just 10 miles away...

where is happiness??

HH,

I believe Sufism is a an "approach" to approach inner-self and others rather than a practice ,which is beyond simple definitions , no doubt this is/was the best tool which spread peace and harmony not only in Islam but in my believe it existed in every religion...but problem with us is the deformation of legacy...sufism never preached sects, somehow every sect follows a different sufi or every sufi's shrine is captured by a registered sect. who are not carrying the legacy rather they have made their respective sufi a God. its on;y the tag they are carrying, but unfortunately its the sect within a sect within sect. Sufi and Sufism is scarce and the tag is way too deformed, ordinary people like me can manupilate illiterate people and can become sufis overnight...

...Thanks for all the responses..:)

....I'll wait for Lemontree's response to my question about the Sufis.

there is some ritual and they call it Fateeha once that is done food is distributed to all devotees.

It is so easy to laugh at what is done in other culture but why is it so difficult to accept the same if done towards what they practise.

Food and money offered to god is symbolic. Nothing to laugh about that one.

Thanks

Blame it on Hindoos!

I am sure that the visitors donate the food / gifts as an act of charity , rather than to the god. That the keepers of the shrine abuse the system is another matter.

I am sure that due to the strong historic cultural links between Pakistan and India, many Hindu practices have been adopted by Muslims in Pakistan.

Yes, I have seen some priests do it also and its a matter of their faith.

Happy, i found out about the food issue! so, here it is.

The giving of the food is only a gesture, to show generosity and adoration towards the particular god it is given to. This is done in India, Thailand ,china etc.

Everybody is aware that this food is not eaten by the god (s).

The food , usually only small tokens, are replacd on a daily basis, or when spoiled.

Nice thing to do, very thoughtful, i think.

...fhyzzal, too many unsafe countries, from natural hazards to man-made destruction.

my father is a pakistani and he told me that pakistan is a good place...

but with this bombings everywhere I'll never go to pakistan for my safety...

....britexpat, in some places money and food are donated to the poor, but I've been to places where bringing up the subject would've caused me troubles. I'm told they're received by god.

I say the money and food both are consumed by the workers/ keepers of the place.

Because there is God in every man!

I am a little confused by the gifts to God bit..

I was under the impression that people give food or money to the keepers of the shrine to feed / help the needy.

No idea about the food nomerci but I suspect a lot of it ends up in a dumpster.

gkramer, ya, but where does the food go? It's donated to the gods on a daily basis.

The money donated by "worshippers" goes in the pocket of the custodians of religion. Religion is a very profitable business to be in.

I agree these difficult questions remain unanswered!

....edifis, agree to what? no one has cared to answer my questions about where the money and food go, and how they're being consumed by god, neither has anyone responded to my Sufi inquiry...:(((

So you too agree?

....edifis, thanks for a valuable addition ..:P

I agree 100% with the agreement on the disagreement.

....nomerci, you and I have a lot in common. Thanks for a great conversation. Sweet dreams..:)

Citrus tree, we're kind of back to the topic. Sorry for swerving. Hope all is ok with you today.

Happy yes, I do 100% agree with your last statement. BUT, agreement and acceptance is expected from one side more than the other, as it often is, er have a problem, and therfore I said to a certain degree

Anyhow, I am starting to ramble, lol, I am tired and will bid you good and peaceful night.

...nomerci, a slight disagreement with you about the last statement. I see acceptance is necessary to a great degree not to "some degree". Anything to prevent wars would be commendable.

Happy, everybody is entitled to choose. Well, not everywhere, but that is another matter.

And, as I think you know, what you see is what you get when it comes to my persona.

And to accept another person if and when agreement is not evident, well, yes, that is rare. But I think it is also necessary, to some degree.

...nomerci, I believe you and I are in agreement. I just won't accept this religion for myself. I am entitled to choose.

I just had to clarify to you my conviction, as I don't like to write something online, and be another person in reality, that's why I corrected myself in details.

Thanks for accepting me for who I am. It's rare these days. No darting then..:)

Happy, I won't dart at you, you are as entitled to your opinion as anybody else.

I just wish that a house of God could be seen by everybody, as what it is, a house of God, no matter what faith it belongs to.

Does it really matter which tradition of worship one follows? In the end, it is the same thing, worship. As long as nobody gets hurt, it should be acceptable, maybe even enjoyed, by all.

I for one, have no problem praying in any house, using any tradition.

...nomerci, I stand corrected. My previous post may get misunderstood. I will never be convinced with their "religion", and won't accept it to myself. But I'll work hard to not offend and most certainly won't harm anyone for their belief, especially when I am generously being hosted on their grounds.

As long as I've agreed to be in, what they call, house of God, I'm in complete adherence and humility, in consolidation with and in a respect for them and their beliefs. As I said earlier, I don't doubt their desire for wanting to please god.

Don't dart at me for my opinion..:)

Happy, my post was in reply to your saying "The strangest thing is they are convinced that these give away gifts go to "god" ,

...nomerci, I've not objected to their rituals or religion. I was asking a very innocent question (the food smelled great). I'm in complete obedience in the house of God, cannot imagine myself in contempt. They host me in their vicinity, I cannot but be thankful for the experience and their acceptance to have me around.

Happy, those people may find your way of worshiping as strange as you find theirs.

Why can't we simply accept that different people do different things...and in the end, they actually all do the same.

.... Eco, in fact I was once hushed aggressively by a worker at one of those places, when I repeated this question to a man of God. I was considered rude. I never repeated this question again, to avoid being offensive to anyone, or getting arrested...:)

....Eco, I've seen lots of places where money is tossed and fresh food is nicely wrapped and presented by "worshipers". The strangest thing is they are convinced that these give away gifts go to "god" (I don't doubt their pure intention in wanting to please god), they refuse to believe these items are being taken by the workers in the place, at the end of the day.

