The Prophecy of Mohammad Amir

Note: If you are completely aware of Amir's background and want this post to be brief then you can start from second paragraph.



Muhammad Amir belonged to a very humble background and from birth lacked many luxuries of life. But despite his hardships, Allah did provide him with a exceptional cricketing talent with the ball and cricket is a game in Pakistan the beats with the heartbeats of the entire nation. So Amir with the use of his talents landed himself in U-19 cricket team and then later joined the Pakistan's national team and thus embarked on a journey that most of us would only dream of. Most cricketers take some years to blossom but not Amir. His career sky rocketed with magnificent bowling performance against top quality world teams. Just at the age of 17, he achieved direct comparison with Wasim Akram (arguably the world's best fast bowler). His ingenious display on the field at such a young age amplified his fan base and also the media was full of fervor about him. His life became more than a dream come true but like always all good things come to an end. We all do ridiculous things when we are young and Amir was no exception to it. He brought corruption to the game by deliberately under performing in a match and accepting corrupt payments for doing it. But unfortunately for him, his treachery couldn't go unnoticed as one undercover journalist exposed his disloyalty to the whole world. So Amir's dream run had ended and not only he got banned for 5 years but also he had to serve time for his foolishness. And hence marked the Rise and Fall of Muhammad Amir.

Amir served some time in England from his original sentence and then returned back to Pakistan. At home the nation was celebrating Pakistan's Asia cup win but not Amir. Infact Amir felt absolutely gutted knowing that he could have been a part of the winning team. Knowing that he could have been the hero of the day like before and win the cup for Pakistan and it's people. Amir's disappointment made him vulnerable and weak and what do weak people do?......they succumb to the tyranny of  alcohol and drugs. Amir purchased the stuff and took it to the corner of the street. Just when he was about to shove the illegal substance down his throat to relieve himself of the agony, the believer arrived at the scene of crime and engaged himself with Amir by following conversation:-

The believer said "Who would have thought that you'd stoop so low". Amir replied angrily "who are YOU?". Believer remained calm and said "No my friend the question is who are YOU". Perturbed Amir replied "what do you want?". Believer said "Wrong again! the question is what do YOU want? Amir replied "Don't tell me that you care what I do and do not want". Now believer replied furiously "YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I DON'T CARE. I don't care about your pathetic life. You wan't to know what I care? I care about those kids whose hopes and dreams YOU KILLED. Those kids had no money or any other resource in life to excel. But all they needed was you. You were the symbol against all odds. You gave them the belief to achieve great heights in life but then took it all away. You gave them the belief that it doesn't matter if you belong to a rich family or not, that anyone can achieve anything by dedication and faith in ALLAH". Believer continued with a mocking tone "And do you know what has changed with these kids after what you did?". The believer sighed, sat close to Amir and said with soft voice "Nothing!..........These kids still believe in you with their bruised and broken hearts. Yet you choose to relax yourself with this garbage and those kids choose to pray to ALLAH for the return of their hero. The believer stood up and said "I don't know what grave a sin you committed but if you feel you've lived out your life and want nothing more out of it then go out there and live your life for the people and kids who still believe in you. Give them back their hopes and dreams. Give them back the will to go on. And in the midst of all this, try considering to rise from the ashes. It's one pleasure that has no equal match and can lead to immortality and sometimes leads a person to become............A Legend!". And then the believer departed amicably.   

Amir was reduced to tears of aggravation. He sold his soul to the devil once before but not again and so he took the stuff he purchased and threw it hard in the nearby river. The nation went home after celebrating the victory but Amir went straight to nets and from that day onwards, he never looked back.
Even though it was long wait for Amir to get a chance to reclaim his lost glory but he was willing to pay the price. He shattered his dreams........but he wasn't going to let his fans suffer the same fate. He decided to start from scratch ,rehabilitate himself and work hard so that he could one day return to the Pakistan team as the new sultan of swing. He wasn't sure if he could achieve all this but he was damn sure that not a soul on earth could stop him from trying. And hence marked the Fall and Rise of Muhammad Amir.



To be continued/risen................................................By Muhammad Amir himself

The prophecy is upon him

Endnotes
1. The part after Pakistan's Asia cup win in second paragraph is fictional but not before it.
2. The believer's identity will be revealed in my coming soon post.

Soon cricket fields will be illuminated by the craftsmanship of Amir

10 Amazing theories about the Amazing Universe

My fascination for the Universe runs deeper than the depths of the universe itself and the more I learn about it, the more it mesmerizes me. I would love to sketch the beauty of the universe with my own words but I fear that will result in a futile attempt so I'll let the facts/theories speak for themselves :-

1. Approximately 400 billion stars exist in our galaxy alone.

2. The thing that amazes scientists is not what resides in the light but what hides in the dark. 4% of our universe comprises of matter, 24% or dark matter and 72% or dark energy.

3. Currently 4 galaxies are merging with each other far away and can result in a single massive galaxy 10 times bigger than ours.

4. Shapley is a cluster of galaxies which is 400 light years long and it would take trillion of years for our fastest satellite to pass through it.

5. Milky way extends to 100,000 light years and the CD galaxy is 60 times bigger than ours.

6. If the rate of expansion of the universe right after the Big Bang had changed by 1 part in a quintillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000 = 1 quintillion) then nothing would have ever existed. To illustrate just how small this number (one part in a quintillion ) is, imagine all the grains of sand in the world's beaches (the number would probably be 1 quintillion) .So in this analogy if all that sand represented the rate of expansion then how many grains of sand would be needed to wreck the universe?......Just 1 grain ----- What Precision !!!

