I realized it was Bakra Eid on its eve. There were times when Eid was a very important day and missing the Eid Namaz was unacceptable. As usual, I get a call early in the morning from mom reminding me making it very clear that I should go and offer my prayers on time.
I was lucky in a sense that I was born in a family which never promoted prejudice against other religions nor did it condone violence of any kind - but yes, everyone follows their own religious rituals and being a muslim, so should you.
Despite my contrary views & opinions, I didn't quite want to dissappoint her.
At the mosque it so happened that I got delayed and couldn't reach on time - the prayers were over. The post prayer sermon was in progress. I was never a great fan of self proclaimed scholars - especially when they indulge in spreading prejudice, hatred and intolerance. Nevertheless, I decided to sit in for a while.
It started with the relevance of animal sacrifice in Islam and how for every strand of hair of the goat you sacrifice, an equal amount of "Neki" (Blessings) will be conferred upon you. The frame of mind that I was in, I was evaluating each and every statement with (contemporary) reason and sanity. I for a moment thought about what would the animal lovers have to say. Although to be fair, until non-vegetarianism is banned, one should not be complaining - whether it's sacrifice or slaughter.
Moving on - to my surprise - I heard something I never expected. The priest talked about how in these "difficult times", we should live together (with people of all religions) in peace, harmony and love. On the occasion of Eid, we should share our happiness with all our neighbors; irrespective of the religion they follow.
Being the sarcastic cynic that I am - I asked myself if that one parting advice was worth any appreciation. The instant answer was YES.
At a time when the Togodias and the Modis (and their counterparts cutting across religious affiliations) preach absolutely contemptuous, politically unacceptable and blatantly extraconstitutional instigations - with the law of the land turning a blind eye to these very individuals, this (rhetorical, as it may be) advice - from someone (apparently) belonging to the same class - held a lot of relevance.
This small piece of commonsensical act - if I may say - made my day.
I was lucky in a sense that I was born in a family which never promoted prejudice against other religions nor did it condone violence of any kind - but yes, everyone follows their own religious rituals and being a muslim, so should you.
Despite my contrary views & opinions, I didn't quite want to dissappoint her.
At the mosque it so happened that I got delayed and couldn't reach on time - the prayers were over. The post prayer sermon was in progress. I was never a great fan of self proclaimed scholars - especially when they indulge in spreading prejudice, hatred and intolerance. Nevertheless, I decided to sit in for a while.
It started with the relevance of animal sacrifice in Islam and how for every strand of hair of the goat you sacrifice, an equal amount of "Neki" (Blessings) will be conferred upon you. The frame of mind that I was in, I was evaluating each and every statement with (contemporary) reason and sanity. I for a moment thought about what would the animal lovers have to say. Although to be fair, until non-vegetarianism is banned, one should not be complaining - whether it's sacrifice or slaughter.
Moving on - to my surprise - I heard something I never expected. The priest talked about how in these "difficult times", we should live together (with people of all religions) in peace, harmony and love. On the occasion of Eid, we should share our happiness with all our neighbors; irrespective of the religion they follow.
Being the sarcastic cynic that I am - I asked myself if that one parting advice was worth any appreciation. The instant answer was YES.
At a time when the Togodias and the Modis (and their counterparts cutting across religious affiliations) preach absolutely contemptuous, politically unacceptable and blatantly extraconstitutional instigations - with the law of the land turning a blind eye to these very individuals, this (rhetorical, as it may be) advice - from someone (apparently) belonging to the same class - held a lot of relevance.
This small piece of commonsensical act - if I may say - made my day.
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