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Quote:
" I do not know why people are afraid of accepting the stark reality
that this earthquake is a wrath of the Almighty Allah upon us and a
warning sign. This certainly was the anger of Allah and it is
clearly evident from the Quran and Hadith xxx
You are right.
SEE:-
[Yusufali 18:57] And who doth more wrong than one who is reminded of the Signs of his Lord, but turns away from them, forgetting the (deeds) which his hands have sent forth? Verily We have set veils over their hearts lest they should understand this, and over their ears, deafness, if thou callest them to guidance, even then will they never accept guidance.
abdeen
-------Original Message-------
Date: 11/23/05 15:09:02
Subject: [IslamCity] LIFE MUST GO ON......
LIFE MUST GO ON
By: Muhammad
Kamran Rifat
More than six weeks have passed. But still I have not been able to
overcome the shocks and surprise which I under went with in a short
period of few minutes.
On the fateful morning of 8th October I was enjoying a deep peaceful
sleep of ignorance after having Sehri. Nothing seemed to wake me up.
But suddenly my bed of roses started to wobble like anything. I
thought some one is using third degree in an attempt to wake me up,
thinking so I opened my eyes clumsily. To my utter dismay no one was
around my bed, in reality not even in my room. At that point I heard
sound of get up and come outside it is an earthquake of grave
nature. The jolts continued and continued as seconds turned into
minutes one after another. I could sense and see the walls
vacillating as if they are dancing to some tunes.
Later on I was glued to television to know more about the earthquake
and the disaster it caused. Panic crept in; people started mourning
calling their friends and relatives to enquire about their safety.
The earthquake quavered Islamabad and devastated a belt of NWFP and
Azad Kashmir. The margalla towers in Islamabad and number of houses,
school, hospitals and government offices in the NWFP and Azad
Kashmir were razed to the ground. The enormity of the disaster
caused by the earthquake was not known let alone the magnitude,
until the late afternoon. The first report came of the margalla
towers and then of the two buildings in Lahore, which were left to
debris only. Then much later came the news of the devastation in
NWFP and Azad Kashmir.
People started rushing towards Islamabad and NWFP to know about
their dear ones from all parts of Pakistan. There were hues and
cries all around. Amidst those hues and cries the people started
stated removing the debris to find their near and dear ones. The
government and official sources took some time to mobilize the
resources, some time was lost but as the saying goes better late
than never, the sources did came late but they did a wonderful job
and still doing.
The earthquake left hundreds of thousand of people dead, wounded and
homeless. Suddenly there was a need of gigantic relief and
rehabilitation operation to be surfaced as early as possible. The
nation woke up for good and responded to the call efficiently and
effectively. On the late afternoon of 9th October the first truck
carrying the relief goods reached Chaklala airbase, a thumping
contribution and effort on the part of University of Engineering and
Technology. Kudos and accolades to all the students. Relief camps
were set up virtually in every part of the country and the major
relief and rehabilitation activity was on the move.
The nation stood united to the cause and contributed in every
possible way. Volunteers started rushing towards the affected areas
along with doctors and Non Government Organizations, not to forget
the relief goods. The media was not far behind and their
contribution in wakening up the spirit in the nation is vital and
unforgettable. Everyone from students to celebrities got involved in
the relief and rehabilitation activity. The nation really stood
united for this noble cause. I have never seen such a unity and
gargantuan relief effort in my 27 years of life. Kudos to the whole
nation, but the unity and the contributions must not end as it is
only he beginning and we have long distance to cover in terms of
relief, recovery and rehabilitation.
It would be unfair on my part if I do not mention here the donations
which came and are still pouring in from the rest of the world
including the expatriates. The relief goods, doctors, cash and kind,
helicopters, rescue teams, you name it and it is there.
Much has been said and written about the relief and rehabilitation
activities the good and the short comings, lack of disaster
management and etc, so I will not be concentrating on them but would
like to mention few unfortunate incidents and tell people what they
are afraid of knowing. Many people whom I know went there and they
had praises for the relief work which is going on there and also
some unfortunate incidents to tell. One such is worth mentioning in
which people even such disasters were asking for imported blankets
and clothings and they went on to refuse local goods being provided
to them. This really is deplorable and these are the people who then
shout loud that they have not received any relief item.
It was not enough there were incidents where people rejected food
items as well and when the rescue workers forcefully gave them the
food items, they used to crush them at some distance fro the relief
truck, though in sight of the rescue teams and volunteers. And there
was this incidence in some part of Lahore where the in charge of
relief camp took home the brand new blankets and mattress given to
him for the quake victims. He brought an old one from his home as a
replacement and lost some of his savings which were kept safe in
those beddings. Greed is curse. It is really untoward that people in
this time of dire need are doing such immoral actions.
There is one more thing I would like to mention in this write up. I
do not know why people are afraid of accepting the stark reality
that this earthquake is a wrath of the Almighty Allah upon us and a
warning sign. This certainly was the anger of Allah and it is
clearly evident from the Quran and Hadith. We can not deny and why
should we do so, what good we have done really. The Mosques are
deserted where as the concert halls and recreation centres are
packed to capacity with people. Moreover we do black marketing,
hoarding, adulteration, we continue to make false promises. Heinous
crimes like the dacoities, murders, rapes and gang rapes are on the
rise in an unending manner. It shows our ignorance and I must tell
all the unaware people to recite and understand what Allah says in
Quran. And if we all take some time out to do our soul searching and
self accountability, things will be much clearer and we will then
understand that the quake was really the result of our wrong doings.
It is a common believe among people that Allah is the most Merciful
and Beneficent and He can not bring down upon Muslims such calamity.
We must not forget if He is the Almighty, He is the Compeller also.
If He is the Honerer, He is the Dishonerer also. If He is the Just,
He is the Subtle One also. If He is the Opener, He is the
Constrictor also. If He is the Compassionate, He is the Lord of
Majesty and Bounty also. If He is the propitious, He is the
Distresser also. If He is the Pardoner, He is the Avenger also. If
He is the Giver of Life, He is the Creator of Death also. So we must
not fear the truth but should face it courageously and try to become
a devout Muslim by practice. We all should do soul searching and
repent our wrong doings as much as we can. Seek mercy, blessings and
forgiveness from Almighty Allah and follow the divine path and be
among the righteous.
The nation has already celebrated the first Eid-ul-Fitr, after the
severe natural calamity, with solemnity and modesty to share
grievances and demonstrate solidarity with the earthquake victims.
This should not end here and the same sentiments and feelings should
remain with the quake victims and not to be forgotten on the eve of
coming New Year, Basant and Valentine's Day celebrations. The
celebrations of these festivals have gained momentum over the years
and despondently the fervor is much greater than what is observed in
celebration of Eid, our religious fiesta. Also expenses at all
levels should be curtailed and cut down to the barest minimum. Those
who have been enjoying luxurious life on public expenses must adopt
simple living. The money thus saved will be utilized in the relief
and rehabilitation of quake victims.
The donations received till now are just not adequate for the magnum
task of rehabilitation and reconstruction. More people should come
forward with more generous donations in cash and kind. With the
current estimate made by the government, there is a need of US $5
billion for the relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction program.
The International Donors Conference, to be held in Islamabad on 19th
November, is around the corner and by the time this article will be
printed the pledges made by the international donors will be in the
News. Let's just hope for generous and considerable donation to help
the quake victims. Also the people of Pakistan, already giving
donations, should come forward with more bighearted endowments to
help the brethren and sisters who suffered in the disastrous
earthquake of 8th October.
The good work being put in the relief and rehabilitation of the
quake victims must go on. One must not be relaxed as there is lot of
work which remains to be done, of which treatment and providing of
shelters has the highest priority. The spirit of sacrifice and
cooperation, commitment to help the people in distress and sharing
of their moment of sorrows must be maintained and sustained not only
for months and years, but for all times to come. Such unity and the
passionate movement come quite rarely. Earthquake is the warning
from Almighty Allah to be on the right path, path of the faithful
believers upon whom Allah Has bestowed His bounties, and also a
blessing in disguise to knit the people together. Let us not
dissipate this opportunity of becoming an integrated, united,
determined and committed Pakistani nation. The Life must go on.
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{Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.}
(Holy Quran-16:125)
{And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33)
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim]
The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all."
[Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah]
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