A WAKE-UP CALL: From Bad To Worse

A Wake-up Call

Sept. 2010 To Sept. 2015

From Bad To Worse!

(M. Javed Naseem)

It was September 2010 when I traveled to Lahore (Pakistan) to get my first book (A Wake-up Call) published. Things were getting awful and I felt like screaming in the streets to wake people up. There were wild fires in Australia, America and some other parts of the world. Some country was shocked and rocked by an earthquake. China, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan were hit by Monsoon rains and were flooded. Thousands of people perished. I put the two pictures (wild fires and Pakistan floods) on the title of my book.

 Here is the dedication page:

DEDICATION:

To those who suffer for being honest,

righteous and strive for the cause of Allah.

وَمِمَّنْ خَلَقْنَآ أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِٱلْحَقِّ وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ

“And of those whom We created, there is

a nation who guide with the Truth and

establish justice therewith.”

(al-Quran 7:181)

When we are hit by a calamity or a disaster, we immediately pray to Allah for relief. As they say in America: Oh, give me a break! We beg Allah to give us a break and He always gives us a break. He gets no pleasure by punishing us. He scares us with the punishment warnings so that we don’t go astray and stay the course of thankful, obedient nations.

But there is a message in every calamity and disaster. Only people of understanding, people who reflect and people who can ponder understand the message and convey it to others. But most people, after the disaster, don’t care. They forget that they needed help and they will always need help.

We all need help and who is better helper than the Creator Himself? Always ask Him because He is your sole Provider, the most Merciful, the Beneficent. He says:

فَأَقِيمُواْ ٱلصَّلواَةَ وَآتُواْ ٱلزَّكَواةَ وَٱعْتَصِمُواْ بِٱللَّهِ

هُوَ مَوْلاَكُمْ فَنِعْمَ ٱلْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ

“… So establish worship, pay the poor-due

and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting

Friend, a blessed Patron and a blessed Helper.”

(al-Quran 22:78)

In the Foreword of my book I asked: After suffering from so much destruction, when are we going to learn?

After five years, and after a lot more destruction, bloodshed and Muslim genocide, this question still stands un-answered!

Or maybe it has been answered in: ‘We don’t want to learn’.

We have become very materialistic and selfish. How can you convince a selfish and opportunist person to be kind and merciful to others? But I am doing what Allama Iqbal loved to do – deliver the message. He said:

اگرچہ بت ہیں جماعت کی آستینوں میں

مجھے  ہے حکم  اذاں  لا  الہٰ  ا لا  اللہ

('Although there are hypocrites among the Ummah, I am commanded to proclaim (the Truth) that there is no god but Allah.' – Allama Iqbal)

Allama Iqbal got the inspiration to continue his mission from the many verses of the Quran where Allah had made clear to the Prophet (s.a.w.) that his duty was to convey the message clearly (whether people accept it or not, was not his problem). So he did his duty in the best way.

Actually, it’s the duty of all of us. I have been reminding people of that noble mission and the divine Message in my own imperfect way, with all my shortcomings. I am almost 70 now and would be leaving you guys soon. Am I tired? No. I am retired but not tired! But, to tell you the truth, I am getting ‘sick and tired’ of people’s materialistic attitude and hypocrisy (Munaafiqat). And they still claim to be Muslims! I wish they really were!

May Allah guide you and help you all!

Love and mercy never decrease by sharing. Charity brings you closer to other humans. A kind and comforting word can sometimes turn a life around. Always try to give, no matter how small it is. It’s the thought behind it that counts. Everything or anything you give in charity (to please Allah) will bring you rewards from the Almighty. He is the One, Who tells you to help others, take care of your fellow human beings, and always treat each other good. All these gestures are counted for rewards in the Hereafter. The Merciful is just waiting for you to do one little thing for the benefit of others, and He will shower His blessings upon you.

فَٱذْكُرُونِيۤ أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَٱشْكُرُواْ لِى وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ

“Therefore, remember Me, I will

remember you. Give thanks to Me,

and reject not Me.”

(al-Quran 2:152)

There was once a guy who lived in Iraq.  He enjoyed happy life. He was always drinking in the company of his friends and having good time. People of his neighborhood did not like him, although he was kind at heart. Once, he invited his friends over drinks, as usual, and asked his slave to bring some fruits from the market. He gave him four Dirhams. The slave took four Dirhams and went to the market place. On his way he found the famous Sufi saint of the town, Mansour bin Ammar Basri, who was collecting money to help some poor man.

He was saying that anybody who would give four Dirhams for that poor  man, Mansour Basri will himself pray to Allah for granting the donor’s four wishes. When the slave heard that, he immediately gave his master’s four Dirhams in charity for the poor man. Mansour Basri acknowledged and asked the slave what his four wishes were.

The slave said: “Here is my first wish:

I have a master who is not very popular among people. I want to get freedom from him.”

Mansour Basri raised his hands and invoked Allah, then asked about his second wish.

The slave said that he wanted the substitute of those four Dirhams.

Mansour Basri invoked the Almighty again; and then asked the slave of his third wish.

The slave said that he wished Allah made his master quit drinking and repent; and accept his repentance.

Mansour Basri prayed for that too; and asked the slave about his fourth and last wish.

The slave said: “Lastly, I would like that Allah grant forgiveness to me, to my master, to you, and to all the people who are present here, and bless them all.

Mansour Basri prayed for that too.

After that the slave came back empty handed. He knew that he was going to get good beating from his master.

The master was waiting with his friends. He was very upset because of the delay. “What took you so long? And where are the fruits?” He shouted.

The slave begged his master to listen to his story before reacting harshly. The master agreed. When the slave narrated what had really happened, his master started laughing.

“Alright, alright! Now tell me about your four wishes”, he asked.

The slave explained that his first wish was to get freedom from his master.

The master smiled and said: “Fine! I set you free. You are no more a slave. Now, tell me what your second wish was!”

The slave said that he wanted the substitute of those four Dirhams.

The master got up and gave the slave a pouch containing four thousand Dirhams, and said: “This is a gift for you.”

The slave was shocked. Then his master asked about his third wish. The slave replied that he wished his master quit drinking and repent to God.

The master said: “I promise you that I’ll never drink again, and I repent to God for all my sins. Now, what’s your fourth and the last wish?”

The slave answered that he had asked for God’s forgiveness and blessings for himself, his master, for the wise old man and for the crowd.

The master said: “Now, that is not in my powers.”

That same night, the master saw somebody in his dream. A voice said: “When you did all three things that were in your power, what do you think, We won’t do what is in Our power? You, your slave, Mansour Basri and the crowd, all are forgiven and blessed.”

وَتُوبُوۤاْ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعاً أَيُّهَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ

“… And turn unto Allah together, O believers,

in order that you may succeed.”

(al-Quran 24:31)

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