zain-ul-'Abidin - "The Glory of the Devout." He lived in retirement, studying, interpreting, and teaching his father's high spiritual principles for the rest of his life.
Heroism of the Women
There were women: for example, Zainab the sister of the Imam, Sakina his little daughter, and Shahr-i-Banu, his wife, at Kerbela. A great deal of poetic literature has sprung up in Muslim languages, describing the touching scenes in which they figure. Even in their grief and their tears they are heroic. They lament the tragedy in simple, loving, human terms. But they are also conscious of the noble dignity of their nearness to a life of truth reaching its goal in the precious crown of martyrdom. One of the best-known poets of this kind is the Urdu poet Anis, who lived in Lucknow, and died in 1874.
Lesson of the Tragedy
That briefly is the story. What is the lesson? There is of course the physical suffering in martyrdom, and all sorrow and suffering claim our sympathy, ---- the dearest, purest, most outflowing sympathy that we can give. But there is a greater suffering than physical suffering. That is when a valiant soul seems to stand against the world; when the noblest motives are reviled and mocked; when truth seems to suffer an eclipse. It may even seem that the martyr has but to say a word of compliance, do a little deed of non-resistance; and much sorrow and suffering would be saved; and the insidious whisper comes: "Truth after all can never die." That is perfectly true. Abstract truth can never die. It is independent of man's cognition. But the whole battle is for man's keeping hold of truth and righteousness. And that can only be done by the highest examples of man's conduct - spiritual striving and suffering enduring firmness of faith and purpose, patience and courage where ordinary mortals would give in or be cowed down, the sacrifice of ordinary motives to supreme truth in scorn of consequence. The martyr bears witness, and the witness redeems what would otherwise be called failure. It so happened with Husain. For all were touched by the story of his martyrdom, and it gave the deathblow to the politics of Damascus and all it stood for. And Muharram has still the power to unite the different schools of thought in Islam, and make a powerful appeal to non-Muslims also.
Explorers of Spiritual Territory
That, to my mind, is the supreme significance of martyrdom. All human history shows that the human spirit strives in many directions, deriving strength and sustenance from many sources. Our bodies, our physical powers, have developed or evolved from earlier forms, after many struggles and defeats. Our intellect has had its martyrs, and our great explorers have often gone forth with the martyrs' spirit. All honour to them. But the highest honour must still lie with the great explorers of spiritual territory, those who faced fearful odds and refused to surrender to evil. Rather than allow a stigma to attach to sacred things, they paid with their own lives the penalty of resistance. The first kind of resistance offered by the Imam was when he went from city to city, hunted about from place to place, but making no compromise with evil. Then was offered the choice of an effectual but dangerous attempt at clearing the house of God, or living at ease for himself by tacit abandonment of his striving friends. He chose the path of danger with duty and honour, and never swerved from it giving up his life freely and bravely. His story purifies our emotions. We can best honour his memory by allowing it to teach us courage and constancy.
The End
I won't tell you exactly what we were doing, or why we are laughing. But....... It's all Sandra's fault.
She pours wine down me, and makes me do the naughtiest things to drunken men who obviously are in need of sexual gratifications.
I mean they will do practically anything you tell them if you blow them a kiss. Or wink at them. Or even lick the dripping wine off each others lips.
I mean that's just hygiene.
And then those men have to cover themselves. Because their all wet and look like they have something in their pants.
And why. It's not my fault it's tiny and Sandra says something about midgits being bigger.
So. What's the saying. The smaller they are. the easier it is to be off target. Or accidentally shoot while loading. Or something like that...
i do not condone or wish to promote the actions of these evil bastards
A serial killer is typically defined as an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time (a "cooling off period") between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. Other sources define the term as "a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone" or, including the vital characteristics, a minimum of at least two murders. Often, a sexual element is involved with the killings, but the FBI states that motives for serial murder include "anger, thrill, financial gain, and attention seeking." The murders may have been attempted or completed in a similar fashion and the victims may have had something in common; for example, occupation, race, appearance, sex, or age group.
Serial killers are not the same as mass murderers, who commit multiple murders at one time; nor are they spree killers, who commit murders in two or more locations with virtually no break in between.
The full extent of Brady and Hindley's killing spree did not come to light until their confessions in 1985, as both had until then maintained their innocence. Their first victim was 16-year-old Pauline Reade, a neighbour of Hindley's who disappeared on her way to a dance at the British Railways Club in Gorton on 12 July 1963. That evening, Brady told Hindley that he wanted to "commit his perfect murder". He told her to drive her van around the local area while he followed behind on his motorcycle; when he spotted a likely victim he would flash his headlight, and Hindley was to stop and offer that person a lift.
Driving down Gorton Lane, Brady saw a young girl walking towards them, and signalled Hindley to stop, which she did not do until she had passed the girl. Brady drew up alongside on his motorbike, demanding to know why she had not offered the girl a lift, to which Hindley replied that she recognised her as Marie Ruck, a near neighbour of her mother. Shortly after 8:00 pm, continuing down Froxmer Street, Brady spotted a girl wearing a pale blue coat and white high-heeled shoes walking away from them, and once again signalled for the van to stop. Hindley recognised the girl as Pauline Reade, a friend of her younger sister, Maureen. Reade got into the van with Hindley, who then asked if she would mind helping to search for an expensive glove she had lost on Saddleworth Moor. Reade said she was in no great hurry, and agreed. At 16, Pauline Reade was older than Marie Ruck, and Hindley realised that there would be less of a hue and cry over the disappearance of a teenager than there would over a seven or eight-year-old child. When the van reached the moor, Hindley stopped and Brady arrived shortly afterwards on his motorcycle. She introduced him to Reade as her boyfriend, and said that he had also come to help find the missing glove. Brady took Reade onto the moor while Hindley waited in the van. After about 30 minutes Brady returned alone, and took Hindley to the spot where Reade lay dying, her throat cut. He told her to stay with Reade while he fetched a spade he had hidden nearby on a previous visit to the moor, to bury the body. Hindley noticed that "Pauline's coat was undone and her clothes were in disarray ... She had guessed from the time he had taken that Brady had sexually assaulted her." Returning home from the moor in the van—they had loaded the motorcycle into the back—Brady and Hindley passed Reade's mother, Joan, accompanied by her son, Paul, searching the streets for Pauline.
Accompanied by Brady, Hindley approached twelve-year-old John Kilbride in the early evening of 23 November 1963 at a market in Ashton-under-Lyne, and offered him a lift home on the pretext that his parents would be worried about him being out so late. With the added inducement of a proffered bottle of sherry, Kilbride readily agreed to get into the Ford Anglia car that Hindley had hired. Brady told Kilbride that the sherry was at their home, and they would have to make a detour to collect it. On the way he suggested that they take another detour, to search for a glove he said that Hindley had lost on the moor. When they reached the moor Brady took the child with him while Hindley waited in the car. Brady sexually assaulted Kilbride and attempted to slit his throat with a six-inch serrated blade before fatally strangling him with a piece of string, possibly a shoelace.
Twelve-year-old Keith Bennett vanished on his way to his grandmother's house in Longsight during the early evening of 16 June 1964, four days after his birthday. Hindley lured him into her Mini pick-up—which Brady was sitting in the back of—by asking for the boy's help in loading some boxes, after which she said she would drive him home. She drove to a lay-by on Saddleworth Moor as she and Brady had previously arranged, and Brady went off with Bennett, supposedly looking for a lost glove. Hindley kept watch, and after about 30 minutes or so Brady reappeared, alone and carrying a spade that he had hidden there earlier. When Hindley asked how he had killed Bennett, Brady said that he had sexually assaulted the boy and strangled him with a piece of string.
Brady and Hindley visited a fairground on 26 December 1964 in search of another victim, and noticed 10-year-old Lesley Ann Downey standing beside one of the rides. When it became apparent that she was on her own, they approached her and deliberately dropped some of the shopping they were carrying close to her, before asking for the girl's help to carry some of the packages to their car, and then to their home. Once inside the house Downey was undressed, gagged, and forced to pose for photographs before being raped and killed, perhaps strangled with a piece of string. Hindley maintained that she went to draw a bath for the child and found the girl dead (presumably killed by Brady) when she returned. In Dr. Chris Cowley's book "Face to Face with Evil: Conversations with Ian Brady", Brady states that it was Hindley who killed Lesley Ann Downey. The following morning Brady and Hindley drove with Downey's body to Saddleworth Moor, where she was buried, naked with her clothes at her feet, in a shallow grave.
On 6 October 1965 Brady met 17-year-old apprentice engineer Edward Evans at Manchester Central railway station and invited him to his home at 16 Wardle Brook Avenue in Hattersley, where Brady beat him to death with an axe.
Award-winning rescuer reunited with men he saved
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony. (pic: USCG)
An American rescue swimmer who saved four men from a sinking ocean-going rowing boat was reunited with three of the people he rescued in an emotional ceremony at IMO Headquarters yesterday (19 November).
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for his part in the dramatic rescue of four ocean racers from the Pacific Ocean. He was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony.
The three rowers, along with Mr. Colin Parker from New Zealand, had been taking part in part in the Great Pacific Race in June 2014 when their four-man boat Britannia 4 began sinking in severe conditions. The race support vessel had been unable to reach the stricken rowing boat and its crew due to 30 knot winds and 15 to 20-foot waves. The rowers owe their lives to the efforts of rescue swimmer AST Leon, who had been lowered to the sea to assist them, and to the successful hoists performed by the helicopter crew in conditions compounded by darkness, lack of visual cues and horizon and breaking waves.
Speaking at the ceremony, AST Leon said he was pleased to meet the rescuees for the first time since the fateful night, and in entirely different circumstances. He said he was honoured and humbled to be receiving the award and thanked his fellow crew members, who had flown the helicopter through gale force winds to winch AST Leon down to the rowers in the stormy seas below and who had performed a series of demanding recovery hoists to initially rescue three of the men.
When fuel levels on the helicopter became dangerously low and it had to leave the scene to refuel, AST Leon remained with the fourth rower Mr. Hart, huddled in the tiny bow portion of the swamped vessel that remained above water. The two men protected each other from the breaking waves and freezing temperatures. Finally, the helicopter was able to return through the stormy night and hoist the two men to safety.
“I would especially like to thank the crew of the helicopter, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and flight mechanic Michael Spraggins, because nothing I do, can be done without them; and everything we do is a team effort – especially for this case,” AST Leon said. .
Rescuee Sam Collins thanked AST Leon and the helicopter crew at the ceremony, acknowledging that setting out to row the Pacific Ocean had been for their own gratification, while AST Leon had acted selflessly to rescue them.
“What Chris did was a completely selfless act. Something quite special. Chris Leon woke up in the morning and no doubt brushed his teeth, had a normal day. And then, in the darkness of night, a year and a half ago, he launched himself off the side of a helicopter into gale force winds and over six metre high seas just to save our lives,” Mr. Collins said.
“And as a result we are alive. We will have children. Our children will go on to have children. And we can hopefully repay him, by making the most of our lives. So what I am trying to say, is: thank you, Chris, you really deserve this award for what was a truly exceptional act of bravery at sea,” Mr. Collins said.
AST Leon and the crew of the rescue helicopter CG-6531, US Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco were nominated by the United States. AST Leon received a medal for the highest award and a certificate. His fellow crew on the night of the rescue, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and Aviation Maintenance Technician Michael Spraggins received certificates for their role.
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu presented the Bravery Award medal and certificate to Mr. Leon.
Certificates of commendation
During the award ceremony, certificates of commendation were also presented to the following:
Vicente Somera from the Philippines, crew member of the container ship Lars Maersk, was at the ceremony in person to receive a certificate for his role in rescuing a stricken yachtsman from the Enya II in heavy weather in the Tasman Sea, some 70 nautical miles from the nearest land, when the container ship responded to a distress alert. Crew member Somera, with little regards for his own safety, climbed down an accommodation ladder to grab the yachtsman, using his own body to shield him from being crushed by the swinging ladder. Mr. Somera was nominated by Australia.
Skipper Jean-Claude Van Rymenant was also at the ceremony in person to receive the certificate awarded to him and the crew of the rescue launch SNS 129 Notre Dame de la Garoupe, volunteer rescuers based in the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin. They were nominated by France for the rescue of a woman, her husband and a baby from a yacht as Cyclone Gonzalo hit the island in October 2014. In high winds and poor visibility, the rescue crew swam to the Voyage II, which had struck a reef, and managed to bring the family to safety. The crew went on to assist people from around 20 more ships and boats which had been grounded in the cyclone.
Father Ilia Kartozia (posthumously), Abbot of the Monastery of Saint David the Builder, Patriarchate of Georgia, was nominated by Georgia for his role in helping fellow passengers to escape the Norman Atlantic ro-ro ferry, which was carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew when its car deck caught fire in heavy storms during a crossing from Greece to southern Italy. Survivors reported that Father Ilia had encouraged them during the rescue and had refused opportunities to save himself, giving up his place in a lifeboat to make room for a Greek woman and her baby. Despite the best efforts of rescuers, Father Ilia fell into the sea and sadly drowned. His body was found on the Italian shore. The certificate was received by Igumen Father Dorote Barbakadze, Dean of the Georgian Orthodox Church in London, on behalf of Father Ilia.
Lieutenant John Hess, Lieutenant Matthew Vanderslice, Aviation Maintenance Technician Derrick Suba and Aviation Survival Technician Evan Staph, crew members of the rescue helicopter CG 6033, US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, were nominated by the United States for rescuing a father-son team aboard the yacht Sedona, who had set sail for Australia but had been stranded some 150 nautical miles from the nearest land during a powerful winter storm. Freezing temperatures, high seas and strong winds hampered efforts to reach the stricken yacht and seven difficult and dangerous hoists were needed to rescue the two men. The certificates were received on their behalf by Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy at United States Coast Guard, Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards at the United States Coast Guard and Mr. Edward Heartney, Counsellor for Environment, Science, Technology and Health at the US Embassy in London, and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to IMO.
Letters of Commendation
In addition, Letters of Commendation have been sent to:
• Captain Lai Zhixing, Master of the rescue vessel Nan Hai Jiu 111, Nanhai Rescue Bureau, nominated by China, for a rescue during Typhoon Kalmaegi.
• The crew of the Xinfa Hai, nominated by China, for saving the cargo vessel Thor Commander near the Great Barrier Reef.
• Petty Officer William Hubert and two crew members of the helicopter Rescue Tango, Detachment of 35F flotilla at Tahiti-Faa’a, French Navy, nominated by France for rescuing 10 crew members of a fishing boat.
IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea
This annual award was established by IMO to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.
For the 2015 award, 27 nominations for the bravery award were received, from 10 IMO Member States and two non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
Instant gratification, or instant regret? You decide. Spring Polaroid Week 2024 kicks off this Sunday, April 21st. Learn more about Polaroid Week on the Flickr blog and join the official 'RoidWeek 2024 group today!
If only…if only I had a million dollars…if only I was movie star gorgeous…if only people everywhere were free and happy…if only there was a combination cock ring/prostate vibrator. Wait! There IS a combination cock ring/prostate toy? ...
Edited from: 'The Memorial to the Exhibition of 1851', Survey of London: volume 38: South Kensington Museums Area (1975), pp. 133-136.
"It has occupied its present site since the early 1890's. Before then it stood further to the south, where the carriageway of Prince Consort Road now lies, surmounting a water-cascade in the garden of the Royal Horticultural Society. It was unveiled in June 1863, when The Art Journal, whose editor was a member of the building committee, remarked that 'the history of this Memorial of the Great Exhibition and its illustrious Founder need not be written—and never will be!' The records of the committee in question have not come to light. In their absence no full account of the memorial's history of dissension can in fact be given. In 1853 the admirers of Marochetti's statue of Richard Coeur de Lion, which had been an exhibit in 1851, proposed to place it as a memorial on the exhibition site in Hyde Park. The peculiar unsuitability of that monarch's image to celebrate peace and prosperity among nations seems to have provoked a counter-move led by the Lord Mayor, Thomas Challis. He proposed to raise a subscription for a memorial which would also be 'a testimonial of admiration and esteem' to Prince Albert, whose statue was to be its chief feature. This was a slightly more popular idea, not least with English artists and critics who welcomed the sculptural opportunity and disliked Marochetti. In June Challis wrote to Lord Granville, as vice-chairman of the Great Exhibition, setting out the reasons for commemorating that 'noble work' which had 'awakened a spirit of enterprise among the productive masses which, if properly directed, will prepare them for a peaceful rivalry with other Nations: And not only so, but diffuse among them the means of pure and rational enjoyment, bind their affection to the Throne of Her most gracious Majesty, deepen their respect for law and raise them in the scale of social excellence and worth'. A meeting at the Mansion House in November, when the total of promised subscriptions had reached £5,000, elected a large committee, including the Dukes of Norfolk and Devonshire, to erect a memorial. Sir Charles Eastlake, Sir Joseph Paxton and (Sir) William Tite were members, together with S. Carter Hall, the editor of The Art Journal, which henceforward was a champion of the memorial and in particular of its execution in sculptural terms. (At least eight sculptors were numbered among the subscribers, with contributions ranging from one to ten pounds. Joseph Durham gave three guineas.) The promoters of the scheme were, however, liable to accusations of sycophancy and self-aggrandisement: The Times was hostile; and the Prince himself, who had not been consulted, was embarrassed by the proposal. He told Lord Granville of his unwillingness to have a statue erected to him during his lifetime, in words that showed little confidence in the sculptors of the day. He would have preferred the money to be used to mark the 1851 site and the surplus put towards erecting museums of science and art. In December he was hoping that the project was only a 'nine days wonder'. The spasm of acute unpopularity that he was experiencing no doubt made him cautious but in the following May Challis approached him about the employment of the memorial funds, which amounted (partly in promises) to £6,868 from 774 subscribers. The Prince wanted a memorial to which he could himself subscribe. He asked for the money to be used for the 'promoting of general education in the Arts and Sciences, as applied to productive industry', and particularly suggested the foundation of travelling scholarships. Challis promised rather doubtingly to urge the scheme on the subscribers. But it made little appeal to them (or, naturally, to the periodicals of art and architecture). Some promised contributions were withdrawn and nothing was done for two years. In 1856 Challis summoned a meeting of subscribers, who decided to persevere with the erection of a monument, and appointed a small executive committee under his chairmanship. The other members were F. Bennoch, T. B. Brandreth Gibbs, Peter Graham, S. Carter Hall and two honorary secretaries, the Rev. Mr. Booth and George Godwin. The latter was editor of The Builder which added its voice to The Art Journal's in support of the argument that the memorial should be a work of monumental art. The Prince carefully refrained from co-operation. In July 1857 the committee invited architects and sculptors of all nations to submit designs for a memorial to cost not more than £6,000. The hope was expressed that the site would be in Hyde Park. The committee declared the intention, but did not absolutely bind itself, to employ the successful competitor: if not, he would receive 100 guineas. Five adjudicators were to aid the committee—Lord Monteagle, Viscount Goderich, M.P. (later Earl of Ripon), Daniel Maclise, R.A., (Sir) William Tite, M.P., and Professor Richard Westmacott. By the closing date in February 1858 twenty-two models and some twenty-seven sets of drawings had been received, and were exhibited in the South Kensington Museum. The entries did not bear the competitors' names, although apparently almost all these were known to informed contemporaries. Only a few competitors, however, were subsequently named, and most are therefore not now identifiable. The Building News, as a journalistic 'outsider', thought that the comparatively small number of the entries showed that most artists lacked confidence in the committee. All agreed that some of the entries were absurd. Among the drawings were designs for a glass obelisk, and for a glass, globe-shaped congress-hall in the Serpentine. Those who submitted drawings only and not models were at a confessed disadvantage, and the 'short list' of six included only one who did so, M. Bourgerel of Nantes. Models were submitted by the other five—John Bell, Joseph Durham, W. Calder Marshall, E. G. Papworth, and an unnamed competitor. The Queen and Prince Albert viewed the entries in February. In the following weeks the two 'inspired' organs, The Art Journal and The Builder, published brief comments on the competition. Both praised Durham's entry most (so did The Athenaeum), and on 15 March the augmented committee duly chose it by ten votes to two. The decision was quite well received by the press. Even The Building News thought that Durham's 'feeble commonplace', although inadequate, as 'harmless enough'. Today greater interest probably attaches to one of the unsuccessful entries. Alfred Stevens submitted a model which is now preserved, together with preliminary studies, in the Victoria and Albert Museum. There is no direct evidence which of the entries, as listed in the press, this was, but it was probably that of which The Builder said: 'the modelling is full of spirit and skill, though roughly executed'. It is not known why it failed to reach the 'short list'. One comment of Stevens's own was recalled by G. C. Eaton: 'I remember that Stevens was rather fond of saying in connexion with that memorial that it was to stand among trees and therefore should be "as unlike trees as possible". Durham's successful design differed in many respects from what was executed although the general composition remained unaltered. The plain central pedestal, chamfered and tapering, was of square plan, and was surmounted by a statue of Britannia. The figures at the corners, of the four quarters of the globe, were to be of Sicilian marble, not bronze, and were much larger in relation to the pedestal (and also slightly larger absolutely) than in execution. The Builder thought the composition 'beautifully proportioned' (ref. 18) and The Art Journal was pleased that Durham showed America 'as a young and vigorous Britannia, instead of as an Indian chief'. The execution of Durham's design should then have gone forward but this did not happen. The circumstances are not wholly clear, although one factor was the replacement of the Liberal, Sir Benjamin Hall, as First Commissioner of Works, by the Conservative, Lord John Manners, in February 1858. Lord John is said to have refused to allow Durham's design to be erected in the park, but to have been willing to consider another design. Among the committee there was, following the refusal, 'an impression prevailing that an obeliscal design would be more favourably received'. This impression was evidently derived from the Prince's known tastes as much as Lord John's. Immediately after the competition result was announced one of the entrants, the likeable and unscrupulous John Bell, tried to engage the Prince's influence on behalf of his obeliscal composition, and although the Prince's secretary, Charles Grey, replied that the Prince could not interfere he admitted that 'your idea of what it should consist of corresponds entirely with that of H.R.H.' Bell, who was evidently abetted in this by his friend Henry Cole, publicized his obelisk, and the committee were driven to invite him and Durham to offer them obeliscal designs. They preferred Durham's. Then Lord John's successor, Henry Fitzroy, refused (in the summer or autumn of 1859) to allow any monument at all to be erected in the park. By November 1859 thoughts had turned to an alternative site. Under the Prince's inspiration the centre of the estate of the 1851 Exhibition Commissioners on the other side of Kensington Road was about to be made into a show-garden for the (Royal) Horticultural Society, rich in architectural and sculptural features. It offered a setting in some ways highly suitable for the memorial, although a monument to an exhibition becomes still more otiose when it does not even mark the site. The committee wanted to adhere to Durham's original design, and early in 1860 they and the (Royal) Horticultural Society agreed to place it, as the property of the 1851 Exhibition Commissioners, in the garden, where the Society would contribute £800 to make the base more ornamental. The Prince regretted the committee's resistance to an obelisk. This fact was thereafter promulgated by Bell, who was to pester the Albert Memorial committee persistently on the subject. The development of the design in 1859–61 is very imperfectly recorded. It is clear, however, that with his own statue no longer included the Prince took a close interest in the design; and he now subscribed £250 to its execution. (ref. 35) In December 1859 he instructed the secretary of the 1851 Commissioners that questions relating to the memorial should be referred to him directly, for discussion with Durham, Godwin, and representatives of the Commissioners and the Horticultural Society. This would have by-passed the Science and Art Department triumvirate (Cole, Fowke and Redgrave) that had been constituted to manage the garden layout, and although the next two years saw, with the increasing stature of the Department's artist, Godfrey Sykes, a continuance of its influence, the Prince's individual contribution was appreciable. According to Andrew Murray, the Horticultural Society's secretary, the Prince designed the clasp on the mantle of the figure of America. More importantly, in the spring of 1860 the Prince suggested how the pedestal should be elaborated, evidently by the addition of the coupled columns at the corners. A more ornate pedestal was designed by Sykes, and also the architectural substructure (with keystone modelled by Reuben Townroe) which formed the cascade at the head of an ornamental water: unlike Sykes's pedestal, this was retained in execution. Cole urged that models should be made, and the Prince carefully scrutinized them at the Museum, where his examination of a large 'mock-up' (in the south-east part of the present quadrangle), in the early summer of 1861. By then a further change had been effected. In April Cole had made a scornful attack on Durham's design in a letter to Grey and asked for the non-sculptural parts to be taken from him and given to Sykes and the Horticultural Society's consultant architect, Sydney Smirke. The Prince, apprehensive of ill-feeling, refused. But a day or two later he came to the Museum and asked Smirke, according to Cole, to 'alter ye Top'. (Cole noted that he 'wanted everything done at once as usual'.) According to Murray it was Smirke who substituted the present rather handsome cylindrical pedestal for the elaborated square pier, and thus, as Cole says, made the model 'satisfactory to all parties'. Smirke's participation in the architectural design was acknowledged at the opening. The foundations of the memorial were begun in July 1861. In that same summer the Queen's statue was substituted for Britannia. The Art Journal in October called Durham's figure 'a noble work'. The intention to execute the statuary in marble had been abandoned, probably at an early date, and the figure was to be cast in bronze. In the Queen's left hand an orb of glass bore a dove of aluminium. But in December the Prince died. Within a few days, in a letter to the Horticultural Society, the Prince of Wales declared the Queen's wish that Prince Albert's statue should replace her own, and his own wish to make a gift of his father's statue to the Society. Durham was retained for the task but was required to consult with a committee of six—three sculptors, Marochetti, Foley and Westmacott, and Smirke, Godwin and Grey. By October the work was far enough advanced for The Art Journal to praise Durham's likeness of the Prince. (Andrew Murray says that the attitude of the Prince's right arm, habitual to him, was determined by the Queen. The Art Journal also admired Durham's relentless detailing—'there is no evading that which would be difficult in modelling and composition, and, of course, expensive in carving—the lines are decided where required, and for the effect there is no want of darks and half-lights...' The memorial was unveiled, with great ceremony, on 10 June 1863. Journals recorded that the materials of the pedestal were red Aberdeen and grey Cornish (Cheesewring) granite, and that the statues were of electro-typed bronze by Messrs Elkington of Birmingham. This process was one in which the Prince Consort had had great faith, according to Gilbert Scott, who thought it looked 'exceedingly well'. In accordance with Marochetti's advice the Prince was represented in the robes of the Bath (freely interpreted). Durham's acquaintance, Sir William Hardman, thought the 'tights and boots in the Robin Hood style . . . the only objectionable part of the figure.' The Builder announced remarkably that in this statue 'the idea embodied is Britannia (typified by the Prince)'. The Building News said the Great Exhibition did not need a memorial; 'but the present is an age of testimonials and commemorations'. In The Art Journal's report gratification was, naturally, expressed, but in a backward look the writer recalled that 'the "authorities at South Kensington"' had tried to persuade the Prince that Durham was incompetent and that 'a gentleman high in their favour and confidence was the right person to do this work'. The Prince had, however, come to realize that the committee had been right to stand by their choice of Durham 'when to do so was not agreeable, nor indeed safe from obloquy'. It is not clear whether this refers to Cole's advocacy of Smirke, Sykes or Bell, or to some other episode. The writer proceeded to make the negative prophecy quoted at the beginning of this account. Conceivably the committee thought it best to suppress any record of disagreement with the deceased Prince. According to The Building News the total cost was about £7,500. The memorial did not give the Queen a high opinion of Durham's abilities. He never advanced from Associateship to become a Royal Academician, and at his death in 1877 The Builder noted that he had for some time lacked commissions. When the Royal Horticultural Society's garden was abolished to make way, at its northern end, for Prince Consort Road, the memorial was moved, c. 1891–3, to its present position. In 1898–9 the 1851 Commissioners had the present terrace constructed around it over vaults, by Higgs and Hill (with a pavement laid by Italian workmen), at a cost of £12,000. The memorial is still owned by the Commissioners."
