The language spoken by my mum's family

Hindko (ہندکو, [hindkou̯]), also Hindku, or Hinko,^[2] is the sixth main regional language of Pakistan.^[3] It forms a subgroup of Indo-Aryan languages spoken by Hindkowans in Pakistan and northern India,^[4] some Pashtun tribes in Pakistan, as well as by the Hindki people of Afghanistan. Hindko, has also been interpreted to mean the language of India and most probably Indus which of course is the source of etymology for all these words.^[5] The word Hindko has also been interpreted to mean the language of India.^[6] The term is also found in Greek references to the mountainous region in eastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan as Καύκασος Ινδικός (Caucasus Indicus, or Hindu Kush). The language is spoken in the areas of the North West Frontier Province (including Hazara), Punjab (including Attock), and Pakistan Administered Kashmir.

There is no generic name for these people because they belong to diverse ethnicities and tend to identify themselves by the larger families or castes. However the people of the largest group in the districts of Haripur, Abbottabad and Mansehra are sometimes recognised collectively as Hazarawal, named after the defunct Hazara Division that comprised these districts. In Peshawar city they are called Peshawari or "Kharay" by Pashtuns meaning City-dwellers.

Similarities between 2 great faiths - Islam & Hinduism

The Glorious Qur’an says

“Come to common terms as between us and you”,

Which is the first term?

“that we worship none but Allah”

So let’s come to common terms by analyzing the scriptures of the Hindus and of the Muslims.

UPANISHAD:

Upanishads are one of the sacred Scriptures of the Hindus.

i. Chandogya Upanishad Chapter 6 Section 2 verse 1

It is mentioned in the Chandogya Upanishad:

“Ekam Evadvitiyam”

“He is one only without a second.”

(Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1)

(The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan pg. 447 & 448)

(Sacred Books of the East Volume 1, the Upanishads Part I Page 93)

ii. Shwetashvatara Upanishad Chapter 6 verse 9

It is mentioned in the Shwetashvatara Upanishad

“Nacasya kascij janita na cadhipah”

“Of Him there are neither parents nor Lord.”

(Shwetashvatara Upanishad 6:9)

(The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan pg. 745)

(and in Sacred books of the East volume 15, the Upanishads Part II Page 263)

iii. Shwetashvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 19

It is mentioned in Shwetashvatara Upanishad

“Na tasya pratima asti”

“There is no likeness of Him”.

(Shwetashvatara Upanishad 4:19)

(The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan pg 736 & 737 )

(and in Sacred books of the East Volume 15, the Upanishads part II, Page no. 253)

iv. Shwetashvatara Upanishad Chapter 4 verse 20

It is mentioned in Shwetashvatara Upanishad

“na samdrse tisthati rupam asya, na caksusa pasyati kas canainam”.

“His form cannot be seen, no one sees Him with the eye”.

(Shwetashvatara Upanishad 4:20)

(The Principal Upanishad by S. Radhakrishnan pg. 737)

(And in Sacred books of the East Volume 15, the Upanishad part II, Page no. 253)

BHAGWAD GEETA 7:20

The most popular amongst all the Hindu Scriptures is the Bhagwad Geeta.

Bhagwad Geeta mentions

“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires worship demigods” that is “Those who are materialistic, they worship demigods” i.e. others as deities besides the True God.

(Bhagwad Geeta 7:20)

It is mentioned in Bhagavad Gita

“He who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginning-less, as the Supreme Lord of all the worlds...”

(Bhagwad Geeta 10:3)

YAJURVEDA

Vedas are the most sacred amongst all the Hindu Scriptures. There are principally 4 Vedas: Rig Ved, Yajur Ved, Sam Ved, and Atharva Ved.

i. Yajurveda Chapter 32, Verse 3

It is mentioned in Yajurveda

“na tasya pratima asti”

“There is no image of Him”

It further says, “as He is unborn, He deserves our worship”.

(Yajurveda 32:3)

(The Yajurveda by Devi Chand M.A. pg. 377)

ii. Yajurveda Chapter 40 Verse 8

It is mentioned in Yajurveda Chapter 40 verse 8

“He is bodiless and pure”.

