Sacrifice is of the lambs…!
Seema Arif
MSc. Psychology MAELM. PhD.
Everything exists in this world with a right for survival as a specific genre or species. What makes existence or survival difficult has been an enigmatic question puzzling the minds of philosophers and sages since ages. What should exist and what should endure existence? Many holy texts speak about the meaningfulness and purposefulness of the existent beings. Qur’an also speaks in Surah Raad:
Thus Allah presents [the example of] truth and falsehood. As for the foam, it vanishes, [being] cast off; but as for that which benefits the people, it remains on the earth. (13:17)
While living on this earth it is hard to determine whether we are the foam, which is to be casted away or we are the truth which is part of the system creating greater good on this earth. One way of creating greater goodness is to spread peace and love on this earth or the part of world we inhabit. What makes us war then? It is the selfish myopic vision or struggle for existence. Who will determine the rightfulness of our cause? Do we have a reliable touchstone to judge the standards of our performance as human beings on this earth? Proudly calling ourselves the vicegerents of God have we ever sensed of the enormous responsibility of human social welfare on our weak shoulders?
What qualifies us to the human category – our physical corporeal Wujud (being) or our social and psychological attributes and behaviors? If we judge by the 1st criterion, every living person has the right to live and procreate on this earth, regardless of race, religion and ethnicity, being qualified as human conforming to a physical category. Judged by the second criterion, some social and psychological attributes may make us the chosen ones or valued nation, while the others may despise us to a derogatory measure rendering us worst than animals. Conforming to 2nd criterion, it is justified to blow people like rocks as they are blocking the human way. Here we need to distinguish between the human and the humane?
At this point of history, it is critical, that we Pakistanis determine the right course of action for us. It is not only the last call for survival, but also an attempt to live as a worthy nation in the history books. Human survival is contingent upon collectiveness. It is often vehemently quoted: The whole Muslim Ummah is like one “Whole”; pain in one part disturbs the “Whole” & the “holy”. Then why are we bent upon desecration of our own parts. Why are we challenging the theorem of our existence – the two nation theory? Unfortunately in our Pak land the Muslims are desecrating Muslims? Have we redefined the purpose of our existence, race, sect and ethnicity becoming torchbearer for us leaving universal principle of brotherhood in Islam far behind.
“The people have merely labeled themselves as “Muslims” as they were born in Muslim families and were named as Muslims”, one side claims choosing the self-righteous authority of Shariah implementation, and indoctrination of one school of thought neglecting the diversity which is an essential element of universality. While neglecting diverse needs of people as Muslims to express their faith can we succeed in reaching universal meanings of Islam coded in Peace and Welfare for everyone? The other side, disclaiming the claim to Shariah as impractical, labels all efforts as irrational, myopic, orthodox and delimiting the human freedom; thus, in its own way challenges the proud self-righteousness of many. I wonder when Rumi says: None called human has the right upon self-righteousness; it is only Allah who has the ultimate privilege. Hajjat tul Balagha – the seminal work of Hazrat Shah Wali Ullah professes the same claim, depriving the human the right to desecrate other humans. Innocence cannot be killed; it is only martyred, minus the physical existence but to mull over the ever conquering emotion of altruism. Life of Prophet Issa (AS) is a classic case – an eternal proof of God’s will and human urge to submit to the will. Islam teaches us that human greatness lies in submission – submission before the Will of Allah. Who will realize the will and be ready to submit first? The will of Allah is to preserve greater goodness and peace among races and nations and not in spoiling the wrath upon each other. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) has taught us to sacrifice lambs, not human beings.
In the same Surah Raad Allah says:
Say, “Is the blind equivalent to the seeing? Or is darkness equivalent to light? (13:16) and in Zumur:
“Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know?” (39:9)
Or in Furqan
Have you seen him who has taken as his god his own desire? Will you then take the responsibility of being a guardian over him? (25:43)
Perhaps it is easier for the less informed and educated to take their desire as god, their personal interpretation as the final and the most authentic one. Then what is the responsibility of the educated and the enlightened ones? Enforce, indoctrinate or say: “peace”. Perhaps Allah may forgive the ignorant, for their lack of knowledge, but what about the knowledgeable. Knowledge is power and power does not mean confiscation of rights; it means observance of rights and duties to spread the light.
Demonstration of absolute brute power has blackened our heart with venom and charged our souls with revenge. We seek annihilation of the aggressors but we are not seeking annihilation of the aggressive force: ignorance that is making people compulsively aggressive worst than beasts. No beast is ever aggressive towards its own species but for humans social existence has become more meaningful than the physical one. We are sacrificing the physical reality at the altar of social one. Social realities are temporary; they may change with time, with better awareness, and with the right knowledge. But our physical corporeal reality of a human being will remain the same. We have to decide to approach a mature vision to create better picture of reality. The mature attributes of human beings are tolerance and forgiveness, which ensure sustainability of life on the earth.
Shall we be reminding ourselves of all the stories of nations narrated in Quran who committed several atrocities against their kin and folk, and therefore, were annihilated, regardless of the fact who was the aggressor and who the victim? Should we attune ourselves to the regional history, remembering Ashoka, who had to quit war and adopt peace? Or we had to look far in the leadership land to know “How the West was won”, and how the outlaws were naturalized to become proud citizens of the New World. The earlier we learn our lessons, the better it is.
Seema Arif is associate professor at School of Social Sciences & Humanities in University of Management & Technology, Lahore. Pakistan. She portrays herself as humble seeker of the Sufi way. Her academic output relates to organizational behavior and concerns about leadership. She has published widely in local and international newspapers, magazines and journals.
Contact her: seema.arif@umt.edu.pk
Visit her website: www.jehan-i-seema.net
