The Incurable Disease

"Verily the physician, with his physic and his drugs,
Cannot avert a summons that hath come.
What ails the physician that he dies of the disease
Which he used to cure in time gone by;
There died alike he who administered the drug, and he who took the drug,
And he who imported and sold the drug, and he who bought it."

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"The physician says to thee, "I can cure thee,"
When he feels thy wrist and thy arm;
But did the physician know a cure for disease
Which would ward off death, he would not himself suffer the death agony."

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I'm writing my dissertation on "Islam's Contribution to Medicine," and keep stumbling across the above verses, so thought I should share them. More on my disso in the near future Insha'Allah (If God Wills.)

Easier Said Than Done

I have a tendency to come out with some corkers sometimes. Like the other day whilst discussing the Israel-Palestine issue with a friend, I was adamant that despite everything that has happened, peace can still be achieved; if not in my lifetime, then one day. I know it's an incredibly delicate topic, and unfortunately no "artistic licensing" allows one to elaborate any further, especially in the sphere of blogging. All I can say is that I did not state such an opinion without realising exactly what I was asking for; Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God,) I'm not that naive.

But that got me thinking: I haven't seen peace for so long. I used to see it, and I won't say where, but even that's gone now. I don’t just mean on the political scene, but almost in every dimension of our existence. The majority of people have become angry; bitter; vengeful; forgetful; uncompromising; opinionated; hypocritical; doubtful; unjust; corrupt and absolutely merciless on their onslaught on anything, and I mean ANYTHING that gets in their way. What hope has some feeble person like myself, who cries for peace in the corner of a room full of such violence and oppression got in this world?

Suddenly when all this starts to hit-home, I detach myself from it all. I try my best to look at the "bigger picture," and to think how temporary this all is. I'm dying. Every second of every minute of every hour of every day I'm dying; and so are you. As soon as, AS SOON AS we forget that we're all mortals, we start acting like gods; we think each one of us is qualified to impart our idea of justice on each other, and that any sense of accountability is reduced to a mere court of law. Buy enough people off, and even that isn't a threat to the megalomaniacs of this world.

My detachment leads me therefore to believe even more strongly in the necessity of peace in this world. To my friends and to those reading my blog: Don't for one second think I don't know what I ask for. I ask for peace, compromise, patience, equality, forgiveness, justice, mercy, love, courage and all that good stuff because we're all going to die one day; and I would like to leave my children, and yours in a world where they don't have to witness as much conflict as we have had to; Where their innocence isn't raped from them as soon as they open their eyes; and where, most importantly, they remember that they are only human, and can relate to others on a human level, ignoring anything that may divide them.

On the creation of man, it says in the Qur'an:

"[Prophet], when your Lord told the angels, 'I am putting a successor on earth,' they said, 'How can You put someone there who will cause damage and bloodshed when we celebrate Your praise and proclaim Your holiness?' but He said, 'I know things you do not.' He taught Adam the names of all things, then He showed them to the angels and said, 'Tell me the names of these if you truly [think you can].' They said, 'May You be glorified! We have knowledge only of what You have taught us. You are the All Knowing and All Wise.' Then He said, 'Adam, tell them the names of these.' When he told them their names, God said, "Did I not tell you that I know what is hidden in the heavens and the earth, and that I know what you reveal and what you conceal?'" - The Qur'an, Surah 2, Ayat 30-33.

Despite the "bloodshed" the angels could foresee in the future of mankind, there has to be a reason we were still created.

Whether you believe in God or not, most people realise that there is a reason we exist; there is a reason there are wars; and there is a reason people like me will not give up in asking for peace.

For those who love war, I'm a thorn in your side. Live with it.

A Desi Monkey Recommendation

Just a quick post to recommend the following article: "Over Sexualized Muslim Men Syndrome."

Don't let the title put you off. Before anyone says anything, yes I know it works both ways: Muslim women are just as bad *sometimes* as Muslim men; and no, I'm not a feminist.

Read away!

Forgive and Forget

I'm trying to get my head around the saying "forgive and forget." To put it simply, I don't understand how the two can go hand-in-hand, unless applied to a trivial situation which really bears no real consequence on life. But the situations that really hurt are different.

Forgiveness isn't something I find too difficult to partake in if someone apologises for whatever reason. Gandhi said that "forgiveness is the attribute of the strong," probably because it takes more of an effort to forgive someone than it does to bear a grudge against them. Unfortunately, as I've learnt from experience, grudges and the bitterness that ensue can consume people. It's like a cancer in the heart, that destroys the love that you may have felt for that person, and eventually anyone that may associate with them. Forgiveness is the only cure to this bitterness, and the earlier it's put into practice, the easier it is to rid one's heart of the cancer.

But to associate forgiveness with forgetting is illogical to me. If someone has the potential to hurt someone else, and willingly, then how can one forget their capacity to do so? For example, in Islamic law, if someone bears false witness, then their testimony is never to be trusted again; Their reputation as a liar haunts them forever, whether or not they have repented and "mended their ways" so to speak. The reason I have personally derived for this is quite simple: Once someone has recognised their ability to practice the art of lying, then the only person that can stop them from doing so is themselves. If they put it into practice once, then there is nothing to ensure that they won't again, except their own conviction. And seeing as none of us know the intentions of another, we can only trust what someone has the potential of being like from the actions that they undertake.

So back to forgetting; If I have found out for example, that my friend has lied to me, then although I might forgive them for doing so, I won't forget that they have the capacity to lie; If for no other reason, than to make sure I've learnt my lesson of what they are capable of.

After everything that's happened over this past academic year, unfortunately this is what I've had to learn:

Forgetting turns foes into friends and friends into foes. Forgiving shouldn't necessarily mean forgetting.

Any objections?