Love Is the Real Conqueror

Staff Report - Daily Times - Lahore, Pakistan
Friday, February 15, 2008

101st Urs of Mian Muhammad Bukhsh

Lahore: Governor Lt Gen (r) Khalid Maqbool has said the trend of cruelty and violence in the effort for domination over each other has become the cause of destruction and anxiety in the world.

He was addressing a seminar on ‘Divine Philosophy of Love’ on the occasion of the 101st annual urs (death anniversary) of prominent Sufi poet of Punjab, Mian Muhammad Bukhsh, at the Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC) on Thursday.

The seminar was arranged with the cooperation of Punjab Information and Culture Department, Provincial Education Department and the South Asia Media School.

Addressing the gathering, the governor said Sufi saints had given us a lesson that world could be changed with peace and love. He said violence was not a solution to any problem. “If we want to lead a respectable life, everyone has to love each other for the elimination of hatred and enmity from the society, as this is the way to success,” he added.

He said Islam was not promoted in Punjab by Muslim conquerors, rather Sufi saints introduced peace, tranquillity, human respect, harmony between the religions and human rights among the people.

He said under Sufism, Punjabi people still believed in love with each other. He said Sufi saints had spread the Islamic idea that love was the real conqueror.

He said the aim of religions was to promote peace in the world and the real religion was “service to the humanity”. He said that Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), 1,400 years ago, had given the same pathway of love in this world.

He said Islamic values negated sectarianism. “All human beings are equal and the better among them is the one who is morally good,” he recalled.

Earlier, Information and Culture Secretary Ashfaq Ahmad Gondal, addressing the seminar, said people spreading hatred should be discouraged.

He said, “We should create easiness for each other and should help one another in the hour of distress.”

He also presented two books to the governor, published by the PILAC, which include “Punjab Diyan Waran” and “Geetan Dee Goonj”.

Prominent singer Shaukat Ali and dermatologist from Gujrat Dr Azhar Mahboob recited verses from the poetry of Mian Muhammad Bukhsh.