Inscription
{Below cornice:}
Let all the nations be gathered together and let the people be assembled. Isaiah 43.9. I will remember the works of the Lord, Surely I will remember the wonders of old. Psalms 77.2.
{Marble plaque on south façade:}
Names of Her Majesty's Commissioners
His Royal Highness the Prince Consort - President
{column on left:}
Duke of Buccleuch
Earl of Derby
Earl of Rosse
Earl Granville
Earl of Ellesmere
Lord Overstone
Lord John Russell
Sir Robert Peel
Henry Labouchere
W E Gladstone
Sir Rd Westmacott
Sir Chas Lyell
Sir Chas Eastlake
{column on right:}
Sir William Cubitt
Sir Charles Barry
Thomas Baring
Thomas Bazley
Richard Cobden
Thomas F Gison
John Gott
William Hopkins
Philip Pusey
John Shepherd
Robert Stephenson
William Thompson
Secretaries:
J Scott Russell
Sir Stafford H Northcote
Edgar A Bowring
Special Commissioners:
Lyon Playfair
J A Lloyd
Executive Committee:
{column on left:}
Sir William Reid
Henry Cole
G Wentworth Dilke
{column on right:}
Francis Fuller
George Drew
M Digby Wyatt, sec.
{Below this plaque and lower down:}
Inaugurated by HRH The Prince of Wales, June 10th 1863
{Much lower down:}
Hoc monvmentvm et insignissimvm principem albertvm commemorans et spectacvlvm vniversale qvod ispe anno MDCCCLI faciendvm cvravit in pvlcherrimis illis hortis eivs anno MDCCLXIII positvm est qvibvs dirvtis hic circa annvm MDCCCXCI itervm est erctvm tvm refectvm renovatvm repartvm a celsitvdine sva regia dvce edinbvrgensi consilii regalis de spectacvlo albertensi praeside inavgvratvm est mense maio MMI.
{Marble plaque on west façade:}
Opened by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, May 1st 1851.
Closed October 15th 1851
Number of visitors: 6,039,195
Total Receipts: £522,179
Total Expenditure: £335,742
Number of exhibitors: 13,937
viz. British - 7381, Foreign - 6556
Size of building: 1848 feet by 456 feet
Architect - Sir Joseph Paxton
Contractors - Fox and Henderson
{Marble plaque on north façade:}
Erected by public subscription originally intended only to commemorate The International Exhibition of 1851 now dedicated to the memory of the great author of that undertaking The Good Prince to whose far-seeing and comprehensive philanthropy its first conception was due and to whose clear judgment and untiring exertions in directing its execution the world is indebted for its unprecedented success.
Albert Francis Augustus Charles Emanuel, The Prince Consort, born August 26, 1819, died December 14, 1861.
"He was a man, take him for all in all, we shall not look upon his like again"
Sculptor: Joseph Durham
Executive committee:
{column on left:}
Thos Challis, Alderman, Lord Mayor of London 1851
Francis Bennoch
Brandreth Gibbs
{column on right:}
Peter Graham
S Cater Hall
George Godwin, Honorary Secretary
{Marble plaque on east façade:}
Exhibiting Countries
British
{column on left:}
The United Kingdom
Antigua
Australia South
Bahamas
Barbadoes
Bermuda
British Guiana
Canada
Cape of Good Hope
Ceylon
Channel Islands
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Grenada
India
{column on right:}
Ionian Islands
Jamaica
Labuan
Malta
Mauritius
Montserrat
New Brunswick
Newfoundland
New South Wales
New Zealand
Nova Scotia
St. Helena
St. Kitts
St. Vincent
Trinidad
Van Dieman's Land
Foreign
{column on left:}
Africa West
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Brunswick
Chili
China
Denmark
Egypt
France
Gold Coast
Greece
The Hanse Towns
Hanover
Holland
Mecklenburgh Schwerin
Mecklenburgh Strelitz
Mexico
{column on right:}
New Grenada
Norway
Persia
Portugal
Russia
Rome
St. Domingo
Sardinia
Society Islands
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Tunis
Tuscany
Turkey
United States
The Zolliverein
Article Courtesy
www.al-islam.org/short/martyrdom/
The Ahlul Bayt Digital Islamic Library Project team presents
Imam Husain And His Martyrdom
By Abdullah Yusuf Ali
Renowned English translator and commentator of the Holy Qur'an
(Progressive Islam Pamphlet No. 7, September, 1931)
Introduction:
The month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, brings with it the memory of the sacrifice of Imam Husayn [a], the grandson of Prophet Muhammad [s], and his noble family and friends. This short text reflects the deep admiration of its author towards Imam Husayn [a] and an insight into the tragedy of Karbala, its reasons and its consequences. It is presented with the hope that it will foster the Islamic unity and the brotherly love that the author seeks in his preface.
The author, of course, is none other than the well-known Sunni English translator and commentator of the Qur'an, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, who died in 1952 in England. Little would he have known that his English translation and commentary of the Qur'an would become so popular in the West and East alike, wherever English is read and understood.
And little would he have known that later editions of his Qur'an translation and commentary would undergo tampering such that favorable references to Imam Husayn [a] would be deleted, amongst other changes!(*) Perhaps there are some out there who want to see the memory of Imam Husayn [a] wiped out. Perhaps Karbala is not quite over yet.
The Shi'a Encyclopedia team
(*) A detailed and documented case study is now available on Tahrif! Investigating Distortions in Islamic Texts.
Imam Husain And His Martyrdom, Abdullah Yusuf Ali (d. 1952), 41 pages
Lahore: M Feroz-ud-Din & Sons, 1931.
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[Try the Guide to Online Libraries to locate this text elsewhere]
Preface
The following pages are based on a report of an Address which I delivered in London at an Ashura Majlis on Thursday the 28th May, 1931 (Muharram 1350 A.H.), at the Waldorf Hotel. The report was subsequently corrected and slightly expanded. The Majlis was a notable gathering, which met at the invitation of Mr. A. S. M. Anik. Nawab Sir Umar Hayat Khan, Tiwana, presided and members of all schools of thought in Islam, as well as non-Muslims, joined reverently in doing honour to the memory of the great Martyr of Islam. By its inclusion in the Progressive Islam Pamphlets series, it is hoped to reach a larger public than were able to be present in person. Perhaps, also, it may help to strengthen the bonds of brotherly love which unite all who hold sacred the ideals of brotherhood preached by the Prophet in his last Sermon.
A. Yusuf Ali.
Imam Husain And His Martyrdom
Sorrow as a Bond of Union
I am going to talk this afternoon about a very solemn subject, the martyrdom of Imam Husain at Kerbela, of which we are celebrating the anniversary. As the Chairman has very rightly pointed out, it is one of those wonderful events in our religious history about which all sects are agreed. More than that, in this room I have the honour of addressing some people who do not belong to our religious persuasion, but I venture to think that the view I put forward today may be of interest to them from its historical, its moral and its spiritual significance. Indeed, when we consider the background of that great tragedy, and all that has happened during the 1289 lunar years since, we cannot fail to be convinced that some events of sorrow and apparent defeat are really the very things which are calculated to bring about, or lead us towards, the union of humanity.
How Martyrdom healed divisions
When we invite strangers or guests and make them free of our family circle, that means the greatest outflowing of our hearts to them. The events that I am going to describe refer to some of the most touching incidents of our domestic history in their spiritual aspect. We ask our brethren of other faiths to come, and share with us some of the thoughts which are called forth by this event. As a matter of fact all students of history are aware that the horrors that are connected with the great event of Kerbela did more than anything else to unite together the various contending factions which had unfortunately appeared at that early stage of Muslim history. You know the old Persian saying applied to the Prophet:
Tu barae wasl kardan amadi;
Ni barae fasl kardan amadi.
"Thou camest to the world to unite, not to divide."
That was wonderfully exemplified by the sorrows and sufferings and finally the martyrdom of Imam Husain.
Commemoration of great virtues
There has been in our history a tendency sometimes to celebrate the event merely by wailing and tribulation, or sometimes by symbols like the Tazias that you see in India, - Taboots as some people call them. Well, symbolism or visible emblems may sometimes be useful in certain circumstances as tending to crystallise ideas. But I think the Muslims of India of the present day are quite ready to adopt a more effective way of celebrating the martyrdom, and that is by contemplating the great virtues of the martyr, trying to understand the significance of the events in which he took part, and translating those great moral and spiritual lessons into their own lives. From that point of view I think you will agree that it is good that we should sit together, even people of different faiths, - sit together and consider the great historic event, in which were exemplified such soul-stirring virtues as those of unshaken faith, undaunted courage, thought for others, willing self-sacrifice, steadfastness in the right and unflinching war against the wrong. Islam has a history of beautiful domestic affections, of sufferings and of spiritual endeavour, second to none in the world. That side of Muslim history, although to me the most precious, is, I am sorry to say, often neglected. It is most important that we should call attention to it, reiterated attention, the attention of our own people as well as the attention of those who are interested in historical and religious truth. If there is anything precious in Islamic history it is not the wars, or the politics, or the brilliant expansion, or the glorious conquests, or even the intellectual spoils which our ancestors gathered. In these matters, our history, like all history, has its lights and shades. What we need especially to emphasise is the spirit of organisation, of brotherhood, of undaunted courage in moral and spiritual life.
Plan of discourse
I propose first to give you an idea of the geographical setting and the historical background. Then I want very briefly to refer to the actual events that happened in the Muharram, and finally to draw your attention to the great lessons which we can learn from them.
Geographical Picture
In placing before you a geographical picture of the tract of country in which the great tragedy was enacted, I consider myself fortunate in having my own personal memories to draw upon. They make the picture vivid to my mind, and they may help you also. When I visited those scenes in 1928, I remember going down from Baghdad through all that country watered by the Euphrates river. As I crossed the river by a bridge of boats at Al-Musaiyib on a fine April morning, my thoughts leapt over centuries and centuries. To the left of the main river you have the old classic ground of Babylonian history; you have the railway station of Hilla; you have the ruins of the city of Babylon, witnessing to one of the greatest civilisations of antiquity. It was so mingled with the dust that it is only in recent years that we have begun to understand its magnitude and magnificence. Then you have the great river system of the Euphrates, the Furat as it is called, a river unlike any other river we know. It takes its rise in many sources from the mountains of Eastern Armenia, and sweeping in great zig-zags through rocky country, it finally skirts the desert as we see it now. Wherever it or its interlacing branches or canals can reach, it has converted the desert into fruitful cultivated country; in the picturesque phrase, it has made the desert blossom as the rose. It skirts round the Eastern edge of the Syrian desert and then flows into marshy land. In a tract not far from Kerbela itself there are lakes which receive its waters, and act as reservoirs. Lower down it unites with the other river, the Tigris, and the united rivers flow in the name of the Shatt-al-Arab into the Persian Gulf.
Abundant water & tragedy of thirst
From the most ancient times this tract of the lower Euphrates has been a garden. It was a cradle of early civilisation, a meeting place between Sumer and Arab, and later between the Persians and Arabs. It is a rich, well watered country, with date-palms and pomegranate groves. Its fruitful fields can feed populous cities and its luscious pastures attract the nomad Arabs of the desert, with their great flocks and herds. It is of particularly tragic significance that on the border of such a well-watered land, should have been enacted the tragedy of great and good men dying of thirst and slaughtered because they refused to bend the knee to the forces of iniquity. The English poet's lines "Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink" are brought home forcibly to you in this borderland between abundant water and desolate sands.
Kerbela and Its Great Dome
I remember the emotion with which I approached Kerbela from the East. The rays of the morning sun gilt the Gumbaz-i-Faiz, the great dome that crowns the building containing the tomb of Imam Husain. Kerbela actually stands on one of the great caravan routes of the desert. Today the river city of Kufa, once a Khilafat capital, is a mere village, and the city of Najaf is famous for the tomb of Hazrat Ali, but of little commercial importance. Kerbela, this outpost of the desert, is a mart and a meeting ground as well as a sacred place. It is the port of the desert, just as Basra, lower down, is a port for the Persian Gulf. Beautifully kept is the road to the mausoleum, to which all through the year come pilgrims from all parts of the world. Beautiful coloured enamelled tiles decorate the building. Inside, in the ceiling and upper walls, there is a great deal of glass mosaic. The glass seems to catch and reflect the light. The effect is that of rich coruscations of light combined with the solemnity of a closed building. The tomb itself is in a sort of inner grill, and below the ground is a sort of cave, where is shown the actual place where the Martyr fell. The city of Najaf is just about 40 miles to the South, with the tomb of Hazrat Ali on the high ground. You can see the golden dome for miles around. Just four miles from Najaf and connected with it by a tramway, is the deserted city of Kufa. The mosque is large, but bare and practically unused. The blue dome and the Mihrab of enamelled tiles bear witness to the ancient glory of the place.
Cities and their Cultural Meaning
The building of Kufa and Basra, the two great outposts of the Muslim Empire, in the 16th year of the Hijra, was a visible symbol that Islam was pushing its strength and building up a new civilisation, not only in a military sense, but in moral and social ideas and in the sciences and arts. The old effete cities did not content it, any more than the old and effete systems which it displaced. Nor was it content with the first steps it took. It was always examining, testing, discarding, re-fashioning its own handiwork. There was always a party that wanted to stand on old ways, to take cities like Damascus readymade, that loved ease and the path of least resistance. But the greater souls stretched out to new frontiers - of ideas as well as geography. They felt that old seats were like dead wood breeding worms and rottenness that were a danger to higher forms of life. The clash between them was part of the tragedy of Kerbela. Behind the building of new cities there is often the burgeoning of new ideas. Let us therefore examine the matter a little more closely. It will reveal the hidden springs of some very interesting history.
Vicissitudes of Mecca and Medina
The great cities of Islam at its birth were Mecca and Medina. Mecca, the centre of old Arabian pilgrimage, the birthplace of the Prophet, rejected the Prophet's teaching, and cast him off. Its idolatry was effete; its tribal exclusiveness was effete; its ferocity against the Teacher of the New Light was effete. The Prophet shook its dust off his feet, and went to Medina. It was the well-watered city of Yathrib, with a considerable Jewish population. It received with eagerness the teaching of the Prophet; it gave asylum to him and his Companions and Helpers. He reconstituted it and it became the new City of Light. Mecca, with its old gods and its old superstitions, tried to subdue this new Light and destroy it. The human odds were in favour of Mecca. But God's purpose upheld the Light, and subdued the old Mecca. But the Prophet came to build as well as to destroy. He destroyed the old paganism, and lighted a new beacon in Mecca - the beacon of Arab unity and human brotherhood. When the Prophet's life ended on this earth, his spirit remained. It inspired his people and led them from victory to victory. Where moral or spiritual and material victories go hand in hand, the spirit of man advances all along the line. But sometimes there is a material victory, with a spiritual fall, and sometimes there is a spiritual victory with a material fall, and then we have tragedy.
Spirit of Damascus
Islam's first extension was towards Syria, where the power was centred in the city of Damascus. Among living cities it is probably the oldest city in the world. Its bazaars are thronged with men of all nations, and the luxuries of all nations find ready welcome there. If you come to it westward from the Syrian desert, as I did, the contrast is complete, both in the country and in the people. From the parched desert sands you come to fountains and vineyards, orchards and the hum of traffic. From the simple, sturdy, independent, frank Arab, you come to the soft, luxurious, sophisticated Syrian. That contrast was forced on the Muslims when Damascus became a Muslim city. They were in a different moral and spiritual atmosphere. Some succumbed to the softening influences of ambition, luxury, wealth pride of race, love of ease, and so on. Islam stood always as the champion of the great rugged moral virtues. It wanted no compromise with evil in any shape or form, with luxury, with idleness, with the seductions of this world. It was a protest against these things. And yet the representatives of that protest got softened at Damascus. They aped the decadent princes of the world instead of striving to be leaders of spiritual thought. Discipline was relaxed, and governors aspired to be greater than the Khalifas. This bore bitter fruit later.
Snare of Riches
Meanwhile Persia came within the Muslim orbit. When Medain was captured in the year 16 of the Hijra, and the battle of Jalula broke the Persian resistance, some military booty was brought to Medina - gems, pearls, rubies, diamonds, swords of gold and silver. A great celebration was held in honour of the splendid victory and the valour of the Arab army. In the midst of the celebration they found the Caliph of the day actually weeping. One said to him, "What! a time of joy and thou sheddest tears?" "Yes", he said, "I foresee that the riches will become a snare, a spring of worldliness and envy, and in the end a calamity to my people." For the Arab valued, above all, simplicity of life, openness of character, and bravery in face of danger. Their women fought with them and shared their dangers. They were not caged creatures for the pleasures of the senses. They showed their mettle in the early fighting round the head of the Persian Gulf. When the Muslims were hard pressed, their women turned the scale in their favour. They made their veils into flags, and marched in battle array. The enemy mistook them for reinforcements and abandoned the field. Thus an impending defeat was turned into a victory.
Basra and Kufa: town-planning
In Mesopotamia the Muslims did not base their power on old and effete Persian cities, but built new outposts for themselves. The first they built was Basra at the head of the Persian Gulf, in the 17th year of the Hijra. And what a great city it became! Not great in war and conquest, not great in trade and commerce, but great in learning and culture in its best day, - alas! also great in its spirit of faction and degeneracy in the days of its decline! But its situation and climate were not at all suited to the Arab character. It was low and moist, damp and enervating. In the same year the Arabs built another city not far off from the Gulf and yet well suited to be a port of the desert, as Kerbela became afterwards. This was the city of Kufa, built in the same year as Basra, but in a more bracing climate. It was the first experiment in town-planning in Islam. In the centre was a square for the principal mosque. That square was adorned with shady avenues. Another square was set apart for the trafficking of the market. The streets were all laid out intersecting and their width was fixed. The main thoroughfares for such traffic as they had (we must not imagine the sort of traffic we see in Charing Cross) were made 60 feet wide; the cross streets were 30 feet wide; and even the little lanes for pedestrians were regulated to a width of 10.5 feet. Kufa became a centre of light and learning. The Khalifa Hazrat Ali lived and died there.
Rivalry and poison of Damascus
But its rival, the city of Damascus, fattened on luxury and Byzantine magnificence. Its tinsel glory sapped the foundations of loyalty and the soldierly virtues. Its poison spread through the Muslim world. Governors wanted to be kings. Pomp and selfishness, ease and idleness and dissipation grew as a canker; wines and spirituous liquors, scepticism, cynicism and social vices became so rampant that the protests of the men of God were drowned in mockery. Mecca, which was to have been a symbolical spiritual centre, was neglected or dishonoured. Damascus and Syria became centres of a worldliness and arrogance which cut at the basic roots of Islam.
Husain the Righteous refused to bow to worldliness and power
We have brought the story down to the 60th year of the Hijra. Yazid assumed the power at Damascus. He cared nothing for the most sacred ideals of the people. He was not even interested in the ordinary business affairs of administration. His passion was hunting, and he sought power for self-gratification. The discipline and self-abnegation, the strong faith and earnest endeavour, the freedom and sense of social equality which had been the motive forces of Islam, were divorced from power. The throne at Damascus had become a worldly throne based on the most selfish ideas of personal and family aggrandisement, instead of a spiritual office, with a sense of God-given responsibility. The decay of morals spread among the people. There was one man who could stem the tide. That was Imam Husain. He, the grandson of the Prophet, could speak without fear, for fear was foreign to his nature. But his blameless and irreproachable life was in itself a reproach to those who had other standards. They sought to silence him, but he could not be silenced. They sought to bribe him, but he could not be bribed. They sought to waylay him and get him into their Power. What is more, they wanted him to recognise the tyranny and expressly to support it. For they knew that the conscience of the people might awaken at any time, and sweep them away unless the holy man supported their cause. The holy man was prepared to die rather than surrender the principles for which he stood.
