Out of Practice?

I like playing cricket, but I don’t find time to do it regularly; maybe once a week or not even that. Can I call myself a cricketer? Maybe not!  Can I call myself a non-practicing cricketer? Sounds strange, let’s skip that.

 A used to teach a few students once, but since I’ve gotten a little busy these days, I haven’t been doing that lately. Can I call myself a teacher? Maybe not! Can I call myself a non-practicing teacher? Umm… what’s that? Forget about that.

Maybe if I consider playing cricket full time, I might call myself a cricketer. Or maybe if I start teaching full time, people might call me a teacher. At least the time I’m playing cricket or teaching the students, I can call myself a cricketer and teacher respectively.

But is there any such term as a non-practicing cricketer or a non-practicing teacher? Obviously it simply means ‘non-cricketer cricketer’ and ‘non-teaching teacher.’ Ah…  What am I saying!

You must all be getting confused reading this crap too, aren’t you?

This is turning out to be a pointless post.

Just imagine if our lives turn out to be this pointless as well.

I’ll tell you how. Our society has a dictionary of its own; a dictionary that is contaminated with sinful terms which are sugar-coated to the extent that they sometimes seem virtuous.  One of those frivolously attracting terms is ‘non-practicing Muslims.’

It’s such an easy way out these days to avoid all rituals and responsibilities that are associated to our religion by calling oneself a ‘non-practicing Muslim.’ I was born a Muslim but it took me 20 odd years to realize what that actually meant, and I’m still in the process of this realization. Non-Muslims that revert to Islam are most of the times better than people like us who try to run away from a religion which we were born into by the blessing of ALLAH (SWT). It’s such a shame. Just because we are born Muslims, we do not bother to spare anymore time and effort in realizing what it actually means. Muslims that newly accept Islam though spare both time and effort and hence know the importance and meaning of Islam.

‘I’m a Muslim by heart and that’s enough for me’, this is also a new STYLE STATEMENT these days. ‘Beard is in Islam, Islam is not in the beard’ is another example. ‘It’s between ALLAH and me’ is also used by many. Of course it’s between ALLAH and you so don’t make it a battle for God’s sake. If you have a sense worth a penny even, you should know who’s going to win this battle.

If one day the Chief of our Army addresses the nation and states, ‘I’m a Pakistani by heart, but from tomorrow I’ll be wearing an Indian uniform but I promise I’m a Pakistani by heart.’  Seems like a joke, doesn’t it? Well that’s what we’ve made our own lives now, a joke.

As far as good looks are concerned, all Prophets sent to the earth by ALLAH Al-Mighty sported beards. Other than Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.S.), who could be more manly, handsome, stunning and attractive than Prophet Yousuf (A.S.)? And he too had a beard. So the issue of good looks without a beard is out of question.

When I was growing up, I used to imitate actors and rock stars by sporting different looks and styles. Why? Because I considered them my ideals. I did a lot of things the way they did. Later on, I realized that as a Muslim, on almost every forum we state that our ideal is our Prophet (S.A.W.S.) but we are ashamed of following his ways. Isn’t this hypocrisy? What’s the shame in trying to look like the way your prophet used to when there’s no shame in imitating others?

Don’t make religion a joke. Please don’t take it too lightly. Islam is a way of life. I agree to those who say that it is a very simple and easy religion, but don’t go astray by using the same words.

We are not a necessity for Islam; Islam is a necessity for us.

Hammad A. Mateen

Time to wake up

Untitled

I’ve been a fan of Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed’s (late) writings and dramas for a long time. A few days back while reading one of his books, I came across a very interesting story which he mentioned to highlight Pakistan’s role in the Afghan war in the 80’s.

It was regarding a film producer who wanted to make a large scale movie so he instructed his director to use all possible resources to make it appear real. In this context, he instrcuted his director to shoot a war scene using 20,000 extras (10,000 for each side.) The director agreed but pointed out that in order to include 20,000 extras in the movie, we would have to pay these 20,000 people as well.

The producer very calmly replied,

‘That won’t be a problem for me… Just make sure you give them real weapons.’

The story was mentioned to underline a very important issue which most of us understand but prefer to keep our eyes closed. Even if we look at the present scenario that we are facing with reference to this story, we would find that the story fits perfectly.

I leave it to my readers to think about it.

Hammad A. Mateen

Who’s protecting who?

It was a scorching Saturday noon. I was supposed to reach a net practice/ trial session for my office’s cricket team. I called a colleague of mine and we decided that he’d pick me up from a point close to my place. I reached the place and since it was very hot, started looking for a shelter to stand beneath.  I saw a tree under which incidentally a ranger’s mobile van was also positioned. With the thought of killing two birds with one stone; i.e. to have shelter under the tree and also have a little security around to protect from mobile snatchers etc. I moved under the tree and beside the van. I started my wait for my colleague who was late that day. I chewed on to my chewing gum a little more than I would normally do expecting my ride to come any moment. 10 minutes had passed and I was still waiting.

Then suddenly, a ranger’s official came close to me and said, ‘Maulvi sahib, aap thora agay jaa k kharay ho jaeyn saaey mein.’(Please go and stand a little farther in the shade.) I looked in the direction in which he was pointing and I couldn’t see anything there except an electricity pole which my mind suggested wouldn’t be adequate to provide a shade no matter which direction the sun provides particles of light to find obstruction in it (that day I realized my physics wasn’t bad after all.)

I turned around and asked the Jawan, ‘is it not allowed to stand here?’ he looked a bit confused and replied, ‘umm… no, it is allowed but….’ I considered that enough as an answer and told him I wasn’t going anywhere till my colleague arrives and stood my ground. The Jawan backed away but made me thought for a moment why he was so worried about a civilian standing next to his van.

I looked at myself to find the answer; I put myself in the Jawan’s shoes and tried to visualize who he was talking to. He was talking to a man with a long beard standing with a bag on his shoulder which he was constantly opening and peeking into to find his cell phone and check time on it (I was wearing a track suit lower so I had to keep my cell in the bag). Oh! Wait a second. I could’ve been a suicide attacker waiting for my jacket to tick off. But I was only wearing a t-shirt that day. Maybe he thought the bomb was inside my bag, or maybe they’d invented a suicide t-shirt now. Was my chewing of the gum a signal for something? Or was it the time when I kneeled down to tie my joggers’ laces? It could’ve been anything.

I’ll tell you what it actually was; it was pure case of confusion regarding who’s protecting who. The whole nation is a victim of it. Pakistani nationals are made to feel like aliens in their own country. Security is provided by the government for God knows who, because wherever an incident is planned to take place, it actually does; be it a target killing, mobile/ car snatching, robbery or a suicide bomb blast.

A country where law enforcing agencies need security themselves, the situation cannot be good. A country where the best solution for ensuring safety of lives is thought to be buying bullet proof vehicles by members of parliament themselves, the situation cannot be good. Running a government is no child’s play. A government is responsible for the life and prosperity of each and every individual that it exists on the land it claims to govern.

A common man isn’t interested in what Obama plans to negotiate with Osama. Neither does he care about what Mr. Kerry and Mr. Lugar have donated in charity to our royal beggar brigade (AKA our leaders.) An ordinary citizen of this country needs a calm stable life with an assurance from its government that care will be taken of its life with responsibility instead of the citizens being made to take care of the government to keep it stable. The next time you step out of your homes, make sure you carry your CNIC with you; you might have to prove your identity for the sake of your ‘own’ security.  

Hammad A. Mateen

He’s back

"A lone ranger."

PCB finally takes a U-turn on a decision which it shouldn’t have made at the first place. The inclusion of former test skipper Younis Khan in the Pakistan side for the series against South Africa is boosting for a side that is surrounded by controversies.

I have never thought of Younis Khan as one of the legendary batsmen who have graced the game with their presence on the crease, but I have always admired the man for his passion for the game and the honesty in his dealings.  Maybe that’s the only reason because of which he has been facing problems in existing in a system which is corrupt to the core.

Nevertheless, his selection in the national side will definitely strengthen the batting line and provide the side with an experienced campaigner who will prove beneficial if utilized properly.

Let’s see for how long Younis Khan survives within this system or how long this system will tolerate a straight-forward individual.

In any way, one thing is for sure; honesty doesn’t go waste no matter how long the wait.

Best of Luck MYK!

Hammad A. Mateen

Optimistic pessimists

Human psychology is a very dry subject. Maybe because sometimes we just don’t want to know the reasons behind what we are doing unless our acts are making us feel satisfied. Satisfaction for different people has different meanings. It depends on geographical, social, cultural and even religious factors. As far as society is concerned, social norms are formed when psychology of a group of individuals overwhelm that of the rest. This can be positive or negative.

