Thursday, December 23, 2010

4 PRECIOUS DROPS

What you say of a soldier who during war remains confined to his training camp; exercising, punching sandbags, shooting at cardboard-targets and fighting mock battles? What you say of a specialised surgeon who is engrossed in operating cats, mice, frogs, turtles and dead bodies (as a practice) while thousands in the city are suffering from a fatal disease are badly in need of operation? What you say of a woodcutter who is busy sharpening his axe day after day, week after week, month after month without cutting rather touching a tree?
Useless, futile, fool, irresponsible, coward – you would exclaim and rightly so. But what would be your response if I replace the soldier, surgeon and woodcutter with the word ‘student’. On the same pedestal they are away from what they call dirty politics. If asked, ‘who will clean it?’they are answerless. They are not concerned of society but onlytheir careers.
“We don’t care” is their attitude on which they are proud. In this scenario SIO has come up with a message for students that they should Study, Struggle and Serve the society – simultaneously. Is SIO alone in urging students and youth towards activism? No! There are whole lot of student organizations out there that are active, overactive, reactive and hyperactive in campuses. What’s the difference in SIO’s call and theirs – if any? The difference lies not only in name but also in intent, in methodology of work, in issues that are raised, in mindset of the cadres and leaders and most obviously in the objective perceived.
As per to their official websites;objectives of the following student organisations calling students to strengthen their hands are as follows;
NSUI: “We represent each and every student of this country. We pursue an inclusivist, pluralist and a socialist agenda. NSUI is constituted with the aim of social empowerment, and all the programs of NSUI are aimed at development of India at every level”.
ABVP: “… the objective of channelizing students’ energies in the task of national reconstruction by a group of students and teachers who drew their inspiration from the
RSS…AkhilBharatiyaVidyarthiParishad is an all-India student organization, working in field of education with the wider perspective of National Re-Reconstruction. ABVP works with a faith in the collective existence of the educational community, a firm belief in constructive work and a nationalist approach which stays above partisan politics”.
SFI: “To organise the students… to build a powerful and well-knit student movement for the upliftment and betterment of the student community… To take active interest in the struggle for liquidation of the evil legacies of colonialism and for building in our country an independent, democratic and socialist society to insure a prosperous and progressive future for our people… elimination of the stranglehold of international finance capital and indigenous monopoly capitalism”.
Let’s not doubt the intentions behind these pious words despite the fact that we can quote at length their acts that contradict rather scoff at these lofty aspirations. Still taking them at their face value let’s remind us of SIO’s mission i.e. “Preparing students and youth for the reconstruction of society in the light of divine guidance”. What is the distinguishing feature of our aim? It is not “preparing students and youth” not even “reconstruction of society” but only, “in the light of divine guidance”.
The light of divine guidance is what has made our activism not mere activism, not a directionless activism, not some haphazard activism, not an opportunistic activism for electoral gains but Islamic activism i.e. activism based on Islamic principles. And so this is our call for students and youths in campuses and society that: they should become Islamic activists for success here and hereafter. Now you may ask how a student can become an Islamic activist. I have an easy formula.If you are ready to shed four of your most precious drops to please Allah then you can easily evolve into an Islamic activist.Let me explain.
In your childhood you must have cried for your broken toys. Even adults do cry when some severe calamity inflicts them. But in common perception crying is considered unmanly and tears a sign of weakness.Have you ever heard ‘tears of strength’? Washington Irving is precise in arguing that, “There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues”. Bowing and prostrating is an act of surrender, submission and weakness. But if one bows and prostratesonly before Allah; he becomes fearless as a lion and insurmountable as a mountain. Likewise remembering Allah, recalling our sins, and shedding tears of repentance, tears of submission, tears for our inability to discharge the onerousresponsibility of being witnesses unto mankind; enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil – that our Lord may have mercy upon us – is not a sign of weakness but of strength of the soul. In the darkness of night when the world fasts asleep, an Islamic activist cries; cries for himself and for the world. ‘One, who weeps out of fear of Allah, will not enter the Hell’ (At-Tirmidhi).A companion came to the prophet while he was performing prayers. He saw that prophet was sobbing and his chest sounded like a boiling kettle.These strong and weighty tears are a necessary precondition for being an Islamic activist. Remember; “The soul would have no rainbow if the eyes had no tears”.
Islam does not believe only in theory, training for its own sake. After the spiritual lessons of shedding tears like ascetics it also urges rather makes obligatory to sweat it out in the ground. Allah says in the Quran, “those who strive in Our cause, We shall surely guide them” (29: 69).Theory without practical as practical without theory is useless. ZigZiglar has wisely said, “Success is dependent upon the glands – sweat glands”. A Chinese proverb goes: The more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war. This determination, hard work and persistence open the paths of success. “Sweat plus sacrifice equals success”, says Charlie Finley.
Let’s pick up sacrifice from the last quote. Sacrifice of what?Of that ‘which you love’ (Aale Imran: 92). Life is most dear to human beings. But Quran reprimands Muslims who love their lives, or that of their fathers, brothers, wives, kindred, or wealth, or commerce or homes more than Allah, prophet, and activism (jihad) in His way (Al-Tauba: 24). This is the demanded spirit of Islam that if circumstances arise one may not shy away from shedding the last ounce of his blood for the cause he upheld. According to ahadith,”He, who dies without having fought in the Cause of Allah or without having thought of doing so, will die with one characteristic of hypocrisy in him”.
Charles F. Kettering has said, “The future can be anything we want it to be, providing we have the faith and that we realize that peace, no less than war, required blood and sweat and tears”. I agree with him but only partially. He missed the most significant point i.e. the drop whose importance was duly recognised by our farsighted Prophet. ‘Ink of the scholar is more sacred than blood of the martyr’ is what he said.We are in a better position to understand this in today’s age of knowledge explosion. Ideology matters more than technology. Today it is this ideological hegemony or neo-colonialism that we are enslaved in. Tommy Lasorda has given a wise advice by saying, “Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel”. In this scenario only ink can liberate us. Researches, books, magazines, newspapers, articles, novels, dramas, poems, even a crispy letter to editor can bring change– A drop of ink may make a million think. Laziness refrain us from writing our thoughts, many people justify this laziness by saying that they don’t write but think. Mark Victor Hansen says for them, “Don’t think it, ink it” – because it not only systematise thinking but also provides an opportunity to influence others or at least to initiate a dialogue. In sum writing skills in today’s age are also fighting skills.
These are four drops, trivial in weight but pivotal in weightage – represnting four aspects of life; Tears – spirituality, Sweat – striving, Blood – sacrifice, Ink – knowledge. A last objection remains!What would we ‘ALONE’ do by being an Islamic activist when others are happily groping in the pool of darkness and ignorance? I avoid giving the blunt (yet true) answer that one is answerable for one’s own intentions and efforts.Instead I write the following.
Ismail Merthi in one of his inspirational poems has depicted a scene of severe drought. The farms were parched as tongues of the living beings. In the midday scorching sun a perturbed farmer came to his farm. The painful sight of the arid land forced him to look upwards and pray to Allah in utter helplessness. Meanwhile a cloud was passing by. A small drop in the cloud looked downwards and saw the farmer, “come friends let’s help him”, said the droplet grasping the situation at once.His friends however didn’t care. When the small drop persisted they ridiculed him. When he didn’t budge they scared him that there will be hardships outside the cloud. Temperature will be high. “If you leave the cloud there is no guarantee that you will drop on the farm and not in woodstove or marsh” an old drop shared his wisdom. But the courageous drop was not to be cowed down. He decided alone to help the farmer. They laughed at the insignificance of the drop on one hand and his intentions on the other. The drop nevertheless departed alone to help the farmer – a journey that was virtually a suicide according to every logic. But story didn’t end. His departure shook the conscience of other drops. They saluted the courage of the little drop and started loathing their selfishness. The sacrifice of the little drop moved them to follow suit. It was rain; heavy rain – due to courage of a single drop.
In the same vein brothers we urge you to make efforts; unceasing, unending and untiring efforts – irrespective of the fact what is your status and significance in the eyes of others.Believe me that only your drops of efforts will make oceans of difference.
(Khan Yasir --- The Comapnion)

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