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Subject of our discussion in the last
chapter was the community halls adjacent to mosques and the
presence there of the enlightened elders.
We also suggested that every one should
play their roles properly in this regard so that we as a
collective community could solve our problems regarding faith,
culture and ethics. While asking the elders for guidance, the
elders also should be assured of their dignity and that they are
needed for this role. This way the elders will become more
virtuous to Allah because they will be working for Him and not
for their own sake. The elders should know that all the
prophets (pbut)had to suffer in their work, as work for Allah is
demanding and is not a bed of roses. Even before the creation
of Pakistan the Muslim community, in spite of being a minority,
held on to it’s honor and kept their traditions of decency. The
flag bearers of this were the elder men and women who faced
difficulties but kept their Islamic traditions. They had never
allowed dance in their homes. The majority could never disrupt
the Islamic sanctity of mosques by loud noises outside. Finally
this tradition was handed over to Muslim majority of Pakistan.
Unfortunately this tradition was not upheld and people in
Pakistan and people there are doing all sorts of un-Islamic
things in the name of Pakistani culture. The elders either kept
quite or quietly watched what was happening as the evils
gradually took hold of the society to such an extant that no
revolt could easily change it. Why did the elders not play
their needed role? One of the reasons could be that the
families got dispersed due to migration. Secondly the danger
from a non-Muslim majority was gone so no fortification was
needed. Thirdly the media became so strong that such a
fortification of thoughts was not possible because of things
like satellite dishes had an access to not only the homes but
bedrooms too.
So we all, including the elders, gave a
blind eye to what was happening and did not do anything to
prevent that. We had the censorship on paper but actually took
no steps to enforce it. The result was that our neighbor,
though speaking the same language but not sharing the same
values, exported its cultural poison to us for which we had no
antidote. Sins and nudity always has more attraction and the
Satan took advantage of this. The bad habits are not easy to
give up, just like it was difficult for our prophet (pbuh) to
tell people of Mecca that what their forefathers were doing was
wrong. In spite of him (pbuh) being known as truthful before
even his declaration of prophethood, it took him twenty three
years to convince them. The residents of Mecca did not deny his
good qualities, however their culture was binding them. Even
with not agreeing to him (pbuh) for his (pbuh) teachings, they
still kept with him (pbuh) their precious things for
safekeeping. He had such a strong character that even at the
risk of his (pbuh) companion like Ali’s (RA) life; he (pbuh)
managed to return their precious things to them. Their false
pride and conservatism did not let them see the light. Their
material preferences were not letting them accept the ways of
Islam. We are facing a similar situation. First of all we need
to change our character and need to follow the strong character
that the prophet (pbuh) showed in his life in Mecca. Allah
asked the Muslims to “get their patience and steadfastness from
prayers”.
The lesson here is to keep high character
with patience and steadfastness. Even in the presence of
learned leaders, a sudden change in behavior is not possible.
However with patience we can change ourselves gradually. Sudden
change is usually not persistent, however with patience we
gradually bring this about. I would like to give an example
from Islamic history, which may give you an inkling of what I am
talking about. This example is of Imam Ghazali (ra). He was a
very arrogant Chief Justice, who liked to debate all the time.
However with Allah’s guidance one day he left every thing and
took resort in the wilderness of jungle. When he finally came
back and gave his enlightened views to people, they turned
against him. His own pupil ordered to throw the 400 books that
he had written into a river. His crime was that he had now been
enlightened, but the teachers of the time did not have his frame
of mind. We have resemblance between those times and present,
in a way that Muslims these days without proper learning are
giving their Fatwas (religious judgments) of Kufr on trifling
matters. Muslims are at each other’s throats in the name of
Islam. What our elders have lost in last fifty years will take
time to be reinstalled. Abruptness in this matter could make
things worse. Elders can not take their hands off the matters
of their children by just saying that they have done their duty
to raise them and that they are not responsible anymore.
Although we cannot live somebody’s life for him or her, however
we can always show them the right path. Prophet (pbuh) told his
companions that, “Once Allah sent his angels to destroy a
community because of disobedience, however their one isolated
prayer was going on and on with his prayers. The angels got
perplexed over this situation and asked Allah for guidance.
Allah’s order was to start with him because he spent his time
only on his own praying and did not do anything for the
community”.
We cannot escape from our communal
responsibilities and communal punishments. If we keep on
performing our communal responsibilities, it may be possible
that Allah may save us from punishment. |
