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THOSE who have a comfortable house are very lucky. A decent, safe and comfortable house is a fundamental human aspiration. It does not need to be a grand bungalow or a multi-room apartment; it can be a simple, airy abode with plenty of sunlight where the family can live peacefully. It should also be secured from natural calamities. In Pakistan, countless families suffer when natural calamities strike. During the monsoons, many houses are inundated, roofs collapse, people are injured, electrocuted or killed. Therefore, it is necessary that one should ensure that their home can withstand the forces of nature.
The concept of a house is a consistent theme in the Holy Quran. Allah calls believers towards the House of Peace (Darus Salam), (10:25). A happy home is a blessing from Allah and provides shelter, safety, security and comfort. A happy home is a subjective term but generally refers to an environment filled with positive energy and comfort.
How can a house be transformed into a happy abode or a source of blessing? It can be transformed by being ‘energised’ through regular spiritual practices like prayers, Quran recitation and acts of kindness within the premises. Every family tries to maintain their home through cleaning and dusting. They repair things that are out of order. This is essential but what is more essential is to create a spiritual environment inside.
In this connection, it is also necessary that every member of the family should be extra conscious in their approach to others. No filthy or abusive words should be uttered; no evil values like lying, backbiting or reviling others should be practised. At the time of moving/ shifting from one house to another, people usually arrange for Quran-recitation sessions, food distribution, illumination, incense burning and other cultural practices.
Every family wishes to acquire a decent home.
The Holy Quran mentions the houses which Allah has ordered to be raised. In them, His Name is glorified in the mornings and the evenings (24:36).
It is a way to have one’s house blessed. An improved life is closely connected with such an abode. It is one of the important features of peaceful living, because the performance of religious rites and good deeds creates a spiritual aura within the home.
These positive practices enable people to be more focused in their goals and maintain good health. It also creates the ideal position for a person to pass on the best to the coming generations. In fact, purchasing a house is among the major decisions in life.
In apartment living, people own ‘nothing’, but it has become an essential aspect of our lives. It provides us with a sense of belonging, comfort and security. It is where we create memories with our loved ones and where we spend a significant portion of our lives. This impacts our well-being.
Every individual family desires a decent house of their own in some respectable locality. Thus, acquiring a decent house and living therein is the inherent desire of any family anywhere in the world. In order to turn the desire into reality, families often struggle for long. They save money bit by bit and sometimes take loans or borrow money from some lending agency. Others sell their valuable assets to acquire a house. Once this is accomplished, every member of the family takes pride in their abode. They maintain it and often invoke prayers for the safety and security of its inhabitants.
However, we also note that some families, even after their best efforts, are not able to acquire a house, and their desire of having a home of their own remains unfulfilled. There are various reasons for this, such as weak financial conditions and other limitations. Out of compulsion, they live in a rented home. Some live in dilapidated buildings which remain under constant threat of collapse. Recently, a building in the densely populated locality of Lyari in Karachi collapsed, resulting in the loss of many lives. This was not the first such incident where people were killed; such cases are often witnessed and reported in the media.
Every year the roofs of hundreds of houses cave in due to heavy rain in various parts of the country. Houses collapsing, people being injured, or killed, including by electrocution, and all their belongings being lost, has unfortunately become a regular feature. Many seek refuge in makeshift camps, while their health, education and other life-related matters suffer. This needs to be addressed by educating people to invest in sustainable housing. They should build and invest in a home which is safe, secure and free from all mishaps. The state also has a responsibility to provide people affordable and sustainable housing.
The writer is an educationist with an interest in religion.
Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2025
