khush
04-06-2012, 12:27 AM
I apologize if there are any grammar mistakes. English is not my first language. But do point out the mistakes as I want to grow as a writer.
Hypocrisy
“Hello, dear. How was your day?”
“Good, Mom,” replied Hina Khaleej as she walked into the house.
Her mother was washing dishes in the kitchen. Hina put her bag on the sofa in the lounge and rushed to give her mother a tight hug. Mrs. Khaleej embraced her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“This is the first thing I look forward to after a busy day at school,” Hina thought to herself.
“How is Jenny? Are you still mad at her?” asked her mother as she returned to washing the dishes.
“No, we’ve worked things out,” said Hina. She opened the refrigerator in the kitchen to look for something to eat. “Mom, I can’t wait for tomorrow. The picnic will be so much fun. I would’ve been so bored if Jenny and I hadn’t patched up.”
Hina’s school had arranged a picnic for children at the beach the next day.
“Why do you have to fight so much?”
“We are friends, Mom. Sometimes, friends do fight. If they don’t, their friendship would be superficial,” Hina protested.
Hina and Jenny had been best friends since kindergarten. Though they fought quite often, their bond was unbreakable. Hina’s mother called them “twin souls”.
“I do not have time to argue with you. Eat your lunch before Maulana Sahib comes to teach you.”
“What did Shanti Aunty cook today?”
“Biryani.”
“I love her Biryani,” said Hina jubilantly and took a plate from the main cabinet in the kitchen.
Shanti was an old and loyal servant of the Khaleej family.
The family had a huge mansion in their native village, Tando Adam. Shanti had been hired by the senior Mr. Khaleej over forty years ago. Therefore, she had not only raised Hina, but her father as well.
Hina’s father, Jamal Khaleej, was a lawyer by profession. After his father passed away, he received a good job offer from a reputable law firm in Karachi. And when the family moved to the big city, Shanti came with them.
They now lived in a bungalow in one of the poshest areas of Karachi, Defence. Hina was admitted to one of the best schools of the city, Beaconhouse School System.
Hina had no memory of their old mansion in their native village. However, she had heard a lot about it from Shanti.
“It was heavenly, child,” she would say. “Oh, I miss my village so much. How I wish to die and be
buried there! But I cannot think of leaving you as well. Only God knows what is in store for all of us.”
________________________________________-
After lunch, Hina took a shower and dressed in a traditional shalwar kameez with a dupatta (a piece of cloth for women to wear around their necks or cover their heads). She had never worn a full shalwar kameez with dupatta on a daily basis before her parents hired Maulana Sahib to teach her the Quran.
A carefree girl of eight, she mostly wore skirts, jeans or shorts. Shalwar kameez with dupatta was something that only teenage girls or older women wore. It was not for kids. Yes, she loved to have traditional clothes for the festivals of Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr, but not on a regular basis.
Hina had her first class with Maulana Sahib around three months ago. She was wearing a blouse with a skirt. She had borrowed one of her mother’s dupattas to cover her head. To her surprise, Maulana Sahib was cold during the lesson. It remained like this for the first few days.
Hina finally realized that he had problems with her shorts and skirts. She would then only wear jeans and shirts during his lessons. In spite of all this, there was no change in his behaviour.
She grew very uncomfortable and, finally, asked her mother to have a few shalwar kameezes with dupattas tailored for her.
“But why?” asked Mrs. Khaleej.
“I like shalwar kameez, Mom. And I want some for my lessons with Maulana Sahib.”
She did not reveal that the Maulana’s coldness made her extremely uneasy. There was definitely something wrong with the way she dressed.
After all, he was a Maulana, a man of God. How could he be wrong?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maulana Sahib seemed very tired that day.
Hina was sitting with him on the drawing room sofa. He was teaching her Arabic alphabets from a learner’s guidebook.
“Are you feeling well, Maulana Sahib?” asked Hina.
“I have not had enough sleep, beta, and feel very dizzy. Could you please ask your mother or maidservant to make some tea for me?”
“Mom has gone out to our neighbours’ house for some work. I will ask Shanti Aunty. She will make some tea for you.”
“Shanti?” said Maulana Sahib with an alarmed look on his face. “Who is Shanti?”
“She is our housekeeper.”
“How come I have never seen her?”
“She usually rests in her room in the afternoon when you are here. But she will definitely make some tea if I ask her to.”
“Astaghfarullah! You have a Hindu living in your house?” cried the Maulana.
“Yes, so what?” Hina was scared of the rage in his eyes.
“Fine, it is good to give shelter to a homeless person. But you just said that you were going to ask her to make tea. Does that mean your family eats and drinks anything that she makes? "
“Depends on the taste.” Hina wanted to say that matter-of-factly. But she was too fearful to tell the Maulana to mind his own business.
Maulana Sahib managed to control his temper and said to her in a soft voice, “My dear Hina, I want you to tell your parents that it is a big sin to eat and drink anything that is made by a non-Muslim. And that is not all. It is a sin to sit and eat with a non-Muslim as well. It would be better if your parents discharge her of her services at once.”
“Maulana Sahib, she is a lonely old lady. She is not married and has no brothers and sisters. Where is she supposed to go?”
“You can help needy people, even non-Muslims. Allah loves kindness. But there is no need to mingle too much with a disbeliever. It is not only undesirable, but sinful!”
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hina lay restless in her bed that night. Maulana Sahib’s words kept haunting her: “It is a big sin to eat and drink anything that is made by a non-Muslim. And that is not all. It is a sin to sit and eat with a non-Muslim as well”
Two of the most important people in her life were non-Muslims. Shanti, a Hindu, had raised and taken care of her like a second mother. She had bathed and fed her. Hina would force her to make her favourite dishes, which she always would without any complaints.
And there was Jenny, a Christian, who was like a sister to her. Hina never missed not having a sibling with Jenny in her life. They had shared all their joys and sorrows – from losing the first tooth to getting a present from the tooth fairy. They had been there for each other always.
Could these two beautiful relations really be so sinful? Would God punish her for loving these two people so much? Could Maulana Sahib be right?
“He can be right,” Hina thought to herself.
Maulana Sahib had to know right from wrong better than anybody else. He had a long beard which was a sign of piety. He wore a skull cap that made him an ultimate authority on religion. He had to be right in matters of faith! At least that is what her religious teachers in school had told her for years.
“If somebody insults an Aalim, Allah punishes him/her by misguiding seven of his/her generations.
Therefore, always respect an Aalim and never question his intelligence,” her religious teacher at school had told the class last year.
Hina had been really worried by this statement as her parents had always told her that the “Mullahs” were the sole reason for the problems of the Muslim world.
“They do not care about Islam. All they care about is filling their pockets. They need people who would do their bidding and never question their insane ideas,” her father would say.
What her parents said made sense to her. But somewhere she was afraid. She was afraid of questioning a cleric who, her teachers and friends said, must never be doubted.
“If you doubt an Aalim, you will not only be doomed in this world, but also in the Hereafter,” one of her conservative classmates had said.
Hina tried her best to push the thoughts away. But she could not and stayed awake the whole night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sun shone to its full potential on the Karachi beach. The heat was intense. But the sea waves and cool breeze which accompanied them were refreshing.
The children had come to the beach in the school bus. But Hina had asked her father to drop her there directly. She wanted to avoid Jenny’s company.
However, Hina was sitting at the beach now and enjoying the cool breeze.
“Good morning, Sunshine,” she heard someone calling behind her.
Sunshine: the name Jenny, Hina’s best friend, had given her. Hina loved the way Jenny greeted her enthusiastically every morning. But a chill went down her spine as she heard the same old amiability in her friend’s voice that morning.
“Morning,” Hina managed to reply as Jenny sat next to her.
“What is it? Why so serious?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am.” Hina tried her best to give a reassuring smile.
Hina was nervous. She had made a final decision last night. She would gradually cut off all ties with Jenny. However, executing the plan would be a difficult task, especially when the two girls sat together in class and spent their free time with each other.
“I need to have a word with Reema,” swallowed Hina. She got up and left Jenny sitting puzzled behind her.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Why aren’t you having your lunch?” inquired Mrs. Khaleej.
“Huh?” Hina raised her head to look at her mother. She had been lost in deep thoughts.
The two were sitting on the dining table for lunch.
Hina was feeling very guilty. She had ignored Jenny the whole day.
“Are you angry?” Jenny had asked.
“I am very tired. Please do not bother me.”
Hina knew that she had been rude and her words had hurt Jenny. She could see it in her eyes.
“Nothing, Mom.” Hina tried her best to look calm.
A thought struck her head. How could she eat the lunch which lay in the plate before her? It had been cooked by Shanti, a non-Muslim.
“It is a big sin to eat and drink anything that is made by a non-Muslim.”
“Mom, I am not really hungry. I ate too much of the picnic snacks.”
“Finish your lunch. Why did you fill your plate when you were not hungry?”
“Please, Mom. I am going to be sick if I eat more.”
Hina’s mother gave her a stern look.
“Fine. But do not do that again.”
Hina got up and went to get ready for her class with Maulana Sahib.
----------------------------------------------------
“Did you talk to your parents?” asked Maulana Sahib.
Hina was quiet.
“I am asking you something,” Maulana Sahib said strictly.
“No, Maulana Sahib. I need to convince myself first.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maulana Sahib!” Hina burst out in tears. “I do not know what to do. Two of the people I love the most are non-Muslims. I am trying my best to ignore them. But I know it would hurt them and it is tearing me apart.”
Maulana Sahib kept staring at her as she cried and told him how she felt. When she finished, he smiled and reached out to hold her hands.
Hina shivered. She had not been expecting this. Maulana Sahib seemed to be a very conservative man who shunned interacting with a female - be it a child. And there was something odd about his touch. It felt eerie and he was looking at her in a strange way.
She wanted to draw her hand away. But she did not have the courage to do so.
“Do not worry. Take your time. Remember, it is important that you break your ties with these two people, and eventually convince your parents to avoid non-Muslim company as well."
Hina nodded in fear.
“Good girl.” He stroked her cheeks. “Let us start our lesson now.”
------------------------------------------
“Is everything fine between you and Jenny?”
Hina looked at her mother in confusion. She had been doing her homework on the dining table. Mrs. Khaleej was sitting next to her to help her.
“Why are you asking this?”
“It has been quite a while since you last mentioned her or you two spoke on the phone. You used to
have hour long conversations over the phone after school. What happened?”
“She is just busy, Mom.”
“Fine. But what has happened to you? You skip your lunch on the pretext that you had too much during the school snack break. Then at night you just have a slice of bread and butter. Are you dieting? I will not tolerate this, young lady. You are a child and avoiding meals would hamper your growth.
“And Shanti Aunty is also very worried about you. She expressed her concern that you have not asked her to cook one of your favourite dishes for about two weeks now.”
Hina was quiet.
“You are now going to have your meals on time and you must behave well with everyone – be it Shanti Aunty or Jenny. Have I made myself clear?” Her mother seemed very serious.
“Yes, Mom.”
“Good. Finish your homework now.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What am I supposed to do? I have to tell Mom what Maulana Sahib has told me. But would she understand?”
These questions were haunting Hina.
It was midnight. She was very sleepy. But her confusion was not letting her rest.
Hina felt very guilty for the way she had been treating Jenny. She had not only stopped talking to her, but convinced her teacher to change her seat in order to avoid sitting next to her old friend.
Hina knew she had hurt Jenny’s feelings. And she felt terrible about it.
“As a true believer, you must strive for greater good. If in the process of achieving this harmonious state, you need to cause small harm, let it be so. Your goal must be to please your Lord. And your Lord is not pleased when you think about pleasing the disbelievers rather than Him.”
Maulana Sahib’s words echoed in her ears. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them off her face and, finally, went into a deep sleep.
--------------------------
“Hina beta.”
There was a knock on Hina’s bedroom door. It was 9:30am on a Sunday morning.
She shuddered. It was Shanti.
Until two weeks ago, Hina would wake up by 9:00am on every Sunday and ask Shanti to make some pancakes for her. But last Sunday, she had stayed in her room till 12:00pm to avoid Shanti’s offer of making pancakes for her.
“It is afternoon already. I’ll just have lunch straight away.” That was the only excuse Hina could come up with.
Mrs. Khaleej’s strict warning had forced her to have her lunches and dinners on time. But she could avoid extra favours from a “disbeliever”.
The door opened. Shanti came in and sat next to Hina on her bed.
“She is so old,” Hina thought to herself. “How can I possibly hurt and ignore her like this?”
“My dear, what is the matter? You hardly talk to me anymore, let alone ask me to make your favourite dishes.”
There was a lull.
“Shanti Aunty,” Hina managed to utter. “I need a favour from you. Will you promise not to tell Mom or Dad about this?”
“No, dear. Tell me. What is it?”
“Leave our family, Shanti Aunty.”
“What do you mean?” Shanti looked very surprised.
“Maulana Sahib has told me that your presence is sinful for my family. Not only that, the food we consume is sinful too as it is prepared by you, a non-Muslim. If it continues this way, God will punish us in the Hereafter.”
Shanti was silent. She did not say a single word. But Hina knew she was shocked.
“Aunty, I cannot ask Mummy to fire you. She will never understand. I do not want my family to burn in Hell. Please go away.”
Hina wanted to cry. But she managed to stay calm and tell Shanti - the woman who had taken care of her for years - how she felt.
There was silence. Shanti got up and left the room without saying anything.
Hina wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. But all she could do was lie in her bed and weep silently.
----------------------------------------------------
“Jamal, Shanti Aunty is not in her room.” Hina’s mother came into her parents’ bedroom with a piece of paper in her hand.
Hina was sitting next to her father on his bed and enjoying the light discussions she had with him every Sunday evening.
“What?” he said with a look of surprise on his face.
“She left this letter.”
Mr. Khaleej took the paper from his wife. Next to him, Hina could read the words clearly:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Khaleej,
It was a pleasure working for your family for all these years. But I miss my village too much. I do not want to die and be buried here.
I know you would not let me go. Therefore, I am leaving without telling you. Take care of yourselves and my dear Hina.
Khuda Hafiz
Hina knew she had hurt another one of her loved ones. She wanted to shout at the top of her voice.
“Your goal must be to please your Lord. And your Lord is not pleased when you think about pleasing the disbelievers rather than Him,” she remembered.
----------------------------------------------------
“Maulana Sahib.”
It was her first lesson with Malana Sahib since Shanti had left.
“What?” he said as he stroked his long beard.
“She is gone. Our Hindu cook. I told her to leave and she did.”
“Mashallah!” Maulana Sahib beamed.
“I told her that her presence in a Muslim household was sinful in the eyes of God. And if she did not leave, my parents would be punished. She seemed so hurt.”
Hina realized she was crying and wiped the tears off her face.
“Beta, you do not realize that you have saved your family from God’s displeasure. Do not cry.”
As Maulana Sahib uttered those words, he embraced her.
Hina was dumbfounded. He tightened his grip around her body.
“Maulana Sahib!” she yelled and pushed him away.
She was shocked. He was staring at her in a strange way.
Hina rose to her feet and dashed out of the room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Maulana Sahib left without saying anything and Hina’s mother was angry at her for not locking the gate after he had left. Hina wanted to tell her what had happened. But what was she supposed to say?
She was sitting on her bed contemplating her strange experience with the Maulana.
Maulana Sahib’s hug could have been a fatherly gesture. But he had caused too much perplexity in her life and she had to share it with someone.
Unfortunately, two of the people she could count on were not close to her anymore. The only person who could help her was her mother.
She got up and went to Mrs. Khaleej who was busy in the kitchen.
“Mom, I need to tell you something.”
“I am busy, honey,” replied Mrs. Khaleej as she prepared the dinner.
“It is important.”
Mrs. Khaleej looked at her and was surprised to see her weeping.
“What is it?”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You should have told us about this at the very beginning,” Mrs. Khaleej said to her daughter.
“I was too confused.” That was all Hina could say.
It had been a week since the terrible episode. Mr. and Mrs. Khaleej were infuriated with what Hina had told them. But they did not say anything to her.
The first thing Mr. Khaleej did was register a complaint of child molestation against the Maulana at the nearest police station. The Maulana had been arrested and the case was in court.
Hina did not go to school the whole week. Her parents tried their best to comfort her and help her regain her confidence.
After one whole week, she was sitting with her parents in their room. They wanted to talk about the whole incident. They believed she was strong enough by then.
“Fine. If you were confused you should have spoken to us. Have we ever failed to help you with your problems?”
“No.” Hina felt embarrassed.
“Then? Why did you feel we would not be able to help you with this?”
“Mom,” sobbed Hina. “I felt Maulana Sahib had to be right. After all, he was a man of God. I thought you people…..”
Hina was silent.
“That we were not good Muslims and he was one because he had a long beard and wore a skull cap,” her father finished the sentence for her.
“No.”
“Yes,” said Mr. Khaleej calmly. “That is what you thought. Your father does not claim to be a man of God and your mother does not wear the burqa. Their views must be wrong if a Mullah insists so.”
Hina was speechless.
“He told you that being friendly with a non-Muslim was sinful. How could you believe that? Haven’t we taught you to respect all human beings, irrespective of religion, colour, caste or creed?
“How could God hate another group of His creation just because they hold different views from Muslims? The Quran says that Allah is the Most Gracious and Most Merciful. How could His Grace and Mercy be limited to one group of people?
“The Quran says in the 199th verse of Surah Araf, ‘Show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant.’
“Were we in any way contradicting the Holy Book?”
Hina did not know what to say.
“Hina, my child, one may pretend to be righteous and adopt the attire of a so-called holy man or woman. But if he or she believes that God’s other creatures are inferior to him or her, it is a sign of pride. And that is one of the biggest sins. Nothing hurts God more than hurting a member of His Creation.”
“Daddy,” wailed Hina. “I have hurt Shanti Aunty and Jenny so much. I want to say sorry. Will they forgive me? Please bring Shanti Aunty back.”
There was a lull.
Mrs. Khaleej finally spoke, “Shanti Aunty passed away five days ago, dear.”
Hina felt as if somebody had struck her with an iron rod.
“We received a letter from her distant relative a couple of days ago. We could not tell you as you were not in the condition to be told such news.”
Hina did not say anything. Her mother hugged her and wiped her tears.
---------------------------------
“Jenny!” Hina called out to her friend.
Hina had come to school after two whole weeks. The children had gathered in the assembly hall.
Jenny had been staring at her, but looked away when she noticed that Hina had caught her gaze.
“Jenny.” Hina ran to her.
“Hi,” Jenny replied in a low voice.
“How have you been?”
“I am fine. But what happened to you? You were away for so long.”
“You do not know. Everyone in town does,” Hina laughed.
“I would never believe a word about you unless you told me first.”
Hina was touched and felt guilty at the same time. How could she hurt such a true friend? She felt so ashamed.
“I want to apologize for the way I behaved with you. I will explain everything.”
“Ha!” cried Jenny. “I have been waiting for this.”
“What?” Hina did not understand.
“An apology and an explanation. I was so mad at you.”
“And rightly so.”
The two friends smiled at each other. The bell rang.
“Assembly time,” said Jenny. “Have to go.”
This time it was Jenny who left Hina behind. Hina knew she was playing with her and ran to catch up
with her old friend.
--------------------------------------------
“Mom,” Hina said to her mother.
“Yes, dear.”
They were in her parents’ bedroom. Hina was lying on the bed with her head on her mother’s lap. She was too scared to sleep in her own room after that horrible incident.
It had been six months since the Maulana’s arrest. After Hina, five other victims and former students of the Maulana had come forward and reported his inappropriate advances. The court had found him guilty of child molestation and sentenced him to life in prison.
“Mom, Jenny has forgiven me. But will God ever forgive me for hurting Shanti Aunty so much? I never got a chance to apologize to her.”
Mrs. Khaleej stroked her hair and said, “Shanti Aunty loved you with all her heart and I am sure she knows you are sorry. You are a little girl and God forgives children easily.”
Hina smiled. Mrs. Khaleej’s words comforted her to some extent. But she knew her guilt would not leave her for a long time; at least not very easily.
The End
Hypocrisy
“Hello, dear. How was your day?”
“Good, Mom,” replied Hina Khaleej as she walked into the house.
Her mother was washing dishes in the kitchen. Hina put her bag on the sofa in the lounge and rushed to give her mother a tight hug. Mrs. Khaleej embraced her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“This is the first thing I look forward to after a busy day at school,” Hina thought to herself.
“How is Jenny? Are you still mad at her?” asked her mother as she returned to washing the dishes.
“No, we’ve worked things out,” said Hina. She opened the refrigerator in the kitchen to look for something to eat. “Mom, I can’t wait for tomorrow. The picnic will be so much fun. I would’ve been so bored if Jenny and I hadn’t patched up.”
Hina’s school had arranged a picnic for children at the beach the next day.
“Why do you have to fight so much?”
“We are friends, Mom. Sometimes, friends do fight. If they don’t, their friendship would be superficial,” Hina protested.
Hina and Jenny had been best friends since kindergarten. Though they fought quite often, their bond was unbreakable. Hina’s mother called them “twin souls”.
“I do not have time to argue with you. Eat your lunch before Maulana Sahib comes to teach you.”
“What did Shanti Aunty cook today?”
“Biryani.”
“I love her Biryani,” said Hina jubilantly and took a plate from the main cabinet in the kitchen.
Shanti was an old and loyal servant of the Khaleej family.
The family had a huge mansion in their native village, Tando Adam. Shanti had been hired by the senior Mr. Khaleej over forty years ago. Therefore, she had not only raised Hina, but her father as well.
Hina’s father, Jamal Khaleej, was a lawyer by profession. After his father passed away, he received a good job offer from a reputable law firm in Karachi. And when the family moved to the big city, Shanti came with them.
They now lived in a bungalow in one of the poshest areas of Karachi, Defence. Hina was admitted to one of the best schools of the city, Beaconhouse School System.
Hina had no memory of their old mansion in their native village. However, she had heard a lot about it from Shanti.
“It was heavenly, child,” she would say. “Oh, I miss my village so much. How I wish to die and be
buried there! But I cannot think of leaving you as well. Only God knows what is in store for all of us.”
________________________________________-
After lunch, Hina took a shower and dressed in a traditional shalwar kameez with a dupatta (a piece of cloth for women to wear around their necks or cover their heads). She had never worn a full shalwar kameez with dupatta on a daily basis before her parents hired Maulana Sahib to teach her the Quran.
A carefree girl of eight, she mostly wore skirts, jeans or shorts. Shalwar kameez with dupatta was something that only teenage girls or older women wore. It was not for kids. Yes, she loved to have traditional clothes for the festivals of Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr, but not on a regular basis.
Hina had her first class with Maulana Sahib around three months ago. She was wearing a blouse with a skirt. She had borrowed one of her mother’s dupattas to cover her head. To her surprise, Maulana Sahib was cold during the lesson. It remained like this for the first few days.
Hina finally realized that he had problems with her shorts and skirts. She would then only wear jeans and shirts during his lessons. In spite of all this, there was no change in his behaviour.
She grew very uncomfortable and, finally, asked her mother to have a few shalwar kameezes with dupattas tailored for her.
“But why?” asked Mrs. Khaleej.
“I like shalwar kameez, Mom. And I want some for my lessons with Maulana Sahib.”
She did not reveal that the Maulana’s coldness made her extremely uneasy. There was definitely something wrong with the way she dressed.
After all, he was a Maulana, a man of God. How could he be wrong?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maulana Sahib seemed very tired that day.
Hina was sitting with him on the drawing room sofa. He was teaching her Arabic alphabets from a learner’s guidebook.
“Are you feeling well, Maulana Sahib?” asked Hina.
“I have not had enough sleep, beta, and feel very dizzy. Could you please ask your mother or maidservant to make some tea for me?”
“Mom has gone out to our neighbours’ house for some work. I will ask Shanti Aunty. She will make some tea for you.”
“Shanti?” said Maulana Sahib with an alarmed look on his face. “Who is Shanti?”
“She is our housekeeper.”
“How come I have never seen her?”
“She usually rests in her room in the afternoon when you are here. But she will definitely make some tea if I ask her to.”
“Astaghfarullah! You have a Hindu living in your house?” cried the Maulana.
“Yes, so what?” Hina was scared of the rage in his eyes.
“Fine, it is good to give shelter to a homeless person. But you just said that you were going to ask her to make tea. Does that mean your family eats and drinks anything that she makes? "
“Depends on the taste.” Hina wanted to say that matter-of-factly. But she was too fearful to tell the Maulana to mind his own business.
Maulana Sahib managed to control his temper and said to her in a soft voice, “My dear Hina, I want you to tell your parents that it is a big sin to eat and drink anything that is made by a non-Muslim. And that is not all. It is a sin to sit and eat with a non-Muslim as well. It would be better if your parents discharge her of her services at once.”
“Maulana Sahib, she is a lonely old lady. She is not married and has no brothers and sisters. Where is she supposed to go?”
“You can help needy people, even non-Muslims. Allah loves kindness. But there is no need to mingle too much with a disbeliever. It is not only undesirable, but sinful!”
