Book Review: The Eye of the Prophet by Kahlil Gibran

The Eye of the Prophet is another interesting book by Kahlil Gibran. It is brief, but it touches upon topics such as life, youth, woman, love, social relations, slavery, law, understanding, music, art, religion, wisdom etc. I quote here some of Gibran from this particular book.

He says: “The man who does not feel friendship towards himself is a public enemy, and he who finds no confidant within himself will dies of despair.” At another place he writes: “…for he who has never looked at suffering cannot claim to see joy”. On life he says: “Life without rebellion is like the seasons without spring. And rebellion without rights is like spring in a barren desert.” On woman Gibran writes: “The woman of yesterday was a happy woman, but the woman of today is a wretched mistress”. Writing about love Gibran espouses that “Hell lies not in torture. Hell lies in an empty heart.” Regarding mother Gibran thinks: “The mother is everything in life. She is the consolation in our sadness, the hope in our distress, the strength in our weakness. She is the source of compassion, she is love and grace. He who loses his mother loses a breast on which to lay his head, a hand that blesses him, a gaze that protects him.”

On courage he says: “The moth that flutters round the fire until its own death is more admirable than the mole who lives in a dark tunnel.” He further writes in the book: “To die for liberty is more noble than living in the shadow of cowardly submission.” On Truth Gibran mentions: “Truth is like stars: it shows only in the darkness of the night.” The whole elaboration under ‘Earth’ is really fascinating.

Some of his other quotes are:

• Friendliness with an ignorant man is just as absurd as discussion with a drunkard.
• Before teaching others begin by educating yourselves. Teach by example before teaching by words.
• Knowledge makes your seeds germinate but never sows them.
• Understanding forms, the only set of riches which tyrants cannot take away from you.
• The true riches of a nation lie not in its gold or silver but in its aptitude to educate itself and in the degree of integrity possessed by its children.
• The riches of the mind embellish the face of a man and earn sympathy and respect. The mind of a being is reflected in his eyes and in all the movements and gestures of his body.
• The people of the cities pretend to be wise and knowing. But their imagination remains unreliable, for they are none other than experts in imitation.
• Beauty is not in the face. Beauty is a light in the heart.
• Poetry, today, is a consumer product and not a breath of immortality.
• Ask counsel from people wrinkled with age. Their eyes have looked the years directly in the face, and their eyes have listened to the voices of Life. And even if their counsel were to displease you, do not fail to give them a little of your attention.
• Is faith not the sense of the heart just as sight is the sense of the eyes?
• Remember that a single just man causes the demon more trouble than a thousand blind believers.
• Tomorrow is conceived in the womb of yesterday.
• Do not call me wise, unless you call all man wise. I am merely an unripe fruit still hanging on the branch, only yesterday I was still a flower.

Overall this book presents a reflection of Kahlil Gibran inspiration and wisdom.

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Book Review: The End of India by Khushwant Singh

The End of India is a thought provoking book about the crisis which continues to haunt India even today. Based on five chapters, this book includes the problems of Gujarat, communalism and religious fanaticism in India.

Singh writes that he won’t be surprised if the Muslims living in Gujrat start paying jaziya which medieval Islamic rulers imposed on their non-Muslim subjects. Ahmedabad, Gujrat’s capital was built by a Muslim ruler in the middle ages. In 1998 the author observed that milestones on the main highway leading to the city had changed and turned into Amdavad, with state-sponsored help.

In the second chapter Singh says: “Both speech and silence are pregnant with hate…” This sentence has a very strong and deep meaning which I cannot refuse to mention in this review. According to the author Hindu nationalism’s birth took place in Renaissance Bengal in 1886 with the Hindu melas. The main objective of these melas were to train young Hindus in martial arts, use of swords, daggers and lathis. Non-Hindus were not allowed to participate in these events. Soon after the British overthrew the Mughal empire, the rise in Hindu separatism began to accelerate. Hindu and Sikh warriors like Prithviraj Chauhan, Guru Gobind Singh and Shivaji who resisted the Muslim rulers, were portrayed as national heroes.

