Perspective: Can you feel their pain?

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I remember her saying that the last thing she heard was the sound of Hira reciting the kalima, the sound of her now martyred daughter was the last thing she heard before falling into unconsciousness.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Times
By Syeda Sana Ahmad | August 1, 2014

As I sit here and look at my 7 year old cousin fussing over hina designs and gleefully telling me about her Eid preparations, my mind wanders off to another innocent and beautiful little girl named Hira. Hira, who had planned to spend all of her eidi on toys this year, Hira, who couldn't wait for the Eid celebrations start. Hira, who wanted to become a doctor so she could cure the disease that took her brothers life. Hira, who loved openly and fearlessly.  Hira, who loved to help others. Hira, who was the apple of her parents eyes. Hira, who was only an innocent child, unknown to the cruel world. Hira, whose life was wrongfully taken away from her. Hira, who had no idea of religious intolerance, of the hatred her countrymen felt for her and her fellow believers. Hira, in whose mind all of us were Muslim brothers and sisters. Hira, who had no idea why her house had been set on fire. Hira, who could barely breathe as the toxins filled her lungs. Hira, who asked her mother what was happening as she could feel herself slipping away. Hira, who heard her mother say that this was it, this was how long their life was supposed to be and asked her to recite the kalma. Hira, who recited the kalima one last time not knowing that she was being killed because of the very same kalima.

When I met Hira's mother a few days ago, I remember entering a room full of women and not being able to tell which one of them was the mother because she had not been crying or wailing, but had been silently sitting with her head bowed down. I remember thinking how unimaginably hard it must have been for her to lose her two children. I remember her slightly choking up when she mentioned Hira. I remember her strength and patience but I also remember the pain in her eyes.  I remember her saying that the last thing she heard was the sound of Hira reciting the kalima, the sound of her now martyred daughter was the last thing she heard before falling into unconsciousness. I cannot even fathom what she must have felt when we woke up and was informed of the passing of her two daughters.

So, when I will see pictures of innocent children being traumatized, I will think of Hira and Kainat. When I will see mothers writhing in pain as they see their children taken away from them, I will think of Hira and Kainat's mother. When I will see soulless people laughing as they slaughter and torture innocent children, I will think of our own Pakistani barbarians that danced and clapped as they set innocent people on fire.

Thus, as I read an other piece of hate literature against Ahmadis claiming that they are worth killing because they 'insult Muslim sentiments'; claiming that what happened in Gujranwala was something to be proud of, I hear Hira's mothers voice echo in my ears as she said, 'I thank Allah for keeping my faith intact.'


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Sana Ahmad lives in Rabwah, Pakistan. Sana Tweets at @sanaahmad95



  --  Perspective: Can you feel their pain?


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