Films Unlimited "A complete blog": September 2007

Saturday, September 22, 2007

The two culprits

It has been more then five years now since the so called war against terrorism was started and uptil now america have achieved " what they wanted to", still there is no clue of usama
bin laden nobody knows where he is although most of the people think he is in america
enjoying a wonderfull life along with the other culprit of the story Mr george bush.Bush is famous to achieve his goal's either by hook or by crook (For more details on that watch famous documentry movie by micheal more) he wanted to have full control on afghanistan and for that purpose he planned the entire Filmy sequence of september 11th along with his culprit brother Mr usama bin laden, after that he planned another senseless attack on Iraq in order to get hold of all the oil and stuff.Is he successfull in achieving all his develish goals or not thats the question only time can answer but one thing for sure that Bush is responsible for the life's of thousands of american soldiers who died while fighting in Afghanistan and in Iraq and bin laden is equally responsible for killing millions of innocent mulims and spreading this suicide attack culture all over the world and i guess the time has come that now both american's and muslims should join hands to get rid of these two DEVILS and brother's by relation if we want to live
with peace.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Atif aslam's Meri kahani

Atif aslam's latest album Meri kahani will be releasing on eid ul fitar, earlier the album was named as hungami halaat and now its renamed as meri kahani, according to atif aslam the style of the music will be like his debut album jalpari.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Download Best of Sajjad Ali

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Music, A Question of Faith or Dawah? by Yousuf Islam.

