My Skeptical Thoughts by Suleman Nasir (book club suggestions .txt) 📕

If the whole world abandons us, and we are not left with anyone to stand shoulder to shoulder, even then we shall not be alone, for we have our selves. By acknowledging ourselves as enough, by assigning more value to ourselves than others, by learning to partake of compassionate self-talk, and by throwing ourselves in productive and beneficial activities we can coat our time with ecstasy. It demands immense strength to sit with our self, to quell our storms, and heal our wounds on our own. It is how we behold and treat ourselves that gives meaning to our patches of solitude, and settles whether it is loneliness or a solitary yet joyous existence.

Chapter 29

The Lord is Thy Light

“God the Great Giver can open the whole universe to our gaze in the narrow space of a single lane.”

-Anonymous

Each thing that our eyes behold, each article that our hands hold is brought into being by someone; every book has its author, every monument and edifice has its architect, and every fabric has its weaver. If frivolous objects like these cannot be brought into existence on their own, then how can an intricate and convoluted being like man not have an originator? Our intelligence emanates from a higher and superior intelligence; it is imprinted in our consciousness that there is someone who designed and fashioned our template from dust; there is someone who is the lone mastermind behind this vast and enormous universe. Anyone in his right mind will not give the red light to the idea of the existence of God, Who not only engineered this whole universe but also keeps it in order. The man by nature is impetuous, and inclines towards immediate gratification; as religion speaks in mysteries and science is grounded on observations plain to see, masses are altogether reeling towards the realm of science without taking religion in any concern. And on odd occasions, puritanical religious beliefs barricade the road to scientific knowledge. Religion and science complement each other, where science elucidates the processes of nature, and religion glorifies the One who initiated those processes. Every sphere of knowledge comes to the conclusion that it is God who is the sole author of all that exists.

Man might conquer all the thrones of the world, yet he will remain at the mercy of the One whose throne excels all others. Man may surmount many impregnable quandaries and obstructions, but he is not omnipotent, and sooner or later will fall on his knees; these are the times when his heart cries out for divine intervention. To vanquish the troubles of life, utmost trust and faith in God can be an effective arrow in the quiver of a perturbed man.

Not for a moment, our creator shifts his concerned gaze away from us; He perches disposed and willing to dispatch His angels to our aid, but how often do we turn towards Him? To salvage us from wandering astray, He converses with us in His subtle methods through signs, scriptures, and the blessed lips of His apostles, but we in our arrogance fancy that we are better off on our own devices and do not pay heed, which in the end only causes dismay. Our bodies and fates are not ours, and are at disposal of our maker; they can rebel anytime against us if He ordains, but He out of His love for us overlooks our transgressions and wrongdoings. The Lord created everything in the universe for man, but He created man for Himself; to serve His will. If a mother, who is merely a vehicle to bring us into this world, loves us beyond bounds, then the love of the One who created us with His own hands would be inestimable. If we are cherished by our Lord, we too should not be reluctant to talk to Him, to unbosom before Him our feelings and emotions, to cry before Him in the somber times, and praise Him in the days of bliss. We are fortunate to have an adoring Lord preside over us, yet unfortunate that we do not strive to earn His love.

“Surely, Allah loves those who put their faith in Him.”

-The Glorious Quran 3:159

“How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

-The Holy Bible: Psalm 36:7

To pay gratitude for the provisions our Master showers upon us, a thousand lifetimes will not suffice. It is His grace that He confers us with the endowments that we do not even deserve; it is His mercy that He spares us despite our unacceptable errors. Truly, we can never run out of reasons to thank Him. He is our sustainer and we ought to solely rely on Him for our upkeep. In the face of worries and pains, we should vest it into our minds that the one who smoothly and orderly sustains and nurtures the whole universe, will He not have a plan for our lives? He is a magnificent author who will beautifully and artistically weave the stories of our lives. To have a blissful life, we must engender an undaunted faith in God, and in order to walk unharmed in the boulevards of life we must unquestionably follow all that He decrees. Our lives should revolve in an orbit with solely God at its center. We should bind our wandering hearts to our Maker, for it is His light that shepherds us away from the dark alleys of life; and if we veered away from Him, we shall be like sheep lost in the wilderness of wolves.

Chapter 30

Speak, for Your Lips Are Free

“Speak, for your lips are yet free;

Speak, for your tongue is still your own.”