(Yajurveda 40:8)

(Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph I. H. Griffith pg. 538)

iii. Yajurved Chapter 40 Verse 9

It is mentioned in Yajurved

“Andhatma pravishanti ye assambhuti mupaste”

“They enter darkness, those who worship natural things.”

E.g. worship of natural elements air, water, fire, etc.

(Yajurveda 40:9)

It further continues and says

“They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti i.e. created things”

E.g. created things such as table, chair, idols, etc.

(Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Griffith pg. 538)

ATHARVA VEDA

i. Atharva Veda book 20 hymn (chapter) 58 verse 3

It is mentioned in Atharva Veda

“Dev Maha Osi”

“God is Verily Great.”

(Atharva Veda 20:58:3)

(Atharvaveda Samhita Vol. 2, William Duright Whitney pg. 910)

RIGVEDA

The oldest and most sacred amongst all the Vedas is the Rigveda.

i. Rigveda Book no. 1, Hymn No. 164, verse 46

It is mentioned in Rigveda Book no. 1, hymn No. 164 verse 46

“Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti”

“Sages (learned Priests) call one God by many names”.

(Rigveda 1:164:46)

Truth is one, God is one, sages call it by various names.

A similar message is given in Rigveda, Book 10, hymn 114, verse 5.

ii. Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1

Rigveda gives no less than 33 different attributes to Almighty God. Several of these attributes are mentioned in Rigveda Book 2 hymn 1

a. Brahma - Creator - Khaliq – Rigveda Book 2 Hymn 1 Verse 3

Amongst the various attributes given in Rigveda , one of the beautiful attributes for Almighty God is ‘Brahma’. ‘Brahma’ means ‘the Creator’. If you translate into Arabic it means ‘Khaliq’. Islam does not object to anyone calling Almighty God as ‘Khaliq’ or ‘Creator’ or ‘Brahma’, but if someone says that ‘Brahma’ i.e. Almighty God has got four heads and on each head is a crown and this Brahma has got four hands, Islam takes strong exception to it because such descriptions give an image to Almighty God. Such descriptions are also against what is propounded in Yajurveda Chapter 32, verse 3 which says:

“Na tasya pratima asti”

“There is no image of Him”.

(Yajurveda 32:3)

b. Vishnu – Sustainer - Rabb : Rigveda Book 2, Hymn 1, verse 3

Another beautiful attribute mentioned in the Rigveda Book 2, Hymn 1, Verse 3 is Vishnu. ‘Vishnu’ means ‘the Sustainer’. If you translate this word into Arabic it means ‘Rabb’. Islam has no objection if anyone calls Almighty God as ‘Rabb’ or ‘Sustainer’ or ‘Vishnu’, but if someone says that Vishnu is Almighty God and this Vishnu has four arms, one of the right arms holds the ‘chakra’ i.e. a discus and one of the left arms holds a ‘conch shell’ and Vishnu rides on a bird or reclines on a snake couch, then Islam takes strong exception to this, because such descriptions of Vishnu give an image to Almighty God. Such descriptions are also against what is taught in Yajurveda Chapter 40 verse 8.

iii. Rigveda Book 8 hymn 1 verse 1

It is mentioned in Rigveda

“Ma Chidanyadvi Shansata”

“Do not worship anybody but Him, the Divine One, Praise Him alone”

(Rigveda 8:1:1)

(Rigveda Samhiti Vol. IX, pg. 1 & 2 by Swami Satyaprakash Sarasvati & Satyakam Vidhya Lankar)

iv. Rigveda Book 5 Hymn 81 verse 1

It is mentioned in Rigveda

“Verily great is the glory of the Divine Creator”

(Rigveda 5:81:1)

(Rigveda Samhiti Vol. 6, pg 1802 & 1803 by Swami Satyaprakash Sarasvati & Satyakam Vidhya Lanka)

v. Rigveda Book no. VI, Hymn 45, verse 16

It is mentioned in Rigveda

“Ya Eka Ittamushtuhi”

“Praise Him who is the matchless & alone”.

(Rigveda 6:45:16)

(Hymns of Rigveda by Ralph T. H. Griffith pg. 648)

BRAHMA SUTRA OF HINDU VEDANTA

The Brahma Sutra of Hindu Vedanta is:

‘Ekam Brahm, dvitiya naste neh na naste kinchan”

“Bhagwan ek hi hai dusara nahi hai, nahi hai, nahi hai, zara bhi nahi hai”.

