Asif Naqshbandi
My Top Ten Novels by Desi Writers Dec 31, 1969
I am a prose stylist and all my choices reflect this bias.
In Remembrance of Martyrdom Dec 31, 1969
A translation of the Urdu elegy “Zikr e Shahadat” by Mawlana Hassan Raza Khan
Whither Pakistan? The Presidential 'Election' and Beyond Dec 31, 1969
It is my view that in the not too distant future Pakistan too will go through its own version of an Islamic revolution.
Dillu Ram Kausari: The Hindu Poet who Loved The Prophet Dec 31, 1969
One quatrain, in particular, shocked the entire community in India, both Muslims and Hindus.
Ramadan Special: Tales of Sufi Wisdom Dec 31, 1969
Since Ramadan is supposed to be a month for bringing dead hearts back to life all the episodes here chosen have the theme of life and death.
Book: Maps for Lost Lovers by Nadeem Aslam Dec 31, 1969
Aslam has really succeeded in portraying the lives, dreams, and fears of immigrant Pakistanis in the UK. That he does it with magical prose is icing on the cake.
Celebrating Pakistan's 60th Anniversary Dec 31, 1969
What better way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Pakistan's independence from Britain than poetry from Iqbal, the man who is Pakistan's ideological founding father?
Michel Houellebecq: France's New Literary "Enfant Terrible" and Islamophobe Dec 31, 1969
Reviews of "Atomised", "Platform" and "The Possibility of an Island".
Does Islam, in fact, Encourage Paedophilia? Dec 31, 1969
Sexual attraction to postpubescent teens has existed in every culture throughout history.
An Evening with Ustad Asad Amanat Ali Khan: A Tribute Dec 31, 1969
I met Asad Amanat Ali Khan a few years ago; I didn't think I'd never meet him again.
A Weekend in Vienna Dec 31, 1969
I was joined in this ancient bibliothek by a trio of Russian ladies, all splendidly over-dressed
Muharram 10: ’Ashura: Commemorating Imam Hussain- The Prince of Martyrs Dec 31, 1969
A translation of a section from Jami’s Shawhid al Nabuwwah
Islamic Education, Madrassah Reform, Rationality and Dawkins Dec 31, 1969
The Muslims need to adapt a modern mindset which requires changes to traditional education.
Muslims ‘Unveiled’ Dec 31, 1969
Muslims should be willing to adapt to the host culture as much as possible
Iqbal, Ghalib, Amir Khusraw: Three Masters, Three Poems Dec 31, 1969
The Madness of Love by Allama Iqbal - Where I was Last Night by Amir Khusraw Dehlavi - Do Not Be Stingy With the Wine Today by Mirza Ghalib
Another 'Bludy' Desi? Dec 31, 1969
A group of teenagers viciously beat up another boy. Except this time the boys doing the beating are desis from Hounslow in South London and the poor chap getting beaten up is white -- which is also his ’crime’
'Dew from Truth’s Garden' Dec 31, 1969
The following translation is of excerpts from a poem by the great scholar-Sufi saint from India, Imam Ahmad Riza Khan, eulogising the Prophet. In these verses he writes of the miraculous qualities of the various body parts of the Beloved Prophet
Iran, Geopolitics and the Bomb Dec 31, 1969
When Iran does not have a bomb and Israel has 200 of them why not threaten Israel with sanctions?
An Ode To Wine Dec 31, 1969
The grapevines in Makka are grown
When fully ripened, to Madina are flown!
Movie: Sins Dec 31, 1969
A Catholic priest has an affair with a young woman and blackmails her into continuing it to further his own Church career.
A Cinephile’s Choice Dec 31, 1969
These are films which I have watched again and again and which give me great pleasure whenever I watch them.
Hazrat Sarmad Shaheed: The Naked Sufi Martyr Dec 31, 1969
Every man who is aware of his secret
He becomes concealed even from the skies
The mullah says that Ahmad went to the heavens
Sarmad says that the heavens were inside Ahmad!
