WE have been lamenting bigotry in our country, especially when it comes to mullahs, who have always been criticised for fomenting intolerance and religious extremism.

Not only this but our clerics have also been infamous for talking only about fundamentals of Islam such as prayers, Hajj, zakat, etc., and not about morality, character building and social issues.

I must admit I too had same impression about clerics. Although I am not deeply pious, my perceptions about this issue changed recently when I went to offer my Friday prayers in my neighbourhood mosque — Masjid Al Jeelani in Gulshan-i-Iqbal block 13-A.

The imam, who is relatively younger than his predecessors, started his brief sermon before prayers with coronavirus in Pakistan. He talked about how wholesalers and medical store owners have been cashing in on the situation by selling protective masks at exorbitant price.

The imam said instead of showing compassion for fellow countrymen by reducing the price of one of the most sought-after items these days, medical stores have been involved in profiteering and selling masks on a higher price, which the common man could not afford.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear such a sermon on morality and a social issue in favour of a common man instead of the usual talk about tenets of Islam. Although as a practising Muslim one must preach and adhere to basic teachings of Islam, our clerics must talk about how one can become a good human being by showing compassion for other humans.

From this sermon I learnt three things — not all clerics are bigots, not all of them encourage terrorism and extremism, and there are clerics who preach how to be a good human being.

Kudos to the imam of the mosque and I urge his colleagues to emulate him.

M. Raj

Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2020