Najaf Mazari > Quotes

“To make a good man, God has to use all of his skill. Some of the goodness of God himself goes into such a man. And when the man is ready to take his place on the earth, God must feel the pride that I feel when I look at the rug I am weaving, at the strands that bind closely together and knot and make a pattern, and at the beauty of the colours. Such a long day's work to make a good man! And yet, one bullet that takes a second to speed through the air and strike a man will kill him in an instant. How can God forgive such a thing? And yet He can, so it is said, for His heart is great and His forgiveness infinite, if the sinner repents. But I am not God and I cannot forgive the man who killed my brother.”
― Najaf Mazari, The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif

“I am glad that I can tell the truth, for lies are a form of theft; the liar steals from another person's trust. There are liars all over the world who have grown rich on the trust they have stolen.”
― Najaf Mazari

“You do not want to live in a country ruled by people who never have any doubts. To have doubts is human. A horse has no doubts, a grasshopper has no doubts, an ant has no doubts. But a human being stops to think sometimes, and when he thinks, he hears a voice asking quietly, 'Are you certain that you are right? You must be certain before you pull that trigger. You must be certain before you put your knife to that man's throat.'
Would God have given us the power to question if he wanted us to behave like grasshoppers and ants? I am sure God takes pleasure in all the creatures of the world, but I am also sure that his greatest pleasure is a human being who puts his knife away because he is not sure, because a doubt has come into his mind.”
― Najaf Mazari, The Rugmaker of Mazar-e-Sharif

“The Basmati must be soaked in clean, cold water for thirty minutes before cooking. The rice is not added to the bowl of water, but instead the water is poured onto the rice. Each ten minutes, the rice is moved gently in the water with a spoon. After thirty minutes, the rice is drained in a chalow saffi, the utensil known as a colander in English. In fresh cold water the rice is boiled in a pot, allowing the level of the water to exceed the depth of the rice, but not too greatly. Once the water boils, the rice remains submerged for five minutes only, and must be stirred briefly twice in the space of those five minutes. The rice is again drained in the chalow saffi, and once drained, it is rinsed and allowed to stand in the chalow saffi for a short time. At this stage, if the Basmati has been treated without abuse, each grain will stand separate. In a dish or bowl suitable for use in an oven, and better that the dish should be pottery, a small amount of oil and butter is heated. The Basmati is poured onto the melted oil and butter and turned with a spoon while salt is added. The quantity of salt should not destroy the taste of the rice.”
― Najaf Mazari, The Honey Thief