Famous intellectual Ashfaq Ahmed narrated an incident to the audience in a literary gathering that he was once living in Samanabad area of Lahore.
In their neighborhood, a relatively modern, young and beautiful widow began living with her two children.
Her house was frequented by a few men, while she wore modern clothes and used strong perfumes.
However, she spent most of her time in her home, her children roaming the streets and her neighbors giving them food and drink.
All the people who lived in this neighborhood of Samanabad disliked the manners of this woman. People living in the area were curious to know why this lonely woman lives here.
Who are the men who come to her house? It doesn't even do a job? How does he make a living? But no one was able to help them.
The short story is that the woman died a few days later and no one knew anything about her.
After the death of the said woman, it was found out that one of the three men who came to her house was her brother-in-law, who used to inform his widowed sister-in-law after the death of his brother. The other was her family doctor because the woman had skin cancer and he treated her and came for that purpose.
She used strong perfumes and wore fine modern clothes so that her children would not be harmed by the stench emanating from her body and the skin would not be affected by the thin clothes, because in this type of skin cancer her body I was itchy and smelly.
Similarly, the third person who used to visit the house of this woman regularly was her lawyer who provided information regarding any property or money etc. from her late husband.
Now looking at this incident, it seems that it is the story of every era. We always make judgments about the good or bad of people based on their appearance.
Sometimes we express our displeasure in front of people, sometimes we discuss their appearance in front of others in their absence and make different comments.
We are always worried that if such and such a girl is coming late from the office then surely there must be some affair going on with her.
If no one is having children then there will be some defect in the couple. Someone will be dressed modestly or someone will drink tea in a cup, they will not be able to speak English so they will be easily called Pando.
That is, we associate the outward appearance of every human being with his inwardness.
However, in the Qur'an, there is a stern warning to those who think that slander is a great sin.
But today's world, instead of leaving many things to God, is ready to do the calculations on its own, which is not right at all.
We make many guesses without knowing anyone, but if anyone judges us and our intentions on the basis of our appearance, not only do we get angry but we are ready to fight and die.
But when other people resist the slightest slander from us, instead of being ashamed and apologetic, they target them and do not shake their dreamy conscience at all.
In the same way, we consider some people to be atheists, but when the time comes, they become better defenders of religion than traditional religious people.
There is no age or creed constraint for doing good and receiving guidance. The only condition is pure intention.
Life is the name of shortcomings that can happen to all human beings, so how can it be that only we are right and everyone else is wrong? Where is the justice in saying anything without facts and even passing it on?
In Surah Al-Hujurat it is said: O you who believe! Don't waste your time spying on anyone.
But in real life no one follows this guidance, whether it is our family members or outsiders, all are experts in making assumptions. The loneliness of those who often advise others and slander them is not pure, but they all easily hide their own faults.
They satisfy themselves by slandering and curiosity about others, but they forget the afterlife which is the real life.
So by not believing what we hear, we can take the first step towards becoming a good person.
Razia Syed
The blogger holds an MA in Political Science from the University of the Punjab and has been associated with the Department of Journalism for the past 15 years as a producer, reporter and researcher.
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