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When Life Begins --------- ---------
85
When Life Begins ---------
“No doubt it is fun being with you. However, Papa says that in the
Hereafter where one day will be equal to thousands of years, it would
be extremely difficult to account for even one day! He says that all the
joys of these 50 years will vanish in thin air if that happens. My sisters,
mother and brother Anwar, all of them, try to lead virtuous lives
because of his influence.”
“Don’t talk about them, Leila. They lead a boring life, not a virtuous
life! Even thinking about such a boring life sends a chill down my spine!
That is why I seldom visit your home these days. All they talk about is
Paradise! The only discussion in your household is about the Hereafter
and virtuous deeds. ‘Say your prayers regularly, try to fast, keep your
head and bosom covered’, etc. I don’t like all this rubbish.”
Expressions of displeasure appeared on Leila’s face on hearing this.
She replied:
“Don’t talk about my family like that. They have never said anything
of the sort to you. They do all these things themselves and only give me
sincere advice. They have never tried to admonish you. Only once did
my dad say to you that ‘since you are Leila’s friend, try to be a friend
who ends up as a friend in the Paradise as well. I hope that both of you
will never indulge in deeds that bring you displeasure of the Almighty. It
would be a shame if you two were to end up cursing your friendship on
the Day of Judgement!’”
“I am sorry, Leila. I think you took offence to what I said. But do you
realise that you have also repeated your father’s sermon to me just
now. All they think about is the Day of Judgement!”
Leila looked even more infuriated when she heard Aasmah’s
comments. Aasmah immediately sensed it and said:
“I am sorry dear, please don’t mind! I promise I will not utter a
single word about your dad again. Let’s go to the canteen, I am really
hungry.”
===============
The heat in the Plane of Judgement was unbearable. I was trying to
figure out whether people were suffering more due to thirst or because
of fear of being thrown in the raging fires of Hell. I was engrossed in
these thoughts when I heard Saleh's voice:
“Abdullah get ready, I am taking you to meet your daughter.”
Unconsciously, I bit my lower lip. As we moved forward, we saw
two girls sitting on rough and rocky ground. I recognised both of them
from a distance. One of them was Leila, my youngest and most beloved
daughter. The other was Aasmah, Leila's best friend.
The weather was extremely hot. Sweat was pouring from bodies
like water. Hunger had already disappeared because of anxiety, but the
thirst had made everybody miserable. Both of them were also
exhausted due to thirst. Aasmah's condition was dire and due to the
intensity of thirst, she was licking the sweat dripping from her arms.
Obviously, how could that quench her thirst? If anything, it made it
even worse. On the other hand, Leila was sitting with her head on her
knees.
Aasmah was the only offspring of a very wealthy family. God had
endowed her with everything… beauty, wealth, and status. Parents had
their loving daughter schooled at the best educational institutions. Right
from childhood, she was not exposed even slightly to Urdu. Arabic and
recitation of Qur’an with its meanings were out of question. The
influence of English medium schools was so profound that she could
speak English perhaps better than native speakers could. But in such
schools, English was not taught as a language. It was learnt in an
atmosphere subservient to a supposedly superior foreign culture. Thus
with the language, Western culture had also entered her life along with
its accoutrements. In this culture, others were greeted with a ‘hello’ or
a ‘hi’ instead of ‘Salam’. Jeans and shirts were the preferred dress and
Western music and films were considered essential pre-requisites of
life. However, Aasmah had a long and wealthy legacy and did not
belong to a family of upstarts. Consequently, a degree of refinement,
etiquettes, and respect for elders was still a part of her personality,
although it was only skin-deep. For this reason, I had tolerated their
friendship in the hope that Leila's company may have a positive
influence on Aasmah.
Their friendship began while they were at college. I do not know
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