As ordinary as we are, we have limited ourselves to certain psychological terminologies around which our lives revolve. We are either optimists or pessimists. We either have a low self-esteem or a higher one. We are either under-confident or over-confident. It is a fact that proper balance is missing in our lives. The reason for this is the fact that we haven’t actually established the correct meanings of the very terms around which our lives tend to take a merry-go-round ride. The virus of materialism has corrupted the hard disks of our minds so badly that even the best of anti-viruses are unable to detect the real problem.

 I heard Maulana Tariq Jameel (a great Islamic speaker) put this scenario into words very aptly. According to him, there are two things, actions (aamal) and knowledge (ilm). If the actions of a nation go astray, there is a chance that they might recover. But if the knowledge of a nation gets off track; it reaches a point of no return.

Now let’s take a look at a couple of very common terms which have a very deep impact on our lives as a society.

Optimism: The word refers to a state of being hopeful and emphasizing on the positives of a situation. We tend to mix its meanings with the word ‘opportunism’ which describes a behavior in which every situation may be used for one’s own advantage. The point I’m trying to make over here is that we’ve linked the wrong meanings to words which can be actually very useful to us if understood correctly.

Man is never thankful to ALLAH (SWT). He is always asking for more and more. In our case: more and more money. We have developed a notion in our minds that an optimist is a person who never relaxes in his quest to conquer the world. You have to be an optimist in order to gain power, status and respect. We are told to never give up our quest and use optimism as a tool to keep going.

Pessimism: It refers to a behavior in which emphasis is given to the bad parts of a situation. We mix its meaning with the word ‘lethargic.’

A pessimist in our society is a person who has feels contented with what he has and does not aim ‘High.’ A person who feels happy for others is a pessimist. They are considered not to have enough competitive drive in them. They get don’t get up in the morning aiming to step over someone else’s shoulder to move ahead in life.

We have gone so wrong in our assumptions about life. The one who we think is a pessimist is actually an optimist. They find satisfaction in whatever they do. They sleep well and have no worries in their minds when they wake up in the morning. They thank ALLAH (SWT) for all they have and do not complain for what they don’t.

On the other hand, the ‘optimist’ is always worried about not being left behind in ‘The Race.’ They sleep with nervous thoughts in their minds and wake up with the same. They are surrounded by complexes at all times; both inferior and superior.

Alas! If we could only realize that ALLAH (SWT) has promised to sustain us unconditionally but He has not promised to forgive us unless we thank and obey Him. We are running and competing in a race which has no finish line. Our lives get finished but our desires don’t. Let’s all pray that ALLAH (SWT) forgives us and enables us to thank Him for all that He has blessed us with. Aameen.

Hammad A. Mateen

No more ifs and ‘Butts’

“A trouble they didn’t see coming.”

While the Pakistani nation is busy witnessing their star players show off their talents in the ongoing domestic T20 championship at The Qaddafi Stadium, the atmosphere off the field isn’t too cold either. Just two days after PCB issued its One-Day captain (Shahid Afridi) a show-cause notice for commenting on the team selection of the very squad he is scheduled to lead later this month, the PCB itself gets a warning from the ICC. After a meeting in Dubai (which extended to 2 days), the ICC has warned PCB to clean up its acts otherwise it will have to face consequences.

Since the time Mr. Ijaz Butt has taken charge of PCB, the relations between the board and the ICC have been on thin ice to say the least. Butt has taken the PCB on a rollercoaster ride like no other chairman has ever taken.

A short preview of the ride can be seen as under:

• Younis Khan made captain in place of Shoaib Malik.
• A T20 world cup victory.
• Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi made captains for different formats.
• Poor performances.
• M.Yousuf made captain.
• Poor performances.
• Ball biting incident.
• Players punished.
• T20 World cup loss.
• Players forgiven.
• Afridi named captain for all formats.
• Afridi resigns as test captain and announces retirement from test match cricket.
• Salman Butt gets a chance to lead.
• Spot/ Match fixing allegations.
• Three players including the captain suspended.
• Mediocre performance.
• Misbah ul Haq named test captain.

There’s been a lot more going on as well within the PCB, like shuffling, hiring and firing of personnel and a battle for authority between individuals.

As far as the international scenario is concerned, the PCB wasn’t too bothered about mending its ways in that regard as well.

• The Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore.
• Pakistan was deprived from its right to host matches of the World Cup 2011.

