“You see the believers as regards their being merciful among themselves and showing love among themselves and being kind, resembling one body, so that, if any part of the body is not well then the whole body shares the sleeplessness (insomnia) and fever with it.” ..(Prophet Muhammad (SAW)

The above mentioned words tie all of us in a unique and unbreakable bond, bond of love and mercy that by its very essence is the characteristic of Muslims. The bond implies that Muslims form a common brotherhood and in fact a common household with different kitchens. This is clearly proven by the way the Muslims in one nook of the globe feel pain for the Muslims being oppressed in the other part.

In last two months the Muslims in Kashmir have undergone the worst crises of all times… With nearly 70 people falling to the bullets of the tyrant, we are deeply traumatized. Hundreds of people have been injured and numerous others are fighting death. We have been put in situation where we can do nothing except for wailing over our dead brethren or praying for the ones who are injured. It just makes one's heart bleed when we think that how can so many families celebrate the upcoming Eid without them?

In addition to this the continuous closure for around three months now has caused a great decadence of the poor sections of the society. The daily wagers and the owners of kiosks and small shops are the worst hit.. Now jobless since three months, many of them have even sold out their carts, kiosks and their belongings. And the most horrible part is that there seems no hope that these people can resume their jobs anywhere in the near future. Unlike many of us who keep on grumbling over getting food for eid, the question for them is survival. 

 And we move on with our lives…All of us are busy with the preparations of Eid..Some buying clothes, some buying food and the list goes on… When there is no hartal or curfew the roads and shops are filled with the people who are eager for eid to come.. But brothers there is one thing that we need to ponder upon… When we waste thousands over the food and all, how many fathers will be there who won’t be able to fill up their children’s bellies during eid??  For how many there is nobody to buy things for Eid??? How many mothers have lost the ones they would cook for during the eid???

We all are a common household and how can we be so unmoved when some members of this household are hungry, when some of them are mourning and when some are already in graves. It is our duty to comfort them. No doubt Eid is the occasion that is ought to be celebrated, but let’s not forsake our brothers in this celebration. Instead of wasting huge sums of money on useless things let’s help those who would need less than one tenth of this money for making their families eat.

And the least we can do for our brothers is to pray for them. Pray for the families who lost their young ones, the families who lost their earning hands, pray for the mothers who lost their sons, and pray for the 70 souls those were with us the last eid. For the Prophet has said, “Confront the waves of calamities with supplications.”

 Khawar Khan Achakzai
 Srinagar

Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 8 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 9 Sep 2010 00:00:00 IST