The Pakistani Spectator

Could you tell us what made you decide to blog, and what was the inspiration behind it?
My Blog was an attempt to promote Sufism and also the Green Movement, that is ecological, sustainable living, and also to show the similarities between the 2. After all, today’s environmental problems are caused by overspending, materialism, greed, lust, violence. Sufism teaches us to tame our inner beast, and live a simple life of material poverty but spiritual richness like the Holy Prophet PBUH, which is what is needed today more than ever. In short I felt Sufism is the answer to our inner void as well as the ecological disaster we have created through wrong patterns of thought. Hence this blog.

What do you think sets Your blog apart from other blogs?
-I’m an artist & musician, an art teacher by profession, so I think what is different is perhaps that the audio visual aspect is more prominent on my blog, otherwise there are a lot of better blogs out there on Sufism.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success in life, what would it be?
-I haven’t got any success do to any virtue…in fact I’ve a lot of faults. All success has just been a gift from my Creator.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?
-Not a particular moment, but  saddest was to see my father’s health decline and then his death, and most joyful, my wonderful wife and our son. Alhamdolillah.

Urdu Blogs have got huge potential, when do you think they will really take on the online horizon in Pakistan?
-Inshallah soon. Perhaps a lot of us haven’t figured out the technical aspects of it. Recently a good Urdu font has finally arrived, I saw it on Naveed’s Sufined blog… I’ll have to ask him how to use it.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s paid for - what would your top 3 choices be?
-Mecca and Medina, my wife’s done her Hajj but I haven’t.
Morocco- I’ve been there before but my wife and kid haven’t….
Turkey or China.

What is your favorite book and why?
-One book would be just the Holy Qur’an

After that, Martin Lings’ seerah- “Muhammad PBUH -His Life Based on the Earliest Sources.”

Then I’d say it’s Hazrat Wahid Baksh Rabbani’s Sharah of Data Sahib RA’s Kashful Mahjub.

I also love Small is Beautiful by EF Schumacher. Very profound. Also Hazrat Shah Shahidullah Faridi and Hazrat Wahid Baksh’s writings.

In the past I’ve been deeply affected by Hesse’s Siddhartha and Hoff’s The Tao of Pooh.

The Shahabnama and Muftiji’s Alakh Nagri as well.

What is your favorite meal, dress, and sport?
Meal:- good chinese or mexican
Dress:- White un-starched UP Kurta with Aligarh pajama, or with tehband [dhoti]
Sport:- cricket, cycling, martial arts- all except cycling are spectator sports…

Which are the top 3 places in Pakistan for honeymoon?
-Multan Kalam Ziarat?

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?
-Looks and how they treat people lower in social status.

Whose Future is more bright in Pakistan; English blogs or Urdu Blogs?
-Urdu inshaAllah.

How Pakistani bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
- i wouldn’t know, and I would adivse against earning from advertising. It’ll cause your blog to lose barkat.

Do you think Pakistani bloggers tend to remain somewhat self-centered and really don’t go out of their shells? Is it the oriental style of blogging, or they are still unsure about it?
- I’m not sure.

What do you think where the Pakistani blogosphere is right now?
- Right now, based on what little I know of it, the blogsphere seems dominated by  the secularists & the liberals. Unfortunately. Cause they are also extremists I think.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers in Pakistan?
-Chaiwala, but he’s based outside Pakistan. No one else comes close, so sorry, I can’t give you five.

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger in Pakistani blogosphere?
-Chaiwala again. He has 2 great blogs on Wordpress, Stray Reflections is his main one and Jhelum Motorworks a side one.

What is the future of blogging in Pakistan?
-Bright inshaAllah.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
-It does interfere. I’m trying to restrict internet to sundays and fridays.

What are your future plans?
-to keep praying

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
-plant a tree or vegetables and look after, don’t use plastics or disposables, reduce reuse recycle, and read at least one book by Seyyed Hossein Nasr or those listed above. And if you do visit my blog and it benefits you in any way, send a little prayer.
God bless, Pakistan zindabad, and finally, as my friend Babar would say, DUROOD!