Aqib Mushtaq
Muslims are a sensible community. They know what is happening around. They define their course of action as per the situation around them, simply for the reason that they do not hurt themselves or others by their actions. This has happened ever since Islam began. The same is true about any sensitive society anywhere in the world. Let’s look at the present scenario of the social trauma which the virus has unleashed globally. Helplessness, hunger, despicable poverty spreading all around can never be solved by the government alone. Every person who is even a degree better off than the sufferers must come forward with a helping hand. This is the call of the time. This is how we can save the society. This is not the time to play blame games. Rather, every individual should contribute his bit to protect the society from collapse. It is with this view that I urge every sensible and sane person to spend every penny with utmost care. Save, save and save to save yourself and the people around you. The money that you save may give life to your relatives, and your next door neighbours. Mind you, your Eid is also for the pleasure of Allah, as was your fasting. What is going to please your Lord more, your new clothes, your new shoes, your lavish spending on Eid gifts, or your packet of food to your neighbour?
Think for a moment! What are you going to celebrate? Your not praying in the mosque for more than a month? Not offering even Friday prayer in the masjid? No Taraveeh in masjid. Not listening to the recitation of the Quran in Taraveeh in the holy month of Ramadan? What do you wish to celebrate? Is there anything for you to celebrate this year? Not even the Eid itself is going to be as it should be. We are going to pray Eid at our homes. Do you still wish to celebrate this Eid? While whole society is suffering today we have more reasons than that to avoid any kind of celebrations. Look at the numbers people getting infected and dying each and every day. Do they offer you no any reason to avoid any celebrations? Would you celebrate for the thousands of lives lost, millions lost their loved ones and livelihood. Do you wish to celebrate that? Do you need new clothes, new shoes, new furniture for house, gifts to share?
Not only Eid, make all events simple. Avoid all unnecessary un-Islamic events like, birthday, marriage day, mother’s day, etc. Marriages should be made as simple as they used to be in Sahaba’s time.
If you so wish, you are callous, uncouth, thick skinned. You don’t have an iota of humanity left in you. You must go and live in a kennel with those who live there. Yes, you deserve that.
The Eid or any event of any significance should be with utmost simplicity without any shopping at all. Alhamdulillah, we have been quiet steadfast in observance of the lockdown. We avoided so many things. We avoided visiting malls, eating out, going out, loitering around, visiting relatives and friends. We saved so much on spending. We lived simple and we ate simple. Now we know how many things we can do without. Simple living is an art which our forefathers knew. We didn’t learnt that or we unlearned that, perhaps. Now circumstances have taught us that again. We had better catch it and keep it with us, because times ahead are more difficult. Try to read between the lines of the messages being put across through the treacherous media that ‘corona is going to live with us.’ In other words, the situation what is today is going to continue. Not just for a month or two, may be for years. Simple living and saving is the mantra going to help you steer through these difficult times. Not heeding to that would be fatal. This mantra should be discussed with family members and friends and should be coaxed to follow.
Not only Eid, make all events simple. Avoid all unnecessary un-Islamic events like, birthday, marriage day, mother’s day, etc. Marriages should be made as simple as they used to be in Sahaba’s time.
(The author is pursuing B.Sc Nursing at IUST Awantipora. Views are his own [email protected])
