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Daily Times
August 4, 2021
The “matal” or proverb in Mataloona: Pukhtun Proverbs and Mizh: A Frontier Classic (Oxford University Press, 2020) that I find the most delightfully emblematic of the value of a book such as this, is “(don’t be like) the frog that climbed a clod and said he saw Kabul.” The saying not only captures the dynamic nature of the folk literary genre of the matal itself in its imagery, wisdom and humorous incongruity, but sheds light on the contradictory position of a tribal culture held together by tradition and isolationism but forced time and again to contend with outsiders and adversaries. As inward advice, it is a reminder to stay humble in seeking knowledge, as an outward saying, it implies that there is always much more than meets the eye, therefore, beware of hasty judgment. Regarded in the context of the geopolitical history of the region, this matal forces us to consider: is it better to invest in fortifying ourselves against the threat of con
Crossing the Khyber Travelogue
Leaving Istanbul we headed South on to the Anatolian Plateau to the exotic Cappadocia region. Goreme then Konya, home to the famed Whirling Dervishes. There would be no Konya or the Whirling Dervishes if it were not for Jalaluddin Rumi.
Rumi was born in Balkh, in the Khorasan district of Persia. After a pilgrimage to Bagdad, Mecca and Damascus, the family eventually settled down near Konya in a village called Rum. Hence Rumi.
Rumi today is closely identified with Sufism and Sufi Mysticism within Islam where devotees sought a mystical union with God.
During his travels Rumi met Shams ad-Din meaning The Sun of Religion, a wondering Sufi from Tabriz.