Charity & Corona: by danish farooq

Dear friends, 

Every unfortunate situation teaches/gives us a lesson.presently we are having such a situation.let us read what it had teached us:

One day, Siddharth gautam Buddha, popularly know as buddha 

reached a village and his followers gathered around him to hear his sermon.He noticed the village headman(Mukhya) admonishing a man in rags to come with him and listen to the sermon. 

   Buddha called the Mukhya and advised him-" There is no other agony worse than hunger.Give him food, then only he will be receptive to my sermon.Its futile to tell him anything now".

     Bringing you to present days, a journalist asked a migrant labourer moving in a crowd -" Why are you here, when "Social Distancing" is of paramount importance? Where is your mask?" He said- " Give us food, we are starving, or give us transport to go home. If both are not possible, give me Corona; at least in hospital, I will get 3 meals.I prefer to be virus- infected, since without food we will definitely die.You are talking about Social Distancing, when we are 12 men staying in a small hut."

Friends, if we examine human history, such profound desperation and misery have always triggered revolutions, civil wars and riots.When men got nothing to lose, they easily revolt, and become mindless zombies.French Revolution, Bolshevik Revolution, Naxal movement in India, so many examples.. 

   I wonder where are our religious heads who command massive wealth, and mass followers, in these unprecedented crisis and human misery.

      As a muslim I can't hesitate to say that,Sikhs who are a miniscule religious minority, are feeding lakhs of hungry stomachs all over the world,pooling all their donations and reserve funds.

   It's paradoxical, that all  sacred religions of  the world  stand mute to this spectacle of hunger and despair among the masses.There are numerous great places of worship in India where the daily offerings of worshippers  exceed crores of rupees.

   If you have observed, in ancient times, we muslims were having"baitul-mall". Infact it is present in modern times, but it's role is not good as compared to ancient times or  hindus were having "temple treasury" was thrown open to people by the priests under the supervision of kings, in such emergencies like droughts and famines.They were wise to understand that Gods, who created this Universe, don't need our money or yellow metal or precious stones.The offerings were meant to look after ourselves in dire need  and help to survive.

     Pathetically, mere traditions unabashedly existed and the good intentions and compassion  were lost, as the religions turned to be powerful tools to divide and rule masses.

    I am aware, in our nation, such thoughts itself, are termed as "sacrilege". But I firmly believe that the hoarded wealth amassed by all religious bodies who govern places of worship, if not used in such mass human tragedy,the public will soon,lose faith in the  places of  worship and the godsmen who govern them.

    Indian government,holding  the beacon of hope and optimism for the world to emulate, has employed all its  resources  under its disposal, to save our people from disaster.Its quite heartening to see corporate houses like TATA , many  celebrities and all communites joining hands to feed the hungry in this catastrophic situation.

   I plead  all religious heads and priests of our nation, to realise the plight of the poor and hungry and throw open their massive  treasures, to feed the hungry and needy, to extend the soothing hands of God.

🖋🖊Bhat Danish

   Let us prove -" God is Love"