– Maaz Ahmed Javed (M.Tech. AMU)
Death is an inescapable fact. We observe every day that one of our loved ones leaves us. No matter how much one regrets it, the pangs of death suddenly engulf him. This is not surprising, but life and all its vibrancies make man oblivious to this fact. For this reason, in the Qur’an, Allah Almighty has repeatedly not only drawn attention to this fact but has also explained in detail the status of life and death in His sight, so that we do not fall prey to any doubt. Thus, the Qur’an states
“When some affliction visits a man, he calls upon his Lord, turning to him; then when He confers on him a blessing from Him he forgets that he was calling to before..”(39:8).
That is, there is such a disease of forgetfulness in man that he forgets even the most severe test and the demise of the dearest person in a few days and rejoices in the mysteries of this world. So much so that he has to be reminded again by Allah. The second wave of COVID-19 proved to be more intense than experts had speculated, resulting in a much higher death toll this year than last. The increase in mortality rates, the shortage of oxygen and medicines, and the proliferation of counterfeit medicines further complicated the environment, and at one point, patients’ hopes of recovery were dashed. Relatives kept away from patients who didn’t even have any symptoms of covid-19, resulting in many of them falling ill and dying of loneliness. Man seeks the support of human beings like himself in distress and suffering. In these circumstances, our attitude of avoiding care of the sick and avoiding burial shows how the disease of fear of death is deeply engraved in us. In this hour of trial, we not only averted from the rights of the believers but also disregarded the rights of Allah. From traditions we know, that in time of distress Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم rushed towards the mosque, but we, on other hand, have put locks on our mosques. Despite the lack of resources, if we had turned our whole minds and hearts to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, He would have turned things around. But this storm of materialism has so densely engulfed our minds that we are beginning to see the ever-changing medical science as something higher than God. On the other hand, the Mujahideen settlement of Gaza presented a different picture. According to reports, in the recent war, hundreds of people, including women and children, were killed and thousands injured when a barrage of missiles rained down and destroyed buildings. For a long time, death stood, with its arms outstretched, in front of the people of Gaza. But these mujahids fought the followers of Goliath-like David. The masters of statistics may consider this as a suicide, but they don’t know that the promise of Allah, the Lord of Glory, is about such a group, that it will prevail even though it is small. Allah says
“How many small groups have overcome large groups by the will of Allah. Allah is with those who remain patient” (2:249).
Even neutral analysts in the West seem to accept that in the recent war, Israel found Gaza a hard nut to crack. The same steadfastness of the people of Gaza has also curtailed the so called ‘Deal of the century’ between the hypocritical leadership of the Arabs and all the antichrist machinery, including Brave America. It is not only compromising with masjid Al Aqsa but also pawning all Islamic symbols, even Deen, and faith, for a few dinars and dirhams. The mind boggles at the strength and gesture of the people of Palestine. But the Qur’an reveals this mystery-
“Those who have said, ‘Our Lord is Allah’ And remained firm on it, upon them the angels descend, saying, ‘Fear not; neither sorrow; rejoice in Paradise that you were promised…” (Fussliat: 30)
This is the promise by which the believing mothers rejoice over their martyred children, widows over their husbands and old fathers on their young sons and they happily wish them goodbye. These are two contradictory attitudes, which are reflected due to the differences of ideas about the world and the hereafter. The difference between our attitudes and theirs is a recent example. If our behavior isn’t rectified in time, there would have been a fear of desertion of mosques and even a fear of change in the nature of congregational prayers, while on contrary the Palestinians are standing as a steel wall in front of the usurpers for the protection of Al-Aqsa Mosque and praying to their Lord, “Lord, have softness on us, forgive us, have mercy on us, You are our caretaker, help us against the disbelievers”. May Allah make their prayers effective and spread their message in the Ummah, Ameen.