Later, after the death of Gandhi the RSS, VHP, BJP and RSS offshoots like Bajrang Dal and Vanasvasi Kalyan Ashram have been implicated in various communal riots all over the country. Discussing communalism, the author believes that BJP is more dangerous as it uses democracy to camouflage its fascist agenda. Tracing the history of communalism Singh mentions that after Buddhism when Brahminical Hindusim gained favor again with ruling dynasties, especially in the ninth and tenth centuries, Buddhists were persecuted and their places of worship demolished. Later, in the reign of many Muslim rulers, Hindus were discriminated against and their temples destroyed. He further adds that when the British came to power they divided people not on religious lines, but on racial lines.

The author of this book mentions his personal experiences at the time of partition. He writes that in Lahore gangs from nearby Mozang had started marking out Hindu and Sikh homes for loot and forcible occupation. Discussing Indian politics Singh argues that the communal problem perfected by the BJP began under the Congress. He believes the Congress party won its landslide victory on a wave of anti-Sikh sentiment generated by it. Writing about political parties he suggests that “One should not judge political parties by the labels they wear on their lapels of by the high-sounding manifestos issued by them, but by their actions.”

Moreover, Singh believes that the first step towards securing the Indian future would happen, once the villain within themselves is identified. He says: “The need of our times is to revive the Nehruvian notion of secularism”. The author writes that after Gandhi and Maulana Azad respect for all religions was a mere display of religiosity. He stresses that if you were a devout Hindu you went to a Muslim dargah or threw an Iftar party to prove you were secular. If you were a Muslim, you celebrated Diwali with your Hindu friends. Secularism was reduced to a sham display.

The last chapter tries to present a solution to the looming threat of Indian society. Making his case for the creation of a new religion Singh mentions Bernard Shaw in the last chapter. Bernard Shaw had said that every intelligent man makes his own religion though there are a hundred versions of it. Singh says that our religion should make provision for the future. It should incorporate family planning. He espouses that permanent graves should not be allowed. The author says that: “good life is the only good religion”.

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What is Corona Virus?

Last Saturday on the 14^th of March 2020 I was sitting with a small group of people at Melody Market Islamabad. Our conversation had just begun, when I saw a middle aged man of around 40, who directly approached us. 

He straight way objected me wearing a mask and did not engage with the others sitting next to me, as they were not wearing masks. Quickly without wasting any time, he asked me if I knew the origin of Corona Virus. When I asked him what exactly was the root cause, with a grin on my face (which certainly he could not notice). He instantly replied that Pakistani boys who go to China lick Chinese girls and when they come back to Pakistan they transfer it here via girls. This is what Corona is! He insisted.

Further he added that all those who do not wear a mask clearly show that their belief in God is strong (Imaan paka hai). As he left noticing our lack interest in extending the discussion, he said: “Mask laganay se kuch nahe hota. Musalmano ko kuch nahe hoga”.  When this untimely guest left. I said to all the others in the group: “This is the state of affairs here.”

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Book Review: The Culture and Civilization of Pakistan by Kishwar Naheed

This publication which I read today is a version translated by Amina Azfar and published by OUP. The book is written by Kishwar Naheed who wrote it in Urdu. In the prologue Kishwar describes this book as the “vindication point” in her life and for “future generations”.

The author talks about literature, language, sports, attire and geography of the different areas of Pakistan. She gives a general overview and does not delve into details. I discovered some mistakes in her book. At one point she says that in Gilgit and Hunza there are twenty-two local languages but Urdu is spoken and understood everywhere. Wacholi language, which I did not know before to have existed, is spoken in Central Sind.

At another place Kishwar mentions that: “Because of the conflict with the army and the bureaucracy, the people of East Pakistan decided to establish a country of their own”. She does not even mention Bhutto’s role in this saga. In one chapter she writes about artists and musicians from Pakistan. While discussing historical place and shrines, she mentions many of the forts, mosques and other historical sites in Pakistan. Moreover, she writes about theatre, films and food in Pakistan. In the chapter on Cuisine Kishwar says: “From Balochistan to Gilgit and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, truck drivers to tribal chiefs are in the habit of stuffing their cheeks with snuff which they keep sucking.” I believe this is a very generalized sentence and she needs to revisit it. She has skipped the majority province of Punjab.

