Page 26 - Pakistan Link - December 31, 2021

P26 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 31, 2021 PAKISTAN
RECONSTRUCTION FROM P9 The Seljuks were under doc- Al Ghazzali was concerned fake credentials; its office-bearers have pressive as his — and cajole him into
Hijaz and Syria. Circa 1000 CE, their trinal pressure from the Fatimids. that the acceptance of cause and ef- the highest national honors but they putting a brief aside, with the plea,
influence extended as far as Multan The Batini Assassins were wreaking fect would preclude the possibility stand exposed by international orga- “‘Come on, Grey Wolf, take me to a
in Pakistan. The loss of Egypt meant havoc on the body-politic. The ar- of miracles. He wrote: “On its nega- nizations as cheaters and plagiarists. pantomime; after all, I am on my holi-
that the Sunni Caliphs in Baghdad guments of the philosophers were tion (of natural causality) depends The continuing revelations of one days,’” Bolitho noted.
were cut off from trade routes that causing confusion in the minds of the possibility of affirming the exis- such organization, Retraction Watch, Their relationship suffered a set-
connected India with the trading city the people. Encouraged by Nizamul tence of miracles which interrupt the are like water off a duck’s back. None back when Dina decided to marry a
states of Venice, Milan and Genoa. Mulk, Al Ghazzali took on the de- usual course of nature . . . and those in the PAS so much as bat an eyelid at non-Muslim, Neville Wadia. It “meant
The Fatimids in Cairo thrived even fense of Sunni orthodoxy and turned who consider the ordinary course of the exposés — fraud and bluster has for Jinnah the end of family life,” re-
as the Abbasids in Baghdad struggled his powerful dialectic against the nature a logical necessity regard all become a way of life. marks Al-Mujahid.
with shrinking revenues. esoteric doctrines of the Fatimids as this as impossible.” The philosophers These grim problems can be Dina’s argument was that Jinnah
In the eleventh century (1040- well as the endless argumentations maintained that there was cause and overcome if there is a desire to be had also married her mother, who had
1092), the Seljuk Turks descended of the philosophers. A theologian effect in nature. If cause and effect ruthlessly honest. But when aggres- a non-Muslim background, ignoring
from the Steppes of Central Asia, by training, he dived deep into the mechanistically and deterministical- sive self-righteous zealots grab the the fact that Rattanbai had embraced
conquered most of West and Central tenets of philosophy and turned its ly follow one from the other, where is reins of power, the chances decrease. Islam before marriage with Jinnah.
Asia and established a vast and pow- arguments against its practitioners. the need for the intercession of God? Such dogmatists make reform impos- Perhaps, her father wanted to save her
erful empire stretching from Kashgar His Tahaffuz al Falasafa (Repudiation This position, argued al Ghazzali, sible by asserting that they — and they from the pain and agony that he and
(China) to Damascus (Syria). of the Philosophers) was a master- would contradict the omnipotence alone — know the truth. Their moral Rattanbai had gone through in their
ful thrust at the philosophers. While of God. absolutes lead to strong emotions, di- lives due to their union.
The Seljuk Empire circa 1092 maintaining the importance of rea- (Continued next week) minished reasoning capacity and dys- Her decision to go ahead with
As Sunni Muslims, the Turks son in the implementation of the function in governance. her marriage with Wadia sapped the
became champions and protectors Shariah, Al Ghazzali denounced the IDEOLOGY FROM P4 Buoyed up by Pakistan’s victory warmth from their relationship. They
of the Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad. philosophers for their beliefs in the charged, radical, right-wing crack- in Afghanistan, on many occasions exchanged letters sometimes, but
A test of arms between the Fatimids eternity of time and cause and effect pots who deny climate change and PM Khan — who greatly admires those from Jinnah were very formal,
and the Seljuks was inevitable. They in nature, going so far as to suggest conflate gun-control with a commu- Erdogan — has gleefully lauded the addressing his daughter as “Mrs Wa-
fought over control of Syria and Pal- that philosophers like ibn Sina were nist takeover. Some lawmakers tacit- Taliban as a liberating force. He has dia.”
estine in which the Seljuks were vic- Takfireen (disbelievers). ly or openly supported the Capitol’s lauded the Pakistani madrassahs that Al-Mujahid observes: “When do-
torious. The response of the Fatimids Al Ghazzali’s Repudiation of the takeover by a mob. Will dysfunc- produced the Taliban and showered mestic happiness was lost and family
was a deadly, clandestine war against Philosophers tional America get back on the rails? funds upon them. Now he wants our felicity disappeared, it left a scar on
their foes. The Assassins, a shadowy, The string of madrassas and col- The world is watching. regular schools to emulate Taliban- Jinnah’s mind and the sadness was re-
disgruntled extremist group broke leges established by Nizamul Mulk in Pakistan’s misfortune is to have style education — hence SNC. By flected in his character.”
