"Did you go there yourself or only heard about it???"
"Yes. I visited there to witness that blessed site myself"
"Amazing! It is a blessing from God, indeed. I'm also planning to pay a visit within few days"
This is the conversation between two men, sitting around me in a public transport, few days back, [Saturday, 20th March, 2010]. Of course, when people sitting at a distance from each other talk aloud like that, it arises curiosity among others. A women in her 40s asked:
"Hey brother, what's the matter? What are you talking about?"
And the man, who planned to visit replied:
"Prophet's footprint appeared in Chakwal"
"The Holy Prophet???" The women asked with surprise.
"Yes!", the man nodded.
And then the man who has seen the actual place started to provide further details:
"This happened on 12 Rabi-ul-Awwal. All the area was illuminated due to this. There was that blessed light [Noor] all over the place. Now, they have build a boundary around that footprint and placed a glass-sheet over it, and the divine light is not that intense now. People were gathered around there, hundreds and hundreds of them, just wanted to get a glimpse of that footprint..."
Before you proceed, you may like to watch the video clip of that so-called "Miracle". See below:
While this conversation was in progress, my mind suddenly recalled the tale of Moses [Prophet Musa] as mentioned in religions scriptures. Jews, Christians and Muslims all believe in this story. Even if you talk about the movie "The Ten Commandments", taken from the Old Testament, or the Glorious Koran, you can read the almost similar version.
So I took out my Android phone, started the Application having the translation of Quran, and re-read the mention of Moses in Chapter 2, i.e. Al Baqarah [The Cow].
Let me quote the translation:
"And when We did appoint for Moses forty nights (of solitude), and then ye chose the calf, when he had gone from you, and were wrong-doers." [Verse 51]
And:
"And when Moses said unto his people: O my people! Ye have wronged yourselves by your choosing of the calf (for worship) so turn in penitence [i.e. repentance] to your Creator, and kill (the guilty) yourselves..." [Verse 54]
For those who don't know the details. When Moses went away from his people for 40 days [For worshipping in solitude], in his absence, a Magician created a calf in gold, with the power of speech. He told that this speaking calf is the actual God. Since, that was something extraordinary, people started to believe him and started worshiping that calf. Even when Moses returned with the message from God, the people refused to believe his words.
Now, why this story is mentioned in the Quran? No one among Muslims will worship a Golden Calf. Then why???
To me, it simply means that those who have weak faith will always fall for secondary and less important things, and hence, they will lose their faith.
Prophets and Saints are sent to this world to tell people about the acts of peace, love and humanity. They came here to tell people about God, how to reach God and how to recognize God.
Now, the condition of Muslim community, especially in Asian sub-continent is at its worst. If someone says that the name of Prophet or God is on so and so tree, they'll make that tree sacred, they will start praying there and all that useless activities. Our culture is now full of the names of God or Prophet on Trees, Clouds, Moon, on fruits, leaves, stones, Chapati, etc. Those things become sacred for them. They take it as a "Proof" that their religion is the true religion. Just a simple question for them: If suppose, they see the name of "Ram", the God of Hinduism, written on some of the fruit, would they start worshipping him leaving their own religion Islam?
If not, then it means that all these things are of no importance and must not affect the faith.
I really can't understand why God asked Prophet Mohammad to make a footprint in Chakwal in 2010...
Must be a very big mistake or misunderstanding we are having here. People have even made that icon sort of shape related to Prophet's footprint as a symbol of one of the sects. To me, it's no different than idol-worshipping. Islam never asked people to worship their Prophets or their symbols. Prophet spent 63 years in this world, and he must have walked on the very earth others walk. Does Islamic history tells anything like people considered that clay sacred where Prophet walked? If that's the case, then most of the clay of Makkah and Madina would have been covered by Glass boxes till now.The story of Moses, in Quran only tells us that when your Prophet/Saint is away from you, stick to the path he showed you, and don't start worshiping the magic or the secondary things. Blessings come from following the right path and not by kissing the earth your saint walked on.
Then, again, sometimes I think that perhaps these people are not to be blamed. They are simple and ignorant. They believe what others tell them. They offer prayers, recite Quran, but they never know what it means. Holy Book was sent to be read and understood, rather than to be used as an object of sacredness.
After that verse about Calf, the Quran also says:
"Then, even after that, We pardoned you in order that ye might give thanks." [verse 52]
So if people ask for forgiveness for their wrong acts, God forgives them.
May God help us all follow the right path!
Amen!
The Translation used in this article is taken from:
The Meaning of the Glorious Quran
Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthal
Copyright 1979
Asia Book Corp of America
157th St. Flushing, NY 11355, USA
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