I've never received an answer when I asked does god eat and spend money and what does he buy?

so there is always fight, in my home town all those saint worshippers end up in mud slinging. Its really fun

my home is just opposite Masjid we always get chance to watch live show

....lemontree, later, when you have time, I'd hope you'd explain or provide links as to why you've doubted my statement about the Sufis. I'd appreciate some clarification. Back home, the Sufi orders have no record of violent history, I'm aware of.

Stay safe, and enjoy your vacation.

....lawa, thanks. Nice people...:)

pakistani

i heard groom dated his bride 5 months before the engagement, but it was a secret...and groom also dated a girl from the next street...somehow parents are not aware....BUT WE ARE!! hehahah(evil laff)

..lawa, so you are Pakistani. Yes or no? (if I may ask).

not me only everyone who is far from his country thinks same

happy silence...i kill you (again)

HH...Lawa's response was to LT. He is very much a Pakistani :-)

LT.... LOLzzz. Its a norm there...NO? :D

...lemontree, another forced marriage then, the groom must be home crying afraid of the bride...::P

JaiDha Lahore nai wekhiya...O jame'ya hi nai

PS: Sorry MODs for the little Punjabi. :-)

Khattak...I had to take some offensive M abd B words due to right hand/left-hand driving confusion....then i realized i am in pakistan...fun never seizes here...and u know what across my street a marriage arena is set and groom has not arrived yet...once again a lots of M and B words in the street

...Oh, so you're not Pakistani? Sorry I believed your QL profile...:P

LT.....the spirit of Lahorites was unbelievable. They resumed their prayers within 3 hours of the blasts. They had Faj'r prayers and then the Jumma' as well at the same place.

u think me wrong even that i spended my time there i was really enjoyed that time we only felt it here there people saw this at one day and again nextday is fresh for them

lahore lahore ay

:) I know

..."entire qatar"?? it's one empty road in my country...:)

Note: lawa is from Pakistan.

LT...You are right. We cant stop breathing. During my last visit, we had 8 blasts in Peshawar within the first 11 days after I landed.....but Peshawar was as alive as ever. The maximum we can do is to avoid public places until & unless it's really required.

LAWA..its not THAT bad as u portrayed it...come enjoy in lahore ...the city alone is much bigger than entire qatar

this video message i mean...am not an atheist...but some how TOOL is my favorite band that always miss ONE link in their lyrics...but it shall make u think for quite long

but you better can understand that its so difficult to handel whith this much population

....LOL, sorry, I thought you were providing me with proof about the "ugliness" of the Sufis..:))

...I'm maybe mixed up, this youtube is your QL signature?

happy its my signature :) but somehow ur comment was kinda cute :)

its just a weird video

....lemontree, is there any violence in the link you just posted? I want to be able to watch it.

HH please add "majority of" at the beginning of ur post

what ever happen May Allah save us from these evil anyway i been there before six months ago and it happend with me also

I have some tips for u

1)dont go those places where are people gathered

2)dont go for shopping at peak hours

3)dont pass from those places where people are waiting or sitting all the time

4)dont use public transport

5)dont cross the main streets use internal streets

6)dont drive at night

well Allah knows better but we need to take care

...The Sufis are the most peaceful, accepting and embracing among others.

they dont have a choice..ah..sorry ...i mean we dont have a choice

LT...People have become fearless now.

:) life in this old city is unstoppable

Its old Lahore passage... barricading it is like barricading life...

cops are scared we are not :)

....Are you a cop or something?...:)

...I thought there would be very tight security sealing the area. How did you find the guts in the first place to pass by this area?...:))

Happy ...we are fine...thank you and God Bless you!

But to my surprise, i passedby the same shrine today, and it seems like nothing happened there...amount of people for maghrib namaz is same as ever...people have strange and carefree attitude, like they have nothing to lose.

...lemontree, hope you and your family are safe. The scene in Pakistan is horrifying.

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/green-lane-masjid-live

book

http://islamic-knowledge.com/Books_Articles/Kitaab_At-Tawheed__Sh_Muhammad_At_Tamimi.pdf

This book will help

"The Fundamentals of Tawheed" by Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips

May God bless you all, for your genuine concerns

yes am in lahore to witness all this

I wish some scientist might be able to invent some terrorist detector device...

Lemontree are you in Lahore now?

No its impossible to stop, the police need to get lucky every time but the terrorists only have to get lucky once.

When there'll be an end for these gruesome act??

Inna lillaahi wainna ilaihi rajioon!!

very sad... one of my frnd in Qatar has lost evrythin which was left in her homecountry , in a similar blast as ths.... her tears!!! i still cant imagine.... very very very sad... really wishin 4 peace in there & whole world.!!!!

I am so sorry - it must be so distressing to have your country implode like this - my heart goes out to the Pakistanis.

Can this really not be stopped by any means????

RIP for the victims ....

Inna LILLAHi wa inna elaihi rajeoon.

Is there no end to this evil?

May they rest in peace. The government seems helpless to prevent these constant attacks. The people themselves have to stand up and say enough. Sadly , they are brainwashed by the politicians and the Clergy.

For the innocent victims...

I think it's vacation time for suicide bombers.

Strange thing!... they like to work even during vacations!

rajioon

khattak innocent people are dead....whats JABR and what QADR???...i need someone to tell me, clarify me...vultures are designed to feast...what do i care

happy...thankyou

...lemontree, I read the news minutes ago about the Sufi shrine. I'm so sorry, and grateful you're safe.

Have been following the news since the blasts. Its really heart breaking that even the holy places are no more safe.

PS: You've invited the usual bashers for the party.