– Abul Faiz Azmi
As Qasim flipped through the pages of the newspaper, he asked his father, “Abba, what should we do in such situations?” Upon hearing Qasim’s question, Mr. Majid looked up from his book and glanced at his son with a questioning look. Qasim pointed to the news and repeated his question, “If a group of people surrounds someone and forces them to say ‘Jai Shri Ram’ or some other such words, threatening to kill them if they refuse, what should we do in such a situation?”
His father, still gazing at the news, replied, “We should not say it.”
Qasim, looking at his father in surprise, asked, “But why, Abba? Islam teaches that it is obligatory for every Muslim to protect their life.”
His father repeated in the same tone, “We should not say it.”
This time, Qasim looked at his father with even greater surprise and, without hesitation, said, “Allah Himself has mentioned in the Qur’an, in Surah An-Nahl, about this matter.”
His father responded, “Even then, we should not say it.”
Raising his voice, Qasim said, “Even if there is no other way to save our life?”
His father replied, “Yes, even then.”
Now, in an even more emotional tone, Qasim continued, “Abba, when we study the life of the Prophet (PBUH), we also find the incident of Hazrat Ammar bin Yasir. When the disbelievers inflicted severe torture on him, he uttered words of disbelief to save his life. He later informed the Prophet (PBUH) about it and clarified that he only uttered those words with his tongue, while his heart remained firm in faith. The Prophet (PBUH) approved of his action.”
Qasim continued, “Abba, when we find clear examples in both the Qur’an and the life of the Prophet (PBUH) where saying words of disbelief to save one’s life is permissible, why shouldn’t we do the same?”
Smiling at Qasim’s argument, his father put the newspaper aside and said, “Son, you have studied the history of the pre-Islamic era, the Days of Ignorance (Jahiliyyah). You must have realized that despite the many evils prevalent among the Arabs, they also had some good qualities, including the importance they placed on fulfilling promises and covenants. If they made a promise, they would go to great lengths to fulfill it, even if it meant risking their lives. There are not just one but hundreds of examples of this. Similarly, Hazrat Ammar bin Yasir also felt that if he uttered words of disbelief, his life would be spared.” After saying this, his father fell silent for a moment and then continued, “Son, the people we are dealing with have no regard for promises or agreements, and we don’t have a single example of anyone being spared after saying ‘Jai Shri Ram’ or similar words at their command. That’s why I’m saying that if such a situation ever arises, we should choose the path of steadfastness (Azimah) over concession. That is the best course for us.”
Qasim was very pleased with his father’s clear explanation. He now also firmly believed that choosing the path of steadfastness over concession was better for them.
Credit: Nuqush-e-Raah (Urdu Magazine)
