The following passage is a translated excerpt from Shafiq-ur-Rehman’s story, Manzil (Destiny) from his book, Pachtaway (Regrets). ———— Our protagonist, who is a doctor, is on a war ship during WW2 headed to an unknown fighting front. He meets different people on his uncertain voyage. Late one night, he is introduced to an old American […]
It is a facade, strong as I may appear clowning by day, inside – shaking with fear Hiding inner decay, a weakness, mine to bear A pain, shared with no one, with no one to hear You see the smile, which is, but a thin veneer Scratch the surface, and you’ll see me tear A […]
It is not fair to classify you, dear reader, as simply a Muslim or non-Muslim. No, there are vibrant shades in these broad categories and Qur’an holds different deep-seated meaning for people that make-up this colorful spectrum. And it is equally difficult to capture the expansive nature of Qur’an in a short article. So, instead […]
19 years ago, my father, Aziz Siddiqui – a renowned journalist and human rights activist – passed away. Earlier that day, he had spoken to me on the phone and seemed okay. A half hour later, I got a call that he was no longer. A few days ago, my uncle/Mamu, Viqar Ahmad, a world-famous […]
U-Turn? I am one of the half-a-million overseas Pakistanis residing in U.S. who Imran Khan wants to woo to invest in Pakistan. I am probably in a majority who will oblige his call to help our motherland. This is because I, like many other overseas Pakistanis, are least interested in particular political parties or their […]
Written in 1936. Iblees, or Beelzebub / Satan, has called a meeting of his counselors. His cabinet members are present to listen to the wisdom their leader has to impart. Iblees starts the proceedings like any other world leader of a super-power, by pounding his chest and reliving his exploits to-date. Iblees: This creation of […]
Continue reading about Iblees ki Masjid-e-Shurah or The Devil’s Council
Tehni Pe Kisi Shajar Ki Tanha Bulbul Tha Koi Udas Baitha Shajar = Tree; Tanha = Alone, Lonesome; Bulbul = a small songbird, most close to a nightingale; Udas = sad A small song bird was sitting atop a lonely tree branch Kehta Tha Ke Raat Ser Pe Aaiye Urnay Chugnay Mein Din Guzara Urnay = To fly; […]
My article that was published in Sunday’s Dawn Op-Ed, page 6, on March 6th, 2011. http://www.dawn.com/2011/03/06/bullies-at-the-gate.html Bullies at the Gate: By Sameer A. Siddiqui A bully comes in various forms. From an overgrown schoolboy who throws his weight around among smaller children in his class to a dictator who rules his country with an iron-fist […]
There is a lot of importance associated with formal prayer in Islam. It is one of its five pillars and the only one whose frequency is unmatched: 5 times in a single day. From an early age, we are ingrained that we cannot simply pray; that we must purify ourselves by doing abulution (wazu/wudhu), we […]
I started out chronologically correct, with writing down the Shikwa before moving onto Jawab-e-Shikwah. However, I thought about the dire time our beloved country is going through. I thought about how the same land of Baba Bulleh Shah has been taken hostage by an army of thugs with their own warped sense of Islam. How […]