Is blood of Kashmiris really cheap?
In Islam, the protection of life has always been a focal point
“Our lives are meaningless and will remain so”, concluded Albert Camus. In his “The Myth of Sisyphus”, he intended to proffer the futility of human existence. Camus and the existent man see eye to eye over this belief, especially the way the latter is taking his life for granted.
The question on the tapis is, has human existence really been futile? If not, why does man fail to appreciate his life? Eying the creation of man from the Quranic point of view, one can discern that the existence of man is really a unique phenomenon.
Firstly, the Quran puts it categorically how man has been created in the best of moulds: made from a drop of fluid put in a secure shelter; then the drop into a clot of blood, the clot into a small lump of flesh, the lump into bones covered with muscles and eventually into a different mould (23:14). He has been created as the most beautiful creature with the most beautiful abilities.
The Quranic phrase “AhsaniTaqweem” refers to the acme of the mundane perfection sufficed with all kinds of materialistic and spiritual beauties; man’s sight and insight, audition and oration, knowledge and power and, above all, the savor to contradistinguish between good and bad, right and wrong so on and so forth.
Secondly, the creation of everything else, whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth, as a subservient to man also makes up to his uniqueness. Finally, the divulgence of man as the vicegerent (Caliph) on the earth confers him the highest status possible. Summing it all up, the existence of man, “AshrafulMukhluqat”, cannot be, thus, coincidental or purposeless. Rather, in Islam, the protection of life has always been a focal point; even in some cases, the protection of life comes before the protection of the religion.
In the present era, however, Camus’s notion of futility in all its cosmopolitanism has rendered life, especially in the conflict zones like Kashmir, to be less worthy than even a chicken-feed.
A massive number of innocents have been killed in Kashmir during the last few years. But who cares? The insult is added to injury when, during an encounter, you hear even the natives of Kashmir saying, “Score KoutVout?” as if some cricket match is going on and instead of runs, killings are to be scored! Then, after a short interval, you hear, amid a million cries, another Kashmiri voice,”KhoonDiyiBaarow.”
Let’s assume the blood really has a voice (Barrow) and will bring a revolution, but will it be able to revivify even a single soul martyred during the struggle? Indeed to sacrifice one’s life for the sake of Islam is the most supreme act but simultaneously the protection of life, which Allah created even after the angels tried to object, is among the five sacred things Allah has entrusted to man; for the protection of Muslim population indirectly means the protection of Islam.
According to Quran to save a person’s life is a lofty and valuable act like saving all the mankind (5:32). Thus, it is the need of hour to rehash our strategy for freedom so that we may be able to free our land along with saving every drop of blood possible. Though our lives are bagatelle to them but they are, concurrently, the backbone of our religion.
The writer is a student of BA(Hons) at IUST. He can be reached at [email protected]
Aadil Hussain
