An innocent gesture by a Turkish girl

Natural calamities and the resultant human sufferings always move others’ hearts. The devastating floods that hit Pakistan in July and still continue to travel downstream have had a profound effect on a nine year old Turkish girl, who has donated her pocket money for the entire year to the flood victims of Pakistan.

Merve Tekinay, from Koya (the burial place of one of the most revered sufi saint Jalal ud Din Rumi) Turkey, in a hand written letter addressed to the president of Pakistan writes, “I am sending you my one year pocket money of 150 Turkish Liras and my favourite doll for the people of Pakistan in distress.” She further adds, "I will go on sending my help. Don't worry. We are your best friend. I don't know how much needs, equal to our help for your situation. On behalf of our friendship I also send a photo of me. May God help you. Kisses."

She also makes a mention of the help rendered by the Muslims of Indian subcontinent during the last days of the crumbling Ottoman Empire and writes, “My father has told me that you helped us in our war of independence. So now it is my turn to help you in floods.” How very thoughtful and moving. And this realization expresses the love and goodwill of the people of Turkey in an innocent gesture by Merve.

I on behalf of all Pakistanis, and specially the flood affected people, thank Merve and people of Turkey for thinking of us in this hour of distress and need.

PS: The cash contribution of Merve has been deposited in the Prime Minister's Relief Fund account maintained by the Embassy of Pakistan in Ankara.

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Why aren’t we praying?

I am not much of religious but do have a yearning for it. And whenever I am down, I turn to my Creator and beg Him to forgive me for I must have sinned which in return caused me a loss or a misfortune.

Having said that, when I look around, I find apathy and indifference about what is taking place around us. We don’t have rains and our reservoirs are drying up. Our crops aren’t yielding as these once used. People of one faith are killing people of other faith. And above all, Muslims are killing Muslims, hurling grenades, spraying bullets and exploding TNT at leisure. But I don’t see anyone praying.

Once, the Heavenly angel Gabriel told Muhammad (MPBUH) that “Fitna” or earthly turmoil will be the punishment for misdeeds of His followers. And today we see that “Fitna” having been unleashed in all its might and is dissecting the Muslims into fragments – tearing them apart and hammering a wedge between various faiths. Each fragment is hellhound to abuse the other fragment and score a point. And the followers blindly follow their spiritual leaders without even seeing no logic of the so called dissection. I see people talking about it but I don’t see anyone praying to get rid us of this Fitna.

Our leaders are busy in their own agendas and are least bothered about what becomes of the country. And the workers clap and clap and follow their leaders without asking them why no one isn’t doing anything to address their woes. I see everything going the wrong way but I don’t see anyone praying.

Perhaps we have become so insensitive or self bound that we do not feel our miseries anymore. We see people being killed on the streets but we look the other way thinking we have been saved. People lament and cry over their losses, but I do not see anyone praying.

Isn’t it time that we forget about our differences and really bow ourselves before our Creator and beg forgiveness of our sins, our hatred for others and the looting and plundering that we have done? Isn’t it time that we pray for rain so that the drought like conditions haunting us subside and the earth lives again? Isn’t it time that we pray so that our hearts feel the lamentations of those who are suffering and hot against the wall. Isn’t all that has been done to us, so many innocent people killed for no reason and eye opener for us to get united? But I don’t find people thinking that way. Most of us see but don’t say anything.
 

One of my favourite song of Demis Roussos is “We shall Dance” as one of its line impresses me the most, that reads, “Lord I swear when the time comes, we'll pray!!.”  Although we should not wait to pray to our Creator, but this line was suddenly recalled when I was writing this blog and I really thought that the time has finally come for us to pray.

Shouldn't we be now?

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Why Worry?

There are people around us who worry too much and work too less. While worrying is OK for a human being as he has sentiments and not a lifeless thing, excessive worrying means lack of confidence in oneself and also lack of faith in our Creator. Man is destined to hard work for which the Nature has promised a befitting reward. I have seen people lamenting that while they do their best and pray for their wishes to be fulfilled, no divine help seems to be forthcoming to redress their grievances or misfortunes. Although, it is very difficult to console such people as humans have a limited endurance and patience and cannot sustain long drawn battle lines with miseries and misfortunes. But in the end, everything revolves around patience and faith. That is why when someone loses a near or dear one, or faces a set back in business, others around him only advise him for patience or what we call “Sabr”.  And that is all one can do to help the one in distress.

However, there are a few, who have strong and unflinching faith in the Nature and their Creator and whenever some harm comes to them or are in a distress, they would be looking towards the Heavens since they believe that “If Allah brings you to it, He will bring you through it”. A simple thing to read but very difficult to believe by those who lack faith.  I saw this unflinching faith in my late father (may be blessed) who all along his life did his utmost in anything he was to do, and then sat back since he knew that from then on, the Nature had taken over and whatever would descend, it would be acceptable to him. We went through hard times, but I never saw his faith wavering even for a nanosecond.  He would often advise me that “Whatever is to be given to you (or whatever is in your destiny) cannot be taken away by someone, and whatever is not to be for you, no one could give it to you – so never worry and have faith”.

We need to start building on to our faith thing and start to really understand that if we are pitched against a wall, a hole can be created through the wall for us to go across only if we know that there is always light at the end of the tunnel for those who believe and have faith.

Want to try the faith thing from now on?

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