Anarkali Dec 31, 1969
Anarkali is becoming increasingly reckless; Salim in a state of confusion is trying to get her to stop with motions of his head and signals with his eyes
More Tales of Sufi Wisdom Dec 31, 1969
Onlookers were amazed, the venerable old Sufi kneeling next to the stray dog
Movie: Garden State Dec 31, 1969
A fable about the power of love to heal old wounds...
Two Score and Ten Dec 31, 1969
Books that have somehow changed my life...
Sometimes… Dec 31, 1969
A translation of Sahir Ludhiyanvi’s Urdu poem, “Kabhi Kabhi”
Movie: House of Flying Daggers (Shi mian mai fu) Dec 31, 1969
Scenes of such perfect beauty that that they almost brings one to tears!
Movie: The Fog of War Dec 31, 1969
The ultimate insider`s view as McNamara talks about his role in WW2, The Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam et al.!
Movie: The Twilight Samurai Dec 31, 1969
This is quite possibly the greatest samurai film I`ve ever seen.
Three Tales Of Sufi Wisdom Dec 31, 1969
Rumi smiled back and said, “This is something which you do not know!”
Ecstasy Dec 31, 1969
Affirmation of love whispered in hesitant tones
Two heart-beats echoing with one reverberation
Book: Muhammad (sal Allahu `alayhi wa sallam): His Life Based on the Earliest Sources Dec 31, 1969
This great work has won many prizes from all over the Muslim world for being the best biography of the Prophet in English including from the government of Pakistan.
I Have Heard That People Look At Her In Amazement Dec 31, 1969
sunaa hai bole to baato.n se phuul jha.Date hai.n
ye baat hai to chalo baat kar ke dekhate hai.n
Book: Death in Venice Dec 31, 1969
Thomas Mann`s masterpiece, exploring the relationship between the artist, art and beauty.
Book: Devotional Islam and Politics in British India Dec 31, 1969
The best available study to date in the English language on the life, work, and politics of the great Sunni scholar, mujaddid and Sufi saint.
Movie: Kill Bill: Volume 2 Dec 31, 1969
More eye-popping action as Uma Thurman continues to seek out her would-be killer and former lover/boss Bill for revenge in QT`s brilliant conclusion to his epic.
The Girl from Napoli Dec 31, 1969
Al Ghazzali said that it is impossible to describe the pleasures of orgasm to an impotent man no matter how much one tries.
Movie: In Custody (Muhaafiz) Dec 31, 1969
This beautiful little gem is a plea from the heart to save the dying Urdu language in its land of birth told through the story of a fictional poet Nur Shahjahanabadi (Shasi Kapoor).
Book: An Equal Music Dec 31, 1969
Love, longing, Schubert and Beethoven in London, Vienna and Venice!
Book: Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle Dec 31, 1969
The magnum opus from the author of `Lolita`, Ada is his other great love story and the supreme work from the master prose stylist.
Movie: Kill Bill: Volume 1 Dec 31, 1969
Uma kicks some serious ass in this brilliant, violent, uber-cool, `Roaring Rampage of Revenge!` from Tarantino as he pays homage to the martial arts genre.
Ramadan Special: The Felicitations of Fasting Dec 31, 1969
The one who fasts has two joys in which to delight...
Conflicts of Imagination Dec 31, 1969
One one side there is Paradise, the other, Hell/And you are neither here nor there!
Music: In Praise of the Last Prophet Dec 31, 1969
A truly international mixture of nasheeds and naats in praise of Allah`s Beloved Prophet in English, Arabic, Malay and Urdu by artistes from around the world.
Wasim Akram: A Tribute Dec 31, 1969
Voted Number 1 by Wisden in the list of the Top 100 ODI bowlers in history.
Movie: Mughal e Azam Dec 31, 1969
The greatest Indian commercial film ever made in my opinion--and the opinion of many critics too: great script, great direction,poetic dialogue, amazing acting by all, great music, classic songs: a bona fide masterpiece.
Book: My Feudal Lord Dec 31, 1969
Tehmina Durrani`s autobiographical account of her former life as Mrs. Ghulam Mustafa Khar, one-time Chief Minister of Punjab, where she was mentally and physically abused by her famous and powerful huband.
