– Photo by Hasaan Haider

Dear whomsoever this may concern.

As the Holy month of Muharram passes through our lives, so come along the first 10 days of mourning or Ashura. Not only is the significance of this month grand in its own entirety but also spreads an aura of tranquility and spirituality, just like the month of Zil-Haj and the Holy month of Ramazan.

We would like to clarify that whatever differences we all may have, no matter how superficial or deep rooted, at the end of the day we all wish, beg and plead for the same thing.

Whether we wear vibrant clothes or represent life in black and white, whether we light candles or diyas, whether we pray only at a specific mosque or for that matter pay our respects at a church, whether we hold dear to our hearts a certain prophet or another prophet, whether our flag depicts religious scripture or a political motif, we only believe in these specific practices as we like to keep our identities strong and our heads held high.

– Photo by Hasaan Haider

As the smoke billows from the deadly Iran attack and innocent children targeted in Peshawar, Pakistan we hope that this act is not repeated anywhere in the world for the rest of this Holy month and even after.

From the bottom of our hearts we wish that existence for people is as calm as a picturesque still photograph where it seems that the world is at a standstill and the subject though the center of all attraction is oblivious to his or her surroundings deeply involved in a moment of time.

So is it too much to ask you, please, please, please keep mankind out of harm's way and pray for better days.

Yours Sincerely, People of the world.

Photo and text by Hasaan Haider, a Multimedia Content Producer at Dawn.com.

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