From there on she discusses festivals, sports and dresses in Pakistan. She covers a chapter on means of communication where she discusses the old transport methods in the country and later the airline industry in Pakistan. She writes that in 1961 the Family Laws Ordinance was promulgated. Following this, women were given the right to inherit and own agricultural land. At a point in the book the author states that: “The day women get rid of their mental bondage to men and learn to make their own decisions, our culture will change.” In the next chapter the men of Pakistan are discussed, starting from the Pakistan movement and the issues of unemployment they face. On page 126 Kishwar suggests that the population of Pakistan is 400 million. I believe this figure is not accurate. Her estimations seem very random. Furthermore, in the book issues of health care, education and languages in Pakistan are discussesd. Kishwar says: “In Gilgit Baltistan people speak Balti among themselves. Sheena, Wafi, Brushaski, Khawar, and Domki are also languages of Gilgit Baltistan but they are rarely written”. This reflects her limited knowledge regarding Gilgit-Baltistan region.

Kishwar adds chapters on fruits, vegetables and canal system in Pakistan. Khishwar writes that: “At the time of partition river water was also divided, under an agreement. It is known as the Indus Water Treaty. I reckon Indus Water Treaty took place in 1960. The last chapters of the book address novelists, poets, provinces and culture in Pakistan. Reading some part of the book made me think that it was for tourists and at a later stage I thought it was written to touch over all the aspects of Pakistan in one book. Most of the times, a story narrating style is followed.

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Book Review: The Vision: Reflections on the Way of the Soul by Kahlil Gibran

The version of this book which I read has been translated by Juan R. I. Cole, with an introduction by Robin Waterfield. Gibran says: “Human beings unite in destroying the temples of the spirit and cooperate in building the edifices of the body”. At another place Gibran says: “I love you when you bow in mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit”. Further in the book the author writes: “Egotism, my brother, was the origin of blind competition, and competition generated group loyalty, and group loyalty founded political power, which in turn became a motive for strife and enslavement”. In the chapter my friend Gibran says: “Did you but know, my destitute friend, that the poverty that sentences you to wretchedness is precisely what inspires you with a knowledge of justice and allows you to perceive the essence of life, then you would be content with the destiny ordained by God”. In the same chapter he adds: “Coming generation will learn equality from poverty, and love from woes”.

In the chapter titled ‘The Philosophy of Logic’ Gibran writes that: “The beginning of wisdom is knowledge of the self”. At another place in the book the author mentions: “No, my brother, do not make inferences about the reality of a man on the basis of appearances, and do not take some saying or some deed of his as a token of his innermost essence”. In one of the ending chapters titled Vision, Gibran is of the view that: “I saw religion buried in the depths of a book while delusions took its place. I saw human beings condemn patience as cowardice, label forbearance laziness, and call kindness fear. I saw intruders at the table of good manners put on airs, while the invited guests remained silent. I saw wealth as a web of iniquity in the hands of a wastrel and as a motive for the people’s hatred in the hands of a miser; and in the hands of a sage I never saw wealth”.

This work of Kahlil Gibran addresses issues of close-mindedness, hypocrisy in society, and unjust politics. He creates his own ‘Anthem of Humanity’ by weaving together understandings from Buddhism, Eastern Christianity, Islam, American Transcendentalism and folklore of native Lebanon.

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Book Review: The Diary of a Social Butterfly by Moni Mohsin

I bought this book when I thought I was giving too much time to history and politics. So I bought this one- just for a break.


This is an interesting book about a Pakistani elite woman who lives in her own world. The writer brought together many acts, events, attitudes and sophistication into one character called ‘Butterfly’.


Butterfly lives in a high society where she acts and behaves in a certain manner. This provokes the reader in thinking about the different social relations which exist in a multi-dimensional society. The under privileged has certain needs, fears and anxieties whereas the elite who make up their own bubble live a totally different life. The character of Butterfly is pre occupied with in laws, black magic, money, weddings, parties, charity balls, scandals, consumerism, property and wealth.