Butt’s tenure so far has been nothing short of a masala bollywood flick. It’s been full of action, adventure, thrill and suspense with an exaggerated amount of humor as well provided by the man himself with his statements in the press and media and then complete U-turns on the very statements.

A very capable wicket-keeper of his time, claiming 52 catches and 20 stumpings in First-class cricket, Butt seems to be handling matters with butterfingers these days. The chairman seems be relying upon the Federal Defense Minister (who is also Butt’s brother-in-law) to defend his position as the PCB chief. The Patron in Chief of PCB (President of Pakistan) however, should…… (aah! Never mind)

After a two-day long meeting in Dubai, the ICC has directed its task force (which was initially formed to examine ways to bring international cricket back to Pakistan soil) to go beyond its original task and assist PCB in improving its affairs. The team consists of Giles Clarke (Chairman ECB and leader of the task force), Peter Chingoka (chairman ZC), Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka), Mike Brearley (England), Dave Richardson (SA) and Ramiz Raja (Pak).

PCB has been given 30 days to examine and review its structure which is being leisurely but gradually eaten up by the termite of corruption. In short, PCB has to have a pest control done within a month otherwise sanctions may be imposed on the board. The PCB is also directed to implement an education program for its players to groom them as responsible sportsmen before they come on to the field (the writer has stressed on the very point in an earlier post as well titled ‘in a fix again…’)

Frankly, 30 days isn’t a sufficient amount of time for any organization to mend its ways, especially when the organization is in a state of disarray as badly as the PCB. Surely, The PCB hasn’t faced any situation as terrible as this since the time it was founded (1948 as B.C.C.P.)

One can only hope Pakistan Cricket comes out of this predicament very soon and we find players and officials who are sincere to the game and genuinely play it as ‘The Gentleman’s Game.’

Hammad A. Mateen

It’s FREE!

During a break between overs in a domestic T20 cricket match on TV, I saw an ad which was of a mobile telecom company. You must be wondering what’s worth in it to mention; that’s all that we watch day and night on TV these days. What was strange in this ad though was the offer they we advertising for. The funky looking guy (which was supposed to represent our youth) was trying to impress a girl by shouting that he would talk to her on phone all day and night. The girl showing how much free time she actually had, got both impressed and shocked. The catch was that this particular company is offering a ‘package‘ after activating which you can talk on 3 friends’ and family numbers absolutely FREE for 24 hours for only Rs. 6.99 per day.

As ridiculous as it sounds, I am forced to ponder how people actually buy what these advertisers have to say without even noticing the real deal. I mean, talking for FREE for Rs. 6.99?

 

I couldn’t stop smiling when different manifestations of such offers came to my mind. It’s actually like offering:

1)      Free electricity, just by paying all that is mentioned on your bill.

2)      Free air ticket to Islamabad for only Rs. 7,599.

3)       Free swimming lessons, only if you already know how to swim.

No wonder why our politicians don’t bother considering the ‘intellect factor’ of this nation when they ask for our votes time and again. We are being fooled round-the-clock. Those who are the future of this country are busy switching SIM cards and activating new packages on their mobiles. 

Marketing and advertising has become so easy. Telecom companies are luring their customers by offering Rs. 0.25 less cost than their competitors. This is how much it costs to buy a customer. This isn’t only happening in the mobile telecom sector; almost all the goods that are being advertised are using the same kind of techniques.

Our priorities have changed so much over the past 2-3 decades. We do not need an East India Company now, we already work for one 24/7 by wasting our time, effort and creativity on things that should be of least importance to us.

We aren’t using cell phones anymore, cell phones are using us.

Hammad A. Mateen

It’s time to go now



It’s time to go now,

To meet my Creator,

There’s no excuse left,

It can’t wait till later.

 

The luggage is ready,

I don’t need to pack,

Nothing new can be added,

I can only look back.

 

Oh! What have I done?

Nothing at all,

Nothing that will please ALLAH,

Nothing I can recall.

 

I had ‘The Book’,

I could’ve saved myself,

But I kept it safely,

High up on the shelf.

 

My parents were too caring,

I should’ve served them well,

The way I treated them,

I can’t even tell.

 

I heard ALLAH calling me,

Five times a day,

I knew it was important,

Just didn’t find time to pray.

 

I had a busy life,

As busy as it gets,

It wasn’t easy to balance,

Work, family and friends.

 

I wanted to grow up soon,

Then I wanted my childhood back,

This life was such a mystery,

A code I couldn’t crack.