Driven from city to city
Medina was the centre of Husain's teaching. They made Medina impossible for him. He left Medina and went to Mecca, hoping that he would be left alone. But he was not left alone. The Syrian forces invaded Mecca. The invasion was repelled, not by Husain but by other people. For Husain, though the bravest of the brave, had no army and no worldly weapons. His existence itself was an offence in the eyes of his enemies. His life was in danger, and the lives of all those nearest and dearest to him. He had friends everywhere, but they were afraid to speak out. They were not as brave as he was. But in distant Kufa, a party grew up which said: "We are disgusted with these events, and we must have Imam Husain to take asylum with us." So they sent and invited the Imam to leave Mecca, come to them, live in their midst, and be their honoured teacher and guide. His father's memory was held in reverence in Kufa. The Governor of Kufa was friendly, and the people eager to welcome him. But alas, Kufa had neither strength, nor courage, nor constancy. Kufa, geographically only 40 miles from Kerbela, was the occasion of the tragedy of Kerbela. And now Kufa is nearly gone, and Kerbela remains as the lasting memorial of the martyrdom.
Invitation from Kufa
When the Kufa invitation reached the Imam, he pondered over it, weighed its possibilities, and consulted his friends. He sent over his cousin Muslim to study the situation on the spot and report to him. The report was favourable, and he decided to go. He had a strong presentiment of danger. Many of his friends in Mecca advised him against it. But could he abandon his mission when Kufa was calling for it? Was he the man to be deterred, because his enemies were laying their plots for him, at Damascus and at Kufa? At least, it was suggested, he might leave his family behind. But his family and his immediate dependants would not hear of it. It was a united family, pre-eminent in the purity of its life and in its domestic virtues and domestic affections. If there was danger for its head, they would share it. The Imam was not going on a mere ceremonial visit. There was responsible work to do, and they must be by his side, to support him in spite of all its perils and consequences. Shallow critics scent political ambition in the Imam's act. But would a man with political ambitions march without an army against what might be called the enemy country, scheming to get him into its power, and prepared to use all their resources, military, political and financial, against him?
Journey through the desert
Imam Husain left Mecca for Kufa with all his family including his little children. Later news from Kufa itself was disconcerting. The friendly governor had been displaced by one prepared more ruthlessly to carry out Yazid's plans. If Husain was to go there at all, he must go there quickly, or his friends themselves would be in danger. On the other hand, Mecca itself was no less dangerous to him and his family. It was the month of September by the solar calendar, and no one would take a long desert journey in that heat, except under a sense of duty. By the lunar calendar it was the month of pilgrimage at Mecca. But he did not stop for the pilgrimage. He pushed on, with his family and dependants, in all numbering about 90 or 100 people, men, women and children. They must have gone by forced marches through the desert. They covered the 900 miles of the desert in little over three weeks. When they came within a few miles of Kufa, at the edge of the desert, they met people from Kufa. It was then that they heard of the terrible murder of Husain's cousin Muslim, who had been sent on in advance. A poet that came by dissuaded the Imam from going further. "For," he said epigramatically, "the heart of the city is with thee but its sword is with thine enemies, and the issue is with God." What was to be done? They were three weeks' journey from the city they had left. In the city to which they were going their own messenger had been foully murdered as well as his children. They did not know what the actual situation was then in Kufa. But they were determined not to desert their friends.
Call to Surrender or Die
Presently messengers came from Kufa, and Imam Husain was asked to surrender. Imam Husain offered to take one of three alternatives. He wanted no political power and no revenge. He said "I came to defend my own people. If I am too late, give me the choice of three alternatives: either to return to Mecca; or to face Yazid himself at Damascus; or if my very presence is distasteful to him and you, I do not wish to cause more divisions among the Muslims. Let me at least go to a distant frontier, where, if fighting must be done, I will fight against the enemies of Islam." Every one of these alternatives was refused. What they wanted was to destroy his life, or better still, to get him to surrender, to surrender to the very forces against which he was protesting, to declare his adherence to those who were defying the law of God and man, and to tolerate all the abuses which were bringing the name of Islam into disgrace. Of course he did not surrender. But what was he to do? He had no army. He had reasons to suppose that many of his friends from distant parts would rally round him, and come and defend him with their swords and bodies. But time was necessary, and he was not going to gain time by feigned compliance. He turned a little round to the left, the way that would have led him to Yazid himself, at Damascus. He camped in the plain of Kerbela.
Water cut off; Inflexible will, Devotion and Chivalry
For ten days messages passed backwards and forwards between Kerbela and Kufa. Kufa wanted surrender and recognition. That was the one thing the Imam could not consent to. Every other alternative was refused by Kufa, under the instructions from Damascus. Those fateful ten days were the first ten days of the month of Muharram, of the year 61 of the Hijra. The final crisis was on the 10th day, the Ashura day, which we are commemorating. During the first seven days various kinds of pressure were brought to bear on the Imam, but his will was inflexible. It was not a question of a fight, for there were but 70 men against 4,000. The little band was surrounded and insulted, but they held together so firmly that they could not be harmed. On the 8th day the water supply was cut off. The Euphrates and its abundant streams were within sight, but the way was barred. Prodigies of valour were performed in getting water. Challenges were made for single combat according to Arab custom. And the enemy were half-hearted, while the Imam's men fought in contempt of death, and always accounted for more men than they lost. On the evening of the 9th day, the little son of the Imam was ill. He had fever and was dying of thirst. They tried to get a drop of water. But that was refused point blank and so they made the resolve that they would, rather than surrender, die to the last man in the cause for which they had come. Imam Husain offered to send away his people. He said, "They are after my person; my family and my people can go back." But everyone refused to go. They said they would stand by him to the last, and they did. They were not cowards; they were soldiers born and bred; and they fought as heroes, with devotion and with chivalry.
The Final Agony; placid face of the man of God
On the day of Ashura, the 10th day, Imam Husain's own person was surrounded by his enemies. He was brave to the last. He was cruelly mutilated. His sacred head was cut off while in the act of prayer. A mad orgy of triumph was celebrated over his body. In this crisis we have details of what took place hour by hour. He had 45 wounds from the enemies' swords and javelins, and 35 arrows pierced his body. His left arm was cut off, and a javelin pierced through his breast. After all that agony, when his head was lifted up on a spear, his face was the placid face of a man of God. All the men of that gallant band were exterminated and their bodies trampled under foot by the horses. The only male survivor was a child, Husain's son Ali, surnamed Zain-ul-'Abidin - "The Glory of the Devout." He lived in retirement, studying, interpreting, and teaching his father's high spiritual principles for the rest of his life.
Heroism of the Women
There were women: for example, Zainab the sister of the Imam, Sakina his little daughter, and Shahr-i-Banu, his wife, at Kerbela. A great deal of poetic literature has sprung up in Muslim languages, describing the touching scenes in which they figure. Even in their grief and their tears they are heroic. They lament the tragedy in simple, loving, human terms. But they are also conscious of the noble dignity of their nearness to a life of truth reaching its goal in the precious crown of martyrdom. One of the best-known poets of this kind is the Urdu poet Anis, who lived in Lucknow, and died in 1874.
Lesson of the Tragedy
That briefly is the story. What is the lesson? There is of course the physical suffering in martyrdom, and all sorrow and suffering claim our sympathy, ---- the dearest, purest, most outflowing sympathy that we can give. But there is a greater suffering than physical suffering. That is when a valiant soul seems to stand against the world; when the noblest motives are reviled and mocked; when truth seems to suffer an eclipse. It may even seem that the martyr has but to say a word of compliance, do a little deed of non-resistance; and much sorrow and suffering would be saved; and the insidious whisper comes: "Truth after all can never die." That is perfectly true. Abstract truth can never die. It is independent of man's cognition. But the whole battle is for man's keeping hold of truth and righteousness. And that can only be done by the highest examples of man's conduct - spiritual striving and suffering enduring firmness of faith and purpose, patience and courage where ordinary mortals would give in or be cowed down, the sacrifice of ordinary motives to supreme truth in scorn of consequence. The martyr bears witness, and the witness redeems what would otherwise be called failure. It so happened with Husain. For all were touched by the story of his martyrdom, and it gave the deathblow to the politics of Damascus and all it stood for. And Muharram has still the power to unite the different schools of thought in Islam, and make a powerful appeal to non-Muslims also.
Explorers of Spiritual Territory
That, to my mind, is the supreme significance of martyrdom. All human history shows that the human spirit strives in many directions, deriving strength and sustenance from many sources. Our bodies, our physical powers, have developed or evolved from earlier forms, after many struggles and defeats. Our intellect has had its martyrs, and our great explorers have often gone forth with the martyrs' spirit. All honour to them. But the highest honour must still lie with the great explorers of spiritual territory, those who faced fearful odds and refused to surrender to evil. Rather than allow a stigma to attach to sacred things, they paid with their own lives the penalty of resistance. The first kind of resistance offered by the Imam was when he went from city to city, hunted about from place to place, but making no compromise with evil. Then was offered the choice of an effectual but dangerous attempt at clearing the house of God, or living at ease for himself by tacit abandonment of his striving friends. He chose the path of danger with duty and honour, and never swerved from it giving up his life freely and bravely. His story purifies our emotions. We can best honour his memory by allowing it to teach us courage and constancy.
The End
Further Reading
To find out more about Imam Husayn [a], his position in Islam, his noble family, their sacrifice in the deserts of Karbala, and its universal relevance, see the following resources:
* The Excellences of Imam Husayn In Sunni Hadith Tradition
* The Revolution of Imam Husayn
* Karbala, an enduring paradigm of Islamic revivalism
* Imam Husayn's Concepts of Religion and Leadership
* Victory of Truth: Life of Zaynab bt. 'Ali
* The Illustrious Period of the Imamate of Imam Zayn al-'Abidin
* Karbala and the Imam Husayn in Persian and Indo-Muslim literature
* Also see the heading "Ahlul Bayt - Imam Husayn" and "Karbala" in the Subject Index for many more text, audio, and video resources
Over the past few weeks, I've been going absolutely Spectra crazy!
Playing around just before Xmas, I borrowed a snazzy little Polaroid Spectra Close-Up kit from Mr. Michael Raso of the Film Photography Podcast. WARNING: This closeup kit + Impossible Project film needs A LOT of light! But when you can nail down the "pull string" focusing, you'll be rewarded with great shots.
Portrait shot by Mr. Michael Raso, because this truly is Lauren's favorite hat!
Polaroid Spectra SE
Closeup Attachment w/ "pull string"
Expired Spectra Soft Tone Film (2009)
Cora turned 22 today. One dozen long-stemmed roses from her boyfriend, a Tiffany bracelet from her employer and this schweet little camera from me. It's getting harder and harder for Mommy to stay on top of the pile :)
Award-winning rescuer reunited with men he saved
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony. (pic: USCG)
An American rescue swimmer who saved four men from a sinking ocean-going rowing boat was reunited with three of the people he rescued in an emotional ceremony at IMO Headquarters yesterday (19 November).
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for his part in the dramatic rescue of four ocean racers from the Pacific Ocean. He was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony.
The three rowers, along with Mr. Colin Parker from New Zealand, had been taking part in part in the Great Pacific Race in June 2014 when their four-man boat Britannia 4 began sinking in severe conditions. The race support vessel had been unable to reach the stricken rowing boat and its crew due to 30 knot winds and 15 to 20-foot waves. The rowers owe their lives to the efforts of rescue swimmer AST Leon, who had been lowered to the sea to assist them, and to the successful hoists performed by the helicopter crew in conditions compounded by darkness, lack of visual cues and horizon and breaking waves.
Speaking at the ceremony, AST Leon said he was pleased to meet the rescuees for the first time since the fateful night, and in entirely different circumstances. He said he was honoured and humbled to be receiving the award and thanked his fellow crew members, who had flown the helicopter through gale force winds to winch AST Leon down to the rowers in the stormy seas below and who had performed a series of demanding recovery hoists to initially rescue three of the men.
When fuel levels on the helicopter became dangerously low and it had to leave the scene to refuel, AST Leon remained with the fourth rower Mr. Hart, huddled in the tiny bow portion of the swamped vessel that remained above water. The two men protected each other from the breaking waves and freezing temperatures. Finally, the helicopter was able to return through the stormy night and hoist the two men to safety.
“I would especially like to thank the crew of the helicopter, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and flight mechanic Michael Spraggins, because nothing I do, can be done without them; and everything we do is a team effort – especially for this case,” AST Leon said. .
Rescuee Sam Collins thanked AST Leon and the helicopter crew at the ceremony, acknowledging that setting out to row the Pacific Ocean had been for their own gratification, while AST Leon had acted selflessly to rescue them.
“What Chris did was a completely selfless act. Something quite special. Chris Leon woke up in the morning and no doubt brushed his teeth, had a normal day. And then, in the darkness of night, a year and a half ago, he launched himself off the side of a helicopter into gale force winds and over six metre high seas just to save our lives,” Mr. Collins said.
“And as a result we are alive. We will have children. Our children will go on to have children. And we can hopefully repay him, by making the most of our lives. So what I am trying to say, is: thank you, Chris, you really deserve this award for what was a truly exceptional act of bravery at sea,” Mr. Collins said.
AST Leon and the crew of the rescue helicopter CG-6531, US Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco were nominated by the United States. AST Leon received a medal for the highest award and a certificate. His fellow crew on the night of the rescue, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and Aviation Maintenance Technician Michael Spraggins received certificates for their role.
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu presented the Bravery Award medal and certificate to Mr. Leon.
Certificates of commendation
During the award ceremony, certificates of commendation were also presented to the following:
Vicente Somera from the Philippines, crew member of the container ship Lars Maersk, was at the ceremony in person to receive a certificate for his role in rescuing a stricken yachtsman from the Enya II in heavy weather in the Tasman Sea, some 70 nautical miles from the nearest land, when the container ship responded to a distress alert. Crew member Somera, with little regards for his own safety, climbed down an accommodation ladder to grab the yachtsman, using his own body to shield him from being crushed by the swinging ladder. Mr. Somera was nominated by Australia.
Skipper Jean-Claude Van Rymenant was also at the ceremony in person to receive the certificate awarded to him and the crew of the rescue launch SNS 129 Notre Dame de la Garoupe, volunteer rescuers based in the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin. They were nominated by France for the rescue of a woman, her husband and a baby from a yacht as Cyclone Gonzalo hit the island in October 2014. In high winds and poor visibility, the rescue crew swam to the Voyage II, which had struck a reef, and managed to bring the family to safety. The crew went on to assist people from around 20 more ships and boats which had been grounded in the cyclone.
Father Ilia Kartozia (posthumously), Abbot of the Monastery of Saint David the Builder, Patriarchate of Georgia, was nominated by Georgia for his role in helping fellow passengers to escape the Norman Atlantic ro-ro ferry, which was carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew when its car deck caught fire in heavy storms during a crossing from Greece to southern Italy. Survivors reported that Father Ilia had encouraged them during the rescue and had refused opportunities to save himself, giving up his place in a lifeboat to make room for a Greek woman and her baby. Despite the best efforts of rescuers, Father Ilia fell into the sea and sadly drowned. His body was found on the Italian shore. The certificate was received by Igumen Father Dorote Barbakadze, Dean of the Georgian Orthodox Church in London, on behalf of Father Ilia.
Lieutenant John Hess, Lieutenant Matthew Vanderslice, Aviation Maintenance Technician Derrick Suba and Aviation Survival Technician Evan Staph, crew members of the rescue helicopter CG 6033, US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, were nominated by the United States for rescuing a father-son team aboard the yacht Sedona, who had set sail for Australia but had been stranded some 150 nautical miles from the nearest land during a powerful winter storm. Freezing temperatures, high seas and strong winds hampered efforts to reach the stricken yacht and seven difficult and dangerous hoists were needed to rescue the two men. The certificates were received on their behalf by Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy at United States Coast Guard, Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards at the United States Coast Guard and Mr. Edward Heartney, Counsellor for Environment, Science, Technology and Health at the US Embassy in London, and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to IMO.
Letters of Commendation
In addition, Letters of Commendation have been sent to:
• Captain Lai Zhixing, Master of the rescue vessel Nan Hai Jiu 111, Nanhai Rescue Bureau, nominated by China, for a rescue during Typhoon Kalmaegi.
• The crew of the Xinfa Hai, nominated by China, for saving the cargo vessel Thor Commander near the Great Barrier Reef.
• Petty Officer William Hubert and two crew members of the helicopter Rescue Tango, Detachment of 35F flotilla at Tahiti-Faa’a, French Navy, nominated by France for rescuing 10 crew members of a fishing boat.
IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea
This annual award was established by IMO to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.
For the 2015 award, 27 nominations for the bravery award were received, from 10 IMO Member States and two non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
Award-winning rescuer reunited with men he saved
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony. (pic: USCG)
An American rescue swimmer who saved four men from a sinking ocean-going rowing boat was reunited with three of the people he rescued in an emotional ceremony at IMO Headquarters yesterday (19 November).
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for his part in the dramatic rescue of four ocean racers from the Pacific Ocean. He was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony.
The three rowers, along with Mr. Colin Parker from New Zealand, had been taking part in part in the Great Pacific Race in June 2014 when their four-man boat Britannia 4 began sinking in severe conditions. The race support vessel had been unable to reach the stricken rowing boat and its crew due to 30 knot winds and 15 to 20-foot waves. The rowers owe their lives to the efforts of rescue swimmer AST Leon, who had been lowered to the sea to assist them, and to the successful hoists performed by the helicopter crew in conditions compounded by darkness, lack of visual cues and horizon and breaking waves.
Speaking at the ceremony, AST Leon said he was pleased to meet the rescuees for the first time since the fateful night, and in entirely different circumstances. He said he was honoured and humbled to be receiving the award and thanked his fellow crew members, who had flown the helicopter through gale force winds to winch AST Leon down to the rowers in the stormy seas below and who had performed a series of demanding recovery hoists to initially rescue three of the men.
When fuel levels on the helicopter became dangerously low and it had to leave the scene to refuel, AST Leon remained with the fourth rower Mr. Hart, huddled in the tiny bow portion of the swamped vessel that remained above water. The two men protected each other from the breaking waves and freezing temperatures. Finally, the helicopter was able to return through the stormy night and hoist the two men to safety.
“I would especially like to thank the crew of the helicopter, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and flight mechanic Michael Spraggins, because nothing I do, can be done without them; and everything we do is a team effort – especially for this case,” AST Leon said. .
Rescuee Sam Collins thanked AST Leon and the helicopter crew at the ceremony, acknowledging that setting out to row the Pacific Ocean had been for their own gratification, while AST Leon had acted selflessly to rescue them.
“What Chris did was a completely selfless act. Something quite special. Chris Leon woke up in the morning and no doubt brushed his teeth, had a normal day. And then, in the darkness of night, a year and a half ago, he launched himself off the side of a helicopter into gale force winds and over six metre high seas just to save our lives,” Mr. Collins said.
“And as a result we are alive. We will have children. Our children will go on to have children. And we can hopefully repay him, by making the most of our lives. So what I am trying to say, is: thank you, Chris, you really deserve this award for what was a truly exceptional act of bravery at sea,” Mr. Collins said.
AST Leon and the crew of the rescue helicopter CG-6531, US Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco were nominated by the United States. AST Leon received a medal for the highest award and a certificate. His fellow crew on the night of the rescue, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and Aviation Maintenance Technician Michael Spraggins received certificates for their role.
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu presented the Bravery Award medal and certificate to Mr. Leon.
Certificates of commendation
During the award ceremony, certificates of commendation were also presented to the following:
Vicente Somera from the Philippines, crew member of the container ship Lars Maersk, was at the ceremony in person to receive a certificate for his role in rescuing a stricken yachtsman from the Enya II in heavy weather in the Tasman Sea, some 70 nautical miles from the nearest land, when the container ship responded to a distress alert. Crew member Somera, with little regards for his own safety, climbed down an accommodation ladder to grab the yachtsman, using his own body to shield him from being crushed by the swinging ladder. Mr. Somera was nominated by Australia.
Skipper Jean-Claude Van Rymenant was also at the ceremony in person to receive the certificate awarded to him and the crew of the rescue launch SNS 129 Notre Dame de la Garoupe, volunteer rescuers based in the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin. They were nominated by France for the rescue of a woman, her husband and a baby from a yacht as Cyclone Gonzalo hit the island in October 2014. In high winds and poor visibility, the rescue crew swam to the Voyage II, which had struck a reef, and managed to bring the family to safety. The crew went on to assist people from around 20 more ships and boats which had been grounded in the cyclone.
Father Ilia Kartozia (posthumously), Abbot of the Monastery of Saint David the Builder, Patriarchate of Georgia, was nominated by Georgia for his role in helping fellow passengers to escape the Norman Atlantic ro-ro ferry, which was carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew when its car deck caught fire in heavy storms during a crossing from Greece to southern Italy. Survivors reported that Father Ilia had encouraged them during the rescue and had refused opportunities to save himself, giving up his place in a lifeboat to make room for a Greek woman and her baby. Despite the best efforts of rescuers, Father Ilia fell into the sea and sadly drowned. His body was found on the Italian shore. The certificate was received by Igumen Father Dorote Barbakadze, Dean of the Georgian Orthodox Church in London, on behalf of Father Ilia.
Lieutenant John Hess, Lieutenant Matthew Vanderslice, Aviation Maintenance Technician Derrick Suba and Aviation Survival Technician Evan Staph, crew members of the rescue helicopter CG 6033, US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, were nominated by the United States for rescuing a father-son team aboard the yacht Sedona, who had set sail for Australia but had been stranded some 150 nautical miles from the nearest land during a powerful winter storm. Freezing temperatures, high seas and strong winds hampered efforts to reach the stricken yacht and seven difficult and dangerous hoists were needed to rescue the two men. The certificates were received on their behalf by Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy at United States Coast Guard, Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards at the United States Coast Guard and Mr. Edward Heartney, Counsellor for Environment, Science, Technology and Health at the US Embassy in London, and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to IMO.
Letters of Commendation
In addition, Letters of Commendation have been sent to:
• Captain Lai Zhixing, Master of the rescue vessel Nan Hai Jiu 111, Nanhai Rescue Bureau, nominated by China, for a rescue during Typhoon Kalmaegi.
• The crew of the Xinfa Hai, nominated by China, for saving the cargo vessel Thor Commander near the Great Barrier Reef.
• Petty Officer William Hubert and two crew members of the helicopter Rescue Tango, Detachment of 35F flotilla at Tahiti-Faa’a, French Navy, nominated by France for rescuing 10 crew members of a fishing boat.
IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea
This annual award was established by IMO to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.
For the 2015 award, 27 nominations for the bravery award were received, from 10 IMO Member States and two non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
The Prayers of Others
The path to the truth is a labour of the heart, not the mind.
Make your heart your primary guide, not your mind.
Meet the challenges and ultimately prevail over your nafs with your heart.
Knowing yourself will lead you to the Knowledge of God.
Maulana Rum (ra)
Naran!
A northern destination in Pakistan in the province I had yet to visit, KPK. When my table tennis tables in the park project ended with the launch on May 30th, I got an inkling what my friends said about how they felt after returning from the Haj. During it, even though every step was physically exhausting, one felt a rush during the trip. Then upon returning, there was total collapse. Some said it took them a month to recover.
Monday morning I woke up so exhausted I could hardly move. Thursday I left for Islamabad. Sunday was my trip up north, supposedly to relax for 6 nights. I was going alone. I chose to arrive in Naran on a Sunday and spend the week there so that the crowds would be less. Babusar was not open yet. It’s the road to Gilgit that everyone takes and once open, draws in countless crowds.
I had heard that the road to Naran itself was ok but one needed a Wrangler type of jeep once there to visit different areas. I had the itinerary planned. The first day was Lulusar Lake, then Saif ul Mulook, then Noori Top. The last needed a 2 hour hike. There were other incredible lakes in the area but as I found out later, no one swims in them. Which was different from Skardu where my friends and I swam in every lake we went to. But then KPK is also relatively a conservative province. I wondered if I would need to cover my head.
Google was slightly off on the time to reach there. Said 6 hours but it took us 7. My car is old and not a 4 by 4. I had heard and read that Naran was laid out in as ugly and mismanaged a way that a rural mountain town could be developed. I would feel myself getting angry when I came across those words. People were always so quickly calling another’s home ugly.
The drive to Naran was uneventful initially because it felt like I was driving to Nathiagali, the favoured destination of Lahoris because of its proximity. I had spent my time listening to music on my headphone in the backseat. When we finally came upon the town perched up on the side of a hill in the distance, my heart sank.
