Shibli, English, and the Step-Mother

The relationship between English (in what this term comes to mean as a language, as a discipline of studies, and as a synecdoche of Western culture) and our culture as Muslim Pakistanis has developed over a period of time since the British colonization. The history of this cultural interaction may be divided into three broad phases: the initial, the middle, and the present. The strategy adopted in this paper is based upon the argument that this relationship may be traced through some of the most representative figures of our culture, such as, Shibli, Iqbal, Faiz etc. In each phase of this interaction. The present essay on Shibli deals with the first phase of our cultural interaction with English. It adopts what may be termed as an analogical approach to the issue as it intends to engage with what I think to be rather unwarranted psychoanalytic forays of some of our critics into the psycho-dynamics of such culturally representative figures like Shibli in their relationship with English. The paper exploits the analogy first used by Sheikh Muhammad Ikram, and later employed by Nasir Abbas Nayyar that Shibli’s attitude towards English was the same as his attitude towards his step-mother at home. English, in other words, was a step-mother for Shibli, and for the generations represented through his figure in this early phase of our cultural interaction with the language. Shibli’s terms of engagement with his step-mother, and analogically with English, is the subject of this essay.

دنیاوی عذاب کے قرآنی اصول

Allah has bestowed the honor of His viceroy ship and exalted the man upon other creations. Man is created only and only to worship Allah. The world is a place of trial in which man has been given a choice between obedience of Allah and fellowship of Satan. The line of prophet hood was created to provide guidance to all mankind. Majority of Ummahs of prophets opted for shirk and became troublesome for people in social life. They were destroyed by Allah because of their consistency in wrong believes and social evils. Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H) has been sent as last Prophet and Quran is the last book for human kind, till the Day of Judgment. Man's success in this world, in the grave and the world hereafter is conditioned by the obedience of Allah and following the path of Hazrat Muhammad (P.B.U.H). We can achieve Allah's willingness and benevolence by adopting a way of our lives which is enjoined by Allah. Whereas shirk and disobedience invites Allah's displeasure, wrath and curse which incur disgrace in this world and eternal loss in the next world. Shirk and disobedience of Allah were the main features of the nations which were suffered by Azab in this world. Such Punishments from Allah were always according to certain rules. Lives and cities of those nations were destroyed but on the other hand the nations who persist in Allah remain intact by this wrath. They achieved Allah's benevolence and comfort in the worldly life. The Holy Quran explains those rules and principles at length according to which Allah punished nations and also gives their detailed histories. In the thesis under consideration, these rules and principles have been extracted from Holy Quran and are applied on the nations which were destroyed by Azab. By understanding these rules and principles, the Muslims can avoid Allah's wrath and get His willingness and benevolence. Moreover problems of Present days can only be overcome and resolved by learning from the previous nations and correcting our own actions in the light of Quran and Sunnah which consequently will bring prosperity, comfort and peace in this world and an honorable position among other nations of the world.