 

It’s time to go now,

To meet my Creator,

There’s no excuse left,

It can’t wait till later.

 

It seems a bit too early,

I wish I had more time,

I feel so guilty in my heart,

Like I’ve lived a life of crime.

 

I forgot Him when times were good,

I remembered Him when things went bad,

He used to be my only hope,

The only hope I had.

 

Money could buy me everything,

Everything in the world,

But now it seems worthless,

When I fail to utter a word.

 

I knew I had to die one day,

I knew this day would come,

I thought I could fix things up,

Now I run harum-scarum.

 

It’s time to go now,

To meet my Creator,

There’s no excuse left,

It can’t wait till later.

 

Hammad A. Mateen

The Office Jungle

 

In the jungle of mistrust known as ‘The office’, species of various kinds dwell. It is truly a miracle of God that coexistence of such contrastingly natured creatures is possible at the same place.

Some characteristics of this jungle and its inhabitants are mentioned below:

The climate: Climate change takes place throughout the week from Mondays to Fridays and in some cases even extending to Saturdays. It’s usually gloomy on Mondays followed by light showers on Tuesdays which lead to heavy thunderstorms on Wednesdays. Thursdays are sunny and humid with the temperatures rising up to about 45 degree Celsius. Fridays are usually windy and dusty.

The Inhabitants: As we take a jungle safari, creatures of various kinds can be seen busy in their rituals which they term as ‘The Office life.’ Descriptions of some of these creatures are given below:

The Hard-workers: These are usually the ones upon whom survival of the jungle depends. They are moderate in nature, mostly subtle in their approach towards life and literally harmless to other living things that are around them. They prefer a calm, silent life without interfering in other individuals’ businesses. They have the ability to survive in all kinds of climatic changes without making much of a hassle.

The Scared ones: This kind is usually not the one which you can observe very easily during your jungle safari. They try to stay in hibernation most of the time. They have an exaggerated sense of smell and the moment they catch the scent of trouble in the air. They hide behind the rocks of files or inside the lair that is at an unknown location.   

The Leg Pullers: These are the chirpy ones. It’s not easy to find them in their dens as they are mostly found sitting around and wasting time in some other parts of the woods. They are generally harmless in nature but they like having a good time by playing pranks on the hard-worker types and specially the scared ones.

The Politicians: These are the only species in the jungle that are blessed with a ‘Brain’ (or at least they think that way.) They are extremely talented for all the wrong reasons. They are utilized by both hunters and the King of the jungle to keep a close eye on the activities of other inhabitants to hunt them down when required.

The Psychos: These are creatures with extraordinary abilities but they use these abilities at their own will. Scientists are still trying to find out about the chemical that runs in the veins of these species and makes them what they are. They aren’t bothered about what’s happening around in the jungle. The climate changes don’t even have a great impact on them. They have their own set of rules and they aren’t worried about anything else.

The Team Leaders: Creatures belonging to this genus mostly rely on the hard-worker and psycho type species. They are either found running behind a psycho trying to convince it to follow the rules of the jungle and passing warnings to it that are coming from the top, or they are mostly busy in disturbing the hard-workers to enhance their performance and efficiency (which does not actually happen very often, and the TL knows that too.)

The Managers: Inhabitants of this kind are usually the ones that attack first and then ask questions. They are predators and they hunt their prey down usually when they are caught napping. They have a great problem with the existence of psychos in the habitat. Managers like to live at a den which is positioned at a height so that they can keep a close eye on what’s happening around the jungle. They are mostly volatile in nature and consider themselves ‘King of the jungle’ (which they actually aren’t.)  

The Big Boss: ‘King of the Jungle’, the big boss isn’t usually seen around the jungle too often. It likes to rest mostly in its cave and comes out only when it feels like coming out. It has a very unpredictable nature. Sometimes at the time of feast, it likes to sit around with the other inhabitants of the jungle to give them a feeling that the King is actually very nice at heart. That is not usually the case though. He is only nice and calm until the affairs of the jungle are running smoothly. The moment something goes wrong, it can become the deadliest of predators. Scientists believe that until the inferior inhabitants of the jungle continue to bring vegetables to serve the King, it’s an herbivore. But if they fail to serve it the way it wants, it’ll come out of its cave and start hunting as a carnivore.

Life is not easy at the jungle. It’s all about survival of the fittest, and to become fit enough, learning the tricks of the trade is inevitable.

Happy Hunting!

Hammad A. Mateen