By: Farkhanda Shamim,
Miracle’s new contributor from Pakistan
Sofia loaded the tray with a variety of fruits and other edibles and arranged them all swiftly with an admirable skill. Though highly educated, she was equally well trained in household life which she enjoyed and relished with her husband and children. She exited the cooking area and was about to step into the dining hall to serve it to the guest, an old acquaintance of her mother-in-law visiting from the old neighborhood, when she heard her mother in law’s grim voice. “ She needs to go now. Twelve years
of marriage and what have we got, three girls. Just weak and sniffling girls. That’s what she gave to my son. No male heir, no, sir. So she must go. My son will marry again. We got a family lineage to think of.”
Like melted fire, the words struck the ears and heart of Sofia, burning them inside out, turning her mind and soul into charred remains. Her mother-in-law was too deep in the conversation to notice her grief stricken face turning pale and dead but her old acquaintance did notice how those damning words had transformed the whole persona of the young daughter-in-law into a ghost already disappearing into the fog of unappreciated, unwanted nothingness and non-existence as if she was no more than a passing
traveler who was stepping away and away with every beat, already vanishing into the darkening gloom far way behind the pines, hills and mountains. Yes, dear readers, a house of peace and harmony was about to be struck with lightning. A loving family was about to come face to face with the tornado of social destruction.
It’s a common happening, seen and heard as a normal routine but can its common occurrence validates its existence. As an educated and responsible social members, should we not take notice of such matters and turn to certain measures to end these atrocities. Dear readers, have we not heard the voice of Lord, “Whoever kills a person—unless it is for murder or corruption on earth—it is as if he killed the whole of mankind.” (Surah Maida: 32)
Can we in our clear conscience believe that the above verse refer merely to the physical extermination?
Does it not include the psychological, mental, emotional murder? Doesn’t it expound the murder of minds, hearts, and emotions? Doesn’t it talk about the murder of a happy family ties? Doesn’t it include the murder of the joys of the young children who would ultimately be the victim of a broken family?
Can we not have proper solutions to such matters that are based on justice and safety for all the parties included?
The situation is more tragic in South Eastern countries where such acts of murders are validated and condoned by certain belief systems. People may pretend to mind but only on superficial level. Deep down, they accept those ideas, actions, and decisions as a necessary consequence unless of course it is their own coffee table whereby the bomb ultimately blasts. Oh yes! Only then they scream against injustice and tyranny. Sadly, only a few brave souls have their conscience intact. Those who dare to uphold the values of truth, equality and justice.
But societies can thrive only on collective strive so we all need to see the act of murder in multi-facet dimensions. A murder can be physical annihilation or a spiritual extermination, a mental demolition, or
emotional destruction. Though a physical extinction remains the ultimate departure from this world to the other, the spiritual, mental, emotional and psychological health hazards or gradual deaths should be as grave a matter of concern as the physical death itself. A society full of ghosts who are hurt, broken and damaged can not add to the quality or productivity of the nation.
But we have to rise above the social concern. Our foremost goal should be to pay a close mind to the respect and value that each individual self carry. We all remember the story of Adam (AS). Allah SWT had ordered His elite angels to prostrate before Adam(AS) to show the importance of a human existence. What does it show? It shows how much a human existence values to the Creator.
How much respect and love it holds for the Maker. Then how dare we humans disregard the matter of such high magnitude?
We care nothing whilst tearing down the emotional safe house of others. We fear no one while douching the emotional retreat of others with gasoline and igniting it with fire sticks with no care in the world. ‘You’re dark.’ ‘You’re poor’ ‘You’re ugly.’ ‘You own nothing.’ ‘Your family is….’ ‘Your grades are….’ Your country, society, traditions, norms are…’ These are just words but how those words are employed as blades to cut the life vein by which the life seeps out not with one clean blow but gradually and slowly get tormented, keep getting tortured finding no exit from this high walled fort of existence.
Yes, dear readers, death comes in all shapes, colors and sizes. Sometimes it’s us or other common folk who drag the innocent to the hangman’s noose, declaring punishment for the undone crimes. In fact, they are not even crimes. In many cases, they are just nature’s natural course. Not having children, having only baby girls, being not able to reach a certain educational or marital goal. Bearing not the beauty or economic standards of this so called society. Encountering the trials and tribulations in form of the unforeseen events or accidents. There is no end to this. Ridiculing, insulting, belittling, bullying all are different forms of a same heinous crime, ‘Murder.’ To commit such murders from personal appearance to ancestry, origin, language, personal weakness to social standing and economic growth the real hard core murderers will find something to weaponize the
word swords against you attacking and murdering you mercilessly.
So yes, there are so many murderers in and around our lives in guise of humans, and relations, so many of them. The narcissist, psychopaths, sociopaths, sadist all the humanity haters whose hearts are filled with the lava of hatred and anger and whose tongues were somewhere forged with hell fire that spew
fire to their right and left whenever they open their mouths. Let us agree on one critical fact that such individuals and their likes are actually all murderers. These murderers are at large moving freely among us, killing the sense of positivity, productivity, smiles, joys, unity, brotherhood, family unity,
association, friendship, even the very basic desire to thrive, grow and even live.
Following are some very simple and logical steps we can pay mind to if we wish to maintain our status as a Muslim and by that l clearly mean the status of a respectful and dutiful human being.
For to be a Muslim we have to bear the traits of humanity, that is how Islam had initiated its existence.
Look closely and you will find that Islam and humanity are interchangeable.
To be a human actually refer to be a
Muslim with only difference that being a Muslim we attribute our traits of humanity to Allah SWT professing His existence as one and only Lord whose guidance in all walks of life will be accepted and followed freely and consciously. Let us then remember dear readers that no one in the whole universe is
more Merciful, loving and appreciating of His creation than the mighty Creator Himself. Just as He cares for every one of His creation, we need to be careful too.
1. Self analysis:
We need to constantly put our intentions, conversations and behaviour patterns under the microscope of scrutiny. It should be
done constantly, and as minutely as we analyze others. Finding faults with others is an easy game but self analysis that can unveil before our eyes our own moral degradation can be so much difficult but just as the
patient needs to go under the surgeon’s knife so should our behaviour go under speculation and study.
2. The ‘Why’ stage?
Focus on the ‘Why’ stage. Why did l think in that way? Why did l act or react in a certain manner? Do l always do that or were there specific external circumstances compelling me to a particular direction? 3. Pinpointing the real issues:
A natural course of an honest self analysis and asking why questions should of course bear some productive results and that is
detection of the serious issues in our thought and behaviour pattern. Now find the cause that triggers an impolite and fire-spewing speech and actions. There may be some
abnormality in our mental make up or some past traumas and we need to find them
faster to resolve the whole serious matter.
4. Love for your brother what you love for yourself. …
We can consciously opt to act upon a universally accepted high parameter of action that is just and beautiful. Our dear Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad PBUH said,
“None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.”
(Bukhari & Muslim)
What a great thing to do. Say and do unto others what we like for ourselves. We don’t wish to be hurt, disrespected, dealt in or with injustice, tyranny and cruelly so we shouldn’t do it to others. Life is already full of challenges. Let us be a supporting member not the one belonging to the hell-fire as is mention in the Holy Quran, “Whoever has done an atom’s weight of good will see. And whoever has done an atom’s weight of evil will see.
Saturday, April 25, 2026
