THE KICKING ASSES (DONKEYS)

The Kicking Asses (Donkeys)

And The Donkey Business

The First Short Story of 2014

(By: M. Javed Naseem)

وَٱقْصِدْ فِى مَشْيِكَ وَٱغْضُضْ مِن صَوْتِكَ

إِنَّ أَنكَرَ ٱلأَصْوَاتِ لَصَوْتُ ٱلْحَمِيرِ
"And be moderate in your pace, and lower your

voice; for the harshest of sounds without doubt

is the braying of the ass."

(al-Quran 31:19)

Child: Dad! Tell me a story from the Animal Kingdom.

Father: OK son. This is the story of some Asses (donkeys) who kicked asses.

Once upon a time, there lived in a jungle, some American Asses, some European Asses and some Middle Eastern Asses. After fighting many wars over green pastures and territorial control, the American Asses and the European Asses realized that they were a bunch of losers and needed to change their tactics.

They learned their lesson and decided to get united. Then together, pretending that they were horses, they started kicking the ‘behinds’ of the Middle Eastern Asses, one by one. They asked them to surrender to have peace or else.

وَدَّت طَّآئِفَةٌ مِّنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْكِتَابِ لَوْ يُضِلُّونَكُمْ

وَمَا يُضِلُّونَ إِلاَّ أَنْفُسَهُمْ وَمَا يَشْعُرُونَ
“It is the wish of a section of the People of the Book

to lead you astray. But they shall lead astray (not you)

but themselves, and they do not perceive!”

(al-Quran 3:69)

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ يُنفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُمْ لِيَصُدُّواْ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ

فَسَيُنفِقُونَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ عَلَيْهِمْ حَسْرَةً ثُمَّ يُغْلَبُونَ

وَٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوۤاْ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ يُحْشَرُونَ
“The Unbelievers spend their wealth to hinder (man)

from the path of Allah, and so will they continue to spend;

but in the end they will have (only) regrets and sighs;

at length they will be overcome. And the Unbelievers

will be gathered together to Hell.”

(al-Quran 8:36)

Child: That’s aggression, Dad! And the Middle Eastern Asses, they did nothing in response?

Father: No, they waited for the King Lion’s help. Actually, they are still waiting on that. They sent many prayers and lots of messages begging for help. In return, they received a message from the King Lion saying:

“King loves to help those who help themselves. Get up, put your act together and fight back! I’ll be with you.”

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّىٰ يُغَيِّرُواْ مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ

“Lo! Allah changes not the condition of a folk until

they (first) change that which is in their hearts.”

(al-Quran 13:11)

وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لاَ تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ

كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِ فَإِنِ انْتَهَوْاْ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ
“And fight them on until there is no more tumult

or oppression, and there prevail justice and faith

in Allah altogether and everywhere; but if they

cease, verily Allah does see all that they do.”

(al-Quran 8:39)

Child: I am sure the Asses did what the King Lion told them to do.

Father: Not really. They had no Faith and felt weak. They feared the strong and the powerful. So, they made friends with the enemy and hired their Asses for security and protection of their pastures.

As a result, the enemy Asses did not attack them with brutal force but with ‘lifestyle’ and ‘cultural’ onslaught to change them. In this process, they took control of all the ‘green’ pastures. Eventually, the Middle Eastern Asses also started looking and behaving just like their counterparts.

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُوۤاْ إِن تُطِيعُواْ فَرِيقاً مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ

أُوتُواْ ٱلْكِتَابَ يَرُدُّوكُم بَعْدَ إِيمَانِكُمْ كَافِرِينَ

“O you who believe! If you listen to a faction among

the People of the Book, they would (indeed) render you

apostates after you have believed!”

(al-Quran 3:100)

قُلْ يٰأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَابِ لِمَ تَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ تَبْغُونَهَا

عِوَجاً وَأَنْتُمْ شُهَدَآءُ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ
“Say: O you People of the Book! Why obstruct you those

who believe, from the path of Allah, seeking to make it

crooked, while you were yourselves witnesses (to Allah’s

Covenant)? But Allah is not unmindful of all that you do."

(al-Quran 3:99)

Child: That’s dumb, Dad! I wonder when the Middle Eastern Asses are going to learn their lesson and get united to restore their lost honor!

Father: Son! I don’t think it’s going to happen in my lifetime, but it might happen in your lifetime. Keep your hopes alive!

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُوۤاْ إِذَا لَقِيتُمْ فِئَةً فَٱثْبُتُواْ

وَٱذْكُرُواْ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيراً لَّعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ
”O you who believe! When you meet a force,

be firm and call Allah in remembrance much

(and often); that you may prosper”

(al-Quran 8:45)

وَٱعْتَصِمُواْ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعاً وَلاَ تَفَرَّقُواْ
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah

(stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves.”

(al-Quran 3:103)

Son: So, Dad! What is the End of the story?

Father: The End is near. It’s approaching fast. But the story continues.

Son: Is there any moral lesson in this story, Dad?

Father: Moral? Oh, yes! “What you sow, so shall you reap”; and “Do good and have good!”

Son: Dad! I think there is another lesson too: “Obey the King if you seek King’s help

or live like miserable slaves!

يٰأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ٱتَّقُواْ ٱللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ

وَلاَ تَمُوتُنَّ إِلاَّ وَأَنْتُمْ مُّسْلِمُونَ
“O you who believe! Fear Allah as He should be

feared, and die not except in a state of Islam.”

(al-Quran 3:102)

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