I don’t Know if the Muse is going to show up or not on any given day, but by golly, I’m going to be at my desk from 8 to 12 every morning in case she does. – Flannery O’Connor

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Ratan has recently being nagged by the eternal question that inevitably bugs us all, i.e. What indeed is the purpose of life. In his words:

Is there a higher purpose or are we basically here to make a career, support our families and eventually grow old and die? Or in other words, make our lives more comfortable while continuing the cycle of life…I’m fairly certain that there is more to my life. And I’m going to find out what the heck it is, even if it kills me!

Purpose. It’s something that we have touched time and again and again on the Arif & Ali blog. The below answer summarises our views on this topic till date. Me and Ali have discussed this topic endlessly. Have covered various books, lectures and podcasts on it. We are of the view that the below answer addresses this enigma as completely as it possibly can be. We’d be really keen to hear your views, do drop a comment whether you agree with us or not.

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This life is certainly not just to eat, drink and be merry. (Although that has it’s place too). If indeed our purpose was to simply exist and maximise our pleasures while we are here, that would make us nothing but glorified animals.

What! Did you then think that We had created you in vain (Quran Ch 23: Verse:115 )

What is the life of this world but amusement and play?; (Quran Ch 29: Verse:64)

So what’s our purpose? We have found peace with this question in different answers:

First Answer: The purpose of this life is growth.
It’s progression. As long as you are becoming a better you tomorrow than you are today, you are achieving your purpose of life. Growth comes in many dimensions. You can make yourself stronger either physically, intellectually, skill-wise and/or spiritually. If the entire of humanity were clearly focussed on mutual growth, which at times require sacrifice, (sometimes great sacrifice), wouldn’t we collectively be in a much better world today?

All growth is good, but it’s not complete until it’s accompanied by spiritual growth.   After all what does God want from us? Does He want more prayers, more fasts, more chants on the rosary beads? What use is this worship if it doesn’t bring about any change from within. If after 40 years of praying I am still the same Arif who cusses and swears, what use has my prayer been. The value of Worship is directly proportional to the degree of purity that it produces. And if indeed there has been no internal growth, then all my years of worship have been for naught. They were nothing more than a rootless oak tree whose core has been consumed by termites. So grand and awe-inspiring to look at, but it doesn’t have the trunk to stand up to a whisper of a breeze.

Resources:

- The Power of full Engagement
- Series of lectures by Sheikh Arif Abdulhussain

Second Answer: Realise that everyone has an Inner Purpose and an Outer Purpose.

Outer Purpose

An Outer Purpose is what you do. It’s generally what keeps you busy from most of the hours of the day. It’s what you use to identify yourself to friends at a party. Your Outer Purpose may be that you are a Businessman, a Software Engineer even a House-wife or a Parent. You may be in the unique few who have found their dream job and look forward to work every single day or you may be with the bulk of humanity of that groan and grumble all their way to work, every single morning. If you have not found your ideal Outer Purpose, the below questions are a gold-mine to help you identify it and then even eventually work towards in living your ideal life.

- What are my unique Talents?

- How can I use my unique talents to serve others?

- What gives me peak experiences and Joy?

- What would I be doing if I had just 6 months to live?

- What would I be doing, if I had all the time and money in the world?

- What do I love to do?

- What are the top values I believe in and uphold the most?

Inner Purpose

Why is it, that even those who are living their Dream Lives are still not happy? They have not found their peace and are always looking for something more? The entertainment industry specially has plethora of examples, Elvis Presley killed himself at the age of 42 by overeating and drugs, Marilyn Monroe committed suicide via a drug overdose and as on date it seems poor Michael Jackson might have killed himself (figuratively speaking) because of being addicted to the same evil. They were leading the lives that millions dream of. Yet it was still not enough. Why? What was missing?

Although everyone’s Outer Purpose may differ, everyone’s Inner Purpose is the same. What is this Inner Purpose, that holds the key to Eternal Peace? It is to, “Know Yourself”. As hokey and spiritual-ovy it may sound, there is deep truth and wisdom in that statement. But how do you get to “know yourself”? And what is this “know yourself”, business in the first place? Knowing yourself is realising that you are not your physical body, because it keeps changing, but the core of you is the same. I may chop of my arm (and my other limbs too) but the core of me, my thoughts, feelings, ideas and opinions have hardly changed. Similarly knowing yourself is realising that you are not just an Engineer, a Doctor, or a Parent or even your name. Although they are a part of ‘You’ it’s hardly your essence.