off from the Fatimids and waged an the vast Seljuk empire served as vehi- the soul brother of Erdogan in power official notification dated Dec 21,
asymmetrical cloak and dagger war cles for dissemination of Al Ghazza- today. Forget the falling rupee — it co-education in Punjab’s schools will Friend: Sarojini Naidu
for over a hundred years against the li’s ideas. The Nizamiya syllabus that will surely make some small recov- be phased out. In fulfilling PM Khan’s The
Seljuks and other Sunni powers of was introduced into these madrassas eries soon and, for a while, everyone ideological fantasies, Pakistan will pay poetess and
Asia. reflected the Ash’arite positions on will be satisfied again. Much more a terrible price. p o li t ici a n
The intellectual landscape was philosophy. It was this syllabus, with serious is that our schools are pro- (The writer is an Islamabad- Sarojini Nai-
equally turbulent. The Fatimid chal- some modifications, which was used ducing hordes of ignorant, bigoted, based physicist and writer) du | Photo
lenge to Sunni Islam was not just po- in throughout Islamic world until the hyper-religious Sialkot-type lynchers courtesy the
litical-military, it was also doctrinal. nineteenth century. Some madrasas who are totally skill-deficient. This writer
The Fatimids believed that their ver- in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will get far worse when the ideologi- WOMEN FROM P21 R e -
sion of Islam with its emphasis on the use a stripped-down version of the cally motivated Single National Cur- extended all the opportunities avail- served by na-
Imamate was the true Islam. They set Nizamiya syllabus even to this day. riculum (SNC), the brainchild of PM able to men at various stages in their ture, Jinnah
upon converting the Sunni world to Al Ghazzali’s knowledge was Imran Khan — becomes fully opera- lives was amply reflected in his care- had very few
their faith, establishing schools and encyclopedic covering theology, ka- tional. ful handling of the schooling and friends. Sarojini Naidu was perhaps
colleges to train the daees (proselytiz- lam, philosophy, ethics, Shariah, ta- The SNC conjoins regular career orientation of Fatima Jinnah his only female friend, for whom Jin-
ers). The renowned Al Azhar univer- sawwuf and his influence was global. schools with madressahs. Across (1893-1967), his youngest sister and nah had profound regard.
sity in Cairo was established in 969 He wrote more than 70 books, only the country, regular schools are be- ward,” wrote Sharif Al-Mujahid. Naidu was an acclaimed poetess,

CE by the Fatimid Caliph al Muiz one of which, namely, Tahaffuz al ing dragged down and turned into Jinnah remained grateful to his nicknamed ‘The Nightingale of India.’
not just as a higher citadel of learn- Falasafa, is under discussion here. seminaries. The pre-SNC situation sister all his life. “Miss Fatima Jinnah In Indian politics, during the first half
ing but also as a propaganda center In this book, Al Ghazzali examines was bad enough with abysmally low is a constant source of help and en- of the 20th century, she was one of the
for Fatimid Islam. The well-trained twenty of the assumptions and beliefs achievement levels in reading, writ- couragement to me,” he expressed in most prominent female leaders in the
daees spread out throughout the Is- held by the philosophers of the day. ing and reasoning. SNC, by making his August 1947 speech at the Karachi Congress party. After Independence,
lamic world, inviting the believers We limit ourselves only to two of the the rote-learning system still stron- Club. “In the days when I was expect- Naidu was appointed the first woman
to shift over to the view that the first twenty issues Al Ghazzali examines, ger, will deal the death blow. On the ing to be taken as a prisoner by the governor of Uttar Pradesh (UP) prov-
seven Imams were the true inheritors namely, his views on the nature of one hand children will memorize British Government, it was my sister ince in India by the Nehru govern-
of the spiritual legacy of Prophet Mu- time (issue 1 in Tahaffuz al Falasafa) vastly greater amounts of religious who encouraged me and said hopeful ment.
hammed (pbuh). Their esoteric ideas, and his position on cause and effect materials. On the other hand, only things... Her constant care is about my She was highly impressed with
often couched in secretive language, (issue 17 in the book). a single official textbook is specified health.” Jinnah — both his physical appear-
were a source of confusion in the Is- Al Ghazzali was an Ash’arite. for each subject. A student memoriz- ance as well as intellectual capabili-
lamic body politic. Like al Ash’ari, Al Ghazzali accepted ing selected parts of that book can Daughter: Dina Jinnah ties — and openly praised him in her
The Seljuks were patrons of the atomistic theory of time, namely, get full marks. Dina was born on August 15, writings. She also wholeheartedly sup-
art, architecture, poetry, education, that time can be digitized and divid- On a global level, Pakistani chil- 1919. She was nine when she lost her ported him and his ideas in political
astronomy and the mathematical ed into miniscule, discrete packets. dren presently stand at the bottom mother. Her father called upon his sis- and social circles.
