IT
was just after 'Asr on a Sunday, the free time for the busy
students of Deeni madaris who have been hard at studies from
morn till eve; the time for them to step out of their bookish
world and refresh and pep up for reading and revising far
into the night; sometimes till one or two in the morning.
Lots of other people not related to madaris often go to bed
at this hour too, since going late to bed is now considered
'modern' and fashionable, but they also get up late. Except
that the students mentioned have to wake up for the Fajr prayer
and many of them have never missed their Tahajjud prayer either.
This night vigil is not enforced but self-imposed. The free
birds of schools and colleges will scarcely understand the
need of the students of Islamic schools and universities that
forces them to live away from home, eat whatever is available,
live without the comforts of life, sit and sleep on mats,
serve their teachers whole heartedly, and dedicate all hours
in seeking knowledge and trying to act accordingly. These
students are trained into the habit of a routine. Timings
are set for eating, sleeping, waking, studying, and recreation;
the time for recreation is from 'Asr to Maghrib. It's another
that some of these thirsty students spend their free time
in prayer and recitation of the Qur'aan.
That day, as usual some students were sitting on chairs, taking
in the fresh air and chatting together when as per an outrageous
plan a bomb explosion occurred followed by a much bigger one,
martyring 11 and injuring nearly 50. One of the victims' mates
tell that this was the first time he had stepped out of the
Jamiah after 'Asr, otherwise his habit had been to recite
the Qur'aan daily at that time. Without doubt a person's death
calls him to the place of death. The only crime of these students
was their innocence. Their association with a deeni institution,
and their love for the Book and Sunnah made them targets for
hard-hearted, beastly men. This relation and love has these
days become a crime in the eyes of some lowly people.
Some hardened humans have taken an oath to live and die by
Imaan, they know fair well the change of winds and the leaders'
inclinations. They are not unaware of changes in the international
scene; they also know that politicians, leaders, and bureaucrats
are after madaris students, ulema-e-kiram, and those wearing
turbans, the sign of Sunnah on their faces, and the masnoon
or national dress. They are called 'fundamentalists', linked
to the 'Al-Qaeda', and their innocence exchanged for the label
of 'terrorist'. This persecution has made them insecure and
some have limited themselves to their mosques or madaris and
others have restricted their circles of acquaintances.
Bureaucrat The despots would have thought that the prevailing
atmosphere of fear would frighten and put off the common man
from sending their children to madaris, and those lending
a hand would back off their assistance gradually closing down
these fountains of knowledge of the Book and Sunnah. There
would be the thirsty but no sweet water to quench the thirst,
there would be ignorance but no hand to guide to knowledge,
there would be the wrong track but no one to steer people
off it. Then the dictators, the westernizers, the enemies
of ulema, and the 'doctors' and 'professors' would have a
clear field. They would have no hindrances in creating a new
edition of the Qur'aan, its meaning and explanation; interest
would be called 'halal' (permissible); song and dance would
be given the name of 'culture'; drinking would be a free choice;
the mixing of sexes would be a must for progress. All of this
planning is quite clear. The people of the madaris are watching
these changes with open eyes but even then they are not ready
to budge from their stance.
Their attachment with the masjid and madrasa is so strong
that they are not ready to move over despite bomb blasts,
raining bullets, and the siege of the media. Nor should they.
If they start backing off they will be pushed too far off.
But one of these days they will have to sit and make decisions
that show the strength of their unity and accord; otherwise
they will be left shouldering their dead and watching their
garden being ripped apart. How many prominent personalities
have been expired by cruel unseen hands, and if this mode
continues, the time is near when no learned ulema will be
left and all we will have will be the ignorant ones who give
verdicts without knowledge and will themselves be on the wrong
path, guiding others to it. In this situation the union of
madaris organizations will, InshaAllah be a strong and positive
step towards the safety of our intellectual garden; but if
these decisions are late in coming…the way will be paved
for more bomb blasts and murders.
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