People Who Have Influenced Me The Most

“When we seek to discover the best in others,we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.”

(William Arthur Ward)

My influences are not bounded one, it’s all around me, all I have to do is to look and pay attention.  I believe that to have an influential character in life is very important; it gives you direction and motivation.    

As I have said, my influences are not  limited , I’m influenced by the homeless person sleeping in doors, wondering where the next meal come from and I’m further influenced by the  dignity of the one  who offers a few coins to the homeless person. I’m also shaped by the single  rose on a rosebush. It  teaches  me that  it’s all right to be alone, it prompts me that standing alone can be a thing of beauty.

People who have  inspired me are  great leaders, philanthropist, beautiful voices, entrepreneurs, brilliant writers, prominent healers and scientists; the list doesn’t end. I’m not as impressed with their achievements as I am influenced by their decisions that have a tremendous impact on their own lives as well as the lives of those around them.

• Imam Shah Karim ul Husayni ( His Highness The Aga Khan IV)  

His Highness the Aga Khan IV, the 49th Imam of Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims was born in Geneva on 13th December 1936. He Graduated from Harvard University in Islamic Studies. On 11th July 1957, he inherited the Imamate from His grandfather His Highness Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah Aga Khan III. He has built many schools, universities and hospitals around the world. His institutions are working in the third world countries to improve the quality of life of people around the world. He is the direct descendent of Prophet Muhammad through Imam Ali (The first Imam of Shia Muslims).

After 9/11 When Islam entered into such a dilemma, that the word Islamphobia increased in the west, many leaders of Islam were hiding their heads in the sand saying that they are achromatic. At such critical time I don’t see anybody in front to articulate the true message and essence of Islam to the West except His Highness. He happens to be the only voice of Ummah.  Islam is a religion of peace and it stands for diversity and pluralism. Islam encourages its followers to seek knowledge and to open ways for others to understand  the creation of Allah. His Highness stands for these cherished goals. He is establishing Islamic centers around the world to engage scholars from all faith to come together and to form unity on common issues. By doing so he has emerged as Imam of Humanity. He is a voice for a reason; he has influenced many souls from His thoughts and his works and dedicated his entire life to establish peace and harmony, to literate the world, to heal the pain of human being and to better human society.

He is 74 now, but still works by leaps and bounds to improve the quality of life, to establish a peaceful society, and to create harmony in the world.

“World and faith are inseparable in Islam. Faith and learning are also profoundly interconnected. The Holy Qur’an sees the discovery of knowledge as a spiritual responsibility, enabling us to better understand and more ably serve God’s creation. Our traditional teachings remind us of our individual obligation to seek knowledge unto the ends of the earth – and of our social obligation to honor and nurture the full potential of every human life.”(Aga Khan IV, May 20th 2008, Dhaka, Bangladesh)

• Movlana Jalaluddin Rumi  

He was born in bulkh and known as one of the greatest mystic of poet of Islam.  Moulana Rumi’s first teacher was his father. He was greatly impressed by Shams Tabriz. He is considered by both East and West one of the greatest influential poets a master of love, the world has ever seen. I’m impressed by his poetry. I’m not sure of his exact birth date, it is mentioned different in various books majority says He was born in Afganistan on 1207 and produces master piece Masnawi which consist of 60,000  poems before he died on  1273.  He was gifted man who changed the spirit of many souls.

The light which shines in the eye

is really the light of the heart.

The light which fills the heart

is the light of God*, which is pure

and separate from the light of intellect and sense.

–Mathnawi 1:1126-7, tr. Helminski

• Nasir Khusraw- ‘ The Ruby Of  Badakhshan’   

            Nasir Khusraw famously known as “The Ruby Of Badakhshan,”  and was born in Khurasan 1004 C.E. He ranked among the greatest mystic of Persia and was the early link in the chain of meta physical poetry, which was continued later by such figures as Rumi, Attar, Sa’di and Hafiz.

Divan-e Khusraw is full of wisdom, each time when I open the Divan, it blossoms. Perhaps it is my intense curiosity and restless wandering heart that have instilled love of Khusraw’s theology. During the study of his Divan I acquired an almost physical picture of him and if I’m questioned, how Khusraw influenced me? Almost every time when I hear his Qasidas( devotional songs) I can imagine him singing and dancing to praise and please the beloved in the valley of Yamgan.

Nasir says:

“O Beloved! When I proclaim your name

 Roses spring up from your blessings

When your servant speaks your name

 The vale of Yamgan feels with dancing stars”.