So, who are you? Well, I can’t tell you. That’s for you to find out, however answering the below questions is a great place to start:

1. Where have you come from?
because you certainly did not come from nothing

2. Where are you heading towards?
whether you like it or not or agree with it or not, you are moving, progressing in some direction intentionally or inadvertently. Where is that you are going?

3. What brings you permanent, everlasting pleasure and happiness?
realise that it’s not a new job, car or even a new wife :-P. Well, then what is it?

4. What is it that brings you permanent everlasting sadness and gloom?

Once you have fulfilled your Inner Purpose, your Outer Purpose will seem less significant. But since, you are not just a spiritual being and are stuck in this time space continuum. Hence you have got to have an Outer Purpose too, but it’ll not longer be the means and source of your satisfaction. You then can work towards aligning your Outer Purpose (ie your job) with your Inner one.

Resources:

Eckhart Tolle’s, A New Earth
Ali has written this excellent blog post on fulfilling your outer purpose.

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Promise Me two things and I promise you enlightenment; no anxiety about your provisions and no fear of creation. – Abul hassan ash-Shadhili

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It was asked from Hazrat Ali (as): How should a person take account of himself?

Hazrat Ali (as) replied:

When a person ends his day, then he should turn towards himself and say ‘O self! This day that has passed will not return. Allah (SWT) will ask you about how you wasted your day. He will ask you about the actions you performed, whether you remembered Him and praised Him? Whether you fulfilled a right of your fellow believer? Did you remove a difficulty that befell upon a believer? Did you protect his children in his absence? Did you safeguard his rights after his death? Did you – on account of your position – prevent anyone from backbiting your believing brother? Did you help any Muslim throughout the day?

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When dad mentioned that we would be travelling to Delhi over the weekend, I couldn’t help but think, man wouldn’t it be cool if I could meet Shashi Tharoor while we were there. As we were driving from Delhi Airport to the Taj Mansingh, our host pointed to a tall compound wall that went on for miles. “That’s where all of India’s MP’s stay,” he said. So that’s where Shashi stays, I whispered to myself. But these were just stray random thoughts. I am sure flights to Mumbai are full of optimistic teenagers/tourists hoping that they would bump into Shahrukh Khan, but nobody really actually meets King Khan. I’m hardly a teenager and Sashi’s couldn’t really pass for a Bollywood star, but it really felt like that when I thought I saw him across the gym of the Taj Mansingh. I call the gym instructor over and ask him, “Buddy, who’s that guy?” “He, He’s Shashi Tharoor.” The next 15 to 20 minutes of my life were one that I would replay in my head again and again. I dash to the changing room, grab my mobile camera and catch Shashi just in the middle of a phone call. I had 30 seconds to grab his attention and convince him for a pic and had no idea how I’d do it. The next second after he disconnects his call, I say, “Shashi, I really have to shake your hand. I follow your tweets, have read your articles and books, really enjoyed your speeches…” “O thank you, he replied.” A little chit-chat later, he agreed for a pic and it was all over. The euphoria’s dying down now, but boy was I on a high while it lasted.

I first heard about Shashi Tharoor not too long ago. It was a schoolboy dream, to be the first Indian UN Secretary General (sad, but true). When I heard that another Indian named Shashi Tharoor was nominated for the post in 2006, my curiosity naturally piqued (and jealousy aroused) . Following his excellent speech on Restoring America’s Image Around the World my interest in him grew and when I learnt that he’s standing for office in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, I developed a deep respect for the man. After all, why would anybody want to enter Indian Politics? Specially a man of Sashi’s stature and repute. Indian Politicians have always been associated with selfish interest, roguery and corruption. Let’s face it, Politics is a dirty four letter word. But when the likes of Shashi dip their feet in this quagmire you know that they’ve come with an agenda for change. One finds new-found faith in Lincoln’s words that, “for every selfish politician, there is a dedicated leader”.