It was ugly indeed. I tried to ignore it and looked forward to the hotel being nice. That too was a disappointment. It wasn’t like they showed it on the website, a property on its own near the base of one of the mountains. In reality, it was nested amongst a large number of other hotels. My room had a decent view but not one that allowed me to take a shot that I usually take titling it, “A room with a view.”
By the time we arrived it was 4pm. I went just stood still outside the hotel like a dummy not knowing what to do and where to go. Heading into town just to explore it like I was told to do if I ever went to Karimabad in Hunza was not an option. Just then a young man who was part of the hotel staff came towards me. He must have been in his 20s. He had a thin beard and a sweet smile. His name was Bilal. I looked at him and presented my wish; Was there a spot one could walk to that was beautiful but without tourists?
“No people,” I said, knowing it was a tall order.
“Behind that hill,” he replied instantly, pointing to a not so high mound right in front of us.
I asked him if he could take me. When we walked up the short distance and turned the corner on the other side, I smiled. In front of me was a gorgeous meadow with stepped hills and mountains in the distance. A stream was flowing down from the snow-capped tops. I bent down to drink from it.
“This is clean right?” I asked.
“It’s the water with the cure of a hundred illnesses,” he said. “It comes from the roots of many different kinds of trees.”
I made a mental note to empty all the bottled water in my room and fill it with this water for my trip. When we went home I expected to sleep like a log but I didn’t. There was some work going on in the rooms next to mine and if there wasn’t drilling, there was hammering. The next day I woke up early to go to Lulusar.
Day Two – The Opening of Space
The drive was gorgeous. It took us 2 hours to reach the lake . I stopped every once in a while to take photos. The scenery was jaw-dropping beautiful. The lake itself, however, was an uneventful spot so I had the driver turn around and chose a spot in the valley which had a meadow in it. I lay down my blanket and cushions which I had brought from Lahore for my picnics and had some lunch. Then I decided to read a little.
I chose to begin with Al-Fath Ar-Rabbani, The Sublime Revelations, the book of Ghaus Pak’s (ra) sermons. In the page I was at, this is what I read;
“O Listener! Leave your false lusts and desires and busy yourself in remembrance of Allah. Let that leave your tongue which gives you benefit and keep yourself silent of the words which will bring you harm. If you decide to speak, then before you say anything, deliberate on it. Form an intent around it. Then use your tongue.
That is why it is said, the Jahil’s tongue, the tongue of the one ignorant, comes before their qalb, the seat of station within the heart that recognizes God. And the tongue of the Sahib e Aql, the one who reflects and deliberates, their tongue comes after the qalb i.e. it asks the qalb first, then it speaks.”
The words were deep and my trial of the moment was all about an uncontrollable tongue but in the moment I was so captivated by the surrounding beauty, I couldn’t focus. I decided to just pray and walk around instead, taking some of the best photos of my life in the warm afternoon light which made everything striking.
When I reached the hotel, I looked forward to sleeping but for some reason it wasn’t meant to be. The construction workers were not only working in the rooms next to mine, they were also staying there. Being an extremely light sleeper, the smallest sound woke me up. I tossed and turned till Fajr, then just lay in bed with my eyes closed.
The hotel driver, Mushtaq, had told me that Saif ul Mulook was a hot stop for tourists so if I wanted pictures without humans in them, I would have to reach there by 8am at the latest, which meant leaving an hour before. It was only 8 km away but the road was so bad, it took that long to reach it. I had told my driver I would be down at 7am but when I couldn’t go back to sleep, I called the reception and told them I wanted to leave at 5 instead.
Day Three – Saif ul Mulook
My driver, Usman, who is in his 20s, chose to not join us. Like others in his generation, he opted for sleep instead. In the hours of the dawn, Mushtaq and I made our way up a mountain where essentially no part of the road was paved. When we reached the top, again we were met by hideous construction that actually blocked the first sight of the lake.
I felt robbed of a spectacular moment. The lake is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the country. Again everything I had read was coming true. The endless shops and restaurants that lined the path leading all the way to the lake was commercialism at its worst. Thankfully since it was dawn, they were all closed.
The driver knew a restaurant owner who opened his place so we could eat something. Other than him there was literally no one there. That part was phenomenal. After chowing down the egg and paratha, I walked down to the lake and just sat there for an hour doing my morning tasbeeh. It felt marvelous reading the verses in a serene place where I could walk around endlessly. Totally different from the experience inside my bedroom in Lahore.
I wanted to walk around the lake. The snowy mountains on the opposite bank looked inviting as hell but the restaurant owner had been discouraging. He kept offering a boat ride instead but I wasn’t interested in that.
Later I saw that the boats would only go around the periphery of half the lake and then return. They wouldn’t even cross the length of it. The lake is supposed to be extremely deep in the center but to not go over it on a boat made me think there was some superstition about crossing it.
While is sat staring at the lake, I saw a group of young men going in the direction of the trek around it. I decided I would go too. The sun was not out yet so it would be a while anyway before I got the shot of the lake I wanted in full light.
A young man who was waiting nearby to rent out a plastic mat to kids to slide in the snow told me going was not a problem at all and offered to go with me. The walk around the lake was cool. Literally also because there was large patches of hard ice every few feet. Walking through them wasn’t the easiest in my table tennis shoes which have no grip but it was beautiful. In an hour and a half I was back to my starting point with a range of excellent photos of the lake from the other side.
When I returned I saw the crowds of people that had arrived. The scene was no longer tranquil but bustling. By the time we drove back to the hotel it was 10. Hot water was only available till 11 so I asked Mushtaq to step on it. That’s a joke! Stepping on it meant an even bumpier ride. I was bouncing around in the front seat as it is. We had made a plan to go to Lalazar Meadows in the afternoon but I literally couldn’t move.
My body ached, I was tired from not sleeping. In that sense, the holiday was so far pretty nuts. Usually on a trip, the minute I’m out of Lahore I sleep deeply. On a whim I called my travel agent and told her I wanted to leave the next day. Noori Top was closed because of the ice. I told myself there was nothing left for me to do.
Upon my return to the hotel, my tiredness contributing to my sour mood, I started complaining to Bilal about having nowhere to go for the afternoon. He told me about the PTDC nearby.
“Sit by the river. It’s 5 minutes away,” he said. “Very pretty and quiet. You will like it.”
I grabbed my book and glasses, a peach, some water and got dropped there. The hotel itself looked like it was closed. There was a barrier with a lock on it at the entrance. I took my backpack and walked past it, telling my driver to wait for me outside on the main road.
The river was beautiful. The spot was quiet. I sat down and opened Al-Fath Ar-Rabbani again. My other spiritual trial had been learning patience for a while now and I had not stopped thinking about how hard it was. Of all things I had tried to inculcate, the level of difficulty was undeniably sky high.
Gratitude and patience, those are the two foundational pillars of spirituality. One is easy; gratitude. It comes naturally when good things happen. Then the expression of it, as instructed, is to be kind to others. Do something helpful for them. Those acts keep compounding joy, which is what the Greeks define as peace of mind. The practice of gratitude is addictive. There is no day one wants to left out of experiencing it. Not one!
Patience on the other hand only comes with trials and tests.
Then gratitude is expressed through other people. When you please them, they pray for you for all kinds of things you never ask for yourself. Patience is about the self. Sometimes the trial comes in the form of a human and other times it doesn’t.
Either way its about one’s own reaction at all times. Mindfulness becomes intensified to another level. Every emotion becomes deeply felt.
As Tashu explained to me once, “We all have some trial that we have to face in life. For one person it could be material, another health, someone children (or lack of for all the above), and for someone else marriage.”
Learning how to react “correctly” to that which is a difficulty destined is excruciating. One is going through the ringer anyway. Then there is the weight of one’s own response layered on top of that. It is the latter that in fact yields one sinking or swimming. In order to be of the faith, patience is essential. Ghaus Pak (ra) routes the path in this way;
Tafseer e Jilani: If you are not grateful, how will you seek the Pleasure of Allah and surrender yourself to that which has been destined for you. Without that surrender and acceptance, how will you become patient? If there is no patience, how will you learn to negate your ego? Without the denial of your nafs, how will you become of the faithful?”
I was surprised myself at 50 that I had not been taught patience before. But I guess everything comes in its own time. I had never thought about it so I had never written about it. The only thing I had penned was in my book “Ali is to me as I am to God” about the timing of when to exercise the attribute and that was a few years ago.
Begin excerpt “Ali is to me as I am to God”
Like grace and dignity, patience is endowed by God Almighty. Still, it could be acquired and there were two ways; prayer and the art of a discipline heretofore unknown to me; accepting a difficulty in its first minute and not lamenting it. Timing was specified to the t both by the Quran and hadith.
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ
أُولَٰئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ ۖ وَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ.
“Give good news to those who endure with patience. Those who say when calamity befalls them: 'Indeed we belong to Allah and indeed it is to Him we are to return.’ Such are the people upon whom there are blessings and mercy from Allah; and they are the ones that are rightly guided.”
Surat Al-Baqarah, Ayat 155-157
The hadith I read was as follows.
حَدَّثَنَا آدَمُ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ، حَدَّثَنَا ثَابِتٌ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ:
""مَرَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِامْرَأَةٍ تَبْكِي عِنْدَ قَبْرٍ،
فَقَالَ: اتَّقِي اللَّهَ وَاصْبِرِي،
قَالَتْ: إِلَيْكَ عَنِّي فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تُصَبْ بِمُصِيبَتِي وَلَمْ تَعْرِفْهُ، فَقِيلَ لَهَا:
إِنَّهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَأَتَتْ بَابَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَلَمْ تَجِدْ عِنْدَهُ بَوَّابِينَ،
فَقَالَتْ: لَمْ أَعْرِفْكَ، فَقَالَ:
إِنَّمَا الصَّبْرُ عِنْدَ الصَّدْمَةِ الْأُولَى"
‘As stated by Uns (ratu): The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was passing by a woman who was crying over a grave.
He said to her, “Be mindful and be patient (sabir).”
She replied (dismissively), “You don’t suffer from the tragedy I face.”
Then she was told that she had spoken such to the Prophet of God (peace be upon him). At once she came to his door outside which there were no guards and said, “I did not know who you were.”
And he said, “Indeed, patience is at the first stroke of the calamity.”’
My eyes went to the line “there were no guards” and it made me smile. The access was truly remarkable. I wished like I had endless times before I had been alive then. But what was even more striking was when patience had to be invoked;
“Indeed, patience is at the first stroke of the calamity.”’
How would one ever be able to do that? I guess that was the part about it having to be endowed.
My favourite part of the learning came the following week. There is a hadith about Hazrat Ume Salma (ratu) where it states that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recited a prayer and told those listening to invoke it in their time of distress.
“She said, ‘I heard the words from him and when my husband died, I started saying the prayer.’”
It was said that her marriage was a very happy one, her husband kind, loving and so upon his death she was deeply saddened. I read the hadith with my teacher in class.
“So what do you think happened,” Ustad Ahmed asked me as we went over it line by line, “when she started saying the prayer he had given?”
I stared at the words on the page and looked up at him.
“She remarried?” I ventured a guess.
“Yes, she married again,” he said with a smile, “but whom did she marry?”
At first I was silent. How could I possibly know who she married so I kept looking at him waiting for him to inform me. He in turn said nothing waiting for my response. I looked down at the sheet again. Was the answer in the next line? I didn’t see it. Then something struck my mind and I looked up at him again. I knew my eyes had already widened before the words left my mouth.
“The Prophet (peace be upon him)?” I heard the amazement in my own voice, feeling dumbstruck.
“Yes,” Ustad Ahmed smiled pleased with my state of wonder, the hadith clearly having the effect he desired. “That is who she married next.”
I couldn’t speak. I just stared at him, then at the paper, then at him. I didn’t want to study any more that day. It was too much to take in, the power of the words rendering a result of that nature for someone. It was beyond belief.
”إِنَّا لِلّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُوْنَ ، اَللّٰهُمَّ أْجُرْنِىْ فِىْ مُصِيْبَتِىْ وَأَخْلِفْ لِىْ خَيْرًا مِنْهَا۔“
“We belong to Allah and to Allah we return. Dear God, reward me for this calamity I face and grant me something better than it.”
The first line was only known to me and possibly most Muslims, at least of South Asian descent, as what is uttered upon hearing of someone’s passing. Never for any other occasion except death. Later I found that the prayer the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) uttered for his grandson, Imam Hussain (ratu), when it was revealed to him what would happen to him in Karbala, was similar.
“Dear God, Reward him for the calamity he faces and make him patient (saabir).”
We have a phrase in Urdu, “woh din aur aaj ka din” which is literally translated as “since that day and today”, I say that prayer of Hazrat Ume Salma (ratu) every single day. As one who does the dutied 5 most of the time and no more it was a new turn in my life in terms of worship, my first add-on so to speak. I was dying to know what would be my recompense for suffering I felt I had endured.
End excerpt “Ali is to me as I am to God”
In the days before the trip I had come upon a very interesting hadith. It didn’t have anything to do with this piece but I translated it anyway. Commanding respect in the world, attaining power, being considered generous were big thing in people’s lives these days. I had heard just before heading to Naran, where again I was cut off from phones and the internet, that Bezos was going to on board the virgin flight around the planet in July that his company was offering. The final bid for the fourth seat had been for $28 million.
I wondered if he died, would Amazon become different? But then I knew the answer was “No.” I had written about that in Min al Jinnati Wa Naas.
Begin excerpt:
“I had once asked Qari Sahib what it was exactly that Iblis had promised the Prophet Adam (as) when he lured him into doing that which was forbidden to him by God.
فَوَسْوَسَ إِلَيْهِ الشَّيْطَانُ قَالَ يَا آدَمُ هَلْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَىٰ شَجَرَةِ الْخُلْدِ وَمُلْكٍ لَّا يَبْلَىٰ
Then whispered to him Shaitaan and he said, "O Adam! Shall I direct you to (the) tree (of) life eternal and a kingdom not (that will) deteriorate?" – Surah Taha, Verse 120
Eternal life! I had come across articles over recent years on the desire of billionaires to live longer; 150 to be exact.
Sep 2nd, 2015: “6 Billionaires who want to live forever” and the first line reads, “A growing number of tech moguls are trying to solve their biggest problem yet: Aging.” Who are they; Theil - Paypal, Ellison – Oracle, Larry Page – Alpahbet, Sergey Brin – Google, Zuckerburg – Facebook, Sean Parker – Napster.” Ellison’s quote; “Death has never made any sense to me. How can a person be there and then just vanish, just not be there?”
But perhaps many people not so rich want to live forever too. It was the second part of Iblis’ lure that I was interested in.
Ghaus Pak (ra) defines the kingdom without decline in a particular way: “It is a kingdom that will only grow. It will be forever and it will be the first of its kind, not coming from another. It will never be in decline nor will it be transferred to another.”
End excerpt
Every corporation’s obsession was about control being increasingly accumulated.
The Business Times, June 12th, 2021: “JPMorgan Chase & Co. - often a standard-setter for the industry - is ordering traders, bankers, financial advisers and even some branch employees to sift through years of text messages on personal devices and set aside any related to work, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
One recent internal notice seen by Bloomberg directed recipients to not only root through their standard messages, but also platforms such as WeChat and WhatsApp, back to the start of 2018, and then save those related to work until the company's legal department tells them otherwise. It notes that failure to comply could lead to "consequences" for violating the company's code of conduct.
It's an open secret that many Wall Street denizens have been taking a certain forbidden liberty while working from home: Tapping text messages to colleagues and clients on smartphones untethered to workplace surveillance systems. Now some of them are panicking.”
So if Bezos did come back safely, what exactly would happen to his ego then? I couldn’t even imagine it.
It is narrated from Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) that he said, “The one who wishes to be honoured, it is compulsory that he become conscious of Allah and stands in awe of Him. And the one who wants to be powerful, must then be reliant on Allah. And the one who desires to be deemed generous has to know that everything belongs to Allah and he has no control over his possessions.”
Ghaus Pak (ra) gave a sharha, explanation of the words;
“Honour lies in mindfulness (of Allah) and humiliation in disobedience. And the one who seeks strength in faith has to rely on Allah alone because tawakkul, reliance, makes the qalb, the seat of station of the Recognition of Allah, guided, steadfast and obedient. Reliance grants guidance and shows the heart signs. Relying on your own self will only render you weak and powerless.
When you depend on Allah alone, He will grant you power. You will be aided by Him. He will bestow upon you His Kindness, lutf, and you will become so strong that you will not care about what comes to you from the world or what is taken away. You will not care when people lavish their attention upon you or when they turn their faces.”
The last line was my goal; I had never been the object of people’s lavish attention. I was trained and prepared for it without feeling badly. But not caring when they turn their faces. For the life of me, I could not manage to be indifferent to that. Despite knowing that fear and expectation is what causes weakness of faith.
Which brings me to the first line at the river by the PTDC. And it was the mirror that made me see how I created my own obstacles and pain all at once;
“O Listener! If you seek success, then become in agreement with that which your Lord wishes for you and oppose your nafs. In obedience of Your Lord, be in agreement with it and in your state of sin, deny it.
Your nafs is the veil that blinds you from the recognition of people. People are the second veil which prevents you from recognizing God.
So as long as you stay bound by your nafs rendering yourself limited, you will not be able to recognize people and as long as you remain stuck with people, you will not recognize God.
Just as you stay with the world, you cannot be with the Afterlife. And while you are stuck with the Afterlife, you will not be able to see God. The Creator and the created cannot be gathered together. Like the world and the Afterlife cannot be gathered.
Your nafs will always command you to do that which is harmful and take you further away from your self. That is its nature. It will take it forever to command you to do that which your qalb wishes you to do. So fight it, for Allah has already told you that each nafs has in it goodness and evil.
وَنَفْسٍ وَمَا سَوَّاهَ
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَ
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَن زَكَّاهَ
وَقَدْ خَابَ مَن دَسَّاهَ
Consider the human self, and how it is formed in accordance with what it is meant to be,
And Allah inspired it with the knowledge to distinguish between its wickedness and righteousness.
A happy state will he attain who causes it to grow in purity.
And truly lost is he, who corrupts it, burying it in darkness.
Surah Ash-Shams, Verse 8-10
I paused my reading, put the book down and just stared at the river gushing past.
“Your nafs is the veil that blinds you from recognition of people.”
When I returned, I called Qari Sahib to first translate the lines from the original Arabic, then understand what the word “recognize” used by Ghaus Pak (ra) for people meant in this context.
He said, “It is about negating your own self and your desires and giving preference to the other person. By being sensitive to them, taking care of them and remembering their feelings instead of just fixating on your own. Consider their rights, your duties and the context they are coming from.”
Then he cited the verse about the behaviour of the Ansar when Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) emigrated to Medina;
وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰٓ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ ۚ
وَمَن يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِۦ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُفْلِحُونَ
They give them preference over themselves, even if they themselves are needy.
And whoever is spared from their own greed, they are the successful ones.
Surah Al-Hashr, Verse 9
While in Naran, I had contemplated the “recognition” to mean mere acceptance of people. Not wanting them to change or waiting for them to change, frustrating myself in that waiting and wanting. As circumstances altered so did people’s ways of coping with them. Hence nothing remained static. But acceptance often came with judgement and self-pity.
On the other hand, Qari Sahib’s spin changed everything. Now I saw that it was purely about my nafs limiting its kindness towards who I called my loved ones. I did not recognize people because my nafs, in the overt, expressed concern and disappointment and in the inner, a hard arrogance. I was so wound up by feeling “hurt” there was no way I would ever be able to give them preference over my wounded self.
“So as long as you stay bound by your nafs rendering yourself limited, you will not be able to recognize people and as long as you remain stuck with people, you will not recognize God.”
Even without Qari Sahib’s input which came later anyway, the lines were heavy. Reading them was enough. Thinking about them would have to happen another day. I decided to walk by the river and sit in the sun for a bit. Then I headed back to the hotel to pack crossing my fingers that I would sleep.
And for whatever reason, I finally did!
Day Four – Khanian
When I left Naran and reached Khanian in Kaghan, I breathed a sigh of relief. The hotel was again not what it seemed to be on the website but the room was beautiful and it was on a spot by itself on the bank of the river. It was still early, noonish. I decided to go for a walk nearby to see if I could find any grassy spots. There were none so I took my New Yorker and went to sit in the sun.
My reading was distracted. I kept thinking of the veil of not recognizing people and people veiling me from God.
Being stuck with people, making false associations of expectation with them, was my shirk (associating anything with God). Like I would imagine it is for most Muslims. We aren’t about to suddenly start bowing down before statues and fire. Yet, for the life of us, we cannot control our hopes and anxiety attached to other people.
I felt relieved that at least we weren’t finding faults with God.
Ghaus Pak (ra) says that that those who do, it is then not only with God that they create a conflict within themselves.
“When Allah sees you in this state of holding grudges against Him, then He makes you mabghoos, begrudged. And what enters next in your heart is bughs, holding grudges, for all His Friends as well.”
That’s pretty much the end of the story!
In my reading of his sermons, I had been marveling at how much emphasis Ghaus Pak (ra) placed on food. Staying away not only from that which is forbidden but also that which is mubah’, allowed. In other words, food was clearly a major desire of the nafs.
I always tell my friend’s children, the ones now in their 20s who decide to go vegan or vegetarian while abroad that they are going halal without even knowing it as such. That they were chosen to be obedient, even if it was unintentional on their part, by never ingesting that which I was unable to give up myself until two years ago. The majority of my vacations anywhere, but especially in Portland and New York, revolved around food, which may have been organic but it was never kosher. They always smiled when I said that, pleased at the accidental windfall.
I feel happily amazed at the goodness each generation brings with it that is entirely its own and quite unprecedented. The kids being kosher, the little ones otherwise plugged into their devices like sockets, yet fasting for days on end in Ramadan at ages as young as 10. That was certainly out of the question for my generation.
They were learning the practice of taqwa, restraint, much earlier than we did. We didn’t deny ourselves anything till we were much older. Granted we didn’t experience instant gratification either but still. We were trained to be obedient. They were being willfully so. And that was the obedience that is dearest to God, the one that comes willingly.
Without several hours of driving, the day at the hotel was passing ultra slowly so I decided to read Al-Fath Ar-Rabbani again. I knew I would come upon that which occupied my being entirely, sabr and indeed I did.
“The one who bears the difficulty of destined hardship silently, sip by sip, in a state of steadfastness, becomes Allah’s Beloved.
This is where Ghaus Pak (ra) explained the magic of patience;
“Allah places you in hardship precisely because He loves you. As you increase your obedience to His Orders and stay away from that which has been prohibited, His Love for you will also increase. And as you exercise patience on the hardships that come upon you from Him, you will gain qurb, closeness, with Him.
AA Friend of God says, ‘It is not acceptable to Allah that He hurts the one He loves. However, the difficulties are so that one is tested and the fruit they yield is becoming saabir, patient. (The beauty of sabr is that, when attained, a difficulty does not seem a difficulty).”
For someone like me who needs to at least be aware of the prize for spiritual struggle, I finally saw the brass ring; if I became patient, the difficulty would not even be a difficulty. It would become a blessing that is good for me.
عن صهيب قال رسولُ اللهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم:
عَجَبًا لأمرِ المؤمنِ إِنَّ أمْرَه كُلَّهُ لهُ خَيرٌ
وليسَ ذلكَ لأحَدٍ إلا للمُؤْمنِ
إِنْ أصَابتهُ سَرَّاءُ شَكَرَ فكانتْ خَيرًا لهُ
وإنْ أصَابتهُ ضَرَّاءُ صَبرَ فكانتْ خَيرًا لهُ
Said the Prophet of God (peace be upon him), “Amazing is the state of the Believer (Mo’min). In all his matters is goodness and this is for no one except the Believer. If happiness reaches him, he expresses gratitude so that is good for him. And if comes to him adversity, he is patient so that is good for him.”
For the umpteenth time, I remembered the words of Hazrat Rabia Basri (ra) who used to cry on the days she didn’t face a difficulty. She said on those days she felt like her Lord God forgot her. She was sad when she didn’t face a situation that tested her nature, her character, her behavior, her claim of love.