-Faiz Ahmed Faiz

Man glories in prestige over every other earthborn, thanks to his intellectual prowess; it is the sinew of the squishy object dwelling between his ears that winnows him from every other being in the cosmos. It perceives the world from its own vantage points; it is the brain’s inherent instinct to interrogate the truth and validity of everything it processes. Our brain is constantly visited upon by queries and peculiar thoughts like unbidden guests. It is a man’s inquisitiveness and his soul burning with curiosity that incentivizes him to explore and bring about discoveries. The only outlet to quell a man’s curiosities is untrammeled liberty of expression. Unbridled freedom of speech is a man’s inalienable right; if one is barred from it, he will keep bottling up his thoughts and queries which, eventually, will erect a labyrinth in his mind. In order to have peace, we must give voice to all the restive thoughts boiling inside of us.

Uncurbed freedom of expression is indispensable to orchestrate change in society and the world at large. In lieu of silently suffering the insufferable, a community and a society by freedom of expression can bring their predicaments into the limelight. Freedom of speech and prosperity go hand in hand; prosperity springs from ideas and new ideas can flourish only in a backdrop where they are untouched by any kind of suppression. Any society, community, or government that strives to silence the notions that are unpopular, bizarre, and uncommon, become an architect of its misfortune, for it inevitably beckons dissent and rouses the ire of the masses. Rather than squelching the expressions of the people, those holding the reins of power ought to embrace and appease them by rational debates and discussions.

Every so often, religion and prospect of free speech bare fangs at each other. If truth be told, no religion prohibits freedom of expression. In actuality, every religion and school of thought effusively receive the utterances and queries aimed at getting acquainted with God and unraveling the mysteries of His enormous universe. But some self-endorsed and pretentious exponents of religion with their orthodox beliefs dyed in the wool not only harshly spurn such statements but also brand the questioners as apostates and heterodox thinkers. This intolerance not only disconcerts people from religion, but also impels them to see it with disdain. If God had wanted man to uncritically follow everything that is fastened upon him, He wouldn’t have blessed him with intellectual and critical acumen. God encourages man to contemplate and inquire about Him and His creations to his heart’s fill, and hold Him as his Lord at his own cordial will, not under the duress of anyone. Ambassadors of religion ought to employ forbearance, open-mindedness, and patience when met with any out of the grain expressions; if they find anyone in the wrong, he should be counseled with humility and kindness, rather than being shunned as a heretic. These are the only tools in their toolshed that they can ply to gravitate people towards the arena of religion without denting their right to express. Only good character begets a good character; it cannot be achieved by mere preach.

Speech that borders on racism, sexism, blasphemy, profanity, and sedition does not fall under the ambit of freedom of expression, and should not be given free rein. A boundary should be demarcated to tell apart free speech from hate speech. Any articulation that is targeted at disparaging or pouring scorn on others should be contained, for it will only bring disaster to pass. It is the narrow valleys of our minds with their little view that ceases the rampancy of freedom of expression. Time is ripe to address all those questions we have locked in the chests of our mind out of fright of disapproval of people; so Speak, a little time suffices, Before the tongue, the body dies.

Chapter 31

A Nation’s Achilles Heel

“You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.”

-Khalil Gibran

Did you ever happen to play a game of chess? If yes, then you would be cognizant of the most crucial piece on a chessboard, that if checkmated heralds defeat: the king. Now, if a nation were to be a chessboard, what would be its paramount piece that needs protection and preservation at all cost? The king on a nation’s chessboard is its budding generation. It is the fledgling generation that promises the durability of a nation. A nation furthers its shelf-life by making betterment and advancement of younger generation a meeting point of its efforts; and if it hides from such obligation, it will raze to the ground like a house of cards. It is the youth that is the flesh and blood of a nation; if it is not primed in a fitting manner, its harboring nation shall descend.

To be a land of milk and honey, a nation must equip its younger generation with modern and newfangled education. Providing education does not imply to churn out a swarm of degree holders; they should not only be well-educated, but well-informed too. It is knowledge that brings the process of education to completion. If a degree does not make one knowledgeable about one’s covenants made to the nation, does not enlighten one about dictates of conscience and moral codes, does not open the door to a productive life, then it is nothing more than an unworthy fragment of paper with our name scribbled on it. Another note-worthy aspect that needs to be brought under the spotlight is skill development. In chief of second world and first world countries, the youth is indeed provided with a right set of circumstances to attain education, but they fail to shine in the job market, reason being the inadequacy of skills. Education without the inculcation of skill development is as vain