This book has been written at a time when Pakistan was going through turbulent times in its history. 9/11, Invasion of Iraq, Kashmir Earthquake, Tsunami, Lal Masjid and Benazir’s assassination also affect Butterfly’s life, but to what extent? This could only be uncovered giving this book a read.

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Book Review: 11 Life Lessons from Nelson Mandela by Ndaba Mandela

Ndaba Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, writes this book as an account of his experiences with his grandfather. This includes his upbringing by his grandfather, troubles in life, lessons and principles learnt from his grandfather.


Based on eleven chapters this book brings to light the dimensions of Nelson Mandela’s life, never discussed before. The author discusses apartheid in daily life in South Africa. The police could raid any house on any street at any time considered appropriate by them. He further says that black South Africans had been deprived of educational, social, political and economic opportunities and it wanted to take many generations to overcome the disadvantaged position. Moreover, the author writes about his grandfather’s struggle in life. His grandfather had lived twenty-seven years of his life in prison. Nelson Mandela said: “But If you learn your enemy’s language, you have a great power over him.” That is why he wanted his grandson to learn different languages.”


Ndaba traces history of Mandelas, discusses various short stories and memories to explain his opinion about certain ideas. Ndaba narrates a story about losing his school journey twice. On hearing this Nelson Mandela gets upset and teaches him a lesson. I believe this story shows a strong, disciplined and principled Mandela who wanted to buy good strong training of his grandson. Ndaba further writes about his grandfather that he was very punctual about his morning walk and exercise. When there were first presidential elections in in South Africa Nelson Mandela was hesitant to participate. He wanted someone young who had a better insight of the current issues of South Africa.


Ndaba talks about the strained relation between his parents and how he was to live with his grandparents due to his strained relation. Ndaba’s mother and his father died of HIV. First his mother then his father. Both times he was not aware about the nature of their illness. This had a huge effect on Ndaba who believes that he should have been told by his family members.


Madiba (Nelson Mandela) asked his black countrymen to forgive the atrocities of apartheid. He was using nonviolence not as a moral principal but as a strategy. In jail he was observing the happenings in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. They gained their independence and kicked out the white people resulting in a dead economy. The author views Nelson Mandela’s forgiveness as part of a leadership strategy. In 1998, Madiba went to Kwazulu-Natal for a ceremony where eight-five black families received 600,000 hectares. There at the event he said: “Our land reform program helps us redress the injustices of apartheid. It fosters national reconciliation and stability.”


Once Queen Elizabeth called Mandela. He said, “Hello? Elizabeth! How are you? Good, good. Oh, yes, I’m fine, thank you”. Later Mandela’s wife said, “Madiba, you cannot just call her Elizabeth”. “What are you talking about? She calls me Nelson. We always call each other by our first names. Don’t forget, I ‘m royalty”.


Chapter nine is an interesting chapter in which Ndaba goes to the mountain to attain the tribal custom of manhood after his grandfather’s approval. The details are an interesting read. While Nelson Mandela was at Robben Island, he wrote to the Commissioner of Prisons, I have never regarded any man as my superior either in my life outside or inside prison”.


Ndaba says that his grandfather believed that one’s resolve- one’s truth is the voice that roams within, His grandfather taught him to listen to it. Nelson Mandela died on 5^th December 2013. He was the icon of endurance, forgiveness, harmony and reconciliation. Earlier in life struggled for an armed movement through Umkhonto We Sizwe (MK). In 1962 he traded abroad to arrange guerilla training for members of MK. When in jail Mandela said: “Prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Only free men can negotiate”.


Ndaba Mandela concludes the book with a message to fellow South Africans. He wants them to fight for economic emancipation as the fight is not over yet.

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Book Review: Aurangzeb- The Man and The Myth by Audrey Truschke

The author of this book specializes in Mughal history and Mughal Empire. This book is based on eight chapters. Aurangzeb ruled for forty-nine years over a population of 150 million people. Being the sixth ruler of the Mughal Empire he named himself ‘seizer of the world’ (Alamgir). Aurangzeb was a complex ruler who the author thinks has wrongly been attributed as a villain in history. Aurangzeb longed for territory, political power and adopted a particular ideal of justice.

