Syed Abdullah Tariq

Introduction Few nations are mentioned in the Qur'an as frequently as Bani Isra'il (the Children of Israel) . Their prophets, victories, failures, migrations, and repeated encounters with divine guidance appear throughout the Qur'an. Yet, for many Muslims, these stories remain disconnected episodes—the story of Musa (Moses), Talut and Jalut, Dawood (David), and Sulaiman (Solomon)—rather than parts of one continuous historical narrative. However, the Qur'an does not recount the history of Bani Isra'il simply to tell us what happened in the past. Their history is presented as a source of guidance and reflection. Their rise, decline, restoration, and eventual dispersal demonstrate recurring principles through which Allah governs the rise and fall of nations. In this article, we will trace the historical journey of Bani Isra'il from their origins through the eras of Musa, Dawood, and Sulaiman, the Babylonian and Roman destructions, and finally the Qur'anic...

  The following is a conversation between me and ChatGPT. It began with a question about how human beings approach life, and ended somewhere I wasn't expecting.

All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason. -Immanuel Kant     Kant, one of the most influential philosophers in modern philosophy, tried to take a balanced approach between empiricism and rationalism. The empiricists believed that knowledge comes from experience and the senses, while the rationalists believed that reason is the highest source of knowledge. Kant tries to combine both through this statement. What Kant is basically saying is that first we experience the world through our senses, then our mind organizes and understands those experiences, and finally reason becomes the highest stage through which we reach truth. At first, this sounds like a very complete and convincing structure. But the more we think about it, the more questions starts to surface. The Problem with the Senses Firstly, Kant argues that knowledge starts with the senses. But our senses are not always trustwor...

کون جئے خیال و خواب سا سامان لیے جب طرزِ حقیقت ہو روزمرہ زخم سیے نہ ہوتے ہم شکارِ بدظنی و بدگماں یہ چارہ گر سارے بھی اسی دنیا سے ہی لیے — سید عبداللہ طارق Kaun jiye khayāl-o-khwāb sā samān liye Jab tarz-e-haqīqat ho rozmarra zakhm sīye Na hote hum shikār-e-bad-zannī o bad-gumāñ Ye charāgar sāre bhī isi duniyā se hi liye — Syed Abdullah Tariq

ہم بھی ایک مجموعۂ عناصر، بندشِ گرد و طواف میں، شعور و ادراک سے واقف ہوئے، خالقِ نظم و نظام کے۔ — سید عبداللہ طارق Hum bhi ek majmua-e-anasir, bandish-e-gird o tawaaf mein, Shu’oor-o-idraak se waaqif hue, khaliq-e-nazm o nizaam ke. — Syed Abdullah Tariq

 "Learning is like Sisyphus , relentlessly and painstakingly rolling a stone to the top of a mountain, yet never succeeding in reaching the top or qualifying as truly learned. As he approaches the summit, the boulder rolls back to the bottom, symbolizing that just when a person believes he is close to knowing it all, he realizes there is still much left to learn."

 ایک کسک، ایک الفت، ایک صحراے فراق، پر ہیں — ہے منزل کدھر، نہ جانے۔ جو گزر گئے اس راہ عشق سے ہم سے پہلے، وہ ہمت ثبات کہاں سے لائے، نہ جانے۔ اگر کہیں ہوں ہم سفر بھی ہمارے سے چنیدہ، دل ہے کہ بنے مددگارے بے ساحل، نہ جانے۔ کوزہ دل میں ہے طوفان پنہاں بے صدا، الفاظ پاتے نہیں — ملے تسلی کیسے، نہ جانے۔ کشتی عمر میں تھے تنہا بحواس خطر، ہر سمت سہم بھی تھا، حوصلہ بھی — کیوں، نہ جانے۔ کسی ڈوبتے نے بھی جب نہ چاہا کہ ہو جاۓ سوار، تب دل سے نکلے دعاے بےخودانہ، نہ جانے۔ عبداللہ بھی ہے اس راہ ناپرسیدہ کا مسافر، کب ملے فتح سفر دل کو — وہ لمحہ، نہ جانے۔ Ek kasak, ek ulfat, ek saḥrā-e-firāq, Raah par hain — hai manzil ki . dhar, na jaane There is a longing, a love, a desert of separation, But we are on this path—where the destination is, I don't know. Jo guzar gaye is rah-e-‘ishq se humse pehle, Woh himmat-e-sabāt kahaan se laaye, na jaane. Those who passed on this path of love before me, Where they found that courage to stay firm, I don't know. Agar kahīñ hon ham-safar bhi hamāre se chunīnda, Dil ...

