Remembering Irfan Zahid Siddiqi

Ever read a piece of prose and come away feeling a little enlightened, inspired, elated ? Ever looked at the world and asked ?Why??. The piece below by Irfan Zahid Siddiqi based on a conversation with God asks all the ?Whys?? and once read makes you come away with those feelings of enlightenment, inspiration and elation, at least it does for me and that makes it one of my favourite poems. Take a look and see if you feel the same. You won?t find it anywhere on the net (I know I looked!), I came across it the other day whilst having a spring clean of my flat. Around 10 years ago I was a sceptical budding writer/poet (not that much has changed!) , and my then girlfriend a not so sceptical budding writer/poet handed me the poem below photocopied from a magazine, I found it very inspirational and kept it, although very sadly years later assumed I had lost it and that this authors great piece would forever just stay a memory in my head. Now that I have found it I am storing it on PC and putting it on the Net so everyone can share this great piece of prose. Yes, some of the verses are taken from quotes and some are a little na?ve, but there are mostly great original verses and overall it?s a brilliant piece of work, and remember this was written by a 17 year old, who alas is no longer with us.

LondonMale.

"Irfan Zahid Siddiqi left this world that he was questioning so profoundly in May 1995. Studying for his A-Levels at the Aitchison College, Lahore, he wrote ?The Skeptic? for the Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Competition. His entry was one of 6000 from 54 countries and won Irfan the fourth award in the competition. Written in February/March of 1995, this essay was one of his last. The issues raised and questioned by Irfan in this very philosophical write-up speak of a highly perceptive and a reflective mind for a 17 year old.


The Skeptic

"And why the pain. My Lord.. "
?For you to appreciate mercy."

?And why the heartache: crying without shedding tears..."
?For you to understand that
physical pain is much easier to
endure than emotional despair."

"And why temptation?"
"For you to choose to decide. I
created you an independent
thinker."

"And why Your worship ..."
"For you to seek that which is
better."

"And why the threat of punishment??
"For you to abstain."

"And why sorrow..."
"For you to appreciate a moment of true joy."

"And why joy ..."
"To wash away your tears."

"And why happiness..."
?To show you what lies in wait for the best of you.?

"And who are the best..."
"Those who can, but don't? And those who can?t but do."

"But why is it easier for a fortunate few..."
"It's tougher than you think. For the more they have, the easier it is to forget. Their test is much more difficult than yours."


?And why love??
?To satisfy your soul."

?And why desire ..."
"To teach you to care."

?And why loss..."
?For you to enjoy a moment of
true victory."

?And why sacrifice..."
?For you to learn the hand which gives is better than the one that receives.?

?And why the day of judgement..?
"To bestow upon you your reward."


"And why books..."
'To guide you and those sent
before you."

"But why more than one..."
"As there is a time for laughter and a time for tears,
so there was a proper time for revelation."

"And why equality..."
"For all men were made of sand, fire and water."

?And why is a successful man better than a good human being . ."
"For the successful man feels very little and the good human being a little too much.?

"And why liars..."
"So that you learn to filter all that you are told."

"And why drink...'
"For you to step into the abyss of sin."

?And why is life unfaithful??
?For you to deem it a friend.?

?And why insanity??
?For you to see how fortunate you are.?

?And why sanity??
"For you to realise how
unfortunate you are to be one of
the fortunate ones."

"And why death ..."
"To counter creation."

"And why life..."
"For you to question your existence.?

"And why sin..? ?To help quench the thirst of fire."

"And why contradiction..." ?So that you are capable enough to differentiate."

"And why virtue..." "For you to be able to appreciate the good in people.

"And why pleasure.." ?For you to thank your Lord."

"And why individuality ..." "To show you the diversity of my creation."
"And why conformity??
?For you to see that in conformity lies your true strength.?

?And why is love for sale??
?So that you can learn to accept defeat with your head held high?

?And why are there tears??
?To help you regain control of your emotions.?

?And why a conscience??
?To help you get to the Garden of your Lord.?

?And why infatuation??
?So that you are able to distinguish it from love.?

"And why hope..."
"To show you that a quitter is a loser.?

"And why opportunity ..."
"To show you that a loser is not
always a quitter, and not always a
loser."

"And how can we differentiate
between a lie and the truth ..."
"A lie is repeated many times, the
truth seldom is."

"And why lust ..."
"So that you can learn to outgrow..
it."

"And why are people racists..."
"For in them dwells a sense of
insecurity."

"And why is life different from
living..."
"As there is a difference between
dreaming and doing, there is a
difference between life and
living."

"And why is it that some people
are completely misunderstood ..."
"For no one is willing to
recognize their greatness."

"And why do we always hurt
those we love ..."
"For those are the only who
are sure to forgive you?


'" And why do I disagree with
every principle of life ..."
"For life disagrees with every
single principle of yours."

"And whv do we cry ..."
"As it rains to let the storm spend
its fury, so you cry to relieve your
feelings."

"And why will ..."
"To help you stand strong.?

"And why ability..."
For you to believe in yourself."

"And why trust ..."
"So that you can turn your back
completely without the fear of
being stabbed."

"And why beauty ..."
"To make you believe."

"Why life after death ..."
"For some to enjoy the fruits of
their harvest and for others to
regret not ploughing the fields."

"And why Eve ..."
"For Adam needed a companion"

"And why fame..."
"For you to be humble."

"And why glory ..."
For you to understand that true victory needs not to be highlighted."

"And why fear..."
"So that you learn to appreciate
freedom."

"And why grief ..."
"To help you determine your well wishers."

" And whv patience ..."
"So that you can relish a moment of achievement

."And why humility ..."
"So that you understand that the best from you do not need to boast."

"And why the burden of taking a favour..."
"So that you can learn to return it."

"And why torment..."
"So that you are never cruel."

"And why solitude..."
"For you to reach out to your Lord."

And why mercy ..."
"To show you that mercy does what the harshest punishment will not."

"And why a chance to repent..."
"To show you that your Lord is fair."

"And why Your wrath ..."
"To bring: an end to the lives of Those who care not for my creation."

"And whv hate..."
"For you to destroy yourselves."

"And why a heart ..."
"To give you a place from which to shed unseen tears"

"And why peace ..."
"So that vou can prosper."

"And why arrogance..."
"To lead you astray."

"And why rebellion ..."
"To teach you never to adapt to a
system that is against the
fundamental teachings of your
Lord."

"And why night..."
"To let you set aside your duties
and burdens of the day and rest in
peaceful worship."

"And why defeat..."
"To spark the desire to win."

"And why suffering ..."
"To ease your pain."

"And why enemies, my Lord ..."
"For you to have friends. There is
no such thing as a true friend.
Your enemy's enemy is your
friend."

And at that he turned around and laughed.
His Lord was amused. "Why the laughter?" his Lord asked him.
"For today ... today. I finally know..."
"And what is that." his Lord asked him.
"You?re the one with all the answers .. you figure it out."
And sometimes, just sometimes it makes me wonder.