It’s so hard when one’s claim of love is tested. Everything becomes revealed in a single moment. What I realized from the words was that the people in my life who disappointed me were in fact going to be only avenues for reaching the exalted state of saabir as well. The trick was to detach but the detachment had to remain ingrained in love.
Otherwise, I have found the common practice of detachment to only breed indifference. Sometimes one feels we have detached from everyone but the tongue betrays us every single time. For unless it is kind, soft, gentle, it’s yet another farce.
Thankfully, the first step towards everything was now easy for me; admission of guilt with deep repentance. That happened for me on a daily basis, throughout the day on occasion. The tears wiped my slate clean, admittedly only for me to scribble on it sometimes minutes later. But the slate was wiped clean as if anew.
I realized that any spiritual change that does stick never comes through me but only through another’s prayer. The other being a Friend of God.
In the weeks I spent in Bagh e Jinnah constructing tables, towards the end I started going to a shrine in the park for a daily prayer. It had been on my mind since the beginning because it was shrine beloved to my mother but it didn’t come to pass until Shuggy Aunty asked me to take her there. I was elated of course. She had been praying two nafal as a hadya, gift, in the name of the person of the shrine, Hazrat Pir Sakhi Turat Murad Shah (ra), for 30 odd years.
I knew from prior experience that going to a shrine with her meant a certain kind of welcome because she was special to them. There weren’t a lot of people in the world sending them a gift of love every single night for decades. The most wonderful part of the shrine was that unlike most in Pakistan, women were allowed to enter the place where the blessed grave was. In our case, the city was in a lockdown so not only were we the only ones in the park but also the shrine.
Shuggy Aunty was talking to him the minute we entered the courtyard.
“Salam Alaikum Baba ji,” I heard her say happily as I followed her. I smiled. Her manner with the Saints was always child-like.
Inside we prayed Asr, then two nafal of hazari, marking our presence there. I prayed for love for everyone in the world. For light to dispel our heart’s darkness. For at least interspersed moments of happiness.
When we were leaving, Shuggy Aunty took a rose from amongst the ones strewn on top of the grave upon a chadar and said, “I’m taking this Baba Ji. I came after so many years. I want to take something back with me.”
A keepsake! In emulation, I picked up a rose as well and
repeated her words. I placed mine in Al-Fath Ar-Rabbani.
The word Turat in his name means “instant” as in prayers made there are answered by Allah instantly. Shuggy Aunty told me that the next time I saw her because she had asked for some help relating to a real estate deal she was closing that was being held up. I took her again the following week, she said she had to go four times and again whatever she asked for happened within a day.
After I heard that the second time, I started thinking about praying for something specific for myself as well. Sabr was the hurdle I could not seem to cross, the attribute I could not seem to imbue. The evidence of its manifestation of it for me was going to be the tongue. I thought about praying for silence but then got worried about becoming mute. I still had the tables to finish. I decided to word my request the way I usually do at a shrine, surrendering myself to the Friend of God.
“Please pray for me, Hazrat Sahib, for that which I need in my life for it to peaceful and for me to be good before my Lord.”
I mentioned a few other things I failed at miserably all the time too.
The tables got finished. I went to Islamabad. Once there, I discovered there was something new about me that was almost startling. Every time I thought something negative about someone, it wouldn’t stick.
If a thought came to my head from my nafs which wanted to whine and be critical about a person, I felt the thought leave my head but not enter my heart. It was like there was a shield around it. So when it emanated from my brain and traveled to it, upon arrival it was repelled which caused it to dissipate. It was startling. That is the best word to describe it.
When I noticed it happening, which wasn’t often because I don’t think negatively about most people anyway but do tend to ask myself unanswerable questions, I was taken aback. Those questions are a major drag because I start making up answers and they’re always all false. In any case, I arrived in Islamabad and with my headspace freed up simply by being in another city on a holiday, I began to see what was happening more clearly.
Mostly it would happen at night and I would lie in bed bewildered. Even my nafs, confused, started asking me weird questions.
“Who’s doing that? Me or you? Why can’t I think what I want for as long as I want to think it?”
I had no answer. It was so strange, I couldn’t even tell if I was happy about it. There wasn’t much time to dwell on it anyway.
A day later I headed for Naran and being alone meant I forgot about people anyway. I had wondered if it was happening because of a line from my speech at the launch;
“Today’s world is strange indeed in many ways. To me the strangest of all things is that people don’t have any expectation of another human being and feel proud about that. But only in their zahir, the overt being. In their batin, the inner, they feel tortured about the very same thing.
But if the goal is to be reliant only upon Allah and instead of finding flaws and fault in other human beings, to think of them in a good way, then the path is only one. And it is explained to me by Nabi Kareem (saw) in the following hadith;”
Then I read the hadith that I am totally obsessed with since my eyes came upon it.
“The Momin is the one who loves and is loved. And there is no goodness for the one who does not give love and receive love. The best amongst people is the one who gives others benefit.”
Badgumani is the word for when there is a negative thought attached to another person. The softer translation for it that Shuggy Aunty gave me when I asked her what it meant in English was “misunderstanding.” A misunderstanding about another person because of suspicion and doubt, mistrust. A sense of betrayal or an expectation of the worst.
In my next namaz in Naran, the dots were connected for me.
The first veil is that the nafs, the egoistic self, is either judging and berating people, silently or in voice or distrusting them. Holding grudges against them. What starts as a negative thought is then ultimately articulated by the tongue.
Bughs was not a small thing. One of the most powerful hadith Qudsi all Muslims are familiar with but for some reason never take seriously is this:
تُفْتَحُ أَبْوَابُ الْجَنَّةِ يَوْمَ الِاثْنَيْنِ، وَيَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ،
فَيُغْفَرُ لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ لَا يُشْرِكُ بِاللَّهِ شَيْئًا، إِلَّا رَجُلًا كَانَتْ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ أَخِيهِ شَحْنَاءُ،
فَيُقَالُ: (1) أَنْظِرُوا (2) هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا، أَنْظِرُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا، أَنْظِرُوا هَذَيْنِ حَتَّى يَصْطَلِحَا"
“The gates of Paradise will be opened on Mondays and on Thursdays, and every servant (of Allah) who associates nothing with Allah will be forgiven, except for the man who has a grudge against his brother. (About them) it will be said: Delay these two until they are reconciled; delay these two until they are reconciled.
I didn’t even know the last part. “Delay theses two until they are reconciled.”
The tongue could never be controlled unless the thought was first controlled. But how is a thought controlled? For me the best I could do was identify it the second it appeared thanks again to Hazrat Sahel Tustari (ra);
“The heart’s determination can be coerced so that one can return to God, Mighty and Majestic is He, and place the dilemma before Him. Then a person should force on themselves and on their heart a state of rejection (of that sin) which should never leave them, for if they become inattentive to that state of rejection for just the blinking of the eye, it is to be feared that they will not remain safe from it."
I had been practicing that like a maniac since I read it. The ease it brought me was indescribable. And it made me hone in on the fact that the “sin” was the injustice I inflicted upon myself, causing distress, disturbance and pain. Through the line, any negative feeling I was harbouring against anyone disappeared within a couple of days, if not sooner.
For in any case, “that which I love cannot be made detestable to me.” I told every one of my friends about it. The key, like in all things spiritual, lay in the discipline of recognizing a thought and countering it instantly. Like patience, in the first moment of a calamity’s appearance.
The difference though was that my application was immediate only when I could possibly feel bad because of the thought. If it was instead just negative related to another person, who I may or may not really even interact with at all, I didn’t say Hazrat Tustari’s (ra) prayer of rejection and surrender. I indulged my opinion, basically back-biting in my own head.
Another vice Muslims ignore all too easily despite the Quran saying its like being a carnivore.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱجْتَنِبُوا۟ كَثِيرًا مِّنَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ ٱلظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ ۖ
وَلَا تَجَسَّسُوا۟ وَلَا يَغْتَب بَّعْضُكُم بَعْضًا ۚ أَ
يُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَن يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ ۚ
وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ تَوَّابٌ رَّحِيمٌ
O you who attained to faith! Avoid much of assumption.
Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy and do not backbite one another.
Would like one of you to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you would hate it.
So remain mindful of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.
Surah Al-Hujurat, Verse 12
I never felt badly enough doing that to make me exercise the discipline. So when the thought, which would otherwise remain for as long as I wanted it to, began being rejected by something inside me without my own volition, it was stupefying. Because literally someone else and something else was doing it. That someone I began to realize was a Friend of God and the something was his prayer for me to stop being badguman, a harbourer of doubt and distrust, a cradler of misunderstanding.
The words of Iqbal that Abida had painted for me on a giant canvas in my bedroom suddenly came to light;
پندار نیک گفتار نیک کردار نیک
Good thoughts, good speech, good character!
Part II cont'd at: www.flickr.com/photos/42093313@N00/51243161980/in/datepos...
Impossible 8x10 Test Batch.
This is my photo!
210mm lens Toyo 8x10.
shot at f/5.6 at 1/8 second
using hot lights.
-straight from the scan, no touch up in photoshop
Found this one in the street many years ago... my most prized photograph.
I'm pleased to say that this photo and a short essay I wrote about it now appear in the book "Still Developing: A Story of Instant Gratification."
www.amazon.com/ISM-Still-Developing-Instant-Gratification...
I needed a little dolly instant gratification, I had somehow completely forgotten that Pullipstyle was a Luts dealer and they had a small selection of Tiny Delfs in stock so this happened ^^;
In this case, a seeming obsession with washcloths and dishcloths. (Who knew?!?)
Not quite instant gratification, but close!
Taken with Polaroid 110A camera and Polaroid expired Chocolate Type 100 Film (Paul Giambarba Edition)
I'm having a hard time justifying to myself all the films, developers, scanners, bulky equipment, effort, money... In terms of visual gratification iPhone does the trick just fine. All you have to do is avoid those ridiculous vintage filters with fake vignette and you're safe from being seen as a hipster... presuming you're not wearing a smurf beanie, checkered shirt and oversized glasses.
Commercial Road facade. Foundation stone 31 Oct 1874 by David Bower, architect Robert George Thomas, opened 23 Oct 1876 on site of earlier bond store. Building sold to Customs when library & nautical museum relocated Jul 1959 to St Vincent Street, transferred to Port Adelaide Corporation 1979, becoming a free library, moving to Church St 1991. First Institute opened Jul 1851 in meeting room of George Coppin’s White Horse Cellars Inn.
“a number of individuals, interested in the mental improvement of the Port, met at the Court-House, to found a Mechanics' Institute and Literary Institution and Library. . . Mr. Coppin had promised them the use of the Masonic Hall, also of his large and valuable library, and even a benefit at the theatre on their paying the necessary expenses.” [Register 29 May 1851]
“A meeting. . . was held at the White Horse Cellar, Port Adelaide, on Friday, September 2, for the purpose of establishing a library and reading-room. . . About 30 persons were present.” [Advertiser 3 Sep 1859]
“Opening of the Port Adelaide Institute. -The opening soiree of subscribers and the public. . . in the large room of the White Horse Cellar, which was densely crowded by the residents of the Port and its vicinity, not less than from 400 to 500 persons being present. . . The Institution had received a good supply of periodicals and magazines through the Adelaide Institute. They had also received a quantity of books. The Government had favorably entertained an application for rooms in the present Custom-House, where, it was to be hoped, they might shortly be domiciled.” [Advertiser 18 Oct 1859]
“subscribers to the Port Adelaide Institute held their first annual meeting in the Reading-Room, White Horse Cellar. . . the total number of subscribers had been 129. . . number of books on the shelves 350.” [Advertiser 26 Oct 1860]
“The buildings formerly occupied by the Customs Department, the Local Court, and the Police Station, but rendered vacant by the erection of the new buildings, are undergoing a course of alterations to fit them for the occupation of other branches of the public service. The late Custom-House is to be transformed into a Telegraph Office. . . The old Court-House has been handed over to the Port Corporation for a Town Hall — a purpose for which it is well suited. The Port Adelaide Institute will also be allowed the use of those premises for their library and reading-room.” [Register 26 Dec 1860]
“letter from the Port Adelaide Institute, asking when it would be convenient for the Council to allow them to occupy the Council room, proposed by the Government, when not otherwise engaged. The Town Clerk was instructed to reply the Corporation had no objection to their coming in, but think the room unsuited for their purposes, and suggested their making further application to the Government for a room for themselves.” [Advertiser 23 Feb 1861]
“The annual meeting of the subscribers of the Port Adelaide Institute was held in the Institute Room, North-parade. . . Gratification was expressed at the success attending the opening of the institute during three evenings of each week, for reading, &c, to afford an opportunity to those benefitted by the early closing movement.” [Advertiser 7 Oct 1863]
“The Committee of the Port Adelaide Institute have removed their Library and Reading-room to the Town Hall, the Council having granted the use of one of the rooms on the first floor for that purpose.” [Advertiser 28 May 1867]
“A meeting of the subscribers and friends of the Port Adelaide Institute was held on Friday evening, January 20, at the new reading rooms, lately the telegraph office, to take into consideration the desirableness of altering the annual payment of £1 to 12s.” [Advertiser 24 Jan 1871]
“For some years past this institution has been in a very languishing state, but recently its management has fallen into good hands. . . The library and public reading-room have been removed from the Town Hall, and the offices that were portion of the old Telegraph Station have been fitted up for these purposes. Since the committee reduced the subscription to 12s. per annum they have had a large increase of members, 140 being at the present time. . . the reading-room has been thrown open from 10 o'clock a.m. until 10 p.m. The Committee in making these alterations have had to engage a librarian, who could devote his whole time to the services of the Institute.” [Advertiser 6 May 1871]
“Port Adelaide Institute. . . One of the most noticeable features in connection with the Institute is the museum, which now occupies the third room. . . Curios from Europe, Asia; Africa, Fiji, and various parts of Australia, are ranged round the walls; fossils, shells, corals, birds, war weapons, ornaments, articles of dress, insects, reptiles, fish, human skulls, English and foreign coins. . . The collection was initiated by the present Librarian.” [Register 15 Jan 1872]
“Mr. David Bower, of Port Adelaide, had generously offered to give the sum of £500 towards the erection of a suitable building for thePort Adelaide Institute, the only condition being that a similar amount was subscribed by other means.” [Register 17 Oct 72]
“the old bonded store on the Government Reserve, the site of which has been handed over for the site of the new Port Adelaide Institute, is in course of being pulled down, we presume to make way for the new building. The store hitherto was leased by Captain Simpson, who generously gave up the lease before expiry in order to admit of the erection of the Institute at an early date.” [Advertiser 5 Dec 1873]
“The foundation stone of the new building for the Port Adelaide Institute is to be laid with much ceremony this afternoon by Mr. David Bower, whose liberal donation was the means of initiating the movement. A procession is to be formed at the Town Hall, and proceed by way of St Vincent and Mundy streets and the North Parade to the site of the building in the Commercial-road.” [Register 31 Oct 1874]
“Port Adelaide Institute. . . has already reached the level of the ground-floor. . . The foundation-stone, which is of Macclesfield marble, is to be placed in the south-east corner. . . immediately above the freestone moulded plinth, and will serve as a rusticated quoin. . . His Worship the Mayor (Mr. J. M. Sinclair) said some of those present would remember a small wooden building which many years ago served for an Institute at Port Adelaide.” [Register 2 Nov 1874]
“The elevations are on the Venetian-Italian style. . . There being no amount available for a tower, a lookout has been provided for by constructing a mansard roof over the angle of the Commercial road and Nile-street, so that when entertainments are going on a flag can be hoisted. A niche for a statue is also provided above the doorway into the class-room facing Nile-street.” [Advertiser 24 Oct 1876]
“The materials used in the construction of the building are rubble-stone from Dry Creek, bricks and freestone from Teatree Gully, and the dressings are of Portland cement and freestone. The foundation, which is of concrete, is laid on the old level of the Port. There is an entrance from the Commercial-road and two from Nile street.” [Express & Telegraph 24 Oct 1876]
“Our first Institute was opened in a small wooden building; we migrated thence to the Town Hall, and subsequently to the Custom-House.” [Register 24 Oct 1876]
“The was a large gathering of ladies and gentlemen in the Port Adelaide Institute Lecture-hall on Tuesday afternoon, July 27, to witness the ceremony of unveiling the large oil painting which recently arrived from England, and to celebrate the inauguration of a fine art gallery for Port Adelaide. . . the splendid collection of photographs of Thorwaldsen's sculptures sent to the museum by Christian IX., King of Denmark, were exhibited. . . Mr. Huson's picture, which measures about 6 feet by 4 feet 6 inches, depicts an English country scene. The subject is ‘The Quiet Stream’.” [Advertiser 28 July 1880]
“The Museum and Art Gallery connected with the Port Adelaide Institute contains a number of valuable exhibits, and these have lately been increased by several cultural history specimens, old books, curios and pictures. . . The curators have lately added to the permanent exhibits two large paintings of the Port River in the early days.” [Advertiser 31 Oct 1896]
“Among several further exhibits which have been secured for the recently established nautical museum at Port Adelaide is a model of the British full-rigged ship Craigendarroch, and the figurehead of the barque Garthneil, one of the last of the British sailers.” [Advertiser 8 Jun 1933]
“An old fashioned ship's gun, believed to have belonged to an English frigate. It was dredged from the bottom of the Fort River several years ago, and is now in the Port Adelaide Nautical Museum.” [Advertiser 25 Jul 1933]
“Converted into a nautical museum with models, figureheads, photographs, and pictures of ships connected with early Port Adelaide as the main features, the Port Adelaide Museum has been reopened. . . Many interesting nautical .specimens have been acquired for the museum. At a recent auction sale in Adelaide, the bell of the barque County of Merioneth was bought. This ship, which is ending its days at Port Adelaide as a coal hulk, was built at Liverpool in 1880.” [News 9 Aug 1933]
“the Art Gallery has just purchased a rare and beautiful old oil painting on wood by an unknown artist, and probably of the 15th century French period. The Director (Mr. McCubbin) is very enthusiastic about the acquisition of their first example of that period, and so well preserved, too. Subject of the painting: St. Martin of Tours and St. Nicholas. According to Mr. McCubbin, it was in the art gallery at Port Adelaide Institute for many years, but little is known of its Australian history, how it came here, and during recent weeks it has hung on the gallery walls at North terrace, where its striking subject and rich coloring have been much admired.” [Advertiser 21 Oct 1943]
“The painting, known as 'St. Martin of Tours and St. Nicholas,' was purchased by the gallery Board from the Port Adelaide Institute authorities in 1943. It has now been identified by the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, as being by the 'Master of the Uttenheim Altarpiece,' Tyroleset School, and dated about 1460. . . The curator of the institute gallery (Mr. Vernon Smith) said last night that he believed the picture was found in the false bottom of a packing case among a number consigned to a printer who worked in the basement of the institute building, about the end of last century. The printer, E. H. Derrington, gave the picture to the institute. . . the painting was on exhibition at the Port Adelaide Institute's art gallery for many years, but few people knew of its existence. It was lent to the National Gallery in 1943 and subsequently purchased from the institute.” [Advertiser 23 Aug 1950]
“Port Adelaide Nautical Museum. . . Space was becoming desperately short and conditions were very over-crowded. . . New exhibits were continually being presented or lent to the museum. The museum is run and maintained by the Port Adelaide Institute. Money for its upkeep is raised by the institute's subscription library. . . The museum, which was the only one of its type in Australia.” [Advertiser 6 Jan 1954]
i do not condone or wish to promote the actions of these evil bastards
A serial killer is typically defined as an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time (a "cooling off period") between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification. Other sources define the term as "a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone" or, including the vital characteristics, a minimum of at least two murders. Often, a sexual element is involved with the killings, but the FBI states that motives for serial murder include "anger, thrill, financial gain, and attention seeking." The murders may have been attempted or completed in a similar fashion and the victims may have had something in common; for example, occupation, race, appearance, sex, or age group.
Serial killers are not the same as mass murderers, who commit multiple murders at one time; nor are they spree killers, who commit murders in two or more locations with virtually no break in between.
victims
Charmaine West (born 22 February 1963): Killed in June 1971 by Rosemary West while Fred was in prison. No motive has been put forward.
Catherine Bernadette "Rena" West (born 14 April 1944): Killed August 1971. Rena had called to take Charmaine away with her and it is believed Fred killed her to avoid an investigation into Charmaine’s whereabouts.
Lynda Gough (born 1 May 1953): Killed April 1973. A lodger at 25 Cromwell St, Gough and Rosemary would share lovers. Following her disappearance Gough’s mother called to visit and Rosemary, wearing Gough’s clothes, told her she had moved in order to work in Weston-super-Mare.
Carol Ann Cooper (born 10 April 1958): Killed November 1973. Cooper was living in a children’s home in Worcester when she disappeared while walking home from the cinema.
Lucy Katherine Partington (born 4 March 1952): Killed December 1973. Spent Christmas with her family in Cheltenham and visited a friend, and disappeared after leaving to catch a bus home. There is strong evidence that she had been kept alive for at least several days. A week after she disappeared, Fred went to a hospital in the early hours of 3 January 1974 to get a serious laceration stitched. A knife matching the cut was found with Partington's body and police surmise he sustained the injury while dismembering the body. Partington, a university student, was the cousin of novelist Martin Amis.
Theresa Siegenthaler (born 27 November 1952): Killed in April 1974. A student in South London who left to hitch-hike to Ireland and disappeared.
Shirley Hubbard (born 26 June 1959): Killed November 1974. Left a work experience course in Droitwich to return home but did not arrive. When her remains were found her head was completely covered in tape with only a three-inch rubber tube inserted to allow her to breathe.
Juanita Marion Mott (born 1 March 1957): Killed April 1975. A former lodger at 25 Cromwell St, Mott was living with a friend of her mother's in Newent when she disappeared.
Shirley Anne Robinson (born 8 October 1959): Killed May 1978. A lodger at 25 Cromwell St, Robinson was a prostitute for the Wests. Disappeared after becoming pregnant with Fred’s child.
Alison Chambers (born 8 September 1962): Killed August 1979. Last known sexually-motivated killing.
Heather Ann West (born 17 October 1970) Killed June 1987. Heather became the focus of Fred’s attentions after Anne Marie left home. Fred West claimed he had not meant to kill her but she had been sneering at him and he "had to take the smirk off her face". Rosemary told an inquiring neighbour the following day that she and Heather had had a "hell of a row" so it is believed Rosemary may have initiated her death. The Wests told their children Heather had left for a job in Devon, but later changed the story to her having run off with a lesbian lover when she failed to contact or visit them. Later still Fred would threaten the children that they would "end up under the patio like Heather" if they misbehaved. Heather's body was found under the patio that Fred had inexplicably built over the fishpond his son Stephen had dug.
Their only known victim after 1979 was their daughter Heather, although the police believe the couple murdered more. There were no known murders in the years 1976–1977, 1980–1986 and 1988-1992. During questioning after being arrested, Fred West had confessed to murdering up to 30 people, but the police believed the pair may have killed only 13. As well as the 12 confirmed they believe West also killed 15-year-old Mary Bastholm in 1968, but to date no body has been found. West's son, Stephen, has said he firmly believed the missing Gloucester teenager was an early victim of his father, as Fred West had reportedly boasted of committing Miss Bastholme's murder while on remand in prison during 1994
Award-winning rescuer reunited with men he saved
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony. (pic: USCG)
An American rescue swimmer who saved four men from a sinking ocean-going rowing boat was reunited with three of the people he rescued in an emotional ceremony at IMO Headquarters yesterday (19 November).
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for his part in the dramatic rescue of four ocean racers from the Pacific Ocean. He was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony.
The three rowers, along with Mr. Colin Parker from New Zealand, had been taking part in part in the Great Pacific Race in June 2014 when their four-man boat Britannia 4 began sinking in severe conditions. The race support vessel had been unable to reach the stricken rowing boat and its crew due to 30 knot winds and 15 to 20-foot waves. The rowers owe their lives to the efforts of rescue swimmer AST Leon, who had been lowered to the sea to assist them, and to the successful hoists performed by the helicopter crew in conditions compounded by darkness, lack of visual cues and horizon and breaking waves.
