Challenges to our motherland are many: social, economic and political. As regards defence, we have made ourselves so strong that nobody can dare entertain any aggressive designs against us. Internal security has been well maintained.
That’s all because all sections of society have realised the necessity of national unity. It has never been difficult to judge from the face of a citizen the impact of socio-economic and political conditions in which he lives. The common man has to do hard, irksome work for earning bread for his family. Children’s health and education is always in his mind.
He goes to his retired school head master for help. The old man takes him back to the founder of Pakistan who six months before his death in September 1948 had said that our salvation lays in following golden rules of conduct set for us by our great law giver---Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“Why was not then laid the foundation of democracy on the basis of truly Islamic ideals and principles?” asks the young citizen. A prayer leader points out that we’re facing socio-economic problems because we’ve forgotten the prophet’s teachings and examples set by him. Whatever the situation, we’ve to seek guidance from the prophet to solve our problems: he is the role model.
The life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) provides solution to administration problems also, such as rising crime and deteriorating law and order, food shortage and soaring prices, load-shedding, poverty and unemployment, and inequality in matters of provision of education and dispensation of justice.
City old men and public servants emphasise the need for faith, unity and discipline and studying the life of the prophet who established the world’s first welfare state, who saved the oppressed humanity, whose motto was justice and equality, who advocated simplicity and sincerity, truthfulness and honesty, and who devoted his life for the good of the masses.
The fact is the prophet remains the greatest reformer of the world. Women were looked upon with contempt and treated as chattels in society. It was Muhammad who did all that was possible to raise the status of women. He advised his followers to treat them with kindness and justice.
Of all the reforms, the removal of social inequality was most far-reaching in consequences. He could not find any reason for any distinction between man and man on account of mere accident of birth in a particular family.
He broke down all artificial barriers which society had set up to fortify privileges of wealth, work or colour. “All human beings are equal and the highest rank is his who is the most obedient to Allah and most useful to mankind,” he declared.
The founder of Pakistan, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah was inspired by such deeds of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). We can meet challenges if we follow in their footsteps.
By the way, representative government and representative institutions are no doubt good and desirable, but when people want to reduce them merely to channels of personal aggrandisement, they not only lose their value but earn a bad name.
We will have to avoid them, and it is possible only if we subject our actions to perpetual scrutiny and test them with the touch-stone not of personal or sectional interest but of the motherland.
-- zasarwarhotmail.com