Scoundrels exist in every city, town, and village. In the past, we too had one - a notorious thief. Once he amazed everyone with his presence in a mosque. Amusingly, it was not for Salah but to bicker. At a public place, he once had gathered youth around him. Besides gratifying him, they were bantering with him, with each other, and talking non-stop. One of them grew a spine, however, and asked; ‘Brother! Enough is enough; you should turn to deen, be a good Muslim, and apply yourself to something productive.
He paused, sighed, and anguishedly responded; ‘would you guarantee that people would count on me later; can you assure me that society will revere and accept me? Will my name be pronounced without loathsome prefixes?’. The questioner fell silent. Although he was merely logical in his outlook, not thinking beyond materialism, and skipping the spiritual facet of Deen, he was partly true. His apprehensions were well-founded.
We are reluctant to accept others’ particularly those living with certain stigma. For us, once a thief or liar is always a thief or liar. You are judged based on downsides and not on upsides. Your unspoiled present fails to wash your past wrongs. You have to carry the baggage of blame till death. Allah may exonerate our misdeeds or provide you a clean chit, but the masses won’t.
Sadly, youth turning up for prayers in Ramadan find themselves caught in a similar situation. They sense the holiness of this month. They gear up to uphold its sanctity, shun their hobbies, change their lifestyle, and hope to gain Allah’s mercy. But, they face the worst. Ramadan nimazis as they are classified face ridicule, discrimination, unfair treatment, and whatnot. They are darned to have come for dates, babritresh (basil seed drink), puddings, etc. Criticism is heaped on them even if space constraint occurs in mosques. They are looked down upon as seasonal nimazis and are not embraced, encouraged, and esteemed. Some of them leave the journey halfway, dispirited. Some put up with the climate only to be seen in the next Ramadan.
Tail-piece
We need to know the subtle and hidden virtues of the people. Appreciate people even for their trivial qualities. Allow their beauty to unfold and prod them to amplify their goodness. When the Quran declares Say: ‘O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls, despair not of the Mercy of Allah: Indeed Allah forgives all sins. He is all-forgiving, the all-merciful (Az-Zumar 39:53)’, who are we to frown upon or disrespect transgressors?
Instead of taunting we need to cuddle all those who begin to take an interest in religion. If they commit a mistake, we must correct them with love. We must give them passage if they come forward to give prayer calls. If they appear in the mosque to pray, welcome them wholeheartedly. They may be among those pardoned or purged by Allah (SWT) or these small acts may serve as the levers of better change for them. So, be supportive, which may put deviated back on the track.
(Author is a columnist, and co-author of book #55-Stories. Feedback: [email protected]
