The newsreader at the prime time TV channel adjusted his voice and announced in a grave tone, ‘In another suspected case of a jihadist attack, a suicide bomber blew up at a crowded market in the Kuwaiti town of Salmiya, leaving nine dead and over thirty injured. The deceased include two Indians – Raju Chatterjee, a native of Sainthia village of West Bengal, and George Jacob, hailing from Alappuzha, Keralam…’
***
Born to Catholic parents, George had a childhood rooted in Christianity and Jesus Christ. He used to spend his spare time at the church rather than at home because it amazed him and also because he felt his love devoid house suffocating. Whenever his parents fought, he would clutch his rosary and pray for miracles. His mom and dad separated in due time, and George’s life was a misery since then. As life posed tough questions before him, his faith started waning away gradually. He no longer believed in miracles, started doubting the existence of God, and questioned concepts of afterlife and soul. His friends labeled him an atheist, although he was agnostic.
George reached Kuwait through an acquaintance and was recruited by Sultan Center, a major retailer. His job primarily included driving the company pickup van to different farms and markets to procure commodities. Life was quite. On the eventful day, he had driven to the Salmiya market to take stock.
Everything was normal when George heard a loud boom, and before he knew his life had come to a halt. Soon enough, his soul departed from his shattered body and was led into an upward journey. The soul stopped when it reached an imposing castle bound by a massive door. Knock. The door was opened, and the soul was lead to a well-decorated inner chamber. The soul could see someone seated there.
“You may enter.” A voice announced. The soul entered.
“I am Chitragupta, and here we shall evaluate your deeds on Earth and decide on your fate.” Saying this, he started looking into the stack of records before him.
After some serious introspection, Chitragupta spoke, “This was your fifth life on Earth. The first life was that of a snake, a parrot came next, and then you were a horse. You first attained the form of human in your fourth birth, and you were a peasant woman from Mongolia. And in your previous birth, you were a male born in India. Your karma from these five lives have been carefully evaluated, and you are deemed fit for salvation. No more rebirths for you.”
George Jacob, the young atheist from Kerala thus attained moksha and was now a part of God.
***
Raju Chatterjee was a typical Bengali Brahmin. He was compassionate, always lending a hand to the needy. Raju was a strict vegetarian, for he firmly believed that all animals and birds and even fish had souls, and it was wrong to kill them. Also, he was an ardent believer of Lord Ganesh. Raju Chatterjee eked out a living by giving students classes in Mathematics and Sanskrit, and he served as a priest in the nearby Durga Devi temple. The meager income from tuition was enough to sustain him during his youth days, but things changed as he married and had kids.
Forced by circumstances, he was forced to leave his beloved homeland behind and migrate to Kuwait, where he was employed as a Mathematics teacher at the Indian Public School, Salmiya. Though far from home, he did not let go his faith and way of life. He would spend his leisure time after work reading and explaining the Gita to housewives and children of the few Hindu families who lived in the vicinity.
Mr. Chatterjee was at the local market to buy provisions when he felt a sharp pain on his left knee. Soon, the market drowned in heart-wrenching shrieks of horror and cries for help. Blood was everywhere. The shattered palm of a little kid was the last horrifying sight seen by him before he breathed his last.
Munkar and Nakeer, the angels of death, visited him. Despite the blood and gore all around, the Nakirains were a terrifying image with their body in black and blue-black eyes that are unusually large. They started asking questions.
“Who is your Lord?” “What is your religion?” “Who is your prophet?”
And to all those questions he could only answer “O what a pity for I do not know”.
Raju Chatterjee was condemned to eternal hell as he was a non-believer.
***
Othman Ashfaq Hamdan had reached the marketplace of Salmiya well before noon. He lingered quietly, observing the locality. His religious attire belied his hideous motives. People who passed failed to notice a time-triggered explosive tightly strapped around his waist.
Ashfaq was an orphan boy born in Syria and was brought up by a group of strange men in Kuwait. Right from a tender age, he was taught that his duty was to fight the holy war for Allah. They told him that those who did not follow the words of God ought to be punished. They trained him with rifles and bombs and promised him he would enter heaven for taking up God’s work.
What they did not tell him was that Islam was a religion of peace. They hid the fact that physical jihad was only to be used as a last resort for self-defense, and never to be used against harmless civilians.
They had manipulated him well, and on the agreed day at the agreed hour, he prepared himself to go up in flames for what he believed was his duty. He was glad and prepared to enjoy the pleasures of heaven. He went up in flames, and nothingness prevailed.
Death was the only reality, and it had embraced Ashfaq.
