Plane Crash and Us

The day started with bad news and although the day was pretty hectic the general tinge of sadness never left.

In the morning when I woke up, I found a message on my mobile, that the wife of a close friend of mine was on the Air Blue flight which had crashed in the Margalla Hills in the morning. It doesn't go more tragic than this. They were married just 3 months back. Recently my friend had been running here and there trying to arrange for the travel documents for his wife so that she can travel to Kuwait. Finally the visa was secured and he was so very happy and had a continuous smile on his face, as his wife would finally be coming to Kuwait. Fate, it seems, had a different plan.

Generally I shut off my imagination in such cases, but the visions of her hands dressed with Henna and bangles, and the continuous smile and excitement on my friend's face, somehow kept on coming back to me. The hands have now charred to black and the smile, now replaced by depression and confusion.

All this makes you stop and wonder about the meaning of life. While no one comes to this world to stay here permanently, but it seems that we all have forgotten the one and only inevitable thing in life and that is death. We plan for this world, as if, this is it. While our religion, history and even common sense tells us something totally different.

This is why our priorities are totally upside down. We have chosen life in a world where there is death, and we have chosen death for a world where there is life.

Haroon Rasheed, the great caliph, called Bahlool Daana (the wise) one day. Bahlool was famous for his eccentric habits. Haroon Rasheed, gave him a stick. And asked him to give the stick to any person who is more mad, then Bahlool himself.

Months later, Haroon Rasheed was travelling to another city and had a huge caravaan with him. The caravan was filled with luxurious goods like expensive carpets, silken beds etc, strapped on hundreds of camels. Anything which would provide ease to the caliph during the journey and stay in the city was included in the caravan.

Seeing this Bahlool, came to the caliph and asked him, as to where he was going with such grandeur. The caliph told him about it. Bahlool, completely surprised, asked, 'But are you going to stay there forever?'. The caliph replied, 'No Bahlool, of course I will come back to my palace, what an odd question to ask!'

Bahlool the wise, started to laugh and gave the stick back to the caliph. The caliph, surprised, asked why he did so.

Bahlool replied 'You have made such big plans and efforts for a place where you are going to stay only for a few days, but you have made no plans and no efforts for the hereafter i.e. the place where you are going to live forever! Therefore I think that you are crazier than me, and hence you deserve to have this stick back'

May Allah guide us towards a happy life in this world and even a happier life in the hereafter. May HE give patience to the families of the victims. And may HE give the happiest life to the victims in the hereafter. Where it really matters. Ameen!