“There is only one God, not the second, not at all, not at all, not in the least bit”.

All the above quoted verses and passages from Hindu Scriptures clearly amplify the Oneness and Uniqueness of Almighty God, the Creator of all. Furthermore, they negate the existence of any other deity besides the One True God. These verses essentially propound monotheism.

Excerpt from Dr Zakir Naik

JIHAD - a must for everyone

Jihad in Islamic tradition is that of an internal spiritual struggle, focused on individual purification and the promotion of social justice and human rights. (Like fasting, self control from sinning etc)
In some extreme sector...s, this concept has been twisted to justify politically motivated acts of violence. Jihad is one of the most misunderstood and abused aspects of Islam.
Some extremist Muslims exploit the concept of Jihad for their own political objectives. Many non-Muslims misinterpret it to discredit Islam and Muslims. Every religion goes through tough time b/c of its extremist followers. Islam is not a violent religion some of its followers are doing violent acts.

What is Jihad?

The word Jihad does not mean "Holy War".
Jihad means effort or endeavors against man’s OWN self. Jihad is to work hard to do right things. Islam ask his followers to recognize their duty towards themselves, and that duty is Jihad, striving for good against evil, beginning with the conquest of a man’s own lusts. His training for Jihad is not only military training; it is the whole structure of Islamic discipline. Without the wider human aim there can be no Jihad. In the religious sense, it probably applies to the whole effort of the Muslim to assert and establish the sovereignty of God in men’s mind, by performing his religious duty as laid down in the Quran, an effort, which should last through all his life. It should govern every action of his life, or he is no true Muslim.
This duty may be summarized as the fight for good against evil in every connection and in every field, beginning with a man’s own heart and mind.
Our Holy prophet (peace be upon him) said:"The greatest Jihad is that against a man’s own lust;"
Which means that the best way of recommending the belief in Allah’s universal sovereignty and extending the new realm of peace and brotherhood is by the example of righteous conduct. The term Al-Jihad-ul-Akbar. "The greatest Jihad," is also applied by the Holy prophet (peace be upon him) to the effort of the student to become learned and the effort of the learned to spread knowledge.

"The ink of the scholar is more holy than the blood of the martyr."

Jihad means serious and sincere struggle on the personal as well as on the social level. It is a struggle to do well and to remove injustice, oppression and evil from the society. This struggle should be spiritual as well as social, economic and political. In the Quran this word is used in its different forms 33 times. It often comes with other Quranic concepts such as faith, repentance, righteous deeds and migration. It is therefore incorrect to limit the meaning of the term to warfare of the fanatical religious kind

Jihad is Not Terrorism:

It is to be emphasized that terrorism against the innocent civilians, whether through aggression or suicidal means, is under no circumstances permissible in Islam. Terrorism is not Jihad, it is Fasad (mischief). It is against the teaching of Islam. Allah said: "When it is said to them: Make not mischief on the earth, they say why, we only want to correct things, Indeed they are the mischief doers, but they realize (it) not." (Al Baqarah 2:11-12)

In olden days when the Muslim universities were at the height of their power and influence, the learned in the sacred Law judged independently, distinguished clearly between Jihad warfare and wars of mere ambition or self-interest. It is unanimously and invariably condemned the latter as totally un-sanctioned by the shariah. Wars which fall under the heading of Jihad can be fought only in self-defense, for the protection of the weak who are oppressed, and the redress of the wrong. Non combatants must not be harmed, priest and religious institutions have to be respected, crops must not be curt down. "Destroy not their means of subsistence." That was the prophet’s law against his enemies. The prophet in his warfare several times forgave his enemies, with wonderful results.

Islam is a Religion of Peace and Tolerance:

Tolerance is a quality, which one associates with a high degree of human culture. One of the frequent charges brought against Islam, historically and as a religion by western world is that it is intolerant. For the Muslims, Judaism, Christianity and Islam are three forms of one religion, which in its original purity was the religion of Abraham. The laws of Allah are universal and the intolerance of Muslims for others’ beliefs are evidence that they themselves have, at the moment, forgotten the vision of the Majesty and mercy of Allah which the Quran presents to them. But people will object that Muslims today are very intolerant people, and they will call every body who do not agree with them a Kafir, an infidel and many. Muslims seek to justify such abuse by quoting the words of Quran. The Kafir in the first place, is not the follower of any religion. They are the opponent of Allah’s benevolent will and purpose for mankind - therefore the disbelieves in the truth of all religions, the disbelieves in all scriptures as of divine revelation, the disbelieves to the point of active opposition in all the prophets whom the Muslims are bidden to regard, without distinction, as messengers of Allah.

