DID YOU PONDER OVER IT?

DID YOU PONDER OVER IT?

Translated from Urdu by Shamsul Huda Qasmi

"Today there is some more pain in my heart."

There are big names in our Muslim community and Allah (swt) has blessed them so much that they readily donate Rs 50 crore to the government's charity fund. But when you ask them as what they have done for the community and what memorial they have left for the community to benefit from in the field of development and progress, it is quite likely that you will find silence in response.

But there are people in the country we are jealous of their good deeds. When I went to Jalandhar, Punjab, I found out that there was a university, called Lovely University, spread over a very large area. It was built by a person who ever used to sell Paani Puri and Chaant on the stall. He worked hard and progressed and even the biggest showrooms in the city, ranging from sweets to motor parts, belong to him and all in the name of "Lovely". He thought of his community. As a human duty, he invested his capital in building the future of his community. And Now thousands of Children are being educated through it.

We also have a long list of Muslim capitalists and wealthy people. Many of them have involved themselves in medicine and pharmaceutical sectors. But to this day, no one has built a university, IIT and other notable educational institutions. They didn't even build a hospital of fifty and sixty beds, so that the needy people of the community can avail of the medical treatment easily.

Except for Hakim Abdul Hameed Sahib (RA), he made good use of the Hamdard endowment capital and gave valuable institutions like Jamia Hamdard and Majeedia Hospital and gave great gifts to the nation in independent India. Incumbent MP Asaduddin Owaisi's father Saalar Sultan Salahuddin built Owaisi Hospital in Hyderabad. There may be another hospitals and medical centers in southern India as once Dr. Ismail, a resident in Dubai originally from Bhatkal, owner of Ismail Medical Centre, was talking about. It is possible there may be a Muslim medical centre in Bangalore, but it is not enough for our current needs.

Today, when reports come in newspapers and social media that Muslim patients have been sent back from hospitals and not allowed to be treated because they were Muslims, our hearts break in utter shock. And when I see Apollo, Max, Fortis, BL Kapoor, Artemis and big private hospitals, I am more saddened that the same capital is possessed by the non-Muslim brothers and the Muslims alike but the non-Muslims have such a passion to serve their community and humanity that we envy of them and a Muslim spends his whole life in this temporary and paper self-aggrandizement world. He does not use his wealth and capital properly and purposefully and does not leave any memorial that the next generation can be proud of and benefit from.

The social and societal distances in the country are widening at the moment and especially the prejudiced attitude towards medical and medical treatment and the kind of humiliating incidents against women including the current incident in Kanpur and Rajasthan; these incidents have compelled us to think about the issue deeply. And it is not that this mentality will decrease. On the contrary, at the governmental and non-governmental levels, this (mentality) will increase in the future as we are observing it.

This issue is not only a matter of concern for our country and this mental disorder will not be limited to this, but also will reach to those Muslim countries which, despite all the resources, have not paid attention to it yet and have not become self-reliant in the medical field and continue to head for France, Germany, Japan, the United States and other Western countries for treatment. They will also have to face the same challenge of medical terrorism in those countries. Leave the people alone who mourn that the Muslim rulers were busy building the Taj Mahal when medical centers were being set up in France. People who curse the past cannot plan the present and the future. They must have taken care of their needs at that time. The human population of every century is obliged to meet its needs, not the (need of) the coming centuries. This century has its own needs and requirements.

The time that has passed so far in negligence has passed, but as a living community we need to open our eyes. This is the time to come up with a comprehensive plan, a solid course of action and practical measures for a bright future. It is time for Muslim countries too to seriously consider it. It is requested to prepare a team of physicians with Islamic values and zeal. Establish diagnosis centers of high quality to diagnose diseases where all kinds of medical facilities are available, so that no one is forced to head for those countries.

It is imperative for our Muslims in India to set up hundred (100) or at least fifty (50) bed hospitals, rich labs and maternity homes in all districts, towns and villages in proportion to our population. It is requested to focus on providing education of medical and bio-sciences to our children and strengthen our grip on modern affairs along with religious and moral education. It is not only an important need of the present time but the collective duty of Muslims. There is no need to cry over the lack of resources for this noble cause. There is a Muslim population of 35 crore in the country. In the first phase of this work, if every Muslim accepts a donation of only Rs 1000 (and Insha Allah a Muslim will), a revolutionary work can be done in this field. And the amount would be transferred into the account directly and there would be no need to go anywhere. Only comprehensive planning and action is needed to set up separate units for each city and town. Allah is all helpful. 

May Allah Almighty choose and prepare the conscious people of the community for this great and noble job! Ameen  

Ahmad Nader Al-Qasimi -9 June 2020