• Hazrat Baba Bulleh Shah     

Bulley Baadshah is believed to have been born in 1660 in the small village of  Punjab Pakistan. His ancestors were from Uzbekistan. Some facts about his life have been pieced  together from his own writing. Bulhey Shah’s poetry and philosophy  strongly criticize Islamic religious orthodoxy of his day. Many people have put his verses to Music , from humble street singers to renowned Sufi singers like Nusrath Fathe Ali Khan and Abida Parveen. In one of his poem he says:

Maybe the Dogs are superior to you…

you wake up at night to say your prayers
The dogs are awake the whole night throughout
Maybe the dogs ae superior to you

The dogs in the night would never stop howling
Sitting on the dung-hill as they do
Maybe the dogs are superior to you

Nor would they leave their masters door
Even if they are beaten blue
Maybe the dogs are superior to you

Bulleh Shah, its time you took the cue
Lest the dogs prove superior to you
Maybe the Dogs are superior to you

In another piece of poetry he says;

Learning through the rote of books you call yourself a scholar
Grasping the sword in your hand you call yourself a warrior
Having visited Mecca and Medina you call yourself a pilgrim
Bullah, what have you accomplished if you have not remained true to your friend!

 

• Sayyidna Hasan Bin Sabah   

Hasan bin Sabah was born on 1034 in Iran. He was very intelligent man with a lot of other Gifted qualities. I have learned from his life that how to be remain strong in your Faith. His philosophy of life was Freedom of practices.  Why are we trying to crush those who think different from us? Why we do not tolerate with others faiths?

He has played crucial rule in safe guarding the Ismaili State in Iran and protected many significant souls from Seljuk and Crusaders.  In such  crucial time the man help the community with his gifted tactics and strategy and face the Army.

While, in another face he was the most misunderstood person in the history of the Islam and world. Enemies of Hasan bin Sabah have joined him with unbelievable stories and sayings which tell the reader that those stories were nothing else behind except defaming Hasan bin Sabah. A good reader can feel the malign intentions of the historian. The allegations against him was totally untrue. His only purpose was to protect the Ismaili state from the foil of destructive enemies and attackers.

In short, during his life period he achieved the aims of his life, like freedom of faith, Protection of Ismailite State from destruction and stable peace between his enemies.

• Abida Parveen   

She is the Queen of mystical singing, she is the voice of wandering souls.  I love to hear her healing voice which mad me to want to beg her to never stop. Born on 1954 in the land of Sufis, Sind Pakistan. She considered one of the finest Sufi Vocalist of the modern era.  The Queen of wandering souls!

• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan  

He was the greatest devotional singer of the millennium. His voice inspires many souls in the world. He was born in the city of Faisalabad Pakistan on October 13, 1948. He holds Guinnes Book Of World Records as a Qawal (Qawwali is the devotional singing of Sufi Islam, expressing their love for God). His voice is always alive. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died in 1997 because of  kidney failure.

• Anwar Ali Aman   

A man who has more significant influence on me is none other than my uncle Anwar Aman.  He currently reside in Memphis TN, was born in Chitral  on October, 1974. His influence on my life impacted me and helped to develop as a student and individual. He has been the driving force behind my character building. Everything I have been able to accomplish I have him to thank for.

He is my mentor and my family hero. The value of voluntary service is what I have learned from him. He is an active supporter of voluntary service in rural areas. The lesson I have acquired from him is that nothing can stop a man with right mental attitude from achieving his goals; nothing on earth can help the man with wrong attitude.

• Nelson Mandela   

He is the man who influenced many souls around the world because of his unyielding will power and determination. He is a living legend and a proof of a true leader. He was born in South Africa on July 18, 1918 and widely accepted as the most significant balck leader in Africa. He was very tolerant political leader as I have seen in the history. I have read his autobiography “ The Long Walk to Freedom”. This book is one of the most inspiring , reinforcing books I have ever read.  Mandela’s life has been a great incentive to me  as he says;

But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”

• Paulo Coelho  

Paulo Coelho- such an inspiring person . He helped to change the spirit of people. He is an  influencing writer we have today. I love his  books specially “The Alchemist” –My whole family loved it.   Don’t forget to follow the omens:)

All you have to do is contemplate a simple grain of sand, and you will see in it all the marvels of creation. Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World, and it will one day return there.”  - The Alchemist

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New Year Is the beginning!!!

“Everyday is a new day for a wise man” Dale Carnegie

I look back at the years gone by; recall some moments that made me laugh and think. Sitting alone in my room at mid of the night I was recalling some moments, some memories.I promised to myself “No Tears On New Year’s” because The New Year Is the beginning. I ended the year with some wonderful memories.

A thought to Share:

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. The New Year is just around the corner. Each time a year ends with harbor the hope that the coming year will be much fruitful than the last one. A new day is a new hope, new opportunity, new beginning and ofcourse a new life. I want to focus on beginning not on ending because all these endings could cast a pale of depression over us.