The Quran repeatedly claims to bet the confirmation of the truth of all religions.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was never aggressive against any one or class of men; he never penalized any one, or made war on any people on the ground of belief, but only on the ground of conduct. Many centuries the Muslims ruled all over the world. Islamic societies were known for their tolerance, generosity and humanity. So if Mr., Pat Robertson is quoting verses from the Quran, he took it in a very different context. Allah says very clearly:

Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not do aggression, for Allah loves not the aggressors. (Al Baqarah 2:190)

All Muslims are Condemning the Terrorism:

There is no command to murder and massacre. There is not one word in the Holy Quran to justify murder or massacre under any circumstances whatsoever. Therefore all of the Muslim community here in United States and all the over the world are and should condemned the brutal murder of Daniel Pearl in Pakistan.

In our modern society where we are living in global village, where non-Muslims and Muslims are living together, it is our duty to better understanding among ourselves, work for peace and justice for all people. We should cooperate with each other in matters of goodness and virtue in order to stop all terrorism, aggression and violation against the innocent people.
This is our Jihad today.

God’s grace is limitless and abundant….

I was very sad, in fact even bordered on being angry, when my father passed away as at only 65. After a few days passed self – realization set in.I thanked god for not making him suffer and then taking him and also not taking him earlier than he did.
Dad’s death made me look at my own way of life in an absolutely new way. But that is not what this is about.
On the 24th of November, 2010 my mother was a victim of a pre-planned murderous attack by two boys who were known to her for some years because she had been helping their family with charity and odd job employment. One of them deceived her in letting him in and distracted her while the other slipped in and concealed himself. Being alone in the house, he then chose an opportune moment and attacked her with an intent to strangle her. He used a heavy cloth to gag her. Given her weak lungs & emphysema it was only with god’s grace that she had the will and the strength to fight him off and actually throw the fellow out of the house.
After which she called the cops on 100, once they arrived she went to the cop station and started the process of filing the FIR. Thankfully the Bombay cops moved at lightening speed as they can when they want to and in 48 hours had nabbed both boys.
Needless to say, we have placed a private security guard placed outside her door and are not leaving her alone till she recovers from this ghastly & traumatic incident. More importantly, we have her consent on keeping a night & day maid, fitting a double door and stopping this habit of employing any needy person who turns up at the door.
The lesson I learned from this, once again, was that God’s grace is abundant and limitless…HE gave a Pathan woman her inherent fighting spirit to save her own life.
Imraan.

For My Father

I use the words of W.H. Auden to describe my feelings on the passing away of my father:
"Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bonel, Silence the pianos and with muffled drum Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. Let the aeroplanes circle, moaning overhead Scribbling on the sky the message 'He is Dead'. Put crepe bows 'round the white necks of the public doves, Let traffic policemen wear black, cotton gloves. He was my North, my South, my East, and West. My working week and my Sunday rest, My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. The stars are not wanted now; put out every one, Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun, Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; For nothing now can ever come to any good."

The Babri Masjid Court Ruling

When the court verdict was telecast on TV there was a group of people in friend's office were watching it live.
One of the younger members of the team asked ..."Who is Ram Lalla & why has he involved with the Babri Masjid?"
On television they showed people being asked about the verdict & what it was about and a young lady said it was about a train crash!!
That is what we need..... people need to forget, forgive ... whatever & MOVE ON!

BARRACK HUSSAIN OBAMA IS SWORN IN

Saw the swearing in last night.
Over 2 million people braved icy cold, sub zero winds to watch this historic event- America's first African American President.
His speech stirred people's souls and they clapped, cried and cheered with joy. The crowd also booed both Bush's - father & son.
Strong words in BHO's speech and now the time has come for action & change. God bless you & all the best.
p.n. Don't let this happen to you BHO