BY AISHA KHALIQ
“We don’t need to discuss it any more, Sara. What is said is said.” Her mother told her in a loud voice. With a plethora of questions, Sara came back to her room, wondering what “bad” she has done to irritate her mother this much.
Thinking the same, she sat on her bed to revise the course for the English test and later she slept.
Next day, while coming back from school, with her friends; Ali, Ramsha and Kanwal, she spotted a bleeding kitten. “What a cute poor creature,” she thought. Seeing her going towards it, the rest of three followed.
They took the cat out of the broken steel shade it was trying to hide itself in, and started looking at it to find out how did it happen to hurt itself. “Don’t touch the wound, it can infect the cat and you as well”.
They heard a familiar voice and turned to find their newly-made friend; Sameer, who had recently shifted to their community. Before they could say anything, Sameer went near the kitten and held it in his hands with care, not touching the wound.
The rest four followed him, considering him more “experienced” as he owned a cute Russian cat. Following Sameer, they all went to his home, where he bandaged the kitten after cleaning its wound. The little gang admired Sameer more than before, for not only owning a cute Russian cat, but also for being a vet.
That day, after having lunch, Sara felt sleepy and went to her room asking her mom to wake her up after half an hour as she had to prepare for a speech to be delivered in a few days on a function at her school, on the topic of “Humanity-the best religion”.
Her mom had helped her jot down the points for it and she believed to win the competition this time as always. In the evening, Sara was busy rehearsing her speech, when she heard Ali out in the lounge, asking Sara’s mom about her. Sara put the script in the drawer and went out to find Ali, who was waiting for her to go playing.
“Sara, Sameer has brought his cat with him to play with us”, he said. On hearing this, Sara’s mom frowned at Sara, and told Ali, that today Sara will not go playing, as they had to visit her aunt in an hour.
In surprise, Sara looked at the sudden plan of her mom but stayed quiet, seeing Ali leave the home. “I had asked you not to be friends with Sameer, didn’t you get me Sara?” Sara’s mom inquired. “But mom he is very nice and friendly, and he lives just next door to us, why can’t we be friends? You know he has a very cute cat, and he lets us play with it.
He is new to our community, and has no friends. Shouldn’t we welcome him?” she replied. “No Sara, I had told you; he is different from us,” mom gave a flat statement. “How mom? He looks exactly like us, talks like us all, he does not sound like an alien at all. Aliens are meant to be different apparently. No?”. “Sara, he is not different as an alien, he is different because he is from another religion.
He is not Muslim, and Muslims should only be friends with Muslims,” she asked. “And why is that so mama?” Sara was in disbelief. “Because they do not believe in our God, and religion. Can anyone be more important than God?” asked the mom.
“No, but..” Sara was interrupted by her mom before she could say anything, “Exactly, religion comes first, and we do not need to discuss this anymore. What is said is said.” Quite, and disappointed Sara went to her room wondering if the religion asks us to be kind to animals, how can it ask not be kind to humans, who just look like us.
While thinking this, she spotted Sameer passing by her window; sad, quiet and, probably teary. He had overheard the discussion between Sara and her mother on coming inside her home to meet Sara his cat, as she loved it a lot, when Ali had told him that she will not join them today.
The next day Sara invited Sameer to share her lunch during school break, but Sameer refused the offer saying, “You should not share your food with me, as I am different. Don’t you get it?” After this, Sameer stopped talking not only to Sara and her friends, but also with other kids of community.
All mothers and grandmothers of community used to be friends but they did not add Sameer’s mother in their friend-zone. A few days passed by, when Sara came home from school to know that their non-Muslim neighbour’s whole family was at a temple where a bomb blast occurred.
All the parents from community had left to see the injured in hospital. This news was upsetting Sara, a lot; she prayed to God for Sameer, but then she thought, “Why will her God save Sameer’s life when he does not follow her God”? Whom should she seek help from?
She came to her room, tied her hands together, and closed her eyes saying, “Oh Allah, You do not know Sameer as he does not follow you, but let me tell you, Sameer is a very good boy, he takes care of everyone, even his cat, and he helped that wounded kitten too. He also helped Ali in solving his Math’s questions that day in school. I want you to help him. Please take care of him and his parents.”
She was busy in her prayers when she got to know that none of three family members could survive to the severe injuries. This was shocking and saddening. Sara burst into tears, and with tears in her eyes, she said to her dad, “This happened because of me, I didn’t know whom to pray for Sameer. I prayed to my God, but He didn’t help him.
He did not know probably, who Sameer was.” Sara’s father replied to her saying, “it’s not like this darling, God must have some good plans for them for the life after this, as Allah does everything for some reason”.
Later she found out that her mother is planning with the neighboring aunts to attend the peace-walk being held nearby. And Sara was thinking, “If Sameer and his family would be seeing this care.
The Humanity we are showing towards the family now?” and the answer was “No”. Next day, while making her speech, Sara ended it up with a sentence that was not a part of it during rehearsals. And her last words were, “Show the Humanity, before the living turns into dead, because after that they neither feel, nor need your Humanity”. Everyone clapped and applauded her for delivering an exceptional speech, except her mother, who knew whom this message was for. If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