sciences and their capital Esfahan This position led him to claim that of achievement levels. Inferior to ter to help him in raising his daughter. She compiled Jinnah’s speeches
became a magnet for theologians, there was no cause and effect in na- their counterparts in Iran, India and Soon afterwards, Jinnah took and writings in the form of a book
philosophers, mathematicians, as- ture, only “habits”. It was God who Bangladesh, they are almost always both his daughter and his sister to Mohammad Ali Jinnah: An Ambas-
tronomers, poets and architects. was the efficient, direct, immediate absent from competitions like the in- London, where he started practising sador of Unity. In her pen-portrait of

The celebrated mathematician-poet agent for all events; He caused these ternational science and mathematics law. The family lived in a three-storied Jinnah, published in the book in No-
Omar Khayyam, who compiled the events either directly or through in- Olympiads. When they do compete, villa, with “many rooms and gables, vember 1917, she described him in
precise Jalalian calendar worked at termediaries. Al Ghazali wrote: “The they perform poorly. The solitary ex- and a tall tower which gave a splendid these words:
the magnificent court of Seljuk Sul- connection between what is habitu- ception is invariably an O-A level or view over the surrounding country,” “Tall and stately, but thin to the
tan Malik Shah (d 1092). The great ally believed to be a cause and what IB student linked to a foreign exami- described Bolitho. “There was a lodge, point of emaciation, languid and
vizier Nizam ul Mulk (d 1092) was is habitually believed to be an effect nation system. a drive, and eight acres of garden and luxurious of habit, Mohammad Ali
himself a writer and author of Siasat is not necessary, according to us. For This under-achievement kills pasture.” Jinnah’s attenuated form is a decep-
Nama, a masterpiece of political sci- any two things, it is not necessary the possibility of Pakistan doing well This stress-free environment, tive sheath of a spirit of exceptional
ence. He established universities in that the existence or the nonexis- in science and technology even into away from the grilling politics of vitality and endurance… an intuition
Esfehan, Baghdad, Nishapur, Merv, tence of one follows necessarily from the 22nd century. Lacking scien- India, brought Jinnah very close to quick and tender as a woman’s, a hu-
Samarqand and Bokhara and built the existence or the nonexistence of tists, engineers, and technicians of Dina, who’s “companionship had be- mour gay and winning as a child’s …
madrasas throughout the empire. the other. Their connection is due to quality, Pakistan has reached a dead come a delight to both of them,” stat- the obvious sanity and serenity of his
Al Ghazzali, arguably the most the prior decision of God, who cre- end. CPEC’s billions failed to ignite ed Bolitho. Once Jinnah insisted that worldly wisdom effectually disguise a
influential theologian in Islamic his- ates them side by side, not to its be- industrial, engineering, scientific, or Dina read a book he loved, Grey Wolf: shy and splendid idealism which is of
tory, was born in Tabaran-Tus (Iran) ing necessary by itself, incapable of business activity. The country has no An Intimate Study of a Dictator by the very essence of man.”
in 1057. He received his early educa- separation” (Stanford Encyclopedia space program, no biotech labs turn- H.C. Armstrong, on the life of Kamal All these women hailed from
tion in Tus and then proceeded to of Philosophy). Citing the example of ing out new products, and no sig- Ataturk. “For many days afterwards, different social backgrounds and be-
Nishapur where he studied under the the burning of cotton by fire, he ob- nificant indigenous hi-tech industry he talked of Kemal Ataturk so much longed to different eras. But one com-
well-known Ash’arite scholar al Ju- served: “…. We say that the efficient in any domain. Last year, Pakistan’s that his daughter chaffed him and monality among them was that they
wayni. Upon the death of his teacher, cause of the combustion through the software exports — a measure of nicknamed him ‘Grey Wolf’,” wrote all were strong women in their own
he moved to Baghdad (1089) which creation of blackness in the cotton brain power — stood at barely $2 bil- Bolitho. right. This speaks of Jinnah’s affinity
was at the time the premier center of and through causing the separation lion (India’s were $148bn). Dina was so close to her father for strong women, which only a strong
learning in the world. Al Gazzali’s of its parts and turning it into coal or On the academic front, Paki- that she could take the liberties that man can possess.
erudition and sharp wit attracted the ashes is God—either through the me- stani professors churn out thousands nobody else could with the otherwise (The writer is former Vice-
attention of the grand vizier Nizamul diation of the angels or without me- of so-called research papers every reserved Jinnah. “She alone could Chancellor of Sindh Madressatul Is-
Mulk, who appointed him Professor diation. For fire is a dead body which year, but these are mostly worthless. tease her father — a fond treatment lam University and a former faculty-
at the prestigious Nizamiya college in has no action, and what is the proof Today, the Pakistan Academy of Sci- he had lacked all his life: she alone fellow/ Fulbright Scholar at American
Baghdad. that it is the agent?” ence is stuffed with persons having could extend her hand — slim and ex- University, Washington DC. Dawn)
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