‘OUR SIMPLE COMPLICATIONS’

By Talha Masood

Once, we had a Christian sweeper who came in alternate days for cleaning. One morning he told me something that took me by surprise, “I am going to embrace Islam”. I was naturally happy and I gave him few saved-up currency notes for the happy sign. Then few days later I saw him in Bazaar and his get-up was quite different from his orthodox clothing. He was looking happy and with him I had a brief chit-chat with his bearded friend who, according to our sweeper, guided him the true path.

Few days passed and I went busy in my Schooling. I completely forgot about it until I have noticed that he is not coming to perform his duty from last many days. One day he came in his same conventional attire. I inquired about his absents but he looked impassive. At last he started telling me something which was somewhat like this. “I embraced Islam after being impressed and motivated by my friend’s guidance. When I went to nearby Molana Sahab for the learning motive of Islamic teachings, he asked me that on whose hand you have accepted Islam. As I told him, the Molana got fierce on me that what the heck you have done. That Molana is from some different Sect and you are still a non-muslim. After approaching to the first Molana, he had much to curse about the other as well. This confused me a lot and I decided to go to some other religious scholar. His words made me entirely abashed when he said that go and learn about Islam and then come to embrace it. This, beta (That’s what he used to call me) broke my emotions and I am again on my previous religion plus I have decided that now I will never deviate from it”.

After many years, I recalled this apparently normal incident and with that I can also recollect some occurrences that I have witnessed so far in my life creating a certain hodgepodge in my mind.

It was midst of the year, 2008. I started a part-time job as Teacher’s Training Coordinator in an Islamic Organization of Schools and Colleges in Karachi. We always had Juma congregation in the compound of our Office with college students and teachers. This was the first of them. I stood as the ‘aqamat’ began but I saw they were sitting and waiting for the half of the aqamat to finish before rising up for takbeer according to their Sect. As I stood up I heard the whispers from a student from the back row saying that “Sir is a Wahabi”(A sect use to call everyone other than them, a wahabi, that means a person only worshipping Allah and not having faith in His Last Prophet).

In the same organization, I helped a Karachi-based friend from Panjgur to apply in our organization and being an apple of the eyes of administrators, I just had to insinuate them that this guy is a hard-worker in which I had no doubts and they eventually appointed him. He really worked hard and in few months was considered as a very competent employee instead of being called my friend. Because of rush hours duties, we met very often off and on. One afternoon he came to my cabin saying that, that might be the last day of his in the office. Answering to my cross question he described a peculiar reason that the office administration asserts that because you are a ‘Deobandi’, they can not let me continue my services. It really shook me with astonishment and dejection. I can’t forget his words he was exchanging with our Madam: “Madam! You have just come from Hajj. Have you seen anyone discriminating in any Deobandi or Barelvi that one can perform Hajj and the other can’t?”. As his luck would have it, he was expelled from his services although it was in knowledge of the office administration that I am not from their sect too but since I was on a key responsibility, I know they would take some time to oust me with the same pretext.

This religious bigotry was something new to me. I had heard about it but the prejudice for the first time was in full swing before me. They did not drive me out but whatever I saw there in the minds of intellectuals to the young students completely deterred my confidence that Islam which has itself been fragmented by its followers can ever be practiced as an egalitarian religion.

Where there is knowledge, there are differences and it is not only in Islam but in almost all religions. What we fail to develop is tolerance to listen to the other and resolve our reservations peacefully. We always talk about Islamic revolution whereas my study says that the true propagation of Islam was an evolution unless it was internalized in the masses. What to talk about revolution when the true concept of it is not thrived. Resultantly, the new generation is having a space from the religion and it seems something outstanding to them. The fact of the matter indicates that we always try to change the direction of the wind but never pay any heed to adjusting our sails.

We are still tackling with the religious and ethnic chauvinism in the onset of the 21^st century where the development and awareness is on full boom. You travel around the country and you will find a new story everywhere. We are quoted as ethnocentric and religious dogmatists. We have the greatest of religious scholars but somewhere our society is rotted so badly that it may take a generation to have the acumen to solve our small disputes. We are still confused that either wearing a tie could list us among the infidels or to tie our hands above or below the belly button during the prayers while it is very clear that as long as we pray, it is right as the Prophet prayed in all the manners to prevent any mayhem in the issue of offering prayers.

We have many responsibilities being the flag-bearers of new generation in this regard. Initially, our understandings should be free from pre-conceived prejudice. Our efforts should not limit us to any specific jurisdiction but to a global extent. Our interpretation of Islam should not be in our respective interests but the real essence should be based on how receptive our souls are to understand and practice the true word of Islam. We must not give an impression that our unity is at stake. Tolerance is what the need of the hour is. It not only solves abrupt violence but also pacifies the differences and surfaces a better way to be a collective strength. As a lay man, I must be prepared when my son asks me to dispense the vision of a life that never violates our Islamic values and principles but also would be in accordance with harmony, prosperity without class differences, tolerance and a Muslim, well-versed of his moral obligations.