I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, And Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) Regardless of all the other unnecessary controversies surrounding me at the moment, I was saddened to recently hear that some voices in the Muslim community have been criticising me because of various record companies re-releasing and advertising a DVD and other past music albums. They appear to be making it out to be a question of Faith; it seems they have not yet understood certain fundamental truths about these issues. So I decided to respond and pray for Allah’s assistance to make the matter clear. When I embraced Islam in 1977 I was still making records and performing. The chief Imam in the London Central Mosque encouraged me to continue my profession of composing and recording; at no time was there ever an ultimatum for me to have to choose between music or Islam. Nevertheless, there were lots of things about the music industry which contravened the Islamic way of life and I was new to the faith, so I simply decided myself to give up the music business. This helped me to concentrate fully on learning and practising Islam - the five pillars - and striving to get close to Allah through my knowledge and worship. However, it is interesting to quote here part of the first interview I gave to a Muslim magazine back in 1980; when asked about my thoughts with regard to music I said, “I have suspended my activities in music for fear that they may divert me from the true path, but I will not be dogmatic in saying that I will never make music again. You can’t say that without adding Insha Allah.” (2) For those who may not be aware of the basics of Islam, the things which make a person Muslim begin with his firm belief in the one and only God, Allah, and Muhammad as the last Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). Next a Muslim must pray the five obligatory prayers every day; then he must give a portion of his wealth each year to the needy; he must fast the month of Ramadan; and finally he must try to make the pilgrimage to Makkah. It is important to note that I first came to learn about Islam, not through any effort from any Muslim advocate (da’ee), but solely by the Divine Grace of Allah when I received the Qur’an in 1976 as a gift from my brother - al Hamdulillah - who was not even a Muslim at the time. It was then I realised the Qur’an was the Truth I had been seeking. Sadly, today there are many Muslims who have not deeply studied the meanings of the Qur’an, and the majority take religion from birth as a cultural identity, not an educated choice. A large amount do not fulfil the five pillars of Islam, some do not even know how to pray! Unfortunately, there are also many born Muslims who adopt an exclusive and sometimes even racist attitude; only a few have considered trying to invite others to the Religion. This is an extremely important point because, actually, it is well known that if the People of the Book, like Christians or Jews, learn Islam and become Muslims by Allah’s Grace, they receive twice as much reward. Allah the Most High states in the Qur’an, When I first began to learn about Islam it was the greatest moment of my life because it brought me the message of spiritual unity (tawheed). The message of One God resonated in my soul, and I suddenly could recognise it in every law and atom of this immeasurable universe - Subhanallah! Now going back to the subject of music - so long as it is within certain moral limits and does not divert a person from worship - it obviously doesn’t make people Kafirs (non-Believers). The truth is that most of those who buy my records as Cat Stevens are not Muslim, but many who listen to those old songs recognise that they represent the poetic inspiration of a seeker, someone thirsting for peace and trying to understand the unexplained mysteries of life. They were not just typical ‘Rock & Roll’. Indeed, most of my well known songs carried strong moral messages: ‘Peace Train’, ‘On the Road to Findout’ and ‘The Wind’, to mention a few. “I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul, Where I end up? Well I think only God really knows” It’s true that I have gradually softened my objections to the use of music and songs over the years, and there are good reasons. Since the genocide against Bosnia in 1992, I learnt how important motivational songs are in keeping people’s spirits high during times of great calamity. One of the things that changed me greatly was listening to the assettes coming out of the Balkans at that time; these were rich and highly motivating songs (nasheeds), inspiring the Bosnians with the religious spirit of faith and sacrifice. In addition, from the letters we’ve received in our office over the years, it’s clear that my songs have actually helped many people; some even on the very verge of suicide have been influenced to see life in a positive light again, Allah says, ‘Whoever saves the life of one human being it is as if he has saved the whole of humanity’.Also, if listening to music and songs invalidated Islam, then most of the Muslims during the Abbasid Khilafat and the golden age of Islamic Spain would be considered non-Muslim, God forbid! Interestingly, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the ‘Ulema have recently decided that the songs I sang as Cat Stevens provides a good example for the youth, to show that there are positive aspects to some music and art. Maybe the ‘Ulema in other countries should take a closer look at what’s happening to their youth, before the gulf between them becomes irreparable and too wide to bridge. We must be able to provide an Islamic alternative. I truly believe that we don’t have to go beyond the generous paradigms of Islam for our solutions. If we turn our attention to the Sunnah (example) of the blessed Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, there are evidences for the allowance of listening to inoffensive words and songs of non-Muslims. Yes, it’s true. Once the Prophet was listening to the poetry of a non-Muslim, Umayyah bin Sault, after listening to around a hundred couplets of the poem, the Prophet, peace be upon him said, “He (Umayyah) was close to accepting Islam.” The issue of music within Islam is an ongoing debate amongst Muslim scholars; some argue that it is totally Haram (prohibited) and others argue that its allowance depends on the song’s conformity to Islamic values and norms. Whilst I agree that some songs and musical influences are haram, this judgement does not apply to every singer or every single note and crotchet played. We must distinguish: for example, what is the message in the words of the song? What is the moral context and environment where the songs are being played? What is the time it is happening? Who is delivering the song? How is it delivered? And importantly, what is the intention? Some scholars say that as long as it conforms to moral norms and doesn’t divert a person from his or her duties in worshipping Allah Most High, then it has its place in the culture of Islam. Different opinions about music indicate that it is not to be taken as a question of faith (‘Aqidah), but is simply a matter of understanding (fiqh). And after having studied this subject for more than twenty five years, I can say that it is certainly not as black and white as some have tried to make us believe. I used to be doubtful about the issue but now realise that many of the Hadith used to support its banning are either weak, unclear, or they do not balance with other specific Hadith showing its allowability. The actual word ‘music’ was never recorded in the original sayings of the Prophet and can not be found in the \preserved ‘Arabic language of the Qur’an - and Allah surely knows best. After having discovered Islam through a complex maze of different spiritual paths and religions, my commitment is to share this treasure of knowledge and understanding of tawheed with others; this I consider a Fard (obligation) upon me. That is why I am trying my best to reach out to people, who have many misconceptions about Islam, Many Muslims today are frustrated, they believe that nothing can be done except to withdraw and pray for Allah to change the situation, or they go to extremes. Of course, Allah the Almighty can change the situation in a second if He wishes, but we must also correct ourselves, Whilst Muslim lands are in chaos, pounded by devastating military forces; and Islam is being dragged through the gutter by the media owing to the misdeeds of certain extreme groups, we must ask: where are united voices of the Ummah to right the picture and change the state of affairs? While the killing of souls is as acceptable as sweeping the streets; while blood gushes from the innocent victims of poverty and unjust aggression, surely there is something we can do? This should not push us to extremities either. Allah Most High says, Therefore, Da’wah, inviting mankind to belief (Iman) and worship of the One God, the True Lord and Creator of the Universe and reminding people of the Day of Judgement, this is the most fundamental issue in whatever time and space. Not performing our duty and ignoring the power of the media is one of the main reasons, I believe, for our failure as a Global Community in creating a more peaceful and just world. Now, going back to those accusations against me and questions about my Iman, the conveyors of such rumours should earnestly seek Allah’s forgiveness. Critics of my music and Da’wah should be aware that we are trying our best to show Muslims and non-Muslims the transcendent beauty and light of Islam, for this we must work within the media or our voices will never be heard. The DVD release of my Concert in 1976 contains an extremely important interview where I explain why I left the music business. Thank God, many are seeing and hearing this side for the first time without the usual journalistic distortion. Additionally, my contribution to those charity concerts protesting against the war on Iraq and for victims of AIDS - particularly innocent children - were charitable acts which I wanted to perform on behalf of the Muslims, although I didn’t necessarily agree with some of the un-bashful presentations from other artists. In the end, the sayings of the Prophet, ‘Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should either speak good or be silent’and, ‘A Muslim is he from whose hand and tongue other Muslims feel safe’, are enough to remind such accusers of the Islam we still need to understand and practice. Furthermore - though some may still wish to argue - the best answer I can give is in the words we read from the Qur’an, ‘Do you argue with us, when Allah is our Lord and your Lord? To us are our deeds and to you are your deeds, and to Him we are sincere.’

