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Monday, November 29, 2010

Fate or self-destruction?

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Dr A Q Khan
In Surah Alam Nashrah, Allah Almighty had said: After every pain there is relief;
no doubt after every pain there is relief. This means that change can be seen as
a Divine Act. In the same way, Allah has described in detail the change from da
y to night, and vice versa, each having its own characteristics. In that way All
ah has bestowed on us the benefits for our daily lives. Similarly, happiness and
grief, though contrasting, are a part of our daily lives, as are the ups and do
wns of day-to-day living. The same person may at one time be on a pedestal of fa
me and soon afterwards be in the abyss of disgrace. We all experience moments of
great happiness and moments of pain and gloom. It is part of human nature to be
proud and overjoyed when good luck is with us, but to become depressed when our
luck is out and consider the bad times fate and punishment for our past sins.
Often we then become scared and likewise frighten others. Let us not forget that
, according to Allah edicts, human beings are ungrateful, impatient and hasty. A
llah says of man: Whenever calamity touches him, he cries unto Him in all posture
s lying down, on his side, sitting or standing. But when Allah has removed his t
roubles and worries, he becomes haughty and walks arrogantly as if he had never
cried to Him for the trouble that afflicted him. (Surah Yunus)
Contemporary progressive poets do not believe in the influence of time, fate or
luck and consider these to be subservient to personal placing and ability. Howev
er, we cannot close our eyes to existing facts.
The person on whom Allah showers His blessings and raises his status is a lucky
one. The one whose status Allah lowers is a disgraced and pained person. In our
country there have been numerous cases of people being toppled from high status
to the bottom of the pile. Look at the fate of Iskander Mirza, Ayub Khan, Yahya
Khan, Ziaul Haq, Pervez Musharraf and even Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif. Even
more painful was the downfall and ultimate hanging of Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. A
llah had placed him at the zenith of fame and only Allah knows what action cause
d His displeasure, which ultimately led to Mr Bhutto s tragic end. Abroad we have
examples in the Shah of Iran, Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines and Manuel Nor
iega of Panama. Only Allah knows what is best for us and our reward or punishmen
t will be in the Hereafter.
All this makes one wonder what good deeds the ruling clique has done to please A
lmighty Allah to gain His favour, to such an extent as to be allowed to continue
to rule the country. We do know that He granted a place in Heaven to a person w
ho provided water to a thirsty dog, while He ordained ignominious death to the C
aliph and ruler of the largest Muslim Empire, who was trampled under the hooves
of horses. A rather plausible explanation in our case is Allah s promise that to t
hose who indulge in wrongdoing and other sins, He would appoint the worst amongs
t them as rulers to cause more miseries. But the edicts of Allah are final and o
ur present rulers should not forget that it has been stated that those rulers wh
o do not follow the right path will be replaced by others who are God-fearing an
d follow the right path.
Our elders always used to pray for protection from unforeseeable and sudden cala
mities. If one looks back on the course of people s lives, one sees that some live
s are destroyed within a very short span of time almost instantaneously. Had the
re been some forewarning, it would have been possible for the deceased to take p
reventive action. But the power of foresight is with the Almighty and human bein
gs have no option but to accept what happens to them as fate, luck or the Will o
f Allah. Sufis have always reminded us of the fragility and mortality of this wo
rld, so that we may not be carried away by worldly luxuries and attractions. Ins
tead, we should concentrate on doing good deeds, obeying the edicts of Allah and
thereby gaining peace of mind and soul.
The present government is now just like the poetic flickering lamp at dawn. Our
present leaders received all imaginable favours and blessings from Allah. But in
stead of gaining respect and popularity, they chose the path that leads to ignom
iny, and they are rushing at full speed towards a destructive and disastrous end
. Not only have they lost the confidence of the public, they have also earned th
e reputation abroad of being the most corrupt and inefficient rulers. It might c
ome as a surprise to most that despite everything, Adolf Hitler of Germany comma
nded more respect from his people, even up to his last days, than our present ru
lers do.
We have all seen how lucky our rulers were when they came to power. They won the
elections and, even though they did not have an outright majority, they were gi
ven the reigns of government on a platter. The president and the prime minister
received overwhelming support from all the large parties. However, their breach
of the solemn promises they had made to the whole country, and the lying and che
ating committed by the ruling clique, turned their rule into a curse for all and
will ultimately be the reason of their downfall.
Allah is merciful and compassionate and forgives us our sins many times over. Bu
t at the same time He has warned again and again of severe chastisement, and a p
lace in hell, that will be the fate of liars.
Never before in the history of Pakistan have corruption and inefficiency been as
high as they are today. Worst of all, our leaders are not ashamed of their deed
s. TV stations again and again show them making promises on good governance and
fighting corruption and then breaking those same promises with impunity. The coa
lition parties create a bit of noise in public and then use it as blackmail to r
eap the benefits. It is all lip-service to please the people of Pakistan without
having any concern for the people s welfare and well-being. Nobody wants to give
up the luxuries and perks of being a minister. That is a known fact.
It seems very much like the Almighty has taken away the wisdom of our rulers. Al
so gone is their foresight, understanding and willingness to serve the nation. T
he next phase, that of the ultimate crisis, appears to be well on its way.

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