Farid ud Din Attar narrated that the Prophet Jesus (A.S.) was sleeping using a brick instead of a pillow under his head. The Prophet saw Satan standing near by when he woke up. The Prophet asked why he was there. Satan reasoned that he owns this world including the brick. Using his property includes the Prophet in his circles. The Prophet discarded the brick and Satan disappeared.
We all mortals have to live but why these posh colonies, shopping malls, garish plazas and high profile bungalows? When the aspiration is to spend extra wealth and create an impression then poets like Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi compose, “We hear of mad people living in cities, there is no difference left between habitats and abandoned places. Living beings are getting their own tombs erected, this is the highest point of humanity’s degradation, people come out to bazaars early in the day, with own scruples on their heads.”
Earlier, Allama Muhammad Iqbal expressed himself saying, “I am unhappy and bore with marble plates, build me a mud home.” Before Allama, Ibne Khuldun in his own time addressed this issue when he was asked what brings death to nations. The answer was when they start making drawing room in homes.
If poor living in mud huts in the face of modern day urban attraction are still not satisfied by my arguments, they will when I tell them what I was told by Kashfi Multani. He said, “Life passes what ever the period, of those who have rag and of those who have shawls, the privileged will live with wealth, but we poor will also live by.”
