Judgments Before the Real Day of Judgment
An overly-eager Faaiz is jumping with excitement as after a half-hour shower and getting dressed in his favorite Shalwar Kameez, he is waiting for his mother’s approval. For five-year-old kiddo, the only person who’s approval mattered were his parents, and considering the special day and his extensive preparations, it was hard to imagine his mother suggesting anything else. You may be wondering what’s the special occasion, right? Was I invited to my friend’s house? My birthday? It was a day of even more important. Today was the first time I would be going to the Masjid to pray alongside my grandfather and siblings for Namaz (I had been to the Masjid many times before for Jummah but not for the regular five-prayers).
Finally, my mother arrived from the kitchen to the bedroom and kept admiring me, telling me how handsome I looked. Her praises seemed to act as a catalyst as now not only was I more eager to rush towards the masjid but also started self-praising myself as now I was assured I looked good. With a kiss on my head, my mother asked me to join the rest as it was finally time to go to the nearby Masjid for Zuhr Namaz. We started marching towards the Masjid as my mother stood outside the gate, to ensure we reach our destination without facing any obstacles. I mean we were going with my grandfather and had the company of our elder cousins but still its motherly-love as she wanted to be 100% sure I have no issues during the fifty-meter walk.
Once I entered the gate, the scenario in front of me was the exact opposite of what I would observe on a regular Friday afternoon. Accustomed to seeing the place overcrowded with people, queues for seats placed alongside water taps, prayer mats placed everywhere, and diversity in the people present based on age and social status. Today, Faaiz was baffled with empty spaces, and the participants dominated by the elderly. “Hurry up! Namaz has been started”, exclaimed my cousin as I escaped my day-dreaming and rushed behind him as we both entered the hall where the congregational prayer was to be offered. With people already lined up behind the Imam, my cousin turned to me and whispered, “Stand wherever you find a spot for yourself”. Therefore, we went in separate directions and finally found a spot to pray.
With the Imam concluding the Dua, a sense of satisfaction ran inside me, visible with a smile I was trying my best to hide. I finally did it! My first Namaz at a Masjid! That too without the company of my father. Honestly, for a five-year-old, that was quite daring and depicted a sense of independence. So what’s next? While trying to remember the number of Sunnah to be prayed later, I felt someone tapping my shoulder. IT MUST BE ONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS! THANK GOD I HAD ALMOST FORGOTTEN THE NUMBER OF SUNNAH TO BE PRAYED! But when I looked behind, I was caught off guard as I didn’t recognize the person at all. An elderly, with a rugged white beard and a cane in his hand, was looking directly at me. His face was hardened with age and his expressions expressed that I was in trouble. This was more complicated for me as my mother had clearly instructed me not to talk to strangers and had asked my cousins to speak on my behalf if anyone approaches.
Confused, and with a million questions circling in my mind, I subtly moved my neck around in a desperate attempt to find someone whom I could call for help but they were busy offering the Sunnah after the Farz Rakat. Hesitantly, I asked, “Yes?” My innocent reply was dealt with an absurd statement that shook me to the core. The old man exclaimed with a fair degree of aggression, “Your prayer would not be accepted by God! If you don’t know how to pray, stay at home and don’t come unless you learn it!” What? How does he know? What sin did I commit? Allah you know I tried my best. Another man, who may be in his mid-thirties, standing nearby, jumped into this debate and inquired, “Why? What did he do wrong?” Unaware of the fact that someone might protest against the judgments he was passing, the elderly shouted, “Did you see him praying? His left foot wasn’t touching the ground when he was in Sujood. Ghalat parhi hay Namaz”. Honestly, the accusation was hard to prove as I don’t recall lifting my feet off the ground but didn’t dare argue with the elder as I was petrified with fear. The two strangers were having a conversation that I could not understand as they were referring to advanced Islamic teachings, something I was unaware of at that time.
Disheartened with the experience, I silently left the Masjid after spotting my cousin as we headed home later. Apparently, my cousin was clueless about the fiasco that occurred, with me the center of the debate and I chose to keep it that way, expressing my happiness at the accomplishment. Back home, I pretended to be extremely blissful and narrated the differences between a Jummah prayer and the prayer I just offered to my aunt and younger brother. However, my acting wasn’t good enough to fool the person who knew me inside out. When I went to my bedroom, my mother arrived, and with a seriousness in her tone, enquired what went wrong.
Despite my best efforts to prove nothing went wrong, she was unmoved. Reluctantly, I realized there’s no point in lying anymore as she is convinced that something was troubling me. Therefore, I spilled the beans and elaborated on my encounter with the elderly who criticized me. With a nod of disapproval, she pulled me closer to herself and gave me a lesson that I believe is extremely important for us even today.
“Islam is a path, not a drawn line that we have to follow. While we hear all the time that Allah is All-Forgiving and Merciful, we act like God on Earth. We are not perfect, and humans are meant to be like that. If we were perfect, we would be like the Angels who worship Allah all the time. Our efforts should be to please the Creator and not the created. If you ever hear such statements from people again, I suggest you listen from one ear and let it out from the other. Do tell me about it though as maybe you are making a mistake and need correction. Remember, our religion is beautiful but the people make it difficult and drive people away from it. If people start praying in childhood and develop this habit, they will find it much easier to follow when old rather than developing the habit when you are much older. Islam has a solution for everything and Allah knows your real intentions. Don’t let people get in between you and your goals. LOGON KA KAAM HAY ZINDAGI MUSHKIL KARNA. You will understand when you get older”.
Therefore, I believe it is criminal to be critical of the young when it comes to their acts related to religion. Of course, we should correct them but there are other ways rather than brutal statements, scaring them off. Stop making religion harder for those who are trying to get closer and passing judgments as if you are God on Earth. Who knows maybe you are also making mistakes which you are not aware of? Ask yourself, would the Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) approve of your actions?
16 years into the future, my mother was right after all!
