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Q&A: Past Grief and Struggles
During the process of reflecting on past experiences, particularly the mistakes that led to grief, we surrender before Allah and trust in His wisdom. Despite our best efforts to overcome previous mistakes, new challenges arise, and we continue to face difficulties. My question is: how can we interconnect the past mistakes that led to grief with our current efforts to overcome them, and still struggle to find correction? Additionally, what role does the nafs (ego or lower self) play in absorbing worldly influences, and how can we justify our experiences? What are the solutions to these struggles? I’m looking for answers beyond the notion that the soul is separate from…
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The Velvet Knife: A Civilizational Critique of the Sentimental Modernist Discourse on Marriage and Parenting in Kashmir
I A certain article, recently circulated in public discourse, presents itself as a compassionate diagnosis of the ailments afflicting Kashmiri marriages, parenting, and youth. It laments the emotional emptiness within households, the disconnection between generations, the burdens of ritual and custom, and the disillusionment of young men and women adrift in a sea of anxiety, ambition, and virtual overstimulation. Yet beneath its gentle tone and emotionally disarming language lies a devastating philosophical sleight of hand. Its deepest betrayal is not that it critiques the state of our society—indeed, critique is welcome and needed—but that it prescribes as cure the very poison that caused the sickness. It offers the language of…
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A Story of Nothingness and Everything in Between
The day was bright but meaningless. The sky stretched overhead, vast and blue, but for what purpose? No one knew, least of all Sull Kaak, who had spent his entire life pondering the great paradox of existence, only to conclude that the paradox itself was a meaningless contrivance of a mind too stubborn to accept that it knew nothing. And that was the problem. Knowing nothing meant you could know everything, and knowing everything meant you were back to knowing nothing. A vicious cycle, as pointless as a dog chasing its own tail, except the dog at least got some exercise. Sull Kaak, meanwhile, sat in a broken chair, staring…
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Pop Culture Mysticism
“Popular culture” is a term we use for the broad spectrum of practices, beliefs, objects, and phenomena that are prevalent in society at a given time, particularly in Western culture since the mid-20th century. It encompasses the most immediate and contemporary aspects of our lives, often disseminated through mass media and driven by the interests, preferences, and trends of the general population. Pop culture (modern fast paced life has to have a shorter version of “popular”) is dynamic, reflecting the changing tastes, innovations, and societal norms of the day. Pop culture is marked by its accessibility to a wide audience. It includes music, television, movies, fashion, technology, and more, offering…
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Q & A: Difficult to be Good Consistently
Question Assalam alaikum Sull Kaak. Can you please make a video on how to stay motivated on the right path when everything and everyone is dragging us down. It took me a lot of effort to recover my faith. Seeing the people and mess around I get suicidal. I ask myself why should I be the only person who has to bear the brunt of honesty, sensibility and patience. Everyone else seems to take advantage of whatever I have learnt from you. At times I feel I am a the verge of collapse and I fear becoming someone I don’t want to be. The question is how should we keep…
Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment