Independence Day

I have been watching how everybody is celebrating Independence Day in Pakistan, so I just want to say something about this. This is my opinion based on certain facts and I am not imposing my opinions on anyone. People are free to do whatever they like, if they want to celebrate this and that day, good luck to them. But me personally I have principles and I cannot celebrate something that I feel is not worth celebrating.

You know how we hear some relative or family member dies and then for a month or so people don’t get married or have walimas in respect for that loved one who passed away. That is the culture back home isn’t it? Although Islam says we mourn for 3 days, but yea if someone was to do their walima straight after somebody died, then people will be saying this person doesn’t care that their brother/sister/mother/grandad or whoever died and that they are quite shameful. In such an instance people talk about culture and tradition and I bet you such people who would do such a thing will be labelled as beghairat. On such a small level people are ready to look down upon someone for celebrating something straight after a calamity.

So where am I going with this? Well, in Pakistan tell me how many people die every day? Tell me what good news comes from it? Tell me what disaster doesn’t hit Pakistan? Like a day doesn’t go by where there isn’t a calamity in Pakistan. Then how is it possible you can celebrate after such disasters?? You are at the lowest you can ever be, instead of fearing for the worst you celebrate? People might say be optimistic and so on. True, even if your loved one dies you cannot mourn everyday. But when you tell someone to get on with their life do you tell them to celebrate??? You tell them get closer to Allah and do good. So if Pakistanis want to get on with life even after such disasters that happen everyday, it is definitely not by celebrating independence day. Wow, you waved a flag. You put a flag on your house, what do you want a medal??? You shouted Pakistan Zindabad, now Pakistan is going to unite and become better. Instead I tell those people that if you really in love with your nation, follow Allah truly and then blessings will come to that Land no matter what it is called, whether it is called Pakistan, whether it is called India, whether its called cuckoo land. If the people living there are God-Fearing and follow what Allah told them to, then that place will be blessed!!! A land is not blessed because it has so-called muslims living there and where everyone is enjoining bad and forbidding the evil. Such a land will get the curse of Allah instead. A land where everything opposite of Islam happens and people are still proud of it? Which hadith and ayat did it tell you to be like this? Tell me and I will accept I am wrong.

Did you ever open the Quran and see what Allah says about people who leave his path? Forget what I say and forget what your parents/leader say, just look at what Allah tells us in the Quran. He destroyed NATIONS!!! Allah has told us of the stories of NATIONS that have been destroyed. Is Pakistan some special country that Allah cannot do the same to??? Is Pakistan following Islam? Are its people follow the ways of the righteous? What I am saying applies to any country in the world, do you really think Allah told us such things so we can turn it into bed time stories? NO, there is a warning for us, that Allah is saying that look what happened to nations before you who left the right path and if you follow the same way then you will end up in the same position.

Nobody is jealous of anything. Get this out of your mind, that people are jealous or me and everything bad happening is because of India and this and that agent. Whatever bad is happening is from your own deeds! No human is perfect, I am far from perfect. Nobody is saying if you make mistakes in life, you are doomed. Allah says I forgive, so ask for forgiveness! But the path towards forgiveness is you first accept you have done wrong, then second you repent to Allah and then you regret it, saying you will never do it again. I rarely see anyone in Pakistan saying they are wrong, either they will blame the leader, either they will blame India or ISI or Mossad or America. Nobody ever says wait a minute the other day I sold some fake stuff to a person, that is evil. They wouldn’t say oh the other day I made a promise to someone and I didn’t fulfill it, that was so bad of me. The other day I stole land of someone, that wasn’t good or today I treated somebody in a bad way, I harmed an animal, I oppressed someone, I killed someone, I lied to someone, I sold some food item which was full of poison and so on. So whatever problem people are in, they have someone else to blame for it.

So Pakistan Independence Day what does it mean? Independence from British?? But what is the difference between a British ruler who doesn’t give you justice and a brown ruler from your own country who doesn’t give you justice? One is white and one is brown. One is non-muslim and the other is so-called muslim. So apart from that what has changed? British time there were wars and killing, today there is the same. In British time people were allowed to pray in mosques and today they are allowed. In British time people were jailed for silly reasons and it is worse now. So I don’t get this concept of Independence? Are you telling me my great grandfather was not independent? Today you are more independent than he was? I am sure he was living a more chilled out life than people in Pakistan today. What did he not have, that (now his area is called) Pakistan has? He had freedom to pray, to fast, to live and to speak his language and to follow his religion. He wasn’t a slave! If he was a slave of British or whoever then, then Pakistan is a slave now.

One last point I want to make is that I do not care what country people come from and I can do good to people without feeling love for their nation or any attachment to that nation. That is the essence of Islam, that no matter where you are in the world you do good. I do not have to wave flags of a nation, in order for me to be a good citizen. I do not have to wave a flag of Islam on the Prophet (Saw) birthday in order to prove how good of a Muslim I am. Whatever good you do should be for the sake of Allah and not for lines drawn on ALLAHs land, which is temporary.