“ Everyday is a new beginning . Treat it that way. Stay away from what might have been, and  look at what can be”. Marsha Petrie Sue

Beginning require that we let go of yesterday to live today. If we hang onto yesterday wishing we had lived it differently, we reach the sunset of today only to realize that we have  compounded over regret for not having lived another day. We sit in despair not beginning because we could not let go of ending of yesterday. Whatever we cannot live the day over again. Nor we can make someone else do what we wished or changed what happened. However, we should not forget to live our present with full potential.

“ We will open the book . Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them, our selves. The Book called Opportunity and Its first chapter  is New Year’s Day.” Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Today is the beginning of another day of life. It is up to you to leave yesterday’s pain and hurts behind, which hinder your own ability to plant seeds of new growth and discovery. Life is short, spring into action and live today’s beginning. Who knows what the next ending will mean for your next new beginning.

Just don’t forget to live for TODAY.  Say YES to Change , to New Hope and to  Life. Wishing  all of you  a Very Happy and Blessed Year 2011:)

It has been published at The Asian UK-2012

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Don’t Hit Me

A man would often get drunk and come home and beat up his little boy. One day the boy was lying ill in bed and the father, for once was sober. When the father lent over the bed the little boy put up his hands in front of his face and he screamed, “Don’t let him hit me Mummy”. Then the father realized what he had been doing and the harm he had caused while he was drunk.

When we regain our spiritual sight we become aware of our wrong and realize all the harm that we have caused others. We discover that we were so much under the influences of the wrong things that we struck out at the ones who loved us.

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Chitral-Where Time Stops And The Fairies Tread

Chitral, the mythical landscape, one of the most natural famous wonders of Pakistan and one of the world’s most beautiful valley, lying in the midst of Hindukush Range. The land of fairytales is  blessed naturally with luxuriantly green orchards, streams full of dancing waters, roaring rivers and meadows stretching in the quietude like that of heavens at a height which is unique feature of Chitral.

The blue of sky, the emerald of flora and the turquoise of water add to the palette, nature has used to paint this landscape full of mountains, trees and flowers with a divine composition of colors and the brightness of the rising sun, worshiped by the whiteness of the snow which, on some peaks, have never melted for millions of years.

Photo courtesy: VOI “Mastuj- Chitral”

Spring in chitral has a myriad of coleus, shapes and hues. It is a season to enjoy, celebrate and experience the height of delight , an expression of elation for your body and soul. Birds sing in spring, plants ornate with new leaves, brightly colored flowers sprout up every where. This is a scene which can’t be described in words; it’s a scene which must be experienced.

Chitral lost its royal status in 1969 and joined Pakistan. General Yahya Khan made it a settled district of the newly created Malakand Division of Khyber Pukhtunkhaw. The valley also enjoys the neighborhood of China and Tajikistan to the north and Afghanistan to the northwest and surrounded by gigantic mountains. The terrain is full of variety peaks  with diversity in the heights such as the world-famous  Terich Mirr (7,708m) peak is one of them which, against the calm blue sky, shimmers to the maximum and creates an illusion to captivate the eye up to a level where time seems to be stopping for ever.

Photo courtesy:  Afzal Aman  (Terich Mirr view)

The valley has seen invasions of the horse ridden Greeks, the Persians , the British, and sturdy Afghans and many other hordes of attackers including the Muslims. Having seen and experienced many invaders, the  Chitralvadis  through their spirit  never allowed the other dynasty to fully sway over their affairs, which is why the loam of this area has engrossed the aroma of different civilizations and the culture of various bordering nations but retained its distinct identity.

The people of Chitral, show traces of Persian and Turkish ancestry. They are known for their peaceful, uncomplicated character and unique cultural.  It’s the place of simple trustworthy people whose friendship remains with visitor for a long time. They  have no greed ,they respect their guests and despise cheating anyone.  Chitral is more famous, however, for the Kalash people who inhabit the southwestern part of the region. There is a common belief that the people of  Kalash are descendants of the soldiers from Alexander’s army, a belief which is subject to reservations by many scholars. The Kalash are colorful and fun loving people who love music and dancing.

Polo, the “Game Of Kings” played here by skillful, daring participants which is held every year in July. Chitral has the highest Polo ground in the world “The Shandur Polo Ground” which is (4,000 meters) above sea level. There is a clear joy in watching Polo Game in the fresh air and high altitude; the atmosphere produce a marked change from the crowded cities.

Music and dance have flourished for millennia. Cultural music i.e. folksongs, folkdances, music of reed instrument and that of pure Chitrali Sitar makes the person lost in wonderland. The Peaks of Chitral appears intoxicated by taking heed to Chitrali Dhool.

  

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