Question?

By: Abu Shazil

Other day when I came home from office, my family members were watching TV with tense faces. After placing my laptop and goodie bags on a side I dropped myself on a cane sofa and joined them. TV was telecasting video streams of Gaddafi's death. A clip of his capture, another of his push and pull scenario of shooting him to death, yet another of people dancing around, firing in air and making victory signs in front of camera.

Suddenly my elder son busted out saying Baba are they Muslims? I stared at him with a big question mark on my face, DO YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT? Baba I understand that Gaddafi was a tyrant. He might have done many wrongs. Over a period of 42 years of rule he might have committed many follies, suppressing opponents, minting money, blah blah… but after all he was a human being. I presume that the people ie. Rebels who were fighting against him are also human beings. Tell my Baba does Islam teach us to shoot a man in captivity? Does Islam tell us to mutilate a dead body? Does Islam allow us to mishandle a dead, kicking him, abusing him, and dancing on him?

I was looking at him with a blank face and finding suitable words to answer his questions. My memory lights blinking in search of suitable answer. He was continuously looking towards me, waiting for his questions to be answered. I started, Sun! for sure they are Muslims. But it is unfortunate that while in rage we forget all the teachings and become animals, worst than animals. We forget Allah (SAW), we forget religion, we forget humanity. What we remember is that we have captured our enemy live or dead and now since he is under our thumb we are god for him, free to decide his fate. All our values, our ethics, our humanity goes down the drain. We remember only one thing, that is enmity. So we go astray, we go wild, we become wolfs, hunting hounds. We become everything less human beings.

Remember sonny!  such moments are the real test of a man, his character, his ethics, his brought up and unfortunately Libyan rebels have not up lived their humanity, their religion, their values, their ethics.

May Allah (SWT) bless us all and give us courage to live such furious moments like human beings.