It has often been contemplated that the deepest emotions are not meant to remain confined. They extend outward in ripples, influencing everything and everyone in ways beyond anticipation. The following words attempt to capture this phenomenon—a reflection on how a singular and focused love can transform the world around it. People shall see and experience the derivative of my love for my Beloved, upon them. They shall understand what they know not through peace, calm, and cool warmth-my uncontainable compassion that will reflect upon them. These are emotions that will render them powerless, and yet will give them strength and confidence within an infinite pool of contemplation, perpetual effort, and awakened consciousness. These are emotions that extend much beyond the physical construct of life, transform the spiritual being, and beautify existence. 

If you correct your children excessively – especially at their slightest mistakes – they will become conditioned to notice and grow irritated by mistakes of that magnitude in everyone, including, and often most intensely, you. If you correct mistakes in your children that you also make, but let your own slide with the justification, 'I'm your father,' or 'I'm older,' they will learn that it's not acceptable to make mistakes unless you hold a certain age or role. This teaches them that some positions are subject to persecution, while others hold the power of the persecutor. Consequently, when they grow up, they are likely to give their own children a hard time, while freely repeating those same mistakes without self-reproach.

The more you grow and understand, the more you realise that nothing matters as you thought it would. The good physique and toned muscles don't make feel all that confident. The classy dresses and the fine fabrics don't give the comfort you seek for. The beautiful face and the charming personality don't get people to value you. The expensive experiences and extravagances don't add meaning to life nor does it bestow satisfaction that you hoped it would. Being center of attraction and a fan following doesn't bring close people that you find solace with. A big black car and matte black heavy motorcycle are nothing but a toy for the older boys. All toys that people get used to after playing with. The lavish house is nothing but just to provide you comfort enough that you look forward to coming back to it. People? The family that you will grow old to realise that they can't understand you. Friends; everyone will come to you to make you hear them. The people are but se...

  In older days, economists gave the idea of trickle down economy of the civilization. It was from the rich that money trickled down to the lower classes and the lowest classes received the least of this trickle. To better understand this, we can take a man from the middle economic section, who when comes around a lot of money, will buy lands that he will not utilize all for his residence but will employ those lands to get fruits, vegetables, grains and even get a pond dug to breed fishes. That will invite a lot of employment for the poor people who will maintain those. Also, he will from time to time have dinner parties in which he will invite a lot of people (richer people used to have more guests than the others.) These parties will also need buying of resources from the vendors around that shall see a surge in their sale. He shall also have drivers and cleaners for his automobiles and everyone around from the lower economic section are going to benefit from his wealth, whether ...

How can a man die better than facing fearful odds, for the plight of his people and the honor of his God. Adapted and improved from the poem "Horatius at the Bridge" by Lord Macaulay.

Being critical is a beautiful trait but only when it is complemented with the restrained hastiness in judgment. -Syed Abdullah Tariq

اگر یہ دنیا ایک خواب ہوتی   اور اس خواب میں آپ ہوتی   تو میں ایک مدت بس آپ کو دیکھتا رہتا   پھر ایک مدت تک سُنتا رہتا   اور ایک مدت تک آپ کی خوشبو لیتا   پھر ایک مدت چلتا آپ کے پیچھے   آپ کے پلّو کو تھام کے پھرتا رہتا   آپ کی ہر بات پر ہاں میں ہاں ملتا   آپ کے ہر کہنے کی اطاعت کرتا   آپ کو دیکھتے دیکھتے آہیں بھرتا   دیکھتا آپ کی ساحِر آنکھوں میں   کتنی مدت تک ڈوبا رہتا   دیکھتا آپ کے اییمی، آپ کے ہونٹ   آپ کے تبسّم پے پِگھلتا رہتا   دیکھتا آپ کے رُخسار، آپ کے کان، آپ کے بال   آپ کی زُلفوں کی چھاؤں میں گُم رہتا   آپ کی ہتھیلی اپنے ہاتھوں میں لے کر   آپ کے نشانِ انگشت گِنْتا رہتا   جتنی بھی مدت لگتی تھی اِن میں   ہر ایک مدت کے ہر لمحے میں   میں آپ سے محبّت کرتا رہتا   میں آپ کی اطاعت کرتا رہتا   اور میں... بہت خوش رہتا۔   لیکن یہ دنیا کوئی خواب نہیں ہے ...

