Joseph Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) – the famous short story writer, novelist and poet who wrote mainly on the British Soldiers in India in one of his famous poems which has become even more relevant in this day and age, talked of the harsh conditions and the hopelessness a soldier has to face up and when fighting the war in the plains of Afghanistan.
Just to get a feel of what he intended to convey to the future generation, I’ll just reproduce the last part of the poem titled: ‘The Young British Soldier’ Continue reading →
One of life’s little pleasures is reading a good old book or better still a hardcover on a rainy wintry evening…the smell of its ink is a big part of that experience, which is why I feel eBooks will never be able to match that feel, let alone replacing the actual book.
eBook’s, my dear readers, are but a compromise.
And if the book happens to be on one of the greatest Islamic personalities of the last century, the joy only multiplies.
This morning I experienced the above when by the grace of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, I finally laid my hands on a biographical on Hazrath Shaikh Maulana Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (may Allah have mercy on him) – by far one of the greatest scholars of the Muslim ummah of the past century from India. Continue reading →
Of the few pages and paragraphs (about 30 pages) that I read of the book, Ibn Battuta by L. P. Harvey, I felt like being in the company of a bitching wife (sorry for the strong word), who is deeply pessimistic and doubts if you really had work in the office when you said you’d be coming home late.
Which is why I feel the book should have been titled: ‘Ibn Battuta: A Perspective’ – this is what it really is, the British author, L. P. Harvey’s perspective on Ibn Battuta’s life and travels. Continue reading →
“Remember that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But in the end, they always fall. Always.” – Gandhi.
I haven’t found a better quote to briefly describe what William Dalrymple’s latest book to hit the stands is about, titled, very aptly I must say, ‘The Return of a King’ – The Battle For Afghanistan. Continue reading →
Few weeks back I was fortunate to obtain the Majmu’aa Bayanaat of Hazrathji Maulana Yusuf Kandhlevi (may Allah have mercy on him) (the 2nd Emir of tabligh) – a compilation of 6 books / parts in one single book!