In no time the blazing fire turned the glorious shrine into ashes. The grieving masses are yet to overcome the terrible loss. The ambers of fire have not cooled down fully; still it seems that few disgruntled elements are trying to take undue advantage of this unfortunate incident.  In case the ill-intentions of the evil doers are allowed to bear fruit, it may prove more disastrous than the fire itself. In a conflict situation creating fissures in order to produce chaos is part of a conflict management exercise. Lately, suddenly many groups bearing allegiance to the various sectarian interests have cropped-up from nowhere. Even if it is presumed that the fire was completely an accident, not handiwork of any vested interest, many rejected elements will still try to exploit the situation as a godsend .  Rumour mills are already working overtime to churn-out many conspiracy theories, all aimed at to disintegerate the social fabric of the society. Every group driven by sectarian influences claims to be advancing the Islamic cause.  This vociferous hate driven campaign even touching the margins of violence in no way serves the cause of Islam. How can any plan that is hatched to fragment the unity of Muslims be in the interest of Islam?
Islam promotes unity of faith; oneness is the envisioned goal. Apparently various schools of thought may look to be (altogether) different persuasions.  However every persuasion in real sense is merely a difference of interpretation, differences of fundamental nature are not possible in the matters of faith. Once we fully agree with the hardcore reality of oneness of faith, different interpretations turns out to be multiple ways of reaching a common absolute truth.   How is it possible for a true Muslim to be indifferent towards Ali Abi Tailb or Aisha, may Allah be pleased with the two legendry figures of Islam. About Ali, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) emphatically declared “Ali is from me and I am from Ali”. And Aisha the beloved wife of Prophet is the mother of all the believers. These great personalities during their lifetime may have differences amongst themselves but for us as per the Saying of Prophet of Islam, they are the real guiding stars. Whosoever we follow between them we will surely reach the cherished destiny; we cannot differentiate one beacon of light from another.
 Hegemonic tendencies of America are aiming to besiege the Islamic faith, regrettably the Sunni Arab rulers have become the tools of the sinister design. If any nation univocally opposes that evil plan, it is the Shia Iran only. Driven by personal bias should we still revere debauch rulers because they belong to my sect?  Or else, in all fairness commend Iran’s heroic resistance against the tyranny?  Islam aims to inculcate the truth--- the greatest virtue--- within its followers. It’s very easy to discern today to which side the truth belongs.
At a more personal level, let me share with the worthy readers my journey of discovering the faith.  I am a Sunni but Iranian revolution still inspires us. I belonged to a Hanafi background but I find al-Hadith ulema more straightforward in many ways. And I learned the basics from few very sincere Jamaat-e-Islami friends whom I still consider simply incorruptible. When I had gone completely astray, few weeks spent with Tableeghi Jamaat immensely helped me to rediscover the path. And without deep passion and devotion for Prophet Muhammad (SAW) the faith becomes a lifeless mechanical exercise. And if one has to discover Ishq-e-Rasool that is only possible in the company of a spiritual guide. Apparently Ishq-e-Rasool and al-Hadith/ Jamaat-e-Islami seem to be countervailing ideas. But this is not true. Moreover the rigid formations may consider a person like me, not fully anchored in any tradition in a traditional way, a rolling stone. 
 All the classic schools of thought in real essence represent one or other aspect of Islam. Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) holy life is not one dimensional. He is a teacher at the same time He led an army in a war. He fought many wars and yet declared the inner struggle the hardest ever battle. He created a state yet never behaved like a king; He is the most beloved because He is the compassionate and the kindest. So, each of these schools in one way or other represent Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) holy life. The quest to justify one aspect of the holy life superior than other for a plain thinking person may be confusing; the tricksters taking advantage of this confusion are busy advancing their sectarian agendas. However an endeavour to encompass all the aspects of Prophet’s life is the real mission of a seeker, seen in this context the different interpretations leads only to single truth. It is needless to claim that my way is the highway, all the paths leads to one absolute truth. 

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Lastupdate on : Fri, 29 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 29 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 30 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST