A call that went into oblivion

Mohammad  Asif Reyaz

On September 3, 2012 my child who out of curiosity was fiddling around with gas-stove, succumbed to burn injuries. He began howling in pain. His mother suggested I should arrange some ice immediately to provide groaning child immediate relief. I had just begun to contemplate where to arrange ice from, suddenly I heard an agonising sound – “ Barf ladijie abbu  Bahut lahar raha hai,” he shouted helplessly.

This call of my son had piercing effect on my heart. I rushed to my neighbour and brought ice. After the ice was rubbed, my son got some relief.

The heart piercing call of my son, reminded me the same kind of event that occurred almost 15 years ago. This was a call of my father. He was seriously ill. His both Kidneys had gone defunct. He was on bed and struggling for his life.

On those days of agony and pain I used to sit beside my father and mourn and weep.  Some time he used to say God, give me a chance. But this cry of my father went into oblivion. We tried our best to save him but in vain.  Unki Sari pukaar Sada b Sahra hokar Rah gai. “His call went into oblivion”.

What does Sada b Sahra means? When you call in desert where there is no body to listen you, and where your call goes into oblivion that call is called in Urdu_ Sada b Sahra.

Now I think that, here in this world every body’s call is proving to be a call of desert. Where there is no body to listen.

How vulnerable is a man! When he was born he was symbol of helplessness and again when he dies he becomes symbol of vulnerability.

When a child takes birth he is so weak and feeble that one can throw him in fire or anywhere in the sea. He will find no strength to defend himself. The same situation occurs when a man dies. Although he finds himself surrounded by his entire clan and relatives but he receives no help from any side.

Everybody is there, the sons, the brothers, the sisters, mother and even father, but nobody helps. It is not that nobody wants to help; it is that nobody had power to help. The man dies in acute helplessness. He comes to this world as being vulnerable and departs from here in the same way. This is the reality of a man, but alas! nobody remembers it.

 When a man comes to power he corrupts the systems. He lives with egos. He thinks that he can bring the earth into ruins and destroy the sky with his mighty hands. But at the end he is confronted with opposite reality. This situation inQu’ran  has been described thus,

"Then who do you not intervene when the soul of the dying person reaches his throat? And you at the moment are looking on, but we are nearer to him than you, but you see not."
(Quran 56:83-85)