Speaking at the ceremony, AST Leon said he was pleased to meet the rescuees for the first time since the fateful night, and in entirely different circumstances. He said he was honoured and humbled to be receiving the award and thanked his fellow crew members, who had flown the helicopter through gale force winds to winch AST Leon down to the rowers in the stormy seas below and who had performed a series of demanding recovery hoists to initially rescue three of the men.
When fuel levels on the helicopter became dangerously low and it had to leave the scene to refuel, AST Leon remained with the fourth rower Mr. Hart, huddled in the tiny bow portion of the swamped vessel that remained above water. The two men protected each other from the breaking waves and freezing temperatures. Finally, the helicopter was able to return through the stormy night and hoist the two men to safety.
“I would especially like to thank the crew of the helicopter, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and flight mechanic Michael Spraggins, because nothing I do, can be done without them; and everything we do is a team effort – especially for this case,” AST Leon said. .
Rescuee Sam Collins thanked AST Leon and the helicopter crew at the ceremony, acknowledging that setting out to row the Pacific Ocean had been for their own gratification, while AST Leon had acted selflessly to rescue them.
“What Chris did was a completely selfless act. Something quite special. Chris Leon woke up in the morning and no doubt brushed his teeth, had a normal day. And then, in the darkness of night, a year and a half ago, he launched himself off the side of a helicopter into gale force winds and over six metre high seas just to save our lives,” Mr. Collins said.
“And as a result we are alive. We will have children. Our children will go on to have children. And we can hopefully repay him, by making the most of our lives. So what I am trying to say, is: thank you, Chris, you really deserve this award for what was a truly exceptional act of bravery at sea,” Mr. Collins said.
AST Leon and the crew of the rescue helicopter CG-6531, US Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco were nominated by the United States. AST Leon received a medal for the highest award and a certificate. His fellow crew on the night of the rescue, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and Aviation Maintenance Technician Michael Spraggins received certificates for their role.
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu presented the Bravery Award medal and certificate to Mr. Leon.
Certificates of commendation
During the award ceremony, certificates of commendation were also presented to the following:
Vicente Somera from the Philippines, crew member of the container ship Lars Maersk, was at the ceremony in person to receive a certificate for his role in rescuing a stricken yachtsman from the Enya II in heavy weather in the Tasman Sea, some 70 nautical miles from the nearest land, when the container ship responded to a distress alert. Crew member Somera, with little regards for his own safety, climbed down an accommodation ladder to grab the yachtsman, using his own body to shield him from being crushed by the swinging ladder. Mr. Somera was nominated by Australia.
Skipper Jean-Claude Van Rymenant was also at the ceremony in person to receive the certificate awarded to him and the crew of the rescue launch SNS 129 Notre Dame de la Garoupe, volunteer rescuers based in the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin. They were nominated by France for the rescue of a woman, her husband and a baby from a yacht as Cyclone Gonzalo hit the island in October 2014. In high winds and poor visibility, the rescue crew swam to the Voyage II, which had struck a reef, and managed to bring the family to safety. The crew went on to assist people from around 20 more ships and boats which had been grounded in the cyclone.
Father Ilia Kartozia (posthumously), Abbot of the Monastery of Saint David the Builder, Patriarchate of Georgia, was nominated by Georgia for his role in helping fellow passengers to escape the Norman Atlantic ro-ro ferry, which was carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew when its car deck caught fire in heavy storms during a crossing from Greece to southern Italy. Survivors reported that Father Ilia had encouraged them during the rescue and had refused opportunities to save himself, giving up his place in a lifeboat to make room for a Greek woman and her baby. Despite the best efforts of rescuers, Father Ilia fell into the sea and sadly drowned. His body was found on the Italian shore. The certificate was received by Igumen Father Dorote Barbakadze, Dean of the Georgian Orthodox Church in London, on behalf of Father Ilia.
Lieutenant John Hess, Lieutenant Matthew Vanderslice, Aviation Maintenance Technician Derrick Suba and Aviation Survival Technician Evan Staph, crew members of the rescue helicopter CG 6033, US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, were nominated by the United States for rescuing a father-son team aboard the yacht Sedona, who had set sail for Australia but had been stranded some 150 nautical miles from the nearest land during a powerful winter storm. Freezing temperatures, high seas and strong winds hampered efforts to reach the stricken yacht and seven difficult and dangerous hoists were needed to rescue the two men. The certificates were received on their behalf by Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy at United States Coast Guard, Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards at the United States Coast Guard and Mr. Edward Heartney, Counsellor for Environment, Science, Technology and Health at the US Embassy in London, and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to IMO.
Letters of Commendation
In addition, Letters of Commendation have been sent to:
• Captain Lai Zhixing, Master of the rescue vessel Nan Hai Jiu 111, Nanhai Rescue Bureau, nominated by China, for a rescue during Typhoon Kalmaegi.
• The crew of the Xinfa Hai, nominated by China, for saving the cargo vessel Thor Commander near the Great Barrier Reef.
• Petty Officer William Hubert and two crew members of the helicopter Rescue Tango, Detachment of 35F flotilla at Tahiti-Faa’a, French Navy, nominated by France for rescuing 10 crew members of a fishing boat.
IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea
This annual award was established by IMO to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.
For the 2015 award, 27 nominations for the bravery award were received, from 10 IMO Member States and two non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
Award-winning rescuer reunited with men he saved
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony. (pic: USCG)
An American rescue swimmer who saved four men from a sinking ocean-going rowing boat was reunited with three of the people he rescued in an emotional ceremony at IMO Headquarters yesterday (19 November).
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for his part in the dramatic rescue of four ocean racers from the Pacific Ocean. He was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony.
The three rowers, along with Mr. Colin Parker from New Zealand, had been taking part in part in the Great Pacific Race in June 2014 when their four-man boat Britannia 4 began sinking in severe conditions. The race support vessel had been unable to reach the stricken rowing boat and its crew due to 30 knot winds and 15 to 20-foot waves. The rowers owe their lives to the efforts of rescue swimmer AST Leon, who had been lowered to the sea to assist them, and to the successful hoists performed by the helicopter crew in conditions compounded by darkness, lack of visual cues and horizon and breaking waves.
Speaking at the ceremony, AST Leon said he was pleased to meet the rescuees for the first time since the fateful night, and in entirely different circumstances. He said he was honoured and humbled to be receiving the award and thanked his fellow crew members, who had flown the helicopter through gale force winds to winch AST Leon down to the rowers in the stormy seas below and who had performed a series of demanding recovery hoists to initially rescue three of the men.
When fuel levels on the helicopter became dangerously low and it had to leave the scene to refuel, AST Leon remained with the fourth rower Mr. Hart, huddled in the tiny bow portion of the swamped vessel that remained above water. The two men protected each other from the breaking waves and freezing temperatures. Finally, the helicopter was able to return through the stormy night and hoist the two men to safety.
“I would especially like to thank the crew of the helicopter, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and flight mechanic Michael Spraggins, because nothing I do, can be done without them; and everything we do is a team effort – especially for this case,” AST Leon said. .
Rescuee Sam Collins thanked AST Leon and the helicopter crew at the ceremony, acknowledging that setting out to row the Pacific Ocean had been for their own gratification, while AST Leon had acted selflessly to rescue them.
“What Chris did was a completely selfless act. Something quite special. Chris Leon woke up in the morning and no doubt brushed his teeth, had a normal day. And then, in the darkness of night, a year and a half ago, he launched himself off the side of a helicopter into gale force winds and over six metre high seas just to save our lives,” Mr. Collins said.
“And as a result we are alive. We will have children. Our children will go on to have children. And we can hopefully repay him, by making the most of our lives. So what I am trying to say, is: thank you, Chris, you really deserve this award for what was a truly exceptional act of bravery at sea,” Mr. Collins said.
AST Leon and the crew of the rescue helicopter CG-6531, US Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco were nominated by the United States. AST Leon received a medal for the highest award and a certificate. His fellow crew on the night of the rescue, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and Aviation Maintenance Technician Michael Spraggins received certificates for their role.
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu presented the Bravery Award medal and certificate to Mr. Leon.
Certificates of commendation
During the award ceremony, certificates of commendation were also presented to the following:
Vicente Somera from the Philippines, crew member of the container ship Lars Maersk, was at the ceremony in person to receive a certificate for his role in rescuing a stricken yachtsman from the Enya II in heavy weather in the Tasman Sea, some 70 nautical miles from the nearest land, when the container ship responded to a distress alert. Crew member Somera, with little regards for his own safety, climbed down an accommodation ladder to grab the yachtsman, using his own body to shield him from being crushed by the swinging ladder. Mr. Somera was nominated by Australia.
Skipper Jean-Claude Van Rymenant was also at the ceremony in person to receive the certificate awarded to him and the crew of the rescue launch SNS 129 Notre Dame de la Garoupe, volunteer rescuers based in the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin. They were nominated by France for the rescue of a woman, her husband and a baby from a yacht as Cyclone Gonzalo hit the island in October 2014. In high winds and poor visibility, the rescue crew swam to the Voyage II, which had struck a reef, and managed to bring the family to safety. The crew went on to assist people from around 20 more ships and boats which had been grounded in the cyclone.
Father Ilia Kartozia (posthumously), Abbot of the Monastery of Saint David the Builder, Patriarchate of Georgia, was nominated by Georgia for his role in helping fellow passengers to escape the Norman Atlantic ro-ro ferry, which was carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew when its car deck caught fire in heavy storms during a crossing from Greece to southern Italy. Survivors reported that Father Ilia had encouraged them during the rescue and had refused opportunities to save himself, giving up his place in a lifeboat to make room for a Greek woman and her baby. Despite the best efforts of rescuers, Father Ilia fell into the sea and sadly drowned. His body was found on the Italian shore. The certificate was received by Igumen Father Dorote Barbakadze, Dean of the Georgian Orthodox Church in London, on behalf of Father Ilia.
Lieutenant John Hess, Lieutenant Matthew Vanderslice, Aviation Maintenance Technician Derrick Suba and Aviation Survival Technician Evan Staph, crew members of the rescue helicopter CG 6033, US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, were nominated by the United States for rescuing a father-son team aboard the yacht Sedona, who had set sail for Australia but had been stranded some 150 nautical miles from the nearest land during a powerful winter storm. Freezing temperatures, high seas and strong winds hampered efforts to reach the stricken yacht and seven difficult and dangerous hoists were needed to rescue the two men. The certificates were received on their behalf by Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy at United States Coast Guard, Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards at the United States Coast Guard and Mr. Edward Heartney, Counsellor for Environment, Science, Technology and Health at the US Embassy in London, and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to IMO.
Letters of Commendation
In addition, Letters of Commendation have been sent to:
• Captain Lai Zhixing, Master of the rescue vessel Nan Hai Jiu 111, Nanhai Rescue Bureau, nominated by China, for a rescue during Typhoon Kalmaegi.
• The crew of the Xinfa Hai, nominated by China, for saving the cargo vessel Thor Commander near the Great Barrier Reef.
• Petty Officer William Hubert and two crew members of the helicopter Rescue Tango, Detachment of 35F flotilla at Tahiti-Faa’a, French Navy, nominated by France for rescuing 10 crew members of a fishing boat.
IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea
This annual award was established by IMO to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.
For the 2015 award, 27 nominations for the bravery award were received, from 10 IMO Member States and two non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
Award-winning rescuer reunited with men he saved
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony. (pic: USCG)
An American rescue swimmer who saved four men from a sinking ocean-going rowing boat was reunited with three of the people he rescued in an emotional ceremony at IMO Headquarters yesterday (19 November).
Aviation Survival Technician Christopher Leon of the United States Coast Guard received the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea for his part in the dramatic rescue of four ocean racers from the Pacific Ocean. He was thanked in person by grateful rescuees Sam Collins, Fraser Hart and James Wright, all from the United Kingdom, during the award ceremony.
The three rowers, along with Mr. Colin Parker from New Zealand, had been taking part in part in the Great Pacific Race in June 2014 when their four-man boat Britannia 4 began sinking in severe conditions. The race support vessel had been unable to reach the stricken rowing boat and its crew due to 30 knot winds and 15 to 20-foot waves. The rowers owe their lives to the efforts of rescue swimmer AST Leon, who had been lowered to the sea to assist them, and to the successful hoists performed by the helicopter crew in conditions compounded by darkness, lack of visual cues and horizon and breaking waves.
Speaking at the ceremony, AST Leon said he was pleased to meet the rescuees for the first time since the fateful night, and in entirely different circumstances. He said he was honoured and humbled to be receiving the award and thanked his fellow crew members, who had flown the helicopter through gale force winds to winch AST Leon down to the rowers in the stormy seas below and who had performed a series of demanding recovery hoists to initially rescue three of the men.
When fuel levels on the helicopter became dangerously low and it had to leave the scene to refuel, AST Leon remained with the fourth rower Mr. Hart, huddled in the tiny bow portion of the swamped vessel that remained above water. The two men protected each other from the breaking waves and freezing temperatures. Finally, the helicopter was able to return through the stormy night and hoist the two men to safety.
“I would especially like to thank the crew of the helicopter, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and flight mechanic Michael Spraggins, because nothing I do, can be done without them; and everything we do is a team effort – especially for this case,” AST Leon said. .
Rescuee Sam Collins thanked AST Leon and the helicopter crew at the ceremony, acknowledging that setting out to row the Pacific Ocean had been for their own gratification, while AST Leon had acted selflessly to rescue them.
“What Chris did was a completely selfless act. Something quite special. Chris Leon woke up in the morning and no doubt brushed his teeth, had a normal day. And then, in the darkness of night, a year and a half ago, he launched himself off the side of a helicopter into gale force winds and over six metre high seas just to save our lives,” Mr. Collins said.
“And as a result we are alive. We will have children. Our children will go on to have children. And we can hopefully repay him, by making the most of our lives. So what I am trying to say, is: thank you, Chris, you really deserve this award for what was a truly exceptional act of bravery at sea,” Mr. Collins said.
AST Leon and the crew of the rescue helicopter CG-6531, US Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco were nominated by the United States. AST Leon received a medal for the highest award and a certificate. His fellow crew on the night of the rescue, Lieutenant Scott Black, Lieutenant Jesse C Keyser and Aviation Maintenance Technician Michael Spraggins received certificates for their role.
IMO Secretary-General Koji Sekimizu presented the Bravery Award medal and certificate to Mr. Leon.
Certificates of commendation
During the award ceremony, certificates of commendation were also presented to the following:
Vicente Somera from the Philippines, crew member of the container ship Lars Maersk, was at the ceremony in person to receive a certificate for his role in rescuing a stricken yachtsman from the Enya II in heavy weather in the Tasman Sea, some 70 nautical miles from the nearest land, when the container ship responded to a distress alert. Crew member Somera, with little regards for his own safety, climbed down an accommodation ladder to grab the yachtsman, using his own body to shield him from being crushed by the swinging ladder. Mr. Somera was nominated by Australia.
Skipper Jean-Claude Van Rymenant was also at the ceremony in person to receive the certificate awarded to him and the crew of the rescue launch SNS 129 Notre Dame de la Garoupe, volunteer rescuers based in the French Caribbean island of Saint Martin. They were nominated by France for the rescue of a woman, her husband and a baby from a yacht as Cyclone Gonzalo hit the island in October 2014. In high winds and poor visibility, the rescue crew swam to the Voyage II, which had struck a reef, and managed to bring the family to safety. The crew went on to assist people from around 20 more ships and boats which had been grounded in the cyclone.
Father Ilia Kartozia (posthumously), Abbot of the Monastery of Saint David the Builder, Patriarchate of Georgia, was nominated by Georgia for his role in helping fellow passengers to escape the Norman Atlantic ro-ro ferry, which was carrying nearly 500 passengers and crew when its car deck caught fire in heavy storms during a crossing from Greece to southern Italy. Survivors reported that Father Ilia had encouraged them during the rescue and had refused opportunities to save himself, giving up his place in a lifeboat to make room for a Greek woman and her baby. Despite the best efforts of rescuers, Father Ilia fell into the sea and sadly drowned. His body was found on the Italian shore. The certificate was received by Igumen Father Dorote Barbakadze, Dean of the Georgian Orthodox Church in London, on behalf of Father Ilia.
Lieutenant John Hess, Lieutenant Matthew Vanderslice, Aviation Maintenance Technician Derrick Suba and Aviation Survival Technician Evan Staph, crew members of the rescue helicopter CG 6033, US Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, were nominated by the United States for rescuing a father-son team aboard the yacht Sedona, who had set sail for Australia but had been stranded some 150 nautical miles from the nearest land during a powerful winter storm. Freezing temperatures, high seas and strong winds hampered efforts to reach the stricken yacht and seven difficult and dangerous hoists were needed to rescue the two men. The certificates were received on their behalf by Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy at United States Coast Guard, Mr. Jeffrey Lantz, Director of Commercial Regulations and Standards at the United States Coast Guard and Mr. Edward Heartney, Counsellor for Environment, Science, Technology and Health at the US Embassy in London, and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to IMO.
Letters of Commendation
In addition, Letters of Commendation have been sent to:
• Captain Lai Zhixing, Master of the rescue vessel Nan Hai Jiu 111, Nanhai Rescue Bureau, nominated by China, for a rescue during Typhoon Kalmaegi.
• The crew of the Xinfa Hai, nominated by China, for saving the cargo vessel Thor Commander near the Great Barrier Reef.
• Petty Officer William Hubert and two crew members of the helicopter Rescue Tango, Detachment of 35F flotilla at Tahiti-Faa’a, French Navy, nominated by France for rescuing 10 crew members of a fishing boat.
IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea
This annual award was established by IMO to provide international recognition for those who, at the risk of losing their own life, perform acts of exceptional bravery, displaying outstanding courage in attempting to save life at sea or in attempting to prevent or mitigate damage to the marine environment.
For the 2015 award, 27 nominations for the bravery award were received, from 10 IMO Member States and two non-governmental organizations in consultative status.
Few airplanes have fired the imagination of sport pilots like the build-it-at-home-from-a-kit BD-5. The designer, Jim Bede, announced that the airplane would deliver tremendous performance at a minimal cost in money to purchase and operate, and time and space to build. Bede's enthusiasm for the airplane led him to market it prematurely with a fatal flaw: the lack of a suitable engine. The ultimate failure of the original BD-5 concept should not obscure the original and innovative aspects of the design.
By 1970, Bede (pronounced 'bee-dee') had earned a reputation for designing and flying innovative, high-performance aircraft. Factories produced more than 1,700 examples of his BD-1 (production designation AA-1), the first light aircraft mass-produced using bonded (glued) metal construction. Soon the BD-2 followed with the ambitious design goal to fly non-stop around the world without refueling. Bede never made the flight but the project stirred considerable interest among designers and pilots. Much more successful was the kitplane BD-4, which he designed so that builders constructed it using a patented "panel-rib" process. Bede sold about 600 BD-4 kits in part because the aircraft could accommodate four people.
Bede began concentrating on the BD-5 concept as early as 1967 but the demands of other projects slowed the work. In 1970, he began selling slick brochures packed with colorful photographs, intricate drawings, and astonishing performance estimates. Word of the BD-5 quickly flashed throughout the community of amateur builders and enthusiasts. On February 24, 1971, Bede accepted the first $900 deposit to reserve a BD-5 kit for a prospective builder. Though promising a lot of bang per buck, years of hard and difficult work remained to make the BD-5 idea practical. The aircraft had not even flown, yet Jim Bede and the BD-5 were coming under increasing pressure from a hyper-enthusiastic market whose patience and reason was fast succumbing to demands for quick gratification.
The slick brochures presented a prototype with a sharp, smooth nose gracefully flowing back to an exotic vee-tail, which soon gave way to a conventional cruciform tail mounted at the back end of a miniscule single-seat fuselage barely 4 m (13 ft) long. Bede mounted the wings low and depending on the version, they spanned (4.3 m/14 ft 4 in span) on the BD-5A, or just over 6.4 m (21 ft) on the BD-5B. The 'A model appeared in most of the early brochures and other advertising but as development continued, it became apparent that the airplane flew much better with the longer wings. To move about on the ground, Bede fitted tiny, retractable, tricycle landing gear. He minimized the physical attributes of the BD-5 to increase performance with small engines and to reduce the cost to fabricate components. Small size appealed to many homebuilders who were loath to take on projects that required more building space than a garage or apartment. Bede designed the wings to separate quickly and easily from the fuselage. This feature allowed the builder to store the BD-5 at home rather than paying to rent a hanger at the airfield.
Interest in the BD-5 soared after company test, Les Berven, flew the prototype on 12 September 1971. By December, prospective builder-pilots had flooded the company with orders for 4,000 kits. As is standard practice within the amateur-built aircraft community, builders had to form, cut, drill, bond, and rivet a variety of raw materials provided by Bede's staff into a finished BD-5 according to a detailed set of instructions. To reduce building time, Bede technicians formed a few of the more critical parts with complex shapes, such as the fuselage skins. Jim Bede sold the first kits for $2,100 and estimated that after toiling about 300-400 hours, the average builder could be ready to fly. Many variables always influence such predictions so kit manufacturers wisely pad their estimates, however Bede's projection appeared remarkable because the airplane was not a simple design of modest performance, but rather a genuine thoroughbred that demanded a high degree of skill and precision to build and fly.
In the hands of a qualified pilot, the tiny BD-5 could become a star performer capable of a full range of aerobatic maneuvers. Nearly all who flew the airplane called the handling qualities delightful. Small size and careful design made the control pressures were very light but the characteristic was due also to Bede's use of stiff aluminum push-rods supported on ball bearings to all control surfaces with the pilot's control stick and rudder pedals. One pilot described how he simply 'thought' himself into a turn, with little or no awareness that sensation of manipulating the controls. Quite pleasant in the air, such light control pressures could be deadly on takeoff when inexperienced pilots moved the controls too abruptly and lost control. There was no fix for this characteristic and pilots new to flying the BD-5 received stern warnings to use extreme caution until they were familiar with the tiny movements required to fly the BD-5. Advertised as 322 kph (200 mph), maximum cruise speed was as impressive as the handling, the result of not only a very clean and streamlined configuration, but also the small size and low weight, about 270 kg (600 lb). It was said that the little airplane behaved equally well at the opposite end of the performance spectrum but the statement that the BD-5 could slow down to soar like a motor glider was certainly a stretch unless really extraordinary weather conditions were encountered. Bede also claimed that the power plant sipped just 4 gallons per hour of fuel to give the airplane sufficient range to fly about 1,610 km (1,000 miles) at an altitude of 4,256 m (14,000 ft).
Great handling, high-speed performance, and economical operation, all beautifully packaged! The BD-5 seemed to have it all, yet to excel in all these areas, a very special engine had to propel the kit plane. Such an engine did not exist. Bede had envisioned adapting one of the many two-cycle, air-cooled engine designs commonly used to power snowmobiles. His first engine was a 40 horsepower unit manufactured by Kiekhaefer Aeromarine that proved unreliable. Next he tried an engine manufactured in Germany by Hirth in versions that developed from 40 to 70 horsepower. After Hirth announced that the firm could not supply enough power plants to meet projected kit sales, the most difficult problem for BD-5 kit owners remained the engine. Bede tried motors from Polaris, Zenoah, Kawasaki, and others but never found an alternative able to withstand the unique demands of aircraft propulsion.
Most builders found the kits difficult to build. They had to fabricate complex parts including the drive system that transmitted power from the engine to the propeller. One owner eventually spent 7 years and $20,000 to finish his airplane. To meet demand, Bede announced a full production version designated the BD-5D, which he would certify and sell for $4,400 but none was built. The factory manufactured about 3,000 kits; however, customers bought less than 1,000. By the late 1970s, Bede had run out of time to save the BD-5. Budd Davisson summed up the disappointing outcome: "Too much was said early in the game, promises were made, performance figures quoted and money taken. So, when things didn't go like clockwork, the BD buying public got a little bit ticked off."
