Dr Muhammad Maroof Shah

All this is not in anyway absolving those who are guilty of massive planning blunders in designing our urbanizatioin, housing, roads, and flood control measures It can never be asserted that a given suffering has been imposed because of victim’s sins. The Biblical account of the Book of Job clearly states that even righteous people can suffer and suffering could well be a trial or result of laws that constitute the world defined in terms of disequilibrium. The thesis that all suffering is   necessarily because of sin is refuted by the existence of suffering of innocent children. Flood washed away children as well. However it is to be noted that evils that befall us are in a sense invited or deserved because God attributes goodness to Himself and evil to our   nafs. The current flood can be in principle attributed to such collective sins as destruction of environment, love of vanity, wrong planning etc. and the widespread perception that it was targeted operation of flood   mokal

Today KU is not the dream destination of above average students, not to speak of the best! Every institution becomes compromised in a war zone. No wonder KU has been decaying in many respects especially in terms of quality human resource, top leadership, publications and seminar culture.  UGC also has had a negative role in planning certain issues that impacted.  When Vice Chancellors are increasingly perceived as failures compared to erstwhile illustrious ones especially prior to 1989; what can be expected from academicians or administrators down the scale? Where a perception remains that academics is subservient to political expediency and excellence perceived as threat to status quo, how can we expect things to be different in future? Huge expectations from our own university are currently focused on next VC’s credentials and let us hope we will not be disappointed. We have many reasons for current state of alienation and one reason is sick educational system epitomized by KU.  

As we see the world of Islam shaken to its foundations by rising fundamentalism, one wonders if it is forgetting its Sufi tradition that we need to think about as a counter. However, the rise of fundamentalism has been linked to doubts about Sufism, and towering figures who have been coopted by fundamentalists have also seconded some of these doubts. Some suspect Sufism to be a politically complacent ideology that helps dilute resistance to oppression. Some think it is sponsored to serve the interests of a particular nationalist discourse. Some say it is simply business. Some emerging schools, both Salafi and modernist, have been successful in spreading the notion that Sufism is a deviation from pristine Islam. Advocates of Sufism can’t dismiss these criticisms without conceding abuses of Sufism throughout history. Let us note that critics (though not rejectors of its spirit) of institutional Sufism include in recent history such important names as Iqbal, Shariati, Syed Moududi, Syed

Syed Abul A’la Moududi was once asked by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto why he indulged in politics, generally considered to be a dirty game. He answered in his characteristic style:  ’Do you think it should be left to dirty people alone or not be cleaned?’ I think the argument can be invoked to apply in every sphere. Religion is a territory of saints and today it has been appropriated for more murky games such as dividing communities, creating new nations. Philosophers of religion ask some hard questions from those who deem themselves to be the advocates of God. We know that the Quran explicitly says that God has hired no advocate.   The moment man becomes judgmental one might suspect something fishy. “Judge not,” said the Christ(Hazrat Eesa A.S). What is religion? Why is it too important to let a certain class usurp the role of its sole interpreter? How come religion is monopolized and, even against its tenets, people fight over trivial legal issues? How come in the name of religion we fin