I respect those who are truly learned, the storehouses of wisdom. They are the custodians of knowledge and deserve to be addressed with honor. I also respect the people of action, the doers and the movers. They actively bring about changes and believe in engaging directly to improve society and the lives around them. As for the people who are both learned and active, I take them as gurus. They are rare, and one should become their disciple and stay in their company, seeking to absorb their essence through presence. One should also be careful not to upset them or dishonor them. For all the above, they must be respected. This respect stands irrespective of their position in society, or their status in wealth, or their age. As for the rest of the people, the majority, the real challenge is to deal with them consistently using etiquettes and good manners. Etiquettes and good manners must be maintained with everyone, since it is the basic foundation of human decency. I personally find it a ...

ایسے کام کر کہ عمر خوشی سے کٹے تیری ایسے کام کر کہ یاد تجھے سب کیا کریں ذکر تیرا ہو جہاں ہو ذکرِ خیر ہی نام تیرا جو لیں تو ادب سے لیا کریں Aise Kaam Kar Ke Umr Khushi Se Kate Teri Aise Kaam Kar Ke Yaad Tujhe Sab Kiya Karein Zikr Tera Ho Jahan, Ho Zikr-e-Khair Hi Naam Tera Jo Lein, To Adab Se Liya Karein ~Unknown

Let's just say that life is a complicated system. To understand and to live, and to live and to understand—sometimes interchangeably—is laborious. How else should a heretic live? A war he waged; mighty was his belief, a weakling that he was, against the orthodoxical majority of old and strong. Drained, heartbeat elevated, wounded and in pain, grasping for breath, on his knees with shoulders dropped—stubbornly refusing to give up. What a stage set for drama!

آ تے آتے مجھکو صبر آ ہی گیا تری جانب سے مجھکو قرار آ ہی گیا سوچا جو تھا نتیجہ نہ بھی ملنے پر جو نہ تھا زد میں، اس پر بھی قابو آ ہی گیا یہ جذبات و عقل کیسے دھوکا دیتے ہیں کتنی رسوائیاں ہوئیں درپیش، پھر سمجھ آ ہی گیا خواہ مخواہ لوگوں سے کرتے نہ پھرتو اپنے گناہ تسلیم جو ان کو نہ آیا، پھر وہ تم کو راس آ ہی گیا یہ کشتی جب طلاطم سے نہاتِ ساحلی مانگے جو راہیں سمتِ نجمی چھوڑ دیں تو کنارا آ ہی گیا عاجزی میری ہے، یہ بے چینی، یہ کم کوشی جما جو ہوا سینے میں، وہ آنکھوں سے باہر آ ہی گیا ڈرا بہت کہ نہ کروں کوئی شکوہ، کوئی ندامت یہ لہو ابلتا میرے اندر، میری گستاخی میں آ ہی گیا کیا نتیجہ نکلا اس ہے تکلّف جینے میں ایک زخمِ ناگہاں میں ہوش آ ہی گیا Aatay aatay sabr aa hi gaya Teri janib se mujhko qaraar aa hi gaya Socha jo tha nateeja na bhi milnay par Jo na tha zad mein, uss par bhi qaboo aa hi gaya  Ye jazbaat o aqal kaise dhoka detay hain  Kitni ruswaiyan hui darpesh, phir samajh aa hi gaya Khwaah makhwaah logon se kartay na phiro apnay gunah tasleem Jo unko na aaya, phir woh tumko raas aa hi ...

"Conviction comes either from deep faith or from ignorance. If you can distinguish deep faith from ignorance (or the other way), then you should stand down before faith and choose silence for ignorance."

A view of Yoksum village, East Sikkim. I am at an evolutionary stage of understanding where I seem to have found the convergence of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual viewpoints. I find it absurd to chase life, develop a deep desire for something, or have ambitions. It feels as though the world is moving in a direction where nothing truly matters. Moreover, no matter how much effort a person puts into striving for something, favourable results are never guaranteed. An individual receives what they are destined to have. What is meant to be yours will find its way to you, sometimes in the most unimaginable ways. Beyond that, a person might dedicate their entire life to something and yet achieve that which ultimately holds no significance. There is no lasting legacy, and even if there is, who will remain to witness how it unfolds? I understand this perspective may seem distant from the common way of viewing life, but the indeterministic nature of death invalidates everything. I believ...