Dear Brother Vishnu,
ReplyDeleteFrom what it seems like, this prose too has managed to entail a feel of communal intimidation against Islam, adding one more to the typical content, flooding through the mass media. This is definitely not something new or that which has had recent sprouting.
Now, a little food for thought...
1. How could Islam be the fastest growing religion in the western part of the globe, in spite of the fact that Islam is the minority one there and it being the most controversial religion of all times?
Would someone knowing seek peace by accepting a religion which promotes murder of innocent men, women and children?
2. Have you ever really learnt the meaning of "Jihad", from authentic sources despite of the fact that it is used so overwhelmingly against Islam?
***
Dear brother...There is not even a single verse in the Holy Qura'an or the teachings of the Prophet Muhammed (May Peace be Upon Him) which says or commands to kill innocent people.
In fact, the verses typically chosen by the critics of Islam is quoted deliberately out of context, thereby creating a completely atrocious image of the Holy Verses of the Qura'an and hence the community as a whole. One of the most quoted verses, for instance, in Holy Qura'an [9:5] is :
"...kill the unbelievers wherever you find them..."
At this point, I would like to request you to refer this verse in the Holy Qura'an all by yourself and you would discover that the this is only an excerpt of the verse and that it has been quoted completely out of context. On further investigation, you would find that this verse is a command by the Almighty God through the Prophet Muhammed to the believers 'during a war', which was proclaimed when the then enemies of Muslims broke a peace treaty during the Prophet Muhammed's time. Here, 'unbelievers' were the then enemies of the Muslims in the war, NOT THE NON-MUSLIM IN OUR TIMES. This was a historical event mentioned in the Holy Qura'an.
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ReplyDeleteImagine you are the Commander General in a war. What is that you would say to yours soldiers to increase their morale? Definitely, "Kill you enemies!". Would you say the contrary? Suppose your command was interpreted by the media after war was over, what would that sound like? This would be out of context.
Interestingly, these so-called critics would never ever quote the verse coming next, i.e. [9:6], as it completely contradicts the above quoted, when read out of context. The verse is as follows:
"And in case any of the unbelievers seeks of you protection, then grant him protection till he hears the Words of Allah; thereafter convey him to his secure place. That (is) for that they are a people who do not know"
These is always an opportunity to opt peace even when in war, as the verse explicitly says. The order of the Almighty God when the enemy seeks protection, is to provide him protection and to escort him to a secure place! How more generous can it be?!
This (i.e. 9:5) is only one among the verses which are misinterpreted by critics of Islam around the world. All these efforts would render worthless the moment one reads the verses preceeding and succeeding the verse being criticized, as it would actually mean a wholly different aspect.
All religious scriptures (like Mahabharat, Ramayana or the Holy Bible) have definitely made implications and have verses describing war. If one looks forward to selectively quote such verses alone from these scriptures and bleat it out to be teachings of the books, it would certainly be misguiding and false and has to be stopped.
On the contrary to all such false allegation, you could find in the Holy Quraan [Chapter 5: Verse 32]:
"...whoever slays a soul, unless it be for manslaughter or for mischief in the land, it is as though he slew all men; and whoever keeps it alive, it is as though he kept alive all men..."
This is the true teaching of Islam. And as far as the true teaching of Islam is concerned, your 'third culprit' in the story would have the Hell fire as his abode. Islam has strongly condemned suicide what so ever divine the reason may sound like.
Regarding the life after death in the grave, however Almighty God alone knows the best.
'Jihad' means struggle against one's own weaknesses in the way of Allah, pertaining to his spiritual life and adherance to the teachings of Islam. Killing innocent people is not among the teachings of Islam.
Finally, with due respect of your knowledge and skills, kindly learn Islam through the scriptures, i.e. The Holy Qura'an and the Hadith(Teachings of the Prophets) and not to conclude based on the hype and junk spread by the media. You would never get mystified with a lot of versions or editions of the Qura'an as the Qura'an is unique as there is only a single version of it. The same Qura'an is read in India or US or UK or Africa or the East without any flaw.
This has been true for the past 1400 years and will sustain to be so till the end of time, as Allah Himself has proclaimed its preservation in the Qura'an [Al Hijr, Chapter 15: Verse 9]
"Surely We have releaved the Reminder and We will most surely be its guardian"
The word 'Qura'an' itself means 'that which is read the most'.Not even a single scientific or literary flaw has been spotted ever since its revelation, despite of the tyrranous efforts of its critics around the world. And in fact, it is so as it is divine the only scripture which calls itself to be so.
May the Almighty God lead us in the right path and protect us from leaving astray.
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