SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST: The Donkey Business - A Short Story.

The Donkey Business: A Short Story

Survival Of The Fittest.

If You Don’t Fight Evil,

It’ll Destroy You!

 (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 they were a bunch of losers and needed to change their tactics. Their think-tanks suggested that they join hands for strength and power.

They adopted the new strategy and decided to get united. The union increased their strength and the number. They started enjoying power and control over smaller and weaker donkeys. So, they started pretending that they were horses. The fake horses were having good time, taking whatever they wanted from others, and kicking the ‘behinds’ of the Middle Eastern asses, one by one. They asked them to surrender and accept their hegemony to have peace or else. With the new strategy of union, the roles also switched. Now the Middle Eastern donkeys were acting like a bunch of losers, with no cooperation, no coordination, and no direction. 

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 couldn’t do anything because the ruling elite had no legitimacy. Therefore, the locals didn’t support them. They ruled by force and terror. They were afraid of the powerful but scared at the same time to lose their own kingdoms. So, they prayed and 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 preferred to compromise. They made friends with the strong enemy by offering them gifts and bribes; and hired their donkeys for security and protection of their pastures. They became the ‘royal donkeys’.

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 behaving like their European counterparts. They felt they were one of them. But in fact, they were not accepted. They were like the slaves living luxury lives at the mercy of the powerful.

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! How was 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! Two lessons: “What you sow, so shall you reap”; and “If you can’t defend yourself, you have no right to exist!”

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)

Moral: People who like to sit on their asses and have good time only, can’t achieve anything worthwhile. They risk their own existence.

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