The Unspeakable

The vast emptiness. The depth of  my love. You are my grief, oh sea, only you are! How I envy you for that laughter which ought to be- but is never- mine...

Ayn Rand and Man’s Ego

 I know it's a bit too late to talk about The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged but when they were first published, I wasn’t born and had I read any sooner, I wouldn’t have understood half of either. Before I say anything that I have to say, let me first congratulate Ms Rand for her achievement: it’s not everyone who can write a book of 1084 pages, and with such a uniquely captivating style. Hats off to you! Though I prefer We the Living, her first and semi-autobiographical novel to her magnum opus Atlas Shrugged, I wouldn’t say that it does not make a good read. It is precisely the fact that it does make a good read that makes some of its central traits all the less agreeable, as far as I’m concerned.

The central theme of The Fountainhead is that man’s ego is the fountainhead of human progress. It celebrates individualism through Ms Rand’s philosophy of objectivism. It is interesting that we can read through all its detailed descriptions of architecture as easily as fiction. It is highly influential when it comes to architecture and has inspired many of the profession all over the world. Before reading it, I have never thought of buildings with Victorian or Elizabethan designs as inferior to buildings that propound originality. Now the first thing that comes to my mind when I see a building is how Howard Roark would have designed it. It’s almost as if there really was such a person, and his buildings. The book is divided into four parts: part one, Peter Keating begins with a chapter on Howard Roark; part two, Ellsworth Toohey, begins with a chapter on Howard Roark; part three Gail Wynand begins with himself (perhaps because he is selfish enough to be considered right) and part four, Howard Roark features himself in the first chapter. The characters who are egotists and selfish- and therefore the right, according to Ms Rand, include Dominique Francon, Roark’s lover who sets out to destroy him, Steven Mallory, a sculptor damned by the world for giving shape to what is heroic in man, Gail Wynand, whose only mistake (not realizing the fact that men who seek power are the worst of the second-handers, a term used by Ms Rand for people who stand for collectivism and thus seek to destroy individual spirit) destroys him, Henry Cameron, Roark’s mentor, and others like Mike Donnigan, Austin Heller, Kent Lansing and Roger Enright who support Roark. There is Peter Keating who falls to a deplorable state as he went for architecture though he had neither interest nor talent in the field. The antagonist, Ellsworth Toohey, is the hero of common people as an exponent of collectivism but is towards the end, revealed to be an evil man who seeks to control people by ruling their souls. He uses the mask of altruism to replace the genius with the mediocre. I’ve never disliked fictional characters as much as Loius Cook, Ike (what was his surname?), Gus Webb and Lancelot Clokey till I met some even worse in Atlas Shrugged. That is Ms Rand’s virtue- she knows exactly how to make you hate a character and through him, his ideals. Roark’s statement to Wynand aboard his ship I Do (named so to answer all those who have told him that he does not run things around their place) - "I could die for you. But I couldn't, and wouldn't, live for you."- sums up the essence of the book.

Atlas Shrugged begins with the question “Who is John Galt?” which is repeated throughout the book, whenever people are confronted with things they can’t understand and questions nobody can answer. John Galt is in fact, the hero of the book who sets out to stop the motor of the world and succeeds. He is highly talented but on realizing that the world which seeks to exploit his genius is not the one in which he wants to live in, finds another Atlantis and brings productive men, who knows they are the best, to live there. So we find geniuses of all kind- composers, philosophers, industrialists, actresses, miners, novelists, inventors and producers of cars, metals and aircrafts- giving up their works and vanishing overnight to this mysterious place. That the heroine, Dagny Taggart, had to fall in love with John Galt after two true love affairs with her childhood friend Francisco d’Anconia who is John’s best friend and fellow businessman Hank Rearden (the author says that Dagny will always love Francisco and Hank while loving John and that this is not treason to any of them) reminds one of Ms Rand’s romantic affair with Nathaniel Branden, (both married and not to each other) with the consent of their spouses. The deplorable characters, who oppose selfish men (who are naturally the real economic powers), are James Taggart, Orren Boyle, Wesley Mouch, Dr.Floyd Ferris, Dr.Simon Pritchett, Fred Kinnan, Chick Morrison, Cuffy Meigs and so on. Ms Rand seems to have invented quite a number of technologies in the book, the prominent being Rearden metal (a bluish green metal which is cheaper and stronger than steel) and Galt’s motor that can convert static electricity into mechanical energy.