Some consider him as a religious fanatic who destroyed temples and restricted celebration of Holi. The author stresses that such arguments remain invalid as Aurangzeb issued many articles protecting Hindu temples, granted stipends and lands to Brahmins. Moreover, the author explains that Aurangzeb consulted Hindu ascetics on health matters and employed more Hindus in his administration than any prior Mughal ruler. In fact, the top positions in his government were given to Hindus. Raghunatha was appointed diwani (Chief finance minister of the empire) by Auragzeb.

Aurangzeb was born in 1618. He rose to power by killing his brothers and later kept his father Shah Jahan (under house arrest) for more than 7 years. He eliminated the position of a formal court historian, supported a vast imperial library and sponsored the construction of Badshahi masjid in Lahore- built at a time when it stood as the largest mosque in the world. He spent the first half of his reign mainly at Court in Delhi and the second half campaigning in the Deccan. Between 1679 and 1707, Aurangzeb increased Hindu participation at the elite levels of the Mughal state by nearly 50 percent. Hindus rose to 31.6 percent of the Mughal nobility.

Shivaji and Aurangzeb’s fight is highlighted in chapter four. Shivaji was a master of raids and guerilla warfare. The Mughal-Maratha conflict was shaped by lust for raw power. The author believes that both Mughal and Maratha writers gave the rivalry a religious touch, which was not the case. In fact, it was a thirst for political power.

Chapter five elaborates the morality and leadership in Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb prayed regularly, did not consume alcohol and opium. His interpretation of Islam included talismanic aspects and when religious obligations conflicted with state interests he put his weight behind the latter. Aurangzeb sponsored a legal book named Fatwa-i-Alamgiri, revived Jazya tax after one hundred years, tried to ban/limit alcohol, opium, prostitution, gambling, inflammatory theological writings and public celebrations of religious festivals. Aurangzeb had thousands of temples in his domain and yes he did destroy some.  He believed that Kings represent God on earth and thus must ensure peace on earth including religious communities.

The author believes that for Aurangzeb Islamic teachings and Mughal teachings made him protect Hindu temples, pilgrimage destinations, and holy men. The idea that religious institutions could be subject to politically motivated destructions makes many modern people see red, but pre-modern Indians did not show such a firm line between religion and politics.

Furthermore, the author is of the view that: “Hindu kings targeted one another’s temples beginning in the seventh century, regularly looting and defiling images of Dogra, Ganesha, Vishnu, and so forth. They also periodically destroyed each other’s temples. Some Hindu kings ever commissioned Sanskrit poetry to celebrate and memorialize such actions. Indo-Muslim rulers, such as Aurangzeb, followed suit in considering Hindu temples legitimate targets of punitive state action.”

Within a few decades of Aurangzeb’s death, the Mughal empire lost all it had gained in Deccan, and the empire started crumbling. By 1700s, Aurangzeb favored his grandsons over his sons. Aurangzeb died in 1707 and is buried in an unmarked grave within the Chishti Sufi Shrine of Zaynuddin Shirazi in Khuldabad.

Aurangzeb was an emperor devoted to power, his vision of justice, and expansion. In seven years between 1712 and 1719, four Mughal Kings ruled in quick succession. In total five kings ascended the Mughal throne in the thirteen years after Aurangzeb’s death, as compared to four kings in the previous one hundred and fifty years. The author adds: “From late 1750s onward, the East India Company stripped the already-reduced Mughals of nearly all the trappings of actual sovereigns, including their landholdings, an army, and their ability to collect revenue.”

Aurangzeb was an excellent military tactician who believed in his own brand of justice, upheld Mughal traditions and expanded his grip over subcontinent. He died expanding the Mughal dynasty to its maximum. He is considered to play a very important role in the Indian medieval history.

