Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| A significant date ... or is it? |
|---|
| Arsalan |
| 08/14/00 at 02:44:22 |
| Assalamu alaikum, Glancing at the clock to see the time, my eyes locked upon the 6 digits that represented today's date. Suddenly it occurred to me that today was a signifcant day, the 14th of August, the independence day of Pakistan from British rule in 1947. I thought for a minute about what I had just noticed, and started to ponder. At first, I had a sense of guilt in my heart for not remembering the birth of my motherland. The old patriotic Pakistani somehow woke up from the deep valleys of my heart, just for a second, and I felt I had left my love for my country back home 10 years ago when I moved to the US. For what kind of patriot would forget the independence day of his own homeland! I began to doubt myself though, and almost started defending my own conscious! Is it really Islamic to celebrate independence days of Muslim countries? What am I so happy about? The birth of yet another materialistic nation which is only Muslim by name? Is that really significant according to Islamic standards? The answer quickly came from within, that indeed it [i]was[/i] a significant date. For it was on this day that years of struggle of the Muslims of Hindustan had translated into success. They had finally accomplished freedom from the slavery of the British. On their way to this day, they had not cared about wealth, time, money or even their precious lives. Then why should one not be happy to remember the success of these people after what they went through. But then reality set in, again, in my heart. Freedom from what? - I asked. Aren't we still slaves today. No, not physically, but psychologically, ideologically and mentally. We are still slaves of the West, following them step by step and inch by inch into the hole of darkness. The British were kicked out of South Asia in 1947 physically, but their influence on the minds of people are still prevalent today in full force. So what is there to be happy about on this day? Sadly, nothing! Because physical freedom is not good enough for a man who truly loves the essence of "Freedom". Indeed, it is a day to mourn. Yes, mourn the fact that the sacrifices of our forefathers have (so far) gone to waste. That we have not been able to free ourselves from the enslavement of the West till this day, 53 years after the "independence", but worse, we've sunk deeper into the ocean of this ideological slavery. If anything, today is a day to reflect and resolve. The task of our forefathers and the vision of Allama Iqbal, Maulana Maududi and the like remains to be fulfilled. They did their part and left. They accomplished much, but left much to be accomplished. It is up to us now to lift up that torch and to deliver it to the finish line. And if not all the way, then to whatever distance we can, even if we die on the way. This is the resolve of today, and the commitment. No celebrations. No fireworks. No parades. Rather, plans, prayers and oaths of continuing struggle - until victory is finally at our feet. May Allah help us and give us success. Ameen. Wassalamu alaikum. |
| Re: A significant date ... or is it? |
|---|
| Saleema |
| 08/15/00 at 19:26:49 |
| Assalamoalykum, That was so good. I can see it came straight from the heart. I agree with you all the way! Wassalam |
Individual posts do not necessarily reflect the views of Jannah.org, Islam, or all Muslims. All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster and may not be used without consent of the author.The rest © Jannah.Org |