After reading three of Ms Rand’s works, here is what I understand about her: she is in love with buildings, steel, glass, concrete, aluminium (in case of Kira) and bridges. She talks of man’s ego- even if she had used the word to include both genders, her view that women have to submit to the force of men and that they find exaltation during a sexual act in being humiliated by men have been regarded as anti-feminist. I’m no feminist myself, but being female, I strongly disagree with Ms Rand in this aspect. Another thing that is obvious in her works is that she regards the USA as the most supreme country in the world. She hails the nation which has been her home since she escaped from Soviet Russia as the only country which was based on the supremacy of reason and the city of New York as the motor of the world. While supporting Israel in Arab-Israel conflict, she seems to have forgotten her own claim that one’s survival should not be by destroying others. One thing that I never understand about Ms Rand is what on earth made her think that every smile has to be mocking, that most of the time love is born out of contempt, and that every act of love-making has to be an act of violence- but then, who is John Galt?

Memory

Why does She knock on my door

Every time it rains,

Every time the wind whispers in my ears,

Every time I watch a leaf fall down-

Memory.

That treacherous witch.

She comes in disguises

Déjà vu.

Whenever I breathe in a fragrance,

Turn around in a crowd,

Or hear a song.

She steps in, ever so lightly.

Whenever I gaze at the sky,

See a child smile

Or hear the waves hum,

She closes in on me.

In an unguarded moment

She tramps on me.

She walks all over my mind

Till my eyes sting

And my knees go weak,

Till my heart hurts

So much that I feel the pain

Creeping to the tips of my toes.

Bittersweet

It’s a bittersweet moment: bidding farewell to Ramadan. On one hand, there is the sorrow of parting with the most pious time of the year, the late night prayers, constant dhikr, Qur'an recitations... And on the other hand, there is the joy of Eid-ul-Fitr, meeting friends and family at the Eidgah (though this year rain has spoiled that joy), the love, greetings and celebrations... Here's a wish that the virtues we have acquired this Ramadan stay with us for the rest of our lives. May we fall among the people Ramadan speaks in favour of on the Day of Judgment!

Eid Mubarak everyone!

A few Lessons from Islam

1. Be kind:

           Narrated Jarir bin ‘Abdullah: Allah’s Messenger said, “Allah will not show mercy to him who does not show mercy to others.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

2. Be patient:

          "Seek help in patience and As-Salat (the prayer). Truly, Allah is with As-Sabirun (the patient).'' (The Holy Qur'an, 2:153)

         Abu Sa`id and Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Never a believer is stricken with a discomfort, an illness, an anxiety, a grief or mental worry or even the pricking of a thorn but Allah will expiate his sins on account of his patience".

(Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

3. Stay clean:

       "Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean." (The Holy Qur'an, 2: 22)

       "Keep your clothes clean." (The Holy Qur'an, 74:4)

      

       Abu Malik at-Ash'ari reported: The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said: "Cleanliness is half of faith."(Al Bukhari)

4. Be modest:

      Narrated Abu Hurairah: The Prophet said, "Faith (Belief) consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And haya (This term "haya" covers a large number of concepts which are to be taken together; among them are self respect, modesty, bashfulness, and scruple, etc.) is a part of faith."  (Al Bukhari)

     The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'Every deen(religion) has an innate character. The character of Islam is modesty.'  Al Muwatta 47.9

5. Learn:

       "And say: can you put on equal footing those who are learned with those who are not learned?" (The Holy Qur'an, Surah  39:  Ayah  9)

   

       Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "The person who goes forth in search of knowledge is striving hard in the way of God until he returns." (Tirmidhi)

       Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "There is no wealth greater than the power of reason, no poverty like ignorance and no heritage better than noble manners."

