Category Archives: Authors

Of Monks and Mad Dogs

by Modaser Shah If memory serves, June 21 this year, The New York Times reported that a “radical” Buddhist monk in Burma declared, apropos the Muslim minority in that country, that although Buddhism enjoined love and compassion,”one can’t sleep next … Continue reading

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An Open Letter to the Name Chameleon

by Ali Hammad LETTER: TO THE ONE WHO REVELS IN NAMES Dear Name Chameleon, Here’s a question: To what purpose your myriad names—names that fuel feuds, battles, and wars; each name a group identity; each group suspicious of other groups; … Continue reading

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Finding Balance

by Navid Zaidi Developing a flexible approach to living is instrumental in helping us cope with everyday problems. ‘Balance’ becomes a key element of a happy life. A balanced and skilful approach to life, taking care to avoid extremes, is … Continue reading

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Muhammad Ali and Miyamoto Musashi, George Foreman and Sasaki Kojiro

by Modaser Shah In 1974, in the legendary Rumble in the Jungle, in Zaire, Muhammad Ali, beyond his prime, faced George Foreman, a formidable opponent at his physical peak, as an underdog, with even his fans and well wishers not … Continue reading

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A Sufi Thought for the Week (Malihabadi)

A perceptive person could have found proof of the Truth in a single dawn, without any additional confirmations…A verse of Josh Malihabadi (Urdu poet of the 20th century) in loose translation. Thought contributed by Aziz Anjum; photo by Ali Hammad

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Sufi Snaps: Foreshadowing (A photo)

by Ali Hammad  

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A Bit of Truth

by Modaser Shah In his interesting, even entertaining, albeit difficult-to-read book titled LESS THAN NOTHING, Slavoj Žižek ascribes the following quote to Winston Churchill: “Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry … Continue reading

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Sufi Snaps: Masterpiece (A photo and a story)

by Ali Hammad THE GOLDEN CALF Let me introduce myself. But I will not tell you my name. If I gave you my name, I will need no introduction. I am a painter who is known for his realist aesthetic. … Continue reading

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What is Sufism? Part 5: The Word (Kalma)

by Navid Zaidi The soul, after leaving the body, mind and senses, comes in contact with the Ultimate Reality in the form of an unstruck melody. Sufi saints have called this unstruck melody, the Word or Kalma. The Word is … Continue reading

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Finding Light in the Dark

by Modaser Shah “We feel that even when all possible scientific questions have been answered, the problems of life remain completely untouched. Of course, there are then no questions left, and this itself is the answer,” said Wittgenstein, and what … Continue reading

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