The Rumi of Kashmir: Mian Muhammad Bakhsh Qadiri (may his secret be sanctified!) Dec 31, 1969
even the illiterate peasants often know whole chunks of it by heart
Book: Sufi Heirs of The Prophet: The Indian Naqshbandiyya and the Rise of the Mediating Sufi Shaykh Dec 31, 1969
A scholarly look at the history of the Naqshbandi Order, especially in the Subcontinent and a case-study of one of the greatest Naqshbandi Saints of the 19/20th century-Hazrat Pir Sayyid Jama`at Ali Shah Alipuri.
Is ’Eve’ the First Human to be Cloned? Dec 31, 1969
Has the first human clone been created?
Movie: Maula Jatt Dec 31, 1969
Quite simply the Greatest--and Craziest!- Punjabi Film Ever Made which changed the course of Pakistani cinema for ever!
Music: Afternoon Ragas Dec 31, 1969
The best classical Hindustani instrumental music I have ever had the joy to listen to. Perfect. It is said that 'With this raga (Bhimpalsri) you can make the animals cry.' And on this evidence it is true.
Book: Lolita Dec 31, 1969
Nabokov`s controversial yet mesmerizing story about pedophilia contains astonishing use of the English language and savage humor.
How Muslims Can Win The Coming Wars! Dec 31, 1969
The most important war of all
Book: The Broken God: (A Requiem for Homo Sapiens --Pt.I) Dec 31, 1969
This mind-expanding first novel in the A Requiem for Homo Sapiens trilogy combines space opera, lyrical prose and interstellar mathematics to brilliant effect to produce the most original sci-fi novel in years.
Music: Kalam Pir Sayyid Mihr Ali Shah (rahmatullah alayhi) Dec 31, 1969
This contains a number of famous naats in PUNJABI by Hazrat Pir Sahib, one of the greatest Sufi saints of the Punjab and an accomplished naatiyya poet including the immortal naat, 'kithay Mihr Ali, kithay teri sanaa/Gustaakh akheeN kithay jaa aRiyaan' [Wh
Music: Qasida al Burda (The Poem of the Cloak) Dec 31, 1969
This poem became legendary even in the author`s lifetime and is now without doubt the most famous laudatory poem in the Muslim world in praise of The Beloved Prophet.
Music: Asma ul Husna Dec 31, 1969
A spiritually uplifting and beautiful collection of famous naats in Arabic rendered by a singer with the voice of an angel!
Book: Rendezvous with Rama Dec 31, 1969
Quite possibly the most famous novel ever written about Mankind`s first encounter with an alien civilisation and certainly one of the best books of the `grandaddy of science-fiction`.
Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Dec 31, 1969
The first part of J R R Tolkien`s classic masterpiece of the fantasy genre brought stunningly to life on the big screen this is the `greatest epic in motion picture history`.
Book: Twilight in Delhi Dec 31, 1969
A social drama-cum-love-story-cum-historical novel set in post 1857 Delhi and centred around the life and loves of a upper middle class Muslim family.
Movie: Three Colours: Blue (Trois couleurs: Bleu) Dec 31, 1969
Kieslowski`s masterful opening chapter of his `Trois couleurs (Three Colours)` trilogy based on the colours of the French flag and the related ideals of liberty, fraternity and equality. This opening film addresses the subject of liberty in a controlled a
Book: The Life and Work of Jalaluddin Rumi Dec 31, 1969
A wonderfully readable yet scholarly examination of the life and works of Rumi, the `greatest mystical poet of mankind` (Nicholson) by a genuine scholar of Rumi and Persian.
Uniting Muslims on Eid Dec 31, 1969
Muslims are unable to get together even on the occasion of Eid
In Celebration of Ramadan (Part 1): Ala Hazrat’s Poem About The Onset of Ramadan Dec 31, 1969
O’Saqi, I will forever be yours, bring me some wine, Ramadan has come!
Shaykh Sa’di of Shiraz: Persian poet and Sufi Master Dec 31, 1969
He was from amongst the greatest of the Sufis
What Am I? Dec 31, 1969
A short poem about someone special...
40 Sayings Of A Modern Sufi Master Dec 31, 1969
Each one is an ocean of wisdom
add to my favorite writers 