I am not easily excited when it comes to meeting VIPs. But with Shashi it’s different. It’s not the fact that he is MP for the Lok Sabha, I don’t think I’d be too exhilarated if I bumped into Sonia Gandhi. It’s only partially because he’s one of India’s greater intellectuals and of the various books, articles and speeches that he’s written/delivered. But it’s mainly because he stood for elections when he didn’t have to and believes in several values that I hold dear too, including those of Anti-Hindutva and a diverse India. Below is just an excerpt, Shahsi’s views on Hindutva can be read half-way down this interview here:

What is Hindutva and how does it compare to your view of Hinduism?

Hindutva is a political project that seeks to capitalize on the fact that 81% of Indians are Hindus by attempting to mobilize a majority of them in favour of a Hindu chauvinist agenda. A majority of Hindu voters has steadfastly rejected such attempts. And so they should, because Hindutva rests principally on bigotry and intolerance, whereas Hinduism is the most open and tolerant of faiths.

The reduction of non-Hindus to second-class status in their own homeland is therefore unthinkable. It would be a second Partition: and a partition in the Indian soul would be as bad as a partition in the Indian soil.

Now, that takes guts to say in public. Wait-a-go Shashi! Here’s praying that may you have an unending inning in our Public Office and may it be full of positive change for yourself and for our country. Jai-Hind.

The wikipedia entry of Shashi Tharoor is an inspiring read and it’s also fascinating to follow his tweets on twitter.

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I may not lend you money or help you move, but it would be my pleasure to take you out for a cup of coffee. If that’s good enough for you, you my follow me and Ali on Twitter here.  :-)

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Since Salaam Centre, started the “Quran for All” project in Aug 2008, they have distributed more than 20,000 copies of the Quran on request. If you are in Bangalore, you can get your gift copy of the Quran by calling the number displayed on the hoarding.

You cannot simply read the Qur’an, not if you take it seriously. You either have surrendered to it already or you fight it. It attacks teanciously, directly, personally; it debates, criticizes, shames and challenges. From the outset it draws the line of battle, and I was on the other side.

I was at a severe disadvantage, for it became clear that the Author knew me better than I knew myself. Painters can make the yes of a portrait appear to be following you from one place ot another, but what author can write a scripture that anticipates your daily vicissitudes? The Qur’an was always way ahead of my thinkng; it was erasing barriers I had built years ago and was addressing my queries.

Each night I would formulate questions and objections, and somehow discover the answer the next day as I continues on in the accepted order. It was that the Author was reading my ideas and writing in the appropriate lines in time for my next reading. I had met myself in its pages, and I was afraid of what I saw. I was being led, working my way into corner that contained only one choice. – Jeffery Lang, Struggling to Surrender

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I never thought that I would pay for something as frivolous as desktop wallpapers, but when I came across Vladstudio.com, I had a change of heart. Vlad Gerasimov, is the Picasso of the Desktop world. Although $29.99 does sound pricey, but considering that one gets lifetime access that too, to hundreds of great looking wallpapers, I’ve been able to digest the price tag, (specially since I’ve already paid). So now whenever I’m in mood for a change of scenery, using the Vladstudio Companion, I just click a button and I can change my desktop wallpaper from one great work of art to another. Since all of Vlad’s wallpapers are stunning, it’s a treat to wait and see what will grace my desktop next.   

The free version is pretty cool too. The only catch there is that Vlad has his signature to his wallpaper and some may be lo-res versions, but if you just use a single monitor setup, that may be all you need. So if you are tired with the default wallpapers that come bundled with your pc or mac (and who isn’t), go round to Vladstudio.com, download & install the VladStudio Companion and then get ready to receive Ooohs and Aaahs from all those who pass by your workstation. If you do go ahead and try out Vladstudio, do drop in a comment on how you’ve found it to be.

Below are screenshots to some of my favourite wallpapers:

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Sufi Comics - The Forgiving Commander

Malik ibn Ashtar was the Commander in Chief of Imam Ali’s army. He was also made the governor of Egypt. The beauty of this anecdote is the wonderful balance of character displayed.

Did you like this comic? Copy this Code to add the above Comic to your Blog / Website:

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<img src="http://www.vakil.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Sufi-Comics-The-Forgiving-Commander-231x300.jpg" alt="Sufi Comics - The Forgiving Commander" title="Sufi Comics - The Forgiving Commander" width="231" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-547" />
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A brilliant quote. Pretty much sums up how a business should be run according to Michael Gerber’s E-Myth. What’s really spectacular about this quote is that it was written somewhere in between the 17th and 18th century! Did people really have the same stress levels even then?

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