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Hina lay restless in her bed that night. Maulana Sahib’s words kept haunting her: “It is a big sin to eat and drink anything that is made by a non-Muslim. And that is not all. It is a sin to sit and eat with a non-Muslim as well”
Two of the most important people in her life were non-Muslims. Shanti, a Hindu, had raised and taken care of her like a second mother. She had bathed and fed her. Hina would force her to make her favourite dishes, which she always would without any complaints.
And there was Jenny, a Christian, who was like a sister to her. Hina never missed not having a sibling with Jenny in her life. They had shared all their joys and sorrows – from losing the first tooth to getting a present from the tooth fairy. They had been there for each other always.
Could these two beautiful relations really be so sinful? Would God punish her for loving these two people so much? Could Maulana Sahib be right?
“He can be right,” Hina thought to herself.
Maulana Sahib had to know right from wrong better than anybody else. He had a long beard which was a sign of piety. He wore a skull cap that made him an ultimate authority on religion. He had to be right in matters of faith! At least that is what her religious teachers in school had told her for years.
“If somebody insults an Aalim, Allah punishes him/her by misguiding seven of his/her generations.
Therefore, always respect an Aalim and never question his intelligence,” her religious teacher at school had told the class last year.
Hina had been really worried by this statement as her parents had always told her that the “Mullahs” were the sole reason for the problems of the Muslim world.
“They do not care about Islam. All they care about is filling their pockets. They need people who would do their bidding and never question their insane ideas,” her father would say.
What her parents said made sense to her. But somewhere she was afraid. She was afraid of questioning a cleric who, her teachers and friends said, must never be doubted.
“If you doubt an Aalim, you will not only be doomed in this world, but also in the Hereafter,” one of her conservative classmates had said.
Hina tried her best to push the thoughts away. But she could not and stayed awake the whole night.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sun shone to its full potential on the Karachi beach. The heat was intense. But the sea waves and cool breeze which accompanied them were refreshing.
The children had come to the beach in the school bus. But Hina had asked her father to drop her there directly. She wanted to avoid Jenny’s company.
However, Hina was sitting at the beach now and enjoying the cool breeze.
“Good morning, Sunshine,” she heard someone calling behind her.
Sunshine: the name Jenny, Hina’s best friend, had given her. Hina loved the way Jenny greeted her enthusiastically every morning. But a chill went down her spine as she heard the same old amiability in her friend’s voice that morning.
“Morning,” Hina managed to reply as Jenny sat next to her.
“What is it? Why so serious?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am.” Hina tried her best to give a reassuring smile.
Hina was nervous. She had made a final decision last night. She would gradually cut off all ties with Jenny. However, executing the plan would be a difficult task, especially when the two girls sat together in class and spent their free time with each other.
“I need to have a word with Reema,” swallowed Hina. She got up and left Jenny sitting puzzled behind her.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Why aren’t you having your lunch?” inquired Mrs. Khaleej.
“Huh?” Hina raised her head to look at her mother. She had been lost in deep thoughts.
The two were sitting on the dining table for lunch.
Hina was feeling very guilty. She had ignored Jenny the whole day.
“Are you angry?” Jenny had asked.
“I am very tired. Please do not bother me.”
Hina knew that she had been rude and her words had hurt Jenny. She could see it in her eyes.
“Nothing, Mom.” Hina tried her best to look calm.
A thought struck her head. How could she eat the lunch which lay in the plate before her? It had been cooked by Shanti, a non-Muslim.
“It is a big sin to eat and drink anything that is made by a non-Muslim.”
“Mom, I am not really hungry. I ate too much of the picnic snacks.”
“Finish your lunch. Why did you fill your plate when you were not hungry?”
“Please, Mom. I am going to be sick if I eat more.”
Hina’s mother gave her a stern look.
“Fine. But do not do that again.”
Hina got up and went to get ready for her class with Maulana Sahib.
----------------------------------------------------
“Did you talk to your parents?” asked Maulana Sahib.
Hina was quiet.
“I am asking you something,” Maulana Sahib said strictly.
“No, Maulana Sahib. I need to convince myself first.”
“What do you mean?”
“Maulana Sahib!” Hina burst out in tears. “I do not know what to do. Two of the people I love the most are non-Muslims. I am trying my best to ignore them. But I know it would hurt them and it is tearing me apart.”
Maulana Sahib kept staring at her as she cried and told him how she felt. When she finished, he smiled and reached out to hold her hands.
Hina shivered. She had not been expecting this. Maulana Sahib seemed to be a very conservative man who shunned interacting with a female - be it a child. And there was something odd about his touch. It felt eerie and he was looking at her in a strange way.
She wanted to draw her hand away. But she did not have the courage to do so.
“Do not worry. Take your time. Remember, it is important that you break your ties with these two people, and eventually convince your parents to avoid non-Muslim company as well."
Hina nodded in fear.
“Good girl.” He stroked her cheeks. “Let us start our lesson now.”
------------------------------------------
“Is everything fine between you and Jenny?”
Hina looked at her mother in confusion. She had been doing her homework on the dining table. Mrs. Khaleej was sitting next to her to help her.
“Why are you asking this?”
“It has been quite a while since you last mentioned her or you two spoke on the phone. You used to
have hour long conversations over the phone after school. What happened?”
“She is just busy, Mom.”
“Fine. But what has happened to you? You skip your lunch on the pretext that you had too much during the school snack break. Then at night you just have a slice of bread and butter. Are you dieting? I will not tolerate this, young lady. You are a child and avoiding meals would hamper your growth.
“And Shanti Aunty is also very worried about you. She expressed her concern that you have not asked her to cook one of your favourite dishes for about two weeks now.”
Hina was quiet.
“You are now going to have your meals on time and you must behave well with everyone – be it Shanti Aunty or Jenny. Have I made myself clear?” Her mother seemed very serious.
“Yes, Mom.”
“Good. Finish your homework now.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“What am I supposed to do? I have to tell Mom what Maulana Sahib has told me. But would she understand?”
These questions were haunting Hina.
It was midnight. She was very sleepy. But her confusion was not letting her rest.
Hina felt very guilty for the way she had been treating Jenny. She had not only stopped talking to her, but convinced her teacher to change her seat in order to avoid sitting next to her old friend.
Hina knew she had hurt Jenny’s feelings. And she felt terrible about it.
“As a true believer, you must strive for greater good. If in the process of achieving this harmonious state, you need to cause small harm, let it be so. Your goal must be to please your Lord. And your Lord is not pleased when you think about pleasing the disbelievers rather than Him.”
Maulana Sahib’s words echoed in her ears. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them off her face and, finally, went into a deep sleep.
--------------------------
“Hina beta.”
There was a knock on Hina’s bedroom door. It was 9:30am on a Sunday morning.
She shuddered. It was Shanti.
Until two weeks ago, Hina would wake up by 9:00am on every Sunday and ask Shanti to make some pancakes for her. But last Sunday, she had stayed in her room till 12:00pm to avoid Shanti’s offer of making pancakes for her.
“It is afternoon already. I’ll just have lunch straight away.” That was the only excuse Hina could come up with.
Mrs. Khaleej’s strict warning had forced her to have her lunches and dinners on time. But she could avoid extra favours from a “disbeliever”.
The door opened. Shanti came in and sat next to Hina on her bed.
“She is so old,” Hina thought to herself. “How can I possibly hurt and ignore her like this?”
“My dear, what is the matter? You hardly talk to me anymore, let alone ask me to make your favourite dishes.”
There was a lull.
“Shanti Aunty,” Hina managed to utter. “I need a favour from you. Will you promise not to tell Mom or Dad about this?”
“No, dear. Tell me. What is it?”
“Leave our family, Shanti Aunty.”
“What do you mean?” Shanti looked very surprised.
“Maulana Sahib has told me that your presence is sinful for my family. Not only that, the food we consume is sinful too as it is prepared by you, a non-Muslim. If it continues this way, God will punish us in the Hereafter.”
Shanti was silent. She did not say a single word. But Hina knew she was shocked.
“Aunty, I cannot ask Mummy to fire you. She will never understand. I do not want my family to burn in Hell. Please go away.”
Hina wanted to cry. But she managed to stay calm and tell Shanti - the woman who had taken care of her for years - how she felt.
There was silence. Shanti got up and left the room without saying anything.
Hina wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. But all she could do was lie in her bed and weep silently.
----------------------------------------------------
“Jamal, Shanti Aunty is not in her room.” Hina’s mother came into her parents’ bedroom with a piece of paper in her hand.
Hina was sitting next to her father on his bed and enjoying the light discussions she had with him every Sunday evening.
“What?” he said with a look of surprise on his face.
“She left this letter.”
Mr. Khaleej took the paper from his wife. Next to him, Hina could read the words clearly:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Khaleej,
It was a pleasure working for your family for all these years. But I miss my village too much. I do not want to die and be buried here.
I know you would not let me go. Therefore, I am leaving without telling you. Take care of yourselves and my dear Hina.
Khuda Hafiz
Hina knew she had hurt another one of her loved ones. She wanted to shout at the top of her voice.
“Your goal must be to please your Lord. And your Lord is not pleased when you think about pleasing the disbelievers rather than Him,” she remembered.
----------------------------------------------------
“Maulana Sahib.”
It was her first lesson with Malana Sahib since Shanti had left.
“What?” he said as he stroked his long beard.
“She is gone. Our Hindu cook. I told her to leave and she did.”
“Mashallah!” Maulana Sahib beamed.
“I told her that her presence in a Muslim household was sinful in the eyes of God. And if she did not leave, my parents would be punished. She seemed so hurt.”
Hina realized she was crying and wiped the tears off her face.
“Beta, you do not realize that you have saved your family from God’s displeasure. Do not cry.”
As Maulana Sahib uttered those words, he embraced her.
Hina was dumbfounded. He tightened his grip around her body.
“Maulana Sahib!” she yelled and pushed him away.
She was shocked. He was staring at her in a strange way.
Hina rose to her feet and dashed out of the room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Maulana Sahib left without saying anything and Hina’s mother was angry at her for not locking the gate after he had left. Hina wanted to tell her what had happened. But what was she supposed to say?