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Download Best of vital Signs

"Ramchand pakistani" a movie to watch out for.

After the massive success of Khuda ke liye nationwide all eyes are on Famous writer & director mehreen jabbar for her debut feature film "Ramchand pakistani which is in the post production these days.Flm stars Nandita das from india, Maria wasti, Noman aijaz, Rashid farooqui and so on.Film is about un intentional border crossing of a pakistani hindu guy into india, based on true story the film promises to be another hard hitting sensitive film just like mehreen's famous television plays,Famous pakistani pop & classical singer shafqat amanat ali & india's famous folk singer shubha mudgal will be doing a soundtrack.So one really hope that after the great feature film debut by shoaib mansoor mehreen will follow the path in reviving our dead cinema industry.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Khuda ke liye (In the name of God) Film Review

When i was entered in theater my expactations were sky high and there were two reason for that first the over all look and publicity of the movie 2nd the name of shoaib mansoor is associated with it and when i came out of the theater i was speechless.The movie has opened to packed houses all the three shows in karachi were jam packed now lets talk abt movie.
The movie talk abt islam it talk abt extremism it talk abt mullah culture it talk abt 9/11 it talk abt music etc etc.Its abt two brothers sarmad and mansoor both r aspiring musicians but somehow an extremist mullah brainwashed sarmad(played by fawad khan) and he leave music and all the stuff and some how the situation took him to afghanistan.mansoor(played by shan)went to america to study music and caught by FBI after 9/11 incident.Iman ali lives in england and she is in luv with a christian guy and her father want her to get married with the muslim guy, what happend to all 3 for that u have to watch the movie.
The film is a visual treat the cinematography is top notch and trust me it is one step ahead of bollywood.Film is quite lengthy and slow paced but the screenplay, dialogues and performances are so powerfull that viewer dont feel bore for a second,the 50% movie is in english infact most of the part shot in america and england is in english and the pakistani portion is in urdu.well u need strong script but u also need actors of class to generate an impact on screen with that script and thats a plus point of kkl,If shan made u cry in sangam and nikkah get ready for another power packed performance he is in full form this time and he was simply brilliant the intensity through which he delivered his dialogues were gr8,Fawad khan is amazing he looked like a mature actor,iman ali was wonderfull,very passionate and natural with her performance,naseer uddin shah played the most important role though he was on screen for abt 20 minutes but his powerfull dialogues and the confrontation in the court room was cheered by massive crowd infact the dialogues are so powerfull that most of the times crowd clapped and cheered like hell,Music is already a big hit and the songs mostly come in the background and they were used cleverly rohail hayat's background score is brilliant.What to say abt shoaib mansoor he is a real shoman his creativity shows on screen for example in one scene shan was investigated by FBI officials and they asked him to write something on wall with chalk and he wrote i love usa but FBI guys kept on beating him and asking him questions and after quite some time he sits up and add MA with usa and the entire theater clapped on that scene,hats off to shoaib mansoor for making such a brilliant movie undoubtedly this is one of the best of pakistani cinema and one more thing that inspite of all the negative publicity against the movie the theater was jam packed and eveyone loved the movie and most of them were families.
I recemond every one specially every muslim shud watch this movie with open mind it ill force u to think for sure.
Highly recomended 9/10

Films Unlimited "A complete blog"