7. Diameter of the universe is 93 billion light years and extending.

8. There are 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe.

9. The largest known super massive black hole is 10 billion times the mass of sun (300,000 earths = sun)

And lastly something to be dazzled at yourself .........

10. The iron in our body (less than 1% probably) comes from supernova (explosion of stars). Which essentially means that a small portion of our body is made of stars !!!

These 10 points are the merest piece of information about our awesome creator and the universe is the source of my faith and hope in ALLAH which I will discuss in my next post.

Endnotes

1. Source of data is The Universe documentary by History Channel (1 & 2 season).

2. Albeit it cannot be argued that all most every information about the universe should be treated as theories and not facts since these are not precise calculations. But these figures do give an idea about the mystical nature of the universe. 

One more shot at my Greatest Desire

Yesterday I received one more shot at my greatest desire when I got a call from Lums (Lahore University of Management Sciences) for MBA interview session on coming tuesday which is the last hurdle in getting admitted. I have been interviewed twice in previous two years and this year is my third attempt as this chance is presented only once a year. 

Lums MBA programme is my greatest desire cause I have never strived for or acquired quality education but recently I have developed this inquisitive behaviour which demands hungers for advanced business/management knowledge, upbeat communication skills and eyebrows raising critical reasoning. I want my thought process to be streamlined in a way that will enable me to look at things from a broader and holistic perspective. I want my arguments to be utterly logically and persuasive enough to be easily understood and acknowledged. In short, the learning provided at Lums is unprecedented to any other business institution in Pakistan and I want a piece of this hardcore action going on in there.

Truth be told cause practically I have a very low chance of getting in. Honestly I haven't done anything even close to extraordinary in my entire life e.g academics, sports, extra curricular activities etc. I have never participated in any workshop or debates and have a very low work experience. I guess the only reason they consider me each year is because I scored 93 percentile (not percentage) in entry test. I'm pretty sure every other candidate will be alot better than me by having more test scores, professional experience and exceptional academics record.

But I wont step into that room with low on confidence and motivation cause that's not how I roll. I may be the weakest candidate but sometimes our greatest strength lies in our greatest weakness. I may have the weakest credentials but my past is water under the bridge and today I'm a man with belief in my heart and ruthless aggression in my soul. I may possess the weakest communication and analytical skills but I'll try to muster something with want I have (like always) with full confidence and smile on my face.

Allah decides the outcome of everything but we decide the choice of our actions. At the end of the day, the only thing that matters to me is whether I gave my best shot or not. And if they are going to reject me again then I'm not going down without a fierce fight and will be back next year again for..................one more shot at my greatest desire.

Endnotes

1. Even though I will try each year to get admitted but after this year, I will consider to accept the admission acceptance letter (if offered) as my priorities may change since I am at a crucial stage of my career.
2. Each year I learn from my mistakes and try not to repeat them in order to make the attempt better than before. An improved version of me walks in that room each year (or so I think).
3. Call it my strength or my weakness but I never back down from the challenges I pick regardless of how monstrous it may be..........................never

Sometimes the fulfilment of destiny doesn't fascinate me but the road to it does 

The Real Test of Faith

Consider the following entanglement :

For instance, one may hold strong feelings that bribery is wrong and believe in adhering to the principles and ethics of islam. However, what decision would one make if one has been made her/his company's senior manager in a country where payments to clear goods through customs are routinely made. That person has a son with major physical and learning disabilities who needs special exercise equipment and learning aids not available in the country. The special exercise equipment and learning aids, along with the rest of that manager's household shipment, are being held in customs because customs officials want a payment for their release. Does one hold the child's needs hostage to one's values and principles of islam or does one make the payments needed to get the household shipment containing the equipment and learning aids released by the customs officials?

To be honest a major part of me would never want to be in such a situation but a small part does. I don't want to in such a predicament because i am afraid i might loose my faith in ALLAH and make the payment (bribe). But a small part of me desires to be in such a condition in order to prove to ALLAH my faith in him by not making that payment and be patient.

We really don't find it difficult to have faith in ALLAH during our discussion, salats, dinner, at work etc. We believe in him when things are running smooth. But what happens when our faith is put to test? Why do we relinquish our faith for a moment to let things work in our benefit and when our evil act is completed, we waste no time in regaining back our faith? Is such faith any good if we keep it in smooth times and discard it during testing one's?

All I want to say is that we should never loose faith in ALLAH especially in dire straits.We should not forget the fact that ALLAH governs our hearts and minds. So the best thing (i think) the above mentioned person can do is not to make that payment. Also sitting idle and just praying isn't advisable either. He/she should first complain to the head of department. If that doesn't work then go to justice department of the respective country. Have faith in ALLAH, work immensely hard and leave no stone unturned but do it all under the law of the land. At the end of the day ALLAH will do justice........he always does and always will.
So the next time you sit in your examination, make a business deal, witness unethical or unislamic activity ,presented with bribe or even feel the urge to commit a evil act which in your heart you know is a evil act then remember to be steadfast enough to remind yourself.....................in whom your faith lies.

Endnotes

1. The entanglement was copied from a journal (Designing and Delivering Business Ethics Teaching and Learning by Ronald R. Sims Edward L. Felton, Jr.) with slight editing.
2. It's natural and inevitable for humans to make mistakes. Sometimes we will pass the test and sometimes fail it. But when we fail it, we should atleast built some gradual strength to challenge it next time. It's not like one fails the same test all year long without challenging it. It shouldn't work that way.
3. The author would like to remind himself that he too should remember in whom his faith lies during vulnerable times.