When Thinking Turns an Apple (Seb) Into A Fig (Anjeer)!

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 3 November 2023 Woh Baat Sare Fasane Mein Jis Ka Zikra Na Tha/ Voh Baat Un Ko Bahut Naa-Gavaar Guzri Hai (What wasn't mentioned in the whole story/ Became particularly objectionable to the other person). I'm afraid, Mr Anburaj neither knows Urdu nor does he have the intelligence to dig the subtle sarcasm hidden in Faiz Ahmad Faiz's famous couplet. We've monomaniac Anburajs all around us whose only vocation is to spread negativity and see what they want to see. This reminds me of Shaikh Sadi's Persian moral story 'Seb Dargash' (A cluster of apples) in his 'Gulistan.' By the way, Noam Chomsky called Shaikh Sadi, world's first systematic psychologist. Interestingly, 'Seb' for an apple is actually a Persian word. Once a fruit-seller had a box of apples that couldn't be sold till the evening. He was quite frustrated. Then a customer came and asked for a box of Anjeer (fig; yet another Persian word!). The fruit-seller said that he didn't have Anjeer. He only had apples. "But I want, figs," the customer insisted. Fruit-seller told him that he had an unsold box of apples which he could give him for half the price." Give me half its price and when you go home, close your eyes and think that you're eating figs, not apples. In this way, you can save your money and also get the taste of figs. After all, it's your thinking that turns an apple into a fig," the fruit-seller tried to convince the customer and succeeded eventually! This parable, written a millennium ago, underlines the power of thinking and visualization. It has its negative ramifications as well because when it's practised by people like Anburaj, they tend to think and see what they want to see. They create a narrative of their own thinking because they're convinced that what they're doing or thinking is infallible. We've full of such people. Now Hindus have created a narrative that Muslims are pariahs and heathens. So, Muslims must be banned from participating in Hindu festivals like Garba, Dussehra, Karva Chauth and what not? Just the way, thinking can change an apple into a fig, Hindus' monomaniac thinking has made them see every Muslim as a potential terrorist or a jihadi. People who're justifying the killings of poor Palestinians, perpetrated by the marauding Israelis are like the monomaniac whose name I've already mentioned. The Problem with Hindus at The Moment Is: They've been lionised to think in an audaciously hateful manner. Now a majority of Hindu's favourite hobby-horse is to condemn Muslims. Every Muslim is a potential criminal like every apple is a fig! These misguided and fanatic Hindus see what they want to see. A sort of preconceived thinking, prejudice is a better word, regulates their (bovine) brains. This is alarming. We've a plethora of such fanatics whose only motive and objective is vilification. These people cannot eat a morsel without cursing and abusing Muslims. Alas, we've stooped too low, ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/thinking-apple-seb-fig-anjeer/d/131038 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism