O residents of the Valley of Illusion! Do not be deceived into thinking that by staying in a state of ablution, wearing good clothes, performing prayers, and observing additional fasts, you are somehow benefiting God, that He desires such acts of worship, that His honour is increased, or that He is harmed by your rebellion and neglect of duties. It is not so, absolutely not. Even if the entire universe were to prostrate before Him, His greatness would not be magnified. If all of creation were to rebel, it would make no difference to Him. In His eyes, the value of the entire world is not even equal to a lame mosquito’s wing. Just follow His commands with gratitude, humility, and complete submission. It is for your own benefit. You will find salvation, peace, and comfort by complying. If you rebel, life will become a living hell; you will lose peace and tranquility, trust will erode, and there will be chaos. Everyone will be caught in the web of their own desires and deceptions. There is only one way: submit to His authority, be content with His will, and sing His praises. He alone is worthy of praise; His name alone will remain exalted. Everyone else is transient, destined to leave. No one has stayed, no one will stay; it is impossible. Only the name of my Allah will remain, just His.
Man is very hasty, very timid, very cunning and crafty, always complaining. A little comfort makes him arrogant, and he forgets God. But when a little hardship befalls, he becomes a loud complainer, telling everyone about his headache, fever, or pain. He acts as if he is the only one visible to God.
Rabia Basri comes to mind. Once, while passing by, she saw a man with a cloth tied around his head. She asked, “Why do you have this cloth on your head?” He replied humbly, “Because I have a headache.” Rabia Basri then said, “Have you ever tied a cloth of gratitude?” The surprised man asked for an explanation, and Rabia Basri responded, “God gave you so much comfort, yet you never tied a cloth that said, ‘I am wearing this because God has given me comfort.’ But now that you have a little headache, you are parading around with a cloth of complaint.” Have we ever thought about this? We all lack the cloth of gratitude and always raise the flag of complaint. We are very ungrateful, very cowardly, very foolish… lacking insight, not sight. We have rebelled a lot, and we see the consequences. Why don’t we turn back to our Lord?
Yes, a wise elder once lovingly told me that God is very pleased with the person who returns to Him, fearful and ashamed, regretting the time spent in rebellion against God. When he stands before his Lord, remorseful, God’s mercy overflows and envelops him.
رحمت یہ چاہتی ہے کہ اپنی زباں سے
کہہ دے گناہ گار کہ تقصیر ہوگئی
Mercy wants that with her tongue
Tell the sinner that there is a fault
Turn back. All this is given by God. Be grateful. And gratitude is not just performing prayers, reciting the Quran, and fasting. This is God’s command, and it must be fulfilled; this is your duty to God. Gratitude also involves caring for the helpless. Meet those in your neighbourhood who maintain a dignified appearance but are in need, listen to their problems, and help them secretly without hurting their dignity. Many shopkeepers in the neighbourhood have tabs running for these dignified individuals; quietly pay off their debts and ask the shopkeepers to keep your name anonymous out of fear of God. If you need to give provisions, assign it to the neighbourhood shopkeeper or quietly place it at their doorstep in the darkness of the evening so that even the neighbour does not know. Has our Lord made anyone a confidant while giving us?
If there is a sick person in the neighbourhood, arrange for their medication secretly. You will find such needy individuals among your relatives. While it is your duty to visit them happily, it is also your duty to discreetly support them by taking care of their needs without hurting their dignity. I assure you, God willing, you will be protected from all kinds of ailments.
Understand the pain of the daughter who, with silver strands in her hair, waits because she lacks a dowry. Provide comfort and peace to those who writhe in pain on their beds. Help the student who considers abandoning his education due to a lack of funds. Assist those whose stoves remain unlit. Learn to spend the wealth given to you by God on His creation. I assure you that you will never forget the comfort and joy you derive from spending in this way. The moments you spend helping others are the real investments of life… the tears you shed for others are priceless and are what God desires. Again, let me remind you, paradise is attained through worship, but God is found through service. The choice is yours.
We speak without thinking. Our fellow humans are not safe from our evil… those humans who speak, shout, protest, and resort to fighting. We say anything to anyone at any time… that person is like this or that, and the person we accuse and slander… if they are powerful, they retaliate, and we become like a cat who has scratched a post, retreating quietly. If they are weak, society makes their life miserable. You can do whatever you want to the helpless; no one will stop you. We see this every day, and sometimes we do the same ourselves. If humans are not safe from our evil, how can animals be? Those animals who cannot speak, protest, demonstrate, issue press releases, or knock on the doors of courts.
We continuously blame the inhabitants of the jungle. Have you ever heard of a lion committing corruption, a donkey having Swiss bank accounts, or an animal selling another? Have they ever hoarded or profiteered? Has a lion ever sold its own cubs to extend its reign and later boasted about how many animals it sold to a hunter? Even a helpless and weak chicken fights to protect its chicks. If a crow sees food, it caws to call its fellows. It never thinks of secretly devouring all the food alone. We, humans… yes, we who are considered the best of creation, have done, are doing, and will continue to do such things. Have you ever heard of animals committing these acts? We slander those speechless animals. I believe their patience is now exhausted. One day they might surround us and demand answers for why we accused them of such things.
People often say: the law of the jungle prevails in cities. America has enforced the law of the jungle worldwide. Millions have been slaughtered like vegetables. Countries with centuries of history have been turned into ruins, and no one asks why. Now, look at how the unseen coronavirus caused such destruction that those who once roamed New York’s streets in million-dollar cars, tourists who considered shopping in luxurious hotels, plazas, and stores filled with expensive goods as a matter of pride, found those streets eerily silent with the shadow of death looming. A young man from there, witnessing American oppression, cried out, calling for repentance and submission to God, warning that if they did not, this unseen virus, smaller than a hair strand, would turn every living being to dust.
The first lockdown in the world was introduced by the ruthless, tyrannical Hindu Modi. From August 5 onwards, he not only confined the lives of millions of living beings in occupied Kashmir to their homes for a long period but also imposed a complete lockdown, shutting down all educational institutions, businesses selling daily necessities, and even hospitals except for pharmacies. Unfortunate Kashmiris were deprived of giving shoulders to their loved ones’ coffins and even of burying them in cemeteries, forcing them to bury their loved ones in their courtyards. Young boys were forcibly taken from their homes, either disappeared or imprisoned in far-off Indian jails, and to this day, neither has anyone been traced nor has any record been presented in any court. The USA and the West, which claim to be champions of human rights, have maintained a criminal silence for their economic interests.
We are often taunted with India’s development, its independent foreign policy, and its democratic electoral process. Today, let me give you a tour of India and share the testimony of their own economic experts. In this very India, 536.8 million people live below the poverty line, the highest number in any country. Out of the 963 million people globally suffering from hunger, more than 210 million are in India, again the highest number for any country. India has 92.3 million children suffering from malnutrition, the largest number in the world, and of the 5.84 million children who die annually worldwide, more than 2.5 million are Indian children, which is more than any other country. Among the 1.21 billion people worldwide who lack access to clean drinking water, over 410 million are Indians, the highest number in any country. Globally, 2.601 billion people lack sanitation facilities, with over 626.5 million Indians among them (some sources estimate over 1.1 billion), the highest in any country.
Worldwide, 42 million people are infected with AIDS, with 6.19 million of them being Indian, the highest number in any country. According to the Indian government, over 500,000 of these individuals die annually. Out of the 200 million people suffering from tuberculosis globally, 4.7 million are Indians, the highest number in any country, with nearly 500,000 dying each year, again the highest number. Each year, 525,600 women die in childbirth worldwide, with 98,000 of these deaths occurring in India, the highest number for any country. India has 430 million illiterate people, the highest number globally. Over 50 million children in India are still out of school, and 30 million live on the streets, the highest number in any country. Each year, over 100,000 people commit suicide, and 150,000 women are killed for not bringing dowries. Where 430 million people are illiterate, over 50 million children lack education, and more than 30 million children live on the streets.
On the other hand, according to global statistics, the Modi government is spending more on purchasing weapons than on alleviating poverty. In 2023, India was fourth in global military spending, totalling $83.6 billion, a significant increase of 4.2% from 2022 and 44% from 2014. Military expenditures accounted for 15% of the budget in 2023, with an expected increase in 2024. India supports an army of 1.4 million, 1.155 million reserve soldiers, and 1.293 million paramilitary troops. To enhance their effectiveness, India possesses 4,300 tanks, 8,700 armored vehicles, 1,260 fighter aircraft, an aircraft carrier, and 60 nuclear bombs. Not satisfied with this, they have acquired three of the latest AWACS warplanes from Israel and Rafale jets from France, continuing their quest for military dominance.
Aside from this extreme backwardness, what happens to minorities in India is beyond the imagination of the civilized world. Twenty million Dalits are forced to live lives worse than animals, deprived of basic human rights and not even considered human. The condition of the 230 million Muslims is worse than that of the Dalits. There are over 2.3 million fanatic activists from extremist Hindu organizations who have made life unbearable for minorities across India. Hindu-Muslim riots are a daily occurrence. Initially, they collaborated with the Sikhs during the partition to massacre one million Muslims, then destroyed the historic Babri Mosque and killed thousands of Muslims, and later, under Narendra Modi’s government in Gujarat, 5,000 Muslims were brutally murdered, with 2,500 burned alive. Their properties were looted and burned, and they proudly vowed to continue such actions. Modi openly used government machinery in this massacre, and instead of being punished, he was deified. The police and other officials involved in these atrocities were rewarded for their “duty and bravery” with promotions, and now, this cruel Modi has been made the Prime Minister of the country for the third time.
But how easily we liken human cruelty to the law of the jungle. Have you ever seen a jungle? Have you seen its inhabitants? Have you ever lived in a jungle? Then how can you say “law of the jungle”? You know nothing. The law of nature prevails in the jungle. These mute beings are not as cunning, deceitful, sly, and manipulative as we are. What they are is visible. They are not hypocritical or duplicitous like us. They don’t commit the same atrocities that we do. I humbly request you to stop saying this, don’t blame the mute beings for our actions. They are innocent, why are you insulting them? Spare them. Why am I reminded of Zahra Aapa today?
سنا ہے جنگلوں کا بھی کوئی دستور ہوتا ہے
سنا ہے شیر کا جب پیٹ بھر جائے تو وہ حملہ نہیں کرتا
سنا ہے جب کسی ندی کے پانی میں
پئے کے گھونسلے کا گندمی سایہ لرزتا ہے
تو ندی کی روپہلی مچھلیاں اس کو پڑوسی مان لیتی ہیں
ہوا کے تیز جھونکے جب درختوں کو ہلاتے ہیں
تو مینا اپنے گھر کو بھول کر
کوے کے انڈوں کو پروں میں تھام لیتی ہے
سنا ہے گھونسلے سے جب کوئی بچہ گرے
تو سارا جنگل جاگ جاتا ہے
ندی میں باڑ آ جائے
کوئی پل ٹوٹ جائے تو کسی لکڑی کے تختے پر
گلہری سانپ چیتا اور بکری ساتھ ہوتے ہیں
سنا ہے جنگلوں کا بھی کوئی دستور ہوتا ہے
خداوند ِجلیل ومعتبردانا و بینا منصف و اکبر
ہمارے شہر میں اب جنگلوں کا ہی کوئی دستور نافذ کر
It has been heard that forests also have a constitution
It has been heard that a tiger does not attack when its stomach is full
Heard when in the water of a stream
The wheaten shadow of the nest trembles
So, the red fishes of the river consider it as a neighbour
When strong gusts of wind shake the trees
So, Meena forgot her home
The crow holds the eggs in its wings
Heard when a baby fell from the nest
So, the whole forest wakes up
There should be a fence in the river
If a bridge breaks, on a wooden plank
Squirrels, snakes, cheetahs and goats coexist
It has been heard that forests also have a constitution
O glorious Allah, trustworthy, wise, fair-minded, and great
In our city, implement a law of forests now
Saturday 9 June 2024
