Today, one thought keeps troubling me again and again – as a nation, where exactly are we headed? This nation has turned into a crowd of scattered individuals. When such a crowd begins to fragment into small factions, the thread of unity begins to unravel. And when that nation happens to be a Muslim nation, you and I both understand very well what the loss of that unity means.
When I meet people around me these days, I often feel hesitant to speak – unsure of which political party they belong to, and which aspect of a conversation might offend them. One says, “I’m with the PPP,” another, “I’m MQM,” yet another, “I’m Muslim League (N),” or “Muslim League (Q),” or “Pakhtoon League.” So many voices, each divided by party lines. I am astonished at how limited and weakened our collective awareness has become.
No one looks at another person as a fellow Pakistani anymore. No individual thinks of themselves as a citizen of Pakistan, aware of their rights and responsibilities. And even if someone does, they do not raise their voice for it. We are trapped in the web of personality-based politics, and in doing so, we ourselves open the doors through which our rights are violated. Personal egos have grown so inflated that people have begun walking the path of Pharaohs – even though, thousands of years later, the Almighty still keeps Pharaoh’s corpse as a warning for the world, so that humanity might learn a lesson from it.
Times have changed, and so have worldly needs – but the foundations of these needs are tied only to the expansion of worldly knowledge. The laws and principles of the Creator of the universe have not changed. As human intellect unfolds and we gain access to the hidden treasures of creation, we seem to forget that knowledge must never clash with divine principles. Knowledge, which should enlighten us, must be used for the welfare of humanity – with pure intentions, for the betterment and comfort of mankind.
To shape this betterment, systems of resource distribution are designed, principles of fairness are laid out, and for these principles to work, the scales of justice must remain balanced. And to keep those scales fair, hearts filled with the fear of God and minds devoted to justice are essential. Then, there must be eyes that watch over the hands holding those scales – ensuring that everyone receives their rightful share.
Those hands belong to the rulers.
Those eyes belong to the people.
The treasures gained through knowledge become the source of wealth and sustenance, but for a just society to function, the public – those “eyes” – must remain vigilant and raise their voice against injustice.
Yet, now it seems that in our blind loyalty to personalities, we have started crushing principles under our feet in a race to outdo one another. The very people we idolize are taking pleasure in our madness; our foolishness makes them look taller than they really are. But even they fear their own frenzied followers, and so they keep testing the same old Pharaoh-like tactics – distracting these followers with colors, slogans, and false appearances so that they may never recognize their true rights.
As long as these deluded masses remain trapped, the selfish goals of their masters stay secure. The people have been divided by failed political policies and the lure of fleeting, hollow identities.
Even after witnessing all this, the eyes of our nation remain asleep, and the hearts that once recited the Kalma have grown lifeless. We, the people of this land, continue to shy away from uniting as one nation – despite knowing well that breaking up factions is easy, but destroying a principled, disciplined nation is not.
When the power of faith, the strength of the Qur’an’s principles, the love of Allah, and the life-guiding example of the Holy Prophet (?) take root in a person’s heart and mind – and when worldly knowledge joins hands with these eternal forces – then no Zionist, no tyrannical power, no Christianity, no Judaism, and no Hinduism can ever subdue that nation.
But the justice that now rules our lives is not Islamic justice – it is taking us toward darkness. Our governance resembles Pharaoh’s rule, dragging us and our future generations into a swamp of oppression. No matter who rules, our abundant natural resources are losing their blessings under laws that resemble those of the jungle.
We are born into Muslim homes, we recite the Kalma, yet our hearts are hollow – emptied of true faith – and we continue our journey aimlessly, without direction, without soul.
