WHY I LOVE PAKISTAN: I spent most of my early childhood in the city of Rawalpindi. Surprising as it may be, I can still recall every inch of my neighbourhood, where I walked, ran and cycled; the smell of freshly cut grass before a game of “pittu garam”, the sound of the “challi walla” as he went past our house, playing tape-ball cricket in the streets, going hunting with Abu every weekend in the winters, cycling in the summer rains and coming home after school to the enticing smell of Matar Keema, Maash ke daal and fresh Roti straight off the tawwa. No matter where I’ve travelled in the world, I assure you, there’s no place like home! But that is not why I love Pakistan. My love for Pakistan is far deeper than fond memories. I love this country because despite our apparent flaws, I still believe in its people. I love this country because I still believe in its youth, who are as passionate as they are “junooni”. I love this country because it was founded on the ideology of “La ilaha il’Allah” that there is no one worthy of worship, except Allah. I love this country because despite its imperfections, the constitution still holds that “Sovereignty belongs to Allah” and that its people will be “enabled to order their lives in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Quran and Sunnah”. Having said that, I agree that we are not quite there yet; no, still far from it. Still far from achieving that state we dream of, where peace & security prevails, where the people live free & prosper, where justice is swift and where the tauheed of Allah is upheld in all spheres. This country has given me the opportunity to make things right, even if I stand alone. The greater the problems before me, the greater the chance for me to do something for my nation, with the hopes of pleasing my Creator. Because remember, if our love for this country is based upon shallow grounds, if the love for our country makes us egotistical and arrogant, if the love for our country makes us forget Allah and the rest of the ummah, then we need to think again. As one of our founding fathers, Allama Iqbal said: “In taza khudaon mein bara sub se watan hai Jo pairhan iss ka hai, woh mazhab ka kafan hai” (Country, is the biggest among these new idols. It’s covering is the death of religion.) So as we rejoice in our love for this nation, let us not forget our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world. Let us rekindle our emaan and our vision this year. Let us look beyond the stars and re-learn the lessons of our forefathers, the prophets, the sahaba, the truthful, the righteous and the martyrs - bringing alive the true spirit of Islam. Let us make this promise today. Let us begin the process of changing ourselves and then changing the world in-shaAllah! As Allama Iqbal said: Sabaq phir parh sadaqat ka, adalat ka, shujaat ka Liya jaye ga tujh se kaam dunya ki imamat ka (Read again the lesson of truth, of justice and of bravery. You will be asked to do the work of taking on responsibility for the world!) #myUmmah #Azadi #Pakistan
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:00:20 +0000