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Book Review: A Life History of Allan Fakeer by Raza Hyder Mugheri

A life History of Allan Fakeer is a dissertation on a legend from Sindh. It covers many aspects of the legend’s life. This book is a scholarly work based on five chapters. The introductory chapter briefly explains different approaches used by anthropologists to study life history. This is done to give a better understanding of the research study.

The second chapter includes the introductions of locale, where the study has been conducted. Titled ‘Life History of Allan Fakeer’, the third chapter gives a detailed account of Allan Fakeer’s life. In the fourth chapter Fakeer’s singing, his style and performance are discussed. The final concluding chapter is regarding Allan Fakeer’s life. His life is analyzed keeping in view a theoretical framework.

Allan Fakeer belongs to the Manganhar community. Some say Manganhar tribe was actually Samma people and because of their profession Mangan (to beg) their caste became Manganhar. Allan’s father was Zawar Daim Ali Fakeer, a well-known drummer. As Allan Fakeer grew old he participated in many ceremonies of his village. He did this with his father playing drums together. He also learned Jhumar (dance) and Sehra (wedding songs) from his father. Allan Fakeer’s mother’s death was the main turning point in Allan Fakeer’s life. Allan’s step mother was rude to him and his father did not pay enough attention to him.

Allan’s step mother was rude to him and his father did not pay enough attention to him. 

Allan started wandering all day. He befriended a person named Daud Fakeer outside Manjhand village. Daud Fakeer was a hermaphrodite who served Allan Fakeer with opium and he became habitual of it. In his village Allan Fakeer was dishonored due to his association with Daud Fakeer. Allan left his village and started begging in trains and buses. In 1976 Allan married his cousin.

 For food he preferred eating fish and pulses fried in black chilies. Allan’s dress and style was very unique. Parts of his clothing are briefly explained. The famous Sindhi poet Shaikh Ayaz appointed Allan Fakeer as a staff Artist in Sindhology. His basic pay was 470 rupees per month. He was not regular in his job due to private performances. Once Allan Fakeer’s beard and mustache were shaved as he had attended a function arranged by Muthada Qoumi Movement (M.Q.M), on the insistence of his close friend. This had a impact on Allan Fakeer.

Allan Fakeer was addicted to charas and hash. He was also fond of drinking. Moreover, he was also suffering from hypertension and diabetes. He died on 4^th July 2000 in Karachi. His dead body was later shifted to Jamshoro. Allan was a comedian, singer, performer and musician. He received numerous awards, both national and international. Allan Fakeer had memorized all poems of Shah-Jo-Risalo; sang folk, Sufi, ceremonial and patriotic poetry. In addition to that Allan Fakeer was a regular singer at the shrines of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Sachal Sarmast and Qalandar Lal Shahbaz.

In the concluding chapter of the book the writer argues that the death of Allan Fakeer’s mother was a major turning point in the life history of Allan Fakeer. The author stresses that: “Allan Fakeer;s ascribed status was that of a Manganhar. He performed many roles by his self-choices to earn his living. He was looking for a new role and a new identity. Ultimately, his choice of singing Shah-Jo-Raag in his own created style helped him becoming a folk singer. He adopted a cultural role that gave him an enduring identity.”

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Book Review: Ice Mummy- The Discovery of a 5000-year-old man by Mark Dubowski and Cathy East Dubowski

This is a short interesting read about a mummy. The special thing about this mummy is its discovery by two hikers. In Sept 1991 two German hikers hike in the Alps, the border region where Austria meets Italy. Reinhold Messner, a famous mountaineer later looks at the body. He believes that the body is not hundred years old but it may be thousands of years old.

Dr. Rainer Henn comes to examine the body. Dr. Henn and his helpers put the mummy in a bag. They take it for examination. The mummy is kept inside a room where the temperature is 21.2 degrees Fahrenheit. This is to prevent the mummy from rotting. Dr. Konrad Spindler later examines the mummy and believes that it is at least 4000 years old. An axe, jacket, pants and animal boots made of animal skins are under study. Carbon-14 dating shows that the mummy is more than 5000 years old. The reason for the man’s death is freezing. In Bolzano Italy a museum has been built for the Ice mummy so that people could see it with their own eyes.

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