She was sitting on her bed contemplating her strange experience with the Maulana.
Maulana Sahib’s hug could have been a fatherly gesture. But he had caused too much perplexity in her life and she had to share it with someone.
Unfortunately, two of the people she could count on were not close to her anymore. The only person who could help her was her mother.
She got up and went to Mrs. Khaleej who was busy in the kitchen.
“Mom, I need to tell you something.”
“I am busy, honey,” replied Mrs. Khaleej as she prepared the dinner.
“It is important.”
Mrs. Khaleej looked at her and was surprised to see her weeping.
“What is it?”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“You should have told us about this at the very beginning,” Mrs. Khaleej said to her daughter.
“I was too confused.” That was all Hina could say.
It had been a week since the terrible episode. Mr. and Mrs. Khaleej were infuriated with what Hina had told them. But they did not say anything to her.
The first thing Mr. Khaleej did was register a complaint of child molestation against the Maulana at the nearest police station. The Maulana had been arrested and the case was in court.
Hina did not go to school the whole week. Her parents tried their best to comfort her and help her regain her confidence.
After one whole week, she was sitting with her parents in their room. They wanted to talk about the whole incident. They believed she was strong enough by then.
“Fine. If you were confused you should have spoken to us. Have we ever failed to help you with your problems?”
“No.” Hina felt embarrassed.
“Then? Why did you feel we would not be able to help you with this?”
“Mom,” sobbed Hina. “I felt Maulana Sahib had to be right. After all, he was a man of God. I thought you people…..”
Hina was silent.
“That we were not good Muslims and he was one because he had a long beard and wore a skull cap,” her father finished the sentence for her.
“No.”
“Yes,” said Mr. Khaleej calmly. “That is what you thought. Your father does not claim to be a man of God and your mother does not wear the burqa. Their views must be wrong if a Mullah insists so.”
Hina was speechless.
“He told you that being friendly with a non-Muslim was sinful. How could you believe that? Haven’t we taught you to respect all human beings, irrespective of religion, colour, caste or creed?
“How could God hate another group of His creation just because they hold different views from Muslims? The Quran says that Allah is the Most Gracious and Most Merciful. How could His Grace and Mercy be limited to one group of people?
“The Quran says in the 199th verse of Surah Araf, ‘Show forgiveness, speak for justice and avoid the ignorant.’
“Were we in any way contradicting the Holy Book?”
Hina did not know what to say.
“Hina, my child, one may pretend to be righteous and adopt the attire of a so-called holy man or woman. But if he or she believes that God’s other creatures are inferior to him or her, it is a sign of pride. And that is one of the biggest sins. Nothing hurts God more than hurting a member of His Creation.”
“Daddy,” wailed Hina. “I have hurt Shanti Aunty and Jenny so much. I want to say sorry. Will they forgive me? Please bring Shanti Aunty back.”
There was a lull.
Mrs. Khaleej finally spoke, “Shanti Aunty passed away five days ago, dear.”
Hina felt as if somebody had struck her with an iron rod.
“We received a letter from her distant relative a couple of days ago. We could not tell you as you were not in the condition to be told such news.”
Hina did not say anything. Her mother hugged her and wiped her tears.
---------------------------------
“Jenny!” Hina called out to her friend.
Hina had come to school after two whole weeks. The children had gathered in the assembly hall.
Jenny had been staring at her, but looked away when she noticed that Hina had caught her gaze.
“Jenny.” Hina ran to her.
“Hi,” Jenny replied in a low voice.
“How have you been?”
“I am fine. But what happened to you? You were away for so long.”
“You do not know. Everyone in town does,” Hina laughed.
“I would never believe a word about you unless you told me first.”
Hina was touched and felt guilty at the same time. How could she hurt such a true friend? She felt so ashamed.
“I want to apologize for the way I behaved with you. I will explain everything.”
“Ha!” cried Jenny. “I have been waiting for this.”
“What?” Hina did not understand.
“An apology and an explanation. I was so mad at you.”
“And rightly so.”
The two friends smiled at each other. The bell rang.
“Assembly time,” said Jenny. “Have to go.”
This time it was Jenny who left Hina behind. Hina knew she was playing with her and ran to catch up
with her old friend.
--------------------------------------------
“Mom,” Hina said to her mother.
“Yes, dear.”
They were in her parents’ bedroom. Hina was lying on the bed with her head on her mother’s lap. She was too scared to sleep in her own room after that horrible incident.
It had been six months since the Maulana’s arrest. After Hina, five other victims and former students of the Maulana had come forward and reported his inappropriate advances. The court had found him guilty of child molestation and sentenced him to life in prison.
“Mom, Jenny has forgiven me. But will God ever forgive me for hurting Shanti Aunty so much? I never got a chance to apologize to her.”
Mrs. Khaleej stroked her hair and said, “Shanti Aunty loved you with all her heart and I am sure she knows you are sorry. You are a little girl and God forgives children easily.”
Hina smiled. Mrs. Khaleej’s words comforted her to some extent. But she knew her guilt would not leave her for a long time; at least not very easily.
The End