6. Always help others:

      Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "Removing any harm from the road is charity (that will be rewarded by Allah)." (Bukhari)

      Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: "Verily every good deed is charity, and it is a good deed if you meet your brother (in Islam) with a cheerful look."(Mus'nad Ahmad) 


   Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:  "Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter. Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter. Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother. Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them among those who are in His presence. Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage." (Muslim)

    

Ramadan Kareem

I had actually decided not to write anything during Ramadan because I thought it would be best to utilize all free time in prayers or dhikr. But then, I happened to come across a few people with misunderstandings about Ramadan. So I thought it better to set things right. If reading this helps anyone to correct their misconceptions about Ramadan, then I will be really happy.

First of all, Ramadan is NOT about food. Certain people seem to think that the amount of food that is avoided from dawn to dusk has to be compensated for by eating more than necessary during the remaining time. Let me tell you, Ramadan is NOT about food. Allah Subhanahu wa tha’ala asked Muslims to observe Sowm or fasting during Ramadan so that they will understand the woes of those deprived of food; so that they will spend more time in Ibadat or worshipping Allah; so that they will try to purify their selves by reflecting on their actions- in short so that they will do others, and themselves, more good than they do at other times.

The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) has said, “Whoever does not abandon false speech and acting falsely, then Allah has no need of his abandoning food and drink.” (Sahih al-Bukhari (1903))

Second, Ramadan is the month when The Holy Qur’an was sent down to the Prophet P.B.U.H. So Muslims should try to spend more time with the Qur’an- not just reciting but also understanding its message and living accordingly. Sadly, The Holy Qur’an is the only book on earth that is read widely by people who do NOT understand it. It is true that the Prophet P.B.U.H has said that reading every single letter in the Qur’an has its reward. But that does not mean that we can forget the objective with which the Qur’an was sent. The Qur’an is primarily a guide for life. It tells us how we should live if we want to be in Allah’s good books. Not just how we should worship, but how we should LIVE. 
“This is a Book We have sent down to you so that you can bring mankind from the darkness to the light, by the permission of their Lord, to the Path of the Almighty, the Praiseworthy..” (Surah Ibrahim, 1)
So dear sisters and brothers in Islam, utilize this Ramadan to learn The Holy Qur’an- by 'learn', I mean not learning the Suras by heart, but rather learning the meaning of the verses. Start with the help of a teacher or scholar in the neighbourhood who has the RIGHT knowledge in The Qur’an and Arabic language in general. If that is not possible, then refer to a Tafseer. If you have none at home and can’t buy one, then try online. Qur’an translations are available for free on many sites like Qur'an Explorer, Harun Yahya, ahadees, etc. Also try to learn a little of Arabic language, just the basics. It will also help you a lot in understanding the Qur’an. Don’t think that you can’t do it. At least try your best. Don’t wait until it is too late. You will have to answer to Allah when He asks you why you never even TRIED to understand His Holy Book. So try to learn The Qur’an along with its meaning and Tajveed. May Allah bless us all with success in all our good endeavors, and may He include us among those blessed to be united with His Prophets in Heaven. 

Whose Way?

A cat came upon my way

As I was coming back home

It stopped pacing

And stared at me,

Assessing me.

I kept walking.

When I was ten yards before it,

It leapt out of my way

Into a gap in the fence.

As I walked past,

I peeped at the gap

And saw the cat

Looking at me the same way.

I came upon a cat’s way

As I was coming back home

It stopped pacing

And stared at me,

Assessing me.

I kept walking.

When I was ten yards before it,

It leapt out of my way

Into a gap in the fence.

As I walked past,

I peeped at the gap

And saw the cat

Looking at me the same way.