Those who had bought kits began to sell them for far less than they had paid, if they could find buyers. Hoping to generate cash, Bede dabbled briefly with a sailplane version, and his jet-powered BD-5 became popular at air shows but the dream to mass market the little kit plane ended in 1979 when Bede declared bankruptcy.
Jim Bede's BD-5 remained a compelling design in the new millennium as hardy souls managed to keep about 150 flying in 2002, thanks largely to entrepreneurs who formed companies to supply knowledge, experience, and critical hardware. During the mid-1970s, Keith Hinshaw organized Bede-Micro Aviation in San Jose, California, and focused the business on supplying a solution to the engine problem, and supplying parts and assistance to builders. A former BD-5 owner, Hinshaw and his staff worked out a nifty solution to the propulsion problem when they successfully adapted a turbo-charged Honda automobile engine to the aircraft. Bede-Micro also designed and sold parts and plans to strengthen the wings and the top of the rudder, improved the landing gear and flaps, and stretched the fuselage 12 cm (5 in) to accommodate a greater variety of engines.
On 11 September 1984, Peter K. Graichen and Albert C. Beckwith of Stow, Ohio, donated their BD-5 to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Graichen had built begun to build the aircraft in 1972 and he finished six years and 5,000 working-hours later. To power the BD-5, he installed one of the Honda engines modified by Hinshaw's staff at Bede-Micro. The airplane was first flown on 21 October 1978 at Akron Municipal Airport. Pilots logged 9 hours of flying time before Graichen and Beckwith generously donated the airplane to the Museum in 1984.
The 8 Advice
دَعْ مَا يَرِيبُكَ إِلَى مَا لَا يَرِيبُكَ فَإِنَّ الصِّدْقَ طُمَأْنِينَةٌ وَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ رِيبَةٌ
The Prophet of God (peace be upon him) said,
“Whatever places you in doubt, leave it for that which leaves you in no doubt
because, verily, in the truth lies contentment and in the lies uncertainty.”
It was a warm sunny afternoon in Feb. One of the first in Lahore after a winter that didn’t seem to want to end. I had been in the city throughout it for the first time in decades so was grateful for the warmth. I had asked my friend and brilliant scholar, Uzair, to come to my house. I had a question I wanted to ask him from something I was studying with Qari Sahib; the eight advices of Imam Ali (as) to his son, Imam Hassan (as) just before his passing.
“So Imam Ali (as) said, ‘O my dear son! Adopt from me four (things) and then another four. Nothing will ever cause you harm if you bring them in to your practice.”
The first four were the do’s the second the don’ts, specifically who not to befriend. There were two of the eight I had not been able to understand. The first was:
و اوحش الوحشۃ العجب
The most desolate of loneliness is self-praise.
Wahsha was the word in Arabic and I was fascinated by it. Loneliness seemed to be the cause of everyone around me changing completely to the point of being unrecognizable. Coupled, single, healthy, sick, rich, famous, known, unknown! But it was the second one that I asked Uzair about for I knew he had limited time: it related to one of the ones whom the blessed Imam (as) warned his eldest son not to befriend:
و ایاک و مصادقۃ الفاجر فانہ یبیعک بالتاقۃ
And avoid the Fajir, the one who is defiant about his disobedience and insistent upon it,
for, without doubt, he will sell you for nothing.
Uzair began with an introduction about the nature of Man:
“Fitrat is the core upon which we have been modeled by Allah. Each one of us. And between all of us, there is a slight variation in our fitrat. Like DNA it is unique. Fitrat operates on two principles, haqq and batil, truth or falsehood, khair or sharr or as you might say, what is beneficial and harmful.”
“Good and evil?” I interjected.
“No, goodness has nothing to do with it.”
“Right and wrong?” I asked.
“You can say right and wrong, other things too. But in our tradition,” Uzair explained, “it is called haqq and batil, truth and falsity. Which means that which is haqq I do and that which is wrong, I refrain from it. And fitrat is sealed. It cannot borrow anything from the outside, society. Even religion cannot change it. It’s a total sealing.
It’s what the Sufi calls his Hujra e Ishq, the compartment of love. Whatever society says or anyone else for that matter, it doesn’t effect it. In it is Ishq, the most intense love. Which is why when that is activated all barriers break. Those of society and religion. That is fitrat. So remember, it only works on the principles of haqq truth, batil falsehood, khair benefit, sharr harm. That which is good for me and that which is not.”
When I thought about it later it seemed the paradigm of fitrat was based entirely on sidq, truthfulness with one’s own self. I looked up the word in my tafaseer of verses from the Tafseer e Jilani by Ghaus Pak (ra) to see how he describes the truthful ones flickr.com/photos/42093313@N00/51683698952/in/dateposted-.... It came up once on what I had covered so far.
Humuss siddeeqoon: They are the truthful one, who have reached the highest ranks of truth and have restricted themselves upon sincerity, steadfast and still in the Way of truthful certainty – Surah Al Hadeed, Verse 19
Uzair: “Fitrat is that essence that makes you what you are by actualizing itself. It is that jewel which when activated makes you who you are, not what people and your surroundings have made you to become. It is your asl, your origin. Which we call Haqeeqat e Insaan, the reality of the human being.
In that fitrat is the tabyat and in it is free will.
Now tabyat will borrow from the fitrat and it will also be influenced by the outside, society, religion etc. Tabyat operates under two principles also; raghbat, that which attracts me and karahat, that which I dislike. So tabyat will always either be attracted to something or repelled by it. For instance an American might look at pig and be attracted to it while a Pakistani will look at it and be repulsed.
Tabyat has no moral anchoring. Fitrat is the opposite of it in terms of only being rooted in morality while tabyat is riding the wave of its like and dislikes. Now you also have free will. So you have the choice, do I listen to my fitrat or do I obey my tabyat? Do I want to listen to my inner being or that which is coming and then defining me from the outside?
The Insaan e Kamil, the complete human being, is the one whose fitrat is overcoming his tabyat. The fitrat is running on haqq and batil, what is right and wrong. It suppresses what it is attracted and repulsed by. If it wants to do something but knows that it is wrong, it stops itself and does not do it.
Insaan e Naqis, the imperfect human being, which is 99.99% of us, our tabyat is ruling our fitrat. So the ride has become the rider for us. It’s the opposite of what should be. Fitrat was the rider, tabyat was the steed. For us they are switched around.
And what was it that made this happen? For one, we eliminated patience from our lives. Sabr is the thing that gives the fitrat the upper hand over the tabyat. And patience exists in the one who has courage, jurrat. This is the core philosophy of Imam Ali (as):
The one who does not have jurrat, courage, doesn’t have himmat, the ability to endeavor, and the one who is devoid of himmat has no sabr, patience. The one who does not exercise patience can never attain the goal of kamiliyat, being a complete human being. There is a whole paradigm that runs on this principle.
But what is the modern world doing? It’s nothing but restlessness and impatience. Everything encourages not needing to be patient. It is all instant gratification. There are people who will stand for you in line to buy something when it is launched if you need it. What is that? What are we doing? New cars, new phones, everything is made to gear us towards impatience, wanting everything now.
But if there is no patience, there will be no courage and without courage I cannot walk the line between haqq and batil and stay on the right side. How can I? How will I bring my fitrat over my tabyat? There will never be any truth. And then we started spilling garbage like ‘Truth is subjective.’ So all that remains now is anxiety.”
A few days after I met Uzair I came across a lecture of his which made clear what makes the tabyat deviate from the fitrat, what makes it focus the world and the pursuit of its desires in it. In a word it is waswasa; the whisperings of Iblis and the nafs that cause doubt about everything and anything.
In that lecture which was delivered on the Night of Ascension, Uzair had said, “These whispers that emanate from the self, Allah listens to them before you do.”
Then he cited a verse and I looked up its exegesis. I was familiar with it. It was very well known. It also happened to be the verse with which I had started my first book, Ali is to me as I am to God. I have no idea why I had chosen it then.
وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا ٱلْإِنسَنَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِۦ نَفْسُهُۥ ۖ
وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ ٱلْوَرِيدِ
And certainly We created man and We know what his self whispers to him
and We are nearer to him than his jugular vein.
Surah Qaf, Verse 16
Tafseer e Jilani
Wa: And overall…
Laqad khalaqna al insaana: indeed we created Man and We made him appear from the hidden-ness of nothingness.
Wa: And We…
Na’alamu: We know him from that point…
Ma tuwaswisu: (as to) what whispers and makes up a rambling story…
Bihi nafsohu: from his own self and sways his heart (from that point) until now from those kinds of delusions and false imaginings and those things that descend upon him as animalistic desires and those thoughts that are imprisoned by the chains of rituals and shackles of inherent habits that are inherited as a result of useless ponderings which are mixed with unthinking paranoia.
Certain words from the tafseer were striking because they were all too familiar; the making up of rambling stories, the careless pondering inherited by my own chosen habits intertwined with unthinking paranoia. They became instantly helpful in my identifying exactly when all my tabyat was ruling me.
I knew there was no escaping the waswasa itself. Iblis certainly would never stop. My nafs was ready and willing to run with anything he said. It was in studying of another verse that I understood why the whispering ever took place at all. When it took place. Iblis watched and waited until a person felt one of two things, then pounced to take advantage of the moment. Those two emotions were fear and sadness.
I realized that because it was precisely these two emotions that the Extraordinary, the Friends of God, don’t feel and Allah’s expression of that fact is one of the most ma’roof lines in the Quran where it is mentioned many times.
أَلَآ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Verily, the Friends of Allah, there will be no fear upon them and not they will grieve.
Surah Yunus, Verse 62
Tafseer e Jilani
Ala Inna auliya Allah e: Al Munkhalaeena, the ones who are detached from the demands of being human in total, Al Munsalekheena, the one who are far from the requirements of desires of their selves in totality...
La khauf-un alayhim wa la hum yahzanoon: there is no fear upon them nor do they feel grief because fear and sadness, they only come from the effects of the tabyat, (the secondary nature that is acquired from outside), and the pursuit of that which fulfills it.
And there it was, the word tabyat and its dire effect: causing the fear and sadness.
It made me focus on what made me feel the two feelings. For starters, fear and sadness emerged in me when I thought about what was not relevant. Hazrat Tustari (ra) had told me that the punishment of thinking about that which did not concern me was instant and that punishment was losing that present moment.
Fear always came with anxiety when one thought about the future. Grief was associated with thinking about the past. The Extraordinary only lived in the moment because of their tawakkul, complete reliance on God, surrendering with sincerity to what had happened and what was about to happen. Hence they avoided both feelings. Therefore waswasa never entered their being.
The emotions also came whenever there was blame or accusation in a relationship. Even the possibility of it would cause stress for me. In the anticipation of the blame, I felt anxiety mixed with resentful anger. Either the relationship had to be free of it from my end or if it was going to come from the other side which was out of my control, I had to detach from the reaction of my tabyat and show patience. Which more and more was meaning to be just silent.
But what about when that blame did happen to arise from within me? Then it brought with it what I was seeing increasingly as my curse; badgumani! Suspicion of another’s intent, distrust towards them. It highlighted for me the Imam’s second advice:
و اکبر الفقر الحمق
The greatest deprivation is being an ahmaq – doing things without thinking.
An ahmaq was the last thing I would ever have thought I was. As someone who does use their intellect and tends to keep it in high gear, I could have never imagined it for myself. But it was there and fairly front and center.
Whether it was Iblis or my nafs or another human being, anyone could plant misgiving in me by uttering just a few words and without tahqeeq, verification, I would believe them. Then my tabyat ruled me like nothing else. The badguman thoughts would usually make me more sad than anything else.
That sadness paved the way for waswasa and any doubt I felt compounded. The only difference was that my blame and accusation was silent, reverberating just inside my heart, veiling it in darkness.
Until I was made to realize by one spiritual master or another how wrong I was. Even if the feeling was warranted, they showed me that the trap of justification was the most seductive. The absence of blame and accusation was critical regardless of the circumstance in order to preserve the love in a relationship. I had learnt that from the Prophets years ago. It was the first step in their show of regard for their Lord. My favourite reminder was the verse uttered by the Prophet Ibrahim (as):
وَالَّذِي هُوَ يُطْعِمُنِي وَيَسْقِينِ - وَإِذَا مَرِضْتُ فَهُوَ يَشْفِينِ الَّذِي خَلَقَنِي فَهُوَ يَهْدِينِ -
And He who created me, and He (it is who) guides me. And it is He who feeds me and gives me drink. And when I am ill, it is He who cures me.
Surah Ash-Shuraa, Verse 78-80
Even in sickness, which only comes from Allah, there was no accusation. Little did I know, the last part of that verse was about to become my mantra.
After listening to his explanation about the fitrat and the tabyat that afternoon, I asked Uzair how it connected with the advice I was wondering about.
و ایاک و مصادقۃ الفاجر فانہ یبیعک بالتاقۃ
“Stay away from the fajir, the defiantly disobedient insistent on wrongdoing
for, without doubt, he will sell you for nothing.”
I couldn’t get over the wording. It was so precise. Why would someone else’s spiritual journey connect with their treatment of me so severely? So I asked the scholar:
“Why would the fajir sell me out? What do their choices have to do with me?”
“The fajir is the one who is licentious,” he replied. “They have made their tabyat totally override their fitrat. There is nothing that is moral for them. There is nothing that is right or wrong for them. The only principle they are living through is what they feel like doing. That’s it! What I like is right, what I dislike is wrong. There is nothing else.
So even when they befriend you, because their tabyat has overcome their fitrat, so as long as you are of interest to them, they will own you. But the day they think they have no use of you, they will sell you out. These are the people we call moody. You should not be friends with moody people anyway.”
“I see,” I said thinking out aloud. His words were making me think of the people my age, give or take, who had in the 4th decade of their lives started announcing to the world and perhaps more clearly to their own family, that they were only going to do what they wanted and nothing else. That they had had enough of pleasing others. They never said who those others were. Their families always looked at them in silence.
I had never understood what they meant exactly. It was such an unequivocal declaration of selfishness. It was tinged with some sense of justified pride. After hearing Uzair it was as if they were going public with the motto; my tabyat rules me!
Uzair continued, “They’re harees you see so the whole relationship is based on self-centeredness. What am I drawing out of you? What am I getting from you? The relationship is one-sided. They will fake it. It’s never about you. They will never make time for you. They will only engage when they want. When they feel like it. That is the person driven by their tabyat.”
I listened to him as if in a serene daze.
“The licentious person who cannot bear the weight of their own tabyat is actually not deserving of the right to have any relationship. In Arabic the same root gives rise to words which have the exact opposite meaning. Eesar is sacrifice, self-transcendence, when I want to give up something for myself to give to you. Then there is Asara, same root aa saa raa, which means self-centeredness. If fitrat rules me, then it is eesar and if tabyat rules me it is aasara. So one connotation of fajir is also the one who is selfish.
If I am only thinking about myself, then even my religiosity is about me. The fajir is the one whose tabyat is riding them so completely they cannot be bound by anything, including the Shari’a. How can they do it?”
But it was the last part of what Uzair said that only mattered:
“What is more important than anyone’s balance of taybat and fitrat.? It is how you behave with them. What is your balance? If someone is overly materialistic or if someone is an alcoholic, can you sit with them for a while instead of just rejecting them? For you they become an opportunity to mend your own self, your prejudices, your grudges, your karahat, the dislike you feel. You minimize those and thus elevate your humanity. They are, after all, still a human being right?”
In that moment I reminded myself how people I was thinking of were not always like that. They were loving and kind and generous and often sacrificed happily for the sake of another they loved. Even strangers. They had been and for some were still heavily relied upon. They always delivered on what was asked of them or even often times, unasked of them in others’ times of need.
Uzair was touching on one what Imam Ali (as) had praised the most in the advice to his son:
و اکرم الحسب حسن الخلق
The best marker of one’s identity is their excellence of manners and etiquette.
The perfection of that manner was set by the one who was the Insaan e Kamil, Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) and he encapsulated it for me in one hadith:
عن جابر بن عبد الله قال : لما نزلت سورة "براءة" قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : بعثت بمداراة الناس
From Jābir b. ʿAbd Allāh (may God be pleased with them all), that he reported that when Sūrat Barāʾa (Tauba) was sent down, the Messenger of God said,
“I was sent to treat people with affability (mudārāt).”
It was not lost on me that the hadith came with the Surah titled Repentance! I had even looked up affability which meant kindness, warmth, friendliness.
Not love!
The word I had started misusing years ago to the point that it became a word without meaning. Of all the words in the world to no longer hold meaning, it astonished me that it was the word that meant the most to me in my entire life; love! I used it carelessly and said it flippantly to people I didn’t see or intend to see for weeks on end. It was just how I had started to end a text message or a short call. The most important word in the world now meant absolutely nothing.
Uzair continued to explain his point about why the focus in any interaction with anyone should be one’s own self: “What used to happen in the Khanqah’s of the Saints (a place of gathering for brother-hood and a spiritual retreat)? The robber, thieves, murderers, the drunks, the adulterers everyone was welcome and everyone came. The Saints were holding space for them. Their attitude was only this: ‘Come, sit, whoever you are, whatever you’ve done. If you want to change, we are here to help and even if you don’t want to change, eat, rest, stay as long as you want.’
And who all did the Prophet (peace be upon him) embrace? The lowest of the society, the murderers, the drunks. That is his initial group. Nobody wants to talk about that. Take Dahya Qalbi. He came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he was the most handsome of the Companions. Many times Hazrat Gibrael (as) came in his form when be brought the revelations. This is a hadith recorded in Sahih Muslim.
He came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said he wanted to become a Muslim. But before he did so, he wanted to confess to him his sins.
‘I have consumed alcohol, I have been an adulterer,’ his list went on.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, ‘It’s alright. It will be forgiven.’
Then Dahya said, ‘I have also murdered a 100 daughters.’ He was the one who buried people’s infants alive when they were unwanted for being girls.
Even the Prophet (peace be upon him) became silent.
Jus then Gibrael (as) came and said,
أَنَّ الْإِسْلَامَ يَهْدِمُ مَا كَانَ قَبْلَهُ
‘Verily, Islam will swallow whatever happened before.
Tell him to change today.’
Look at the inclusion. I’ll give you another example. The people of Khyber plotted to murder the Prophet (peace be upon him) by poisoning him. A woman offered a lamb as her contribution to the mission. The Messenger (peace be upon him) was invited to dinner and the meat was laced with a toxin.
Just as he took a morsel and put it in his mouth, it spoke and said, ‘Spit me out, I have poison in me.’
The Prophet (peace be upon him) swallowed the bite but didn’t eat anymore. He became ill. Soon after the plot was discovered.”
I interrupted Uzair.
“Why didn’t he spit it out? The morsel?”
He smiled. “The man is different. These are his manners.”
Then he continued.
“The woman was caught and brought before him. Hazrat Omar (ratu) asked that she be killed.
The Prophet of God asked his companion, ‘For what crime?’
‘She’s a murderer,’ he said.
‘But the “murdered” is sitting before you. Let her go!’
The next day she came to him and became Muslim.
See the inclusion? Even Allah says in the Quran:
وَلَا تَسْتَوِى ٱلْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا ٱلسَّيِّئَةُ ۚ
ٱدْفَعْ بِٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا ٱلَّذِى بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُۥ عَدَوَةٌۭ كَأَنَّهُۥ وَلِىٌّ حَمِيمٌۭ
And the good deed and the evil deed are not equal.
Repel evil with that which is better, then behold!
The one who, between you and between him, was enmity
will become as if he was an intimate friend.
Surah Fussilat, Verse 34
And of course I looked up the tafseer to see what Ghaus Pak (ra) said.
Tafseer e Jilani
Then said Allah Subhanu in the way of instruction and guidance for the ordinary servants:
Wa la tastawi al hasnatu: It is not equal, the class of good deeds, but it is different in beauty and appearance…
Wa la-assayyatu: and similarly it is not equal, the class of evil deeds. Some of them are worse than others.
Idfa’a: O Seeker with the intention of being guided upon the way of Tauheed, One-ness, upon the Straight Path unveiled for the Messenger who completes the Messenger-hood (peace be upon him) and who is the most esteemed of the Prophets who are guided, the ones who are being guided to the Ocean of One-ness of His Essence from different streams of His Names and Attributes which sprout (from that Ocean) according to their rippling and moving from one to another, arising according to their innate states…
Billati: (O Seeker with the intention of being guided upon the way of Tauheed, One-ness) by the inclination of goodness which is…
Hiya ahsana: the best of the best virtues, repel the worst of the worst virtues and persist in that manner (of repelling wrongdoing with goodness) and make it your habit until you reach a balance and become steadfast upon the Place of
Allah’s Justice.
And after your steadfastness and firm-footedness in this rank…
Fa idalladi: then suddenly that which was...
Baynaka wa baynahu adaawatun: between you and him an enemity, which has been there for a while and was generated from animalistic forces from both parties, he will become your close friend and loved one until…
Ka annahu waliyun: he becomes your near one who protects you and becomes a guardian of your custody for all that which causes you pain and all that which causes your destruction. So how will he then cause you suffering because he is…
Hameemun: (now) your intimate friend, affectionate, generous, kind and merciful towards you and one who will never fight with you (again).
Subhan Allah!
That afternoon Uzair ended on this note: The Quran is saying if someone is doing something bad to you, don’t do the same to them. Goodness and badness cannot be equal ever. You have been given the right to avenge, yes, but it will also be an act that is looked down upon. It will still be wrong.
How beautiful is it that in just a few words Allah is giving you a moral theory. It is better for you to do a good deed when a bad one is done to you. Yes, if your tabyat is riding you and you will not resist it, then be careful to do exactly that which was done to you and not an iota more. But look at how the verse ends.
Waleeun hameem: He was your sworn enemy and now he becomes your intimate friend. Only because you didn’t react to his doing whatever he did towards you that was hurtful and weren’t the same as him. Because the two will never be the same; goodness and wrongdoing. It’s beautiful.”
It certainly was beautiful!
Uzair left. I had recorded what he had said and I listened to it again and again. It was heavily layered and highlighted why the first advice of the blessed Imam (as) had been about reflection. Using the aql!
ان اغنی الغنی العقل
The greatest of treasures is the Aql – the power to reflect.
The aql is bestowed to everyone. It is not the IQ. It is not about being smart or dumb, literate or not. It is the ability to consider, to ponder, to realize. Of the 6,666 verses in the Quran, 700 some are addressing the Aaqiloon, those who reflect and often Allah declares, ‘But they do not use their aql?’ For it seemed, it was precisely in that using or not using that aql one person was avoiding pain and another was drowning in it.
In studying the words with Qari Sahib I had learnt something invaluable. Aql has to be safeguarded and when anger appears aql leaves the building. As someone with extraordinary anger management issues in the past, the thought gave me pause. It certainly explained the why the heaviest losses of my life were self-inflicted.
It also made me go back to the lines of the Quran I had been translating from the Tafseer e Jilani and look up the word ‘anger’ and see exactly what it caused, what was ordered to do about it:
Khud il afwa: Choose always (and make your habit), O Messenger who completes the Message (peace be upon you), the path of forgiveness and softness. And turn away from anger (of the type of being upset with someone when you can exercise ability to do something about it) and becoming hard, because this is in line with the affection of the status of Prophet-hood – Surah Al-Araaf, Verse 199
Wa ja’ala bainakum muwadda-tan wa rahma-tan: And between them is unconditional love and tenderness so that the nafs loves the light of the ruh, the soul, and its effect upon it with acceptance, embracing its influence. Which makes the nafs remains calm from anger and become purified. Surah Ar Rum, Verse 21
Min Shaitaan: it is from Shaitaan, who influences you physically through the organs which cause anger and stokes the ego in a way that is only ignorant creating a false sense of dignity…Surah Al Araaf, Verse 200
Mir Rabbikum wa shifa ullima fi sudoor: (indeed has come to you (a Prophet (peace be upon him) and The Book) from your Lord. And heal you from your anger and grudges that have taken firm residence in your hearts. Surah Yunus, Verse 57
But it was one verse with the word ‘anger’ that hit me the hardest for it brought everything together. The dots I had been connecting of doubt arising whenever I felt fear or sadness. Feeling that fear and sadness because of my tabyat overwhelming my fitrat. The tabyat being in high gear because of my pursuing worldly desires.
