We create problems for ourselves by defending even our inexcusable actions

We often read stories about faith-related trials that leave us baffled. Haunted by certain questions, we keep wandering from place to place and from person to person in search of convincing answers. Such answers we expect to be categorical and unambiguous, and must meet the parameters of logic, and reason.

People who think differently, or hold independent views about religion die at the gallows. This may not be true about other religions, but in our religion, ordinary people apart, saints, Sufis and dervishes have died a painful death at the hands of the self-appointed custodians of the religious affairs. Family and the community never tolerates nonconformist. They are tried and sentenced to die at the gallows. The judges do not probe the reasons for their disbelief. For them a person’s nonconformity is sufficient to hand him a death penalty.

In this age of reason that safeguards a person’s right to hold his independent opinion, people in Pakistan are persecuted for maintaining unconventional views on faith and belief. Some people in Pakistan are so intolerant that they flare up on hearing historical facts. Mohammed bin Qasim had not invaded Sindh for spreading Islam. Similarly, Mahmood Ghaznavi too had not devastated India repeatedly for preaching the teachings of Islam. Each time Ghaznavi arrived, he plundered the wealth of India. Like the Taliban, he demolished the images of the gods and the deities Hindus worshiped. In one of his invasions he took away golden doors from the temples. These are historical realities and can’t be justified or viewed differently.

There is a maxim that nothing or nobody is good in entirety; similarly nothing or nobody is bad in entirety. Among the detested you would surprisingly come across praiseworthy qualities. Likewise, we detect shockingly lamentable shortcomings in admirable persons. Granted we Muslims are the chosen people, therefore we are immune from committing crimes or blunders. But, after all we are human beings. And, to err is human. When the Taliban demolished two images of Mahatma Gotama Buddha in Afghanistan a couple of years ago, the entire world had condemned their sacrilegious act.

We create problems for ourselves by defending certain inexcusable acts of our warriors. We must muster up courage to call a spade a spade. There is no sense in shielding my forefathers or my kith and kin if they have committed a crime against humanity. In the transformed world of today, killing a person in the name of God may sound commendable to us, but the world at large won’t approve of it. It is hard to justify or glorify murder.

Capital punishment for a dissident is a common phenomenon, but punishing a religious person for his mind-boggling act motivated by his deep involvement with faith is not understandable. The following frightening incident needs to be understood objectively. The story that baffles the sensibilities is about a staunch faithful who was carried away beyond reason in his act, and was subsequently punished. Let us call the unfortunate victim Abdul Ghaffar.

Abdul Ghaffar was admitted in a maktab (religious school) at the age of five years. By the age of eight he became a hafiz {one who remembers the Holy Quran by heart), and commenced recitation of the Holy Verses at the religious congregations by the time he became 10 years of age. Apart from offering prayers five times a day, Abdul Ghaffar offered tahjjud (late night prayers). In addition to fasts during the month of Ramadan, Ghaffar observed fasts on various religious occasions throughout the year.

From then on Abdul Ghaffar began reading the translation of the Holy Quran and was deeply moved by the numerous stories in the Holy Book. His imagination was so fertile and rich that he could visualise each story clearly. In his dreams he participated directly or indirectly in the various episodes. When awake, he remained preoccupied with the narratives.

Immediately after attaining puberty he was married to a girl equally religious like him. After marriage both went abroad for performing Haj. The following year the couple was bestowed with a son. They showered love and affection on him. Five years elapsed. The child attained the age of five years.

One night Ghaffar had a dream. An angel visited him, and asked him for an offering to God of something or someone dearest to him. He woke up bewildered and perspiring. Next night, and then the following nights he dreamt the same dream. “Am I being called upon like Hazrat Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice my dear son like Ismail (Ishmael) in the way of Allah?”

The same dream repeatedly haunted him every night till he began believing that God had asked him to slaughter his son in His name. One day took his son to an isolated place, hugged him, kissed him and finally put a butcher’s knife to his throat strongly believing that suddenly a sacrificial lamb would descend from the heavens, and instead of son he would slaughter the animal. But, no animal descended. By then the sharp knife slit opened his son’s throat. The child bled to death.

“Why didn’t you send down an animal?” He looked at the heavens, broke down and said, “Are You God of Ibrahim only, and not of ordinary people like me?”

He was arrested for murdering his own son. During the trial he kept looking heaven wards and continuously murmured, “Why didn’t you dispatch a lamb.”

Pending judgement, the judge sent Abdul Ghaffar to a mental asylum.