This is Afghanistan. People here either come from Makkah or from Madinah. Some migrated here from Egypt and some from Yemen. Here are some people from Syria and some from Algeria. People have also come from Uzbekistan, China, India, Bangladesh, Africa and also from Pakistan. Those who settled here after migrating from various parts of the world belonged to different walks of life. Some were poor and some very rich. Some were labourers and cultivators while some had come from the royal families. Students from Deeni Madaris (religious institutions) and religious scholars and orators were also there. Whosoever were the people, they all had one thinking “We are Muslims and our religion teaches sacrifice.” They sticked to their this commitment. Some were buried in the caves and some on top of mountains. Some embraced Shahadah (martyrdom) in the dark night and some in Qila-e-Jangi. Some breathed their last in airtight containers and some met their fate in Mir Waiz Hospital while reciting the Kalimah-e-Shahadah.

This is Hindustan. `Ulama-e-Haq raised their voice against the British rule in the beginning of nineteenth century and launched their Independence Movement. When this was revealed to the Britons, a number of the Muslim scholars and leaders were hanged. Some were burnt alive after packing in a bag, while some were deprived of their belongings and assets and were left to starve in the cruel world. There were some who were imprisoned in deserts and islands about thousands miles away from their homeland. All these valiants were Muslims and wanted independence. They knew that without rendering sacrifices they would neither be able to achieve their objective of independence nor they would be able to protect their religion. They had a desire to make Hindustan ‘Darul Islam’. The beacon light of their sacrifices is still gleaming showing cowards their ways. A few Mujahideen prisoners looked so happy when a British judge awarded them death sentence.

They embraced and congratulated each other on this punishment. British men, women, children and elderly people were shocked seeing them in such a happy mood after the conviction. How would they know that they were going to begin a new life that is followed by a real life in the Hereafter. Their state was like those students who are selected for awards and the night before the day of ceremony becomes restless for them with excess of joy and happiness. This night becomes a wedding night for them. And for these Mujahideen it was really a wedding night for them because they were going to be the bridegrooms of heaven where their brides were waiting for them.

There was one Mujahid, Maulana Muhammad Jafar Thanisary (Rahimahullah) among those Mujahideen. The British judge convicted him and added some more punishment to his term. The additional punishment was:

“Maulana Muhammad Jafar Thanisary (Rahimahullah) was a lawyer. He utilized his intellect in hatching conspiracy against the government. For this reason the court orders that he should be hanged to death and after the death his body should not be handed over to his heirs but it should be buried in the graveyard of jail without putting any identity on his grave.”

When the judge finished with his judgment, Maulana Jafar Thanisary (Rahimahullah) said: “Judge Sahib, you are not the authority to give anybody death or life. The only authority is Allah Almighty. Nobody knows who meets the death first.”

The process to carry out his punishment was still continuing that the judge came in the trap of plague and he died. Fearing that the epidemic that killed the judge might hit others, the sweepers lifted his body with the help of long bamboos who put it in an open ground and burnt by spreading petrol on it. People feared they might catch the epidemic if they touched the body. He was not even buried in the graveyard of human being. He wanted to bury the Mujahid-e-Islam unidentified but he himself met the same fate.

This is Balakot. The cream of the Muslim world has gathered here. People burnt their boats to settle here. They sacrificed their love and affection with their families and countries. The sacrificed their desires and youth for the sake of Jihad. Their vow was to embrace Shahadah. Their Emir had made them understand that without sacrifice they would never have an opportunity to get closer to Allah Almighty. They had left their homes, their countries, their families and all luxuries for the sake of Jihad. Finally they achieved their goal and on Ziqa’ad 24, 1246 and they embraced Shahadah at the Balakot borders.

Hundreds of thousands pages are insufficient to detail the history of sacrifices rendered by the Muslims and Mujahideen-e-Islam. However, the author of this column has taken a long jump and reached Makkah where every lane is a victim of oppression and every roundabout is narrating the history of cruelty. Majority of those who were subjected to inhuman behaviour is those slaves and maids who had no one at their backing. Who had no one to listen to their grievances. The scenario shows the red hot ambers, bare alive bodies, heavy rocks, breathless human being with their tongues hanging out due to thirst, weaker legs, strong ropes, uneven rocky lanes of Mecca and dragging and bleeding slave calling ‘Ahad, Ahad’.

This is poor Hazrat Bilal (radhiallahu ta`ala `anhu) and the other one is a beast, Omaiya bin Khlaf who is whipping on the bare back of Hazrat Bilal (radhiallahu ta`ala `anhu) while grinding his teeth with great anger. On the other side it is weak and pale Hazrat Samiya (radhiallahu ta`ala `anha) and against him is cruel Abu Jehl with a spear in his hand. There are helpless bond-maids like Hazrat Zanira and Hazrat Nedia (radhiallahu ta`ala `anhum ajma`een) enduring the oppression of their cruel lords. Every day there is a new saga of oppression, a new example of strong belief and desire of sacrifice. The winner was the desire and zeal of sacrifice. The knew that they had embraced Islam and for this they had to pay the price, they will be required to render sacrifices.

Let's look into a few thousand years in the past. This is Mina, a huge and barren ground a few kilometers from Ka`aba. There is an old man of 90 along with his innocent son. The father has a sharp-edge knife in his hand. The son is lying on the ground and the son is about to sacrifice him in the way of Allah Almighty. This act was not because the son had committed any sin or crime but this was all because the father had dreamt being ordered to sacrifice his most beloved thing. It was only Khalilullah (the friend of Allah) who knew better what is a sacrifice and what it means, what are its requirement. Khalilullah had rendered a lot of sacrifices in the way of Allah but today he was sacrificing his beloved son.

It was not that Allah wanted a sacrifice of a beloved son, but Allah wanted to make Khalilullah an example for the human being telling them that there were people who could render any sacrifice in the way of Allah. Most fortunate are those people who just take initiative and their sacrifice is accorded acceptance. But, there are many who give sacrifice for show-off and their sacrifice is not accepted. The era today, not the month only, is the one that demands every sacrifice without to protect the religion as well as the national security and integrity. The one who is full of desire of sacrifice will reach the destination. The fire that has been lit by today’s Namrood, will be put off by those who would follow the model example of Khalilullah.