The top most of those desires for me was expecting something from other people. That left me constantly disappointed. The disappointment brought on sadness. In the moment of that sadness, Iblis whispered in my ear how I was always betrayed. My nafs embraced the whisper and we both jumped into a lake of paranoia and doubtthat moved in a loop in my head!
With shirk again the punishment is immediate and it is hell no doubt. Because the consequence of hope and expectations on others when they are unmet is humiliation. Nothing burns like that fire. The Quran and then Ghaus Pak (ra) had already told me the sources of my pain and suffering in Surah At Tauba:
مَا عَنِتُّمْ
Surah At Tauba: Verse 128
Ma annit-tum: of that which pains you and brings you suffering. And when you come across that which he did not find favourable for you because it was
1.from the signs of kufr, ingratitude and the denial of Truth
2.and shirk, fears and hopes associated with others
3.and the absence of obedience
4.and the absence of submission to the Commands of Allah and that which was forbidden to you,
My shirk was what Ghaus Pak (ra) defined as “fears and hopes associated with others” and I was indeed a witness to my own oppression.
وَإِنَّهُۥ عَلَىٰ ذَلِكَ لَشَهِيدٌۭ
And indeed, surely he is a witness.
Surah Al Adiyat, Verse 6
Wa Innahu: And indeed, the nafs of Insaan, Man’s own self…
Ala’ dalika: upon his tyranny and his ingratitude and denial of truth…
La shaheed: is a witness. The effects of kufran, ingratitude and denial of Truth and tughyan, oppression, appear upon him forever.
And overall: He, himself, is a witness upon his own denial and ungratefulness and his shirk, the association of others with Allah and his oppression, until the time that effect of his transgressions appear upon his self.
That verse that came up with the word ‘anger’ turned out to be the first piece of the puzzle although it appeared last; feeling anger due to the pursuit of a desire that would never be fulfilled would result in an endless waiting. That anger would intensify doubt and the pining for what would never be would shred the heart to pieces.
لَا يَزَالُ بُنْيَنُهُمُ ٱلَّذِى بَنَوْا۟ رِيبَةًۭ فِى قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلَّآ أَن تَقَطَّعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
The building they built will always be a source of skepticism within their hearts until their hearts are torn to pieces.
Allah knows everything and He is Wise.
Surah Tauba, Verse 110
Tafseer e Jilani
And because of the intensity of their anger and wickedness of
their inner being…
La yazalu bunyanuhum alladi banawu: the building they built will just inherit and increase…
Ribatan: doubts and these ambiguities will increase…
Fi qulibihim: in their hearts, drop by drop…
Illa an taqatta’a qulubuhum: except that it (that doubt) will cut their hearts with the fire of desires that cannot be fulfilled and their hearts will be shredded and disappear because of the trials of being punished to the extent that they will never know.
Wallahu aleem-un: And Allah is All Knowing of their hidden delusion in their breasts.
Hakeem: (Allah is) All Wise who decides the recompense for it (that delusion) and how to call them to question over it.
As I studied the words of the Imam’s (as) advice, for the first time in my life I saw the limits to only being obedient. When it was blind and didn’t trigger the use of the aql. The obedient one also thinks nothing bad will happen to them. So it does. Just to remind them that often goodness is the source of forbidden pride.
I had that experience that month when I had a muscle spasm that triggered sciatica. All I heard from everyone was that it would never go away and that was depressing. The thing was I never got sick ma sha Allah. After I experienced the spasm, in a single week I went to a chiropractor, osteopath, acupuncturist, homeopath and street joint guy. One thing spun in my head throughout those seven days and it was from a lecture of Qari Sahib.
“The root of ingratitude and obstinacy in denying and refusing guidance is pride. For that matter the root of all sin and wrongdoing is pride. There are three things that break that pride; poverty, disease and death. Let us pray that we don’t have to face them in order to be taught the hard way not to be prideful.”
Disease!
I confided my concern to Qari Sahib and asked if I was guilty of that sin; pride. Was that why I was now having this problem that seemed like it would never leave me? He smiled. Then came the reference and it made me realize that my obedience did make me feel like nothing bad would ever happen to me. Well, bad things happened to me throughout my life but I didn’t think of them that way. Others did. But this was the first time I felt I might have had a sense of pride around my being “good.”
The verse my teacher gave me was from the life of the Prophet Yunus (as) and the incident of the whale. He too thought nothing bad would happen to him.
وَذَا ٱلنُّونِ إِذ ذَّهَبَ مُغَضِبًۭا فَظَنَّ أَن لَّن نَّقْدِرَ عَلَيْهِ فَنَادَىٰ فِى ٱلظُّلُمَتِ
أَن لَّآ إِلَهَ إِلَّآ أَنتَ سُبْحَنَكَ إِنِّى كُنتُ مِنَ ٱلظَّلِمِينَ
فَٱسْتَجَبْنَا لَهُۥ وَنَجَّيْنَهُ مِنَ ٱلْغَمِّ ۚ
وَكَذَلِكَ نُۨجِى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
And Dhul Nun when he went (while) angry and thought that never We would decree upon him.
Then he called in the darkness that, “There is no god except You, Glory be to You!
Indeed, I, I am of the wrongdoers.”
So We responded to him, and We saved him from the distress.
And thus We save the believers.
Surah Al Anbiya, Verse 87-88
Tafseer e Jilani
Fa danna: So he thought, as soon as he left his nation…
Al-lan naqdira: that We, Allah Subhanahu, will not put stress and distress…
Alaihi: upon him and it is not possible for Us to slow him down and make him suffer nor make him hide in another place so he escaped and arrived at the ocean and boarded a ship and suddenly the wind stopped and the sailors said, “In this ship is a servant who has come without permission from his master.”
They balloted and in the ballot came out his name (of Prophet Yunus (as)) and they tossed him in the ocean and just then a whale swallowed him.
Fa nada: Then he invoked his Lord and prayed silently and humbly, scared, covered…
Fi dulumaat: in darkness which concealed him in layers because he was in the belly of the whale and the night was dark.
An: Indeed, He…
La ilaha: There is no God worthy of worship but Allah and deserving of worship which is the Right of His Essence and His Attribute…
Illa anta: except You, O Who in front of Whom necks bend and bow before the Veils of Your Majesty, the necks of the ones who are of intellect and reason…
Subhanaka: Glory is to You, O my Lord, I think of You as free of all flaws which are not mentionable with Your Essence and (all flaws) which are not worthy of mention with Your Grace.
Inni: Indeed, I am, due to my departure from my people without Your Permission and Revelation, while you had sent me to them and raised me among them in appearance as a Prophet, as a preacher and as a guide…
Kuntu min ad-daalimeen: I am of the transgressors of boundaries, the ones who departed from Your Orders and Your Commands so that’s why You made the matter one of distress for me and You imprisoned me and there is no one who can rescue me from this suffering except Your Forgiveness and Your Mercy.
And after he repented before Us and he focused towards Us with sincerity, with humility and he became pure towards Us, upset, distressed…
Fastajabna lahu: We accepted his prayer and responded to his prayer and took him out from the belly of the whale…
Wa najjaynahu min al ghamm: and We delivered him from such a great suffering and huge difficulty.
Wa kadalika nunji: And thus We deliver the ordinary Mo’mineen, those who brought faith, Al Mukhliseen, the sincere, who are sincere in their repentance and returning towards Us from their pain and their trials.
It was the last line of the verse that gave me hope and I embraced my new found ailment. “Thus we deliver the ordinary…from their pain and their trials…when they are sincere in their repentance and return towards us.”
I learnt from the incident what was missing in my life; repentance. So many of my utterances in prayer didn’t carry meaning inside them as I spun the beads of my tasbeeh. They had become rote. I never sought forgiveness. I uttered the words Astaghfirullah, I seek the forgiveness of Allah, but I uttered them without sincerity, without need.
The problem arose for me because the obedient one is always told they are good. So they start thinking they are good. But the one who is rebellious learns regret early in life. And only if they are lucky and they express that regret. The expression of remorse is repentance which happens to be the essential ingredient to prevent pride. It is what makes obedience, when it does come, only sincere.
I learnt that through an 11 year old child. My niece! When I saw her resistance to me around anything religious, which frustrated me to no end since it was a recent phenomenon, I also realized the benefit for her in that rebellion. Which was always only momentary and mood related. I knew she felt bad later though for being dismissive of me. I knew her heart. I always told her to say sorry to Allah later. That she didn’t need to say it to me since I was not there.
Her action then of that regret as related to her Lord when it came, if it came, would inherently be pure. The feeling that I sought most intensely, of sincerity, contriving my way to it would be hers naturally. That’s why the convert is lucky. Even their intention is more imbued with devotion because each word emits from the heart itself and hardly ever the tongue.
On a random day, a Naqshbandi master shed some more light on the tabyat:
Sheikh Nurjan: The nafs of somebody that doesn’t like to be told anything, at that stage that nafs is a very dangerous nafs. Such a nafs is not capable of listening to any type of comment or any type of suggestion, any type of command. How you’re going to follow the Command of Allah Subhanahu or the Prophet (saw) or even tolerate being around the Ulil Amr when your nafs is like a ferocious beast that you can’t even put your finger in the cage to pet it.
This is the nafs ammara, this is a dangerous nafs. That is tolerating of nothing of no one, of any type of comment. That’s not the way, that’s not the way. It’s not the way of tareeqa. People say they have a different time to react, ‘O I do this like this at work but when I sit and listen to the talks I don’t get angry.’
The talk is to take home and then do the homework when Allah makes everything upside down. With the family, with the kids, with work, with the colleagues. Everything becomes the testing ground for what was learnt. And the discipline of the ‘Sami’na wa ata’na – I listened and I obeyed – is to be quiet and tell yourself, ‘I am under tarbiya, training.
As a result of my training, I am going to be silent. And people will say you should do this, you have to reach a state when you submit to yourself and you tell yourself, ‘As a result of the training I am in, I’m going to remain silent and be quiet.’ Don’t you dare say anything and answer. If you answer back, that test will repeat itself.
And many people they live their life like ground hog days. Like the movie where the man lives the day, doesn’t accomplish anything, then wakes up at 7am in exactly the same position, the same bed and now the same day will happen for him. Which means either you are insane as the example of insanity is that you do the same thing every day and you expect a different result. Allah’s testing ground is this Creation. My entire existence is going to be tested by my Lord and I have to be silent. If I am somebody who is on the path of the Ulil Amr then I should be listening and be a listener.”
His words made me think about silence and how it is the most ardent as well as subtle evidence of patience and certainly the most elusive for me. Maybe that’s why in Imam Ali’s (as) core philosophy, jurrat, himmat and sabr were inextricably linked. Without the courage to exercise self-control, I could not attempt to strive towards a goal of controlling my tongue and without the intention to attempt it, I would never become of the patient. It was anger that would over-ride all of the above. For the first time I saw why the Sabir was automatically also the Muttaqi; the patient one was the most mindful because they constantly exercised restraint.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ :
لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ، إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said,
“The strong one is not the one who throws his enemy to the ground.
He is the one who controls himself in his anger.”
Sheikh Nurjan’s lecture was the reason I created a new intention and sowed it as a seed in Rajab.
One meaning of the verb kafara is to hide something. In the Quran its form kufr it is usually interpreted as ingratitude or the denial of truth. Either way it also becomes a seed. Doubt waters it. Then insistence upon it renders one a fajir, the one who is enslaved by their tabyat. No remorse, no regret but a lot of emotional suffering that only ascends in degree. What might the harvest be? Intensifying paranoia and doubt. Basically hell!
The other people the blessed Imam Ali (as) says not to befriend, aside from the fajir and the ahmaq, is the bakheel, the miser and the kaddaab, the liar.
و ایاک و مصادقۃ الکذاب فانہ کالسراب یقرب علیک البعید و یبعد علیک القریب
Avoid the company of the kaddab, the liar, for indeed, he is like a mirage. He will make you close to that which is far from you and make you feel far from that which is close to you.
و ایاک و مصادقۃ البخیل، فانہ یقعد عنک احوج ما تکون الیہ
Beware of the bakheel, the miser, for surely he will take far from you that which you need the most.
The bakheel, he says, will disappear exactly when you need him taking with him what you need. The liar, he says, is like a mirage that will create incessant delusion because they love making false promises.
Like all people, I have come across all four types of people in life. I thought about the effect of those relationships upon me. The liar and the bakheel created disappointment more than anything else. The ahmaq, frustration. But the ahmaq was also usually innocent. The liar was compulsive out of habit that had become nature. The act was beyond their control. In my experience, the fajir was the deadliest. Because they broke hearts, sometime every single day and thought nothing of it.
I thought about what the change in a human being was that had the most pronounced effect on their personality so as to render them insistent upon something that was hurtful to others, harmful to them. I concluded that it was the giving up of two things; remorse and tears, even for themselves. Both were the ingredients that kept a heart soft!
This Rajab taught me things in 30 days I have never learnt in a single month ever before. As I felt joyous in celebrating it every single day, when it ended I wept. But Shab’an, which had just begun, was the month Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) called his own. It was the month of watering, Ghaus Pak (ra), had said, those seeds planted in Rajab. I felt happy about that.
Watering meant to me that it would come either from the skies as rain or from the earth as one of its most divine treasures. Water is mentioned several times in the Quran as a gift sent and controlled only by God. Qari Sahib said the water would be our tears. I hoped it would come from the Fountain of Kauthar. Every day I repeated my intentions so they would take effect in my deeds. I had never done that before in my life either. In 25 days, would begin Ramadan, Allah’s Month. The month of harvest! But that was too far away to think about.
I had just come across a new word in Arabic that I was besotted by; Rasikh, the one who never misses a day i.e. the one who is steadfast. I looked up the word steadfast in my translations from the Tafseer e Jilani. The word was associated with exalted categories; the Mukhlaseen, the sincere, the Siddeqeen, the truthful, the Arifeen, the gnostics, the Mu’qineen, the possessors of certainty, the Muhajireen, the ones who detach from their nafs and the physical wants of their natures, the Ansaar, the ones who devote their focus towards Al-Haqq through practices and striving hard, the Mo-mineen, those who attained to faith.
There was a time whenever I came across a group of people who were clearly favoured by Allah, I prayed intensely to become one of them. Or rather to be made one of them. For myself and my friends who were on a spiritual path as well. But now if I were to pick a category, it would be this: the Saliheen.
I first came across it in a prayer of the Prophet Yusuf (as) which I memorized:
تَوَفَّنِى مُسْلِمًۭا وَأَلْحِقْنِى بِٱلصَّلِحِينَ
Cause me to die as a Muslim, and join me with the righteous."
Hazrat Yusuf, Verse 101
Tafseer e Jilani
Then prayed Hazrat Yousuf (as) for himself and he said softly to his Lord, a prayer, that uttered from him only with wisdom, intellect and reasoning, with his invocation:
Tawwafini: Make me die and take my soul…
Muslim-an: surrendering, entrusting all my matters to you…
Walhiqni: and enjoin me, with Your Special Favour…
Bi saliheen: with the righteous ones who are the ones who reformed their selves in this life and the Hereafter until they achieved success from You with the honour of meeting You.
The ones who reformed themselves!
Then came the word in a prayer by another Prophet, Suleman (as), when he heard the ant speak what was revealed to it by God:
فَتَبَسَّمَ ضَاحِكًۭا مِّن قَوْلِهَا وَقَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِىٓ أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَىَّ
وَعَلَىٰ وَلِدَىَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَلِحًۭا تَرْضَىٰهُ
وَأَدْخِلْنِى بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِى عِبَادِكَ ٱلصَّلِحِينَ
So he smiled - laughing at her speech and said,
"My Lord! Grant me the ability that I may thank You for Your Favor which You have bestowed on me
and on my parents
and that I may do righteous deeds that will please You.
And admit me by Your Mercy among Your Servants Righteous."
Surah An Naml, Verse 19
Tafseer e Jilani
Wa: And after, when Hazrat Suleman (as) was came into knowledge about her (the ant’s) communication and her purpose, he turned towards Allah Al Haq, enumerating for himself the Major Favours and Blessings from Him until he said…
Qala: in the same state, humbly invoking Allah Subhanahu…
Rabbi: O my Lord who raises me with different kinds of goodness and honours which He did not give to anyone else in His Creation…
Auzi’ni an ashkura ni’mataka allati anamta alayya wa ala walidayya: Grant me the ability that I may thank You for Your Favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and grant me ability of this also that I fulfill the rights of those blessings in the way that they deserve to be fulfilled and that (I fulfill those rights in a way) which is deserving of Your Majesty and their worth.
And it could not have come from me, any of this, except by Your Ability and Your easing. And grant me ability (also) that I may complete it (the fulfilling of those rights) and perfect it.
Wa: And bestow ease upon me…
An amala: that I may do, all of my life, deeds…
Salihan tardaahu: accepted by You, pleasing to You.
Wa: And after You cause me to die…
Adkhilni bi rahmatika: make me enter by Your Mercy and Your Expansive Bounty and Your Extensive Nobleness…
Fi: in the group of…
Ibadika as Saliheen: the ones who please You, the ones who are accepted by You and count me amongst them and raise me among their set. Indeed, You do what You want, You are Qadeer, All Powerful and You are Worthy of the hope that the hopeful place upon You.
“The ones who please You, the ones who are accepted by You.”
It was the ask of Prophets to be counted and connected with them.
When I said my namaz the next time and the word emanated from my tongue it literally made me stop:
السَّلَامُ عَلَيْنَا وَعَلَى عِبَادِ اللَّهِ الصَّالِحِينَ
Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
“Peace be upon us and the righteous ones.”
The Saliheen were the only ones mentioned in the sala’t I offered throughout the day. The word appeared in the line uttered as a prayer by the Beloved (peace be upon him) himself for the rest of us. He prayed for salam, peace, upon those who endeavoured and endured on the path of reforming themselves.
In another lecture on the Night of Ascension I learnt that all the Prophets were given a prayer with the promise that it would be answered. All of them used that prayer in the world for their nations. Some used it to bring Allah’s Wrath upon them. Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him), in yet another manner that distinguishes him from everyone else, was given the gift of three prayers.
The following is recorded in Sahih Muslim:
فَقُلْتُ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِأُمَّتِي اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِأُمَّتِي وَأَخَّرْتُ الثَّالِثَةَ لِيَوْمٍ يَرْغَبُ إِلَيَّ الْخَلْقُ كُلُّهُمْ حَتَّى إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَلَيْهِ السَلَام
So the Prophet of God (peace be upon him) said:
“O my Allah, forgive my nation,
O my Allah, forgive my nation!
And I delayed my third prayer for the Day when all of Creation will be focused upon me
including the Prophet Ibrahim (as).”
The Muhaddiseen explain that since the exact same words are used for the first two prayers – ighfir li ummati - the first ask for his Ummah was for forgiveness of their kabeera, major, sins. The second was for their sagheera sins, the minor ones.
“The third prayer,” said Qari Sahib, “as is written, Nabi Kareem (peace be upon him) saves for the Hereafter. So what will that prayer be?”
I had no idea what was coming.
“It is said that when the entire Universe will be a witness and all of Creation will be present awaiting that prayer, the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Allah shares His Names with in the Quran, Rau’f - Affectionate and Rahim – Merciful, will ask His Lord to forgive everyone in the Universe everything.”
It was stunning! He would be exactly as he was all his life in the world, forgiving everyone everything, asking others to do the same.
Once upon a time I used to think that my trial in this world was an echo of abandonment. But that abandonment, which felt devastating each time, is what highlighted my shirk and allowed me the opportunity to break my association of hopes and expectation with others. It is how, this Rajab, I understood the verse, “Only Allah Subhanahu is your Friend and His Messenger (peace be upon him) and the one who attained to faith, giving charity while bowing in prayer with humility, Imam Ali (as).”
Everyone is made to learn the same lesson one way or another. Or at least the ones Allah wants to turn to Him in this life. Abandonment is a universal ordeal much like the death of a parent. We all have to surrender one way or another. The difference is whether the surrender is to the fitrat or the tabyat, to anxiety and sadness and paranoia and doubt or to what is good, truth and also good for us, khair.
For we are all in the same boat, of loss, where the only exception is deed and again appears with the that defines that deed, salih:
وَٱلْعَصْرِ
إِنَّ ٱلْإِنسَنَ لَفِى خُسْرٍ
إِلَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّلِحَتِ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَتَوَاصَوْا۟ بِٱلصَّبْرِ
The human being is surely in a state of loss
Except those who believe and do righteous deeds and enjoin (each other) to the truth and enjoin (each other) to [the] patience.
Surah Al-Asr, Verses 1-3
Tafseer e Jilani
Wal Asr: Then Allah Suban Ta’ala takes an oath upon time and the ages, the meaning of which is about the Eternal Essence of Allah, from the beginning till the end, Timeless and Everlasting.
Innal Insaana: Indeed, the human being, created such to have a natural propensity towards the nature of ma’rifa, the Recognition of God and imaan, faith according to the his share of the Lahoot, the Realm of the Divine where there is no time and space…
Lafi khusr: is in a state of immense loss and humiliating failure, as a result of their busyness in that which is useless due to the requirements (and needs) of his physical being, as related to his share of the world of Nasoot, the life in this world.
Illa: Except the Muqinoon, those who possess inner certainty…
Alladina Aamano: about the One-ness of Allah Subhan Ta’ala and are conscious, through their steadfastness, in their behaviour continuously in His Kingdom and about His Authority.
Wa: And with this faith and certainty…
Amilos Sualihaat: they do good deeds which points towards their ikhas, sincerity and their yaqeen, absolute conviction, and niyyat, intention.
Wa: And in this condition…
Tawasau bil Haq: they enjoin each other towards the Path of God and His One-ness…
Wa tawasau: and they also enjoin each other…
Bis sabr: towards (1) patience for the practice of matters that require obedience and (2) (patience towards) their tiredness from striving hard and (3) (patience towards) from what they suffer as a result of cutting themselves off from their love of the world and (4) (patience towards) leaving their animalistic desires which are attached to human nature.
Sha’ban is the month on which falls Shab e Baraat, the Night of Forgiveness. It is believed that anyone who asks Allah for forgiveness is granted it. After I felt that pain traveling up and down my leg, my utterances of prayers of repentance and forgiveness were like never before. I even began to cherish the pain as a reminder. I reflected more. I forgave myself more, I forgave others more. Most of all I cried more than I ever have.
Then I looked up verses with Qari Sahib on asking for forgiveness and being granted it and chose this as it magically touched on everything I was thinking about:
وَمَن يَعْمَلْ سُوٓءًا أَوْ يَظْلِمْ نَفْسَهُۥ
ثُمَّ يَسْتَغْفِرِ ٱللَّهَ يَجِدِ ٱللَّهَ غَفُورًۭا رَّحِيمًۭا
And whoever does evil or wrongs his soul, then seeks the forgiveness of Allah,
he will find Allah Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
Surah An-Nisa’, Verse 110
Tafseer e Jilani
Wa: And overall…
Mayy ya’mal su’an: the one who does evil or the one who is disobedient or is a transgressor of the nature such that he wants that others participate in his wrongdoing with him so that they accuse and slander (each other)…
Ao yadlimo nafsahu: or wrongs (only) his own self by crossing Allah’s set limits without involving someone else. Then after this he gained the awareness that his end has been destroyed and is in a dire state…
Summa yastaghfirillah: so he asks Allah for forgiveness with repentance and that regret which arises from sincerity and an awakening…
Yajidi Allaha: he will find Allah to be Al Muwaffiq, The One who grants ability, of tauba, repentance, to that person…
Ghafooran: (he will find Allah to be ) The Forgiver who forgives his sins…
Raheeman: The Most Merciful, Who accepts his repentance graciously and with His Favour.
And thus I began life as if every day were the first day!
This dog was a complete slut. Open garden again at Montacute and this pup, Patch, was eager for attention, visiting every person individually and assessing the prospect of a bit of petting. Here he clearly met his match with this lady :)
The retro treatment seemed in harmony with the hot sultry afternoon