My mind just pondered as to what I have been reading these
days. It struck me with a very good feeling that I have got the maturity and
broad mind to read 3 materials-2 books and a speech-that would cover 3 major
religions’ preaching.
The first book is Bhagavath Geetha. As an ardent supporter
(please note, not an ardent follower) of Hindu religion I always regard the
Hindu scripture-Bhagawat Geetha- very high. When I am in distress and I read
these verses my mood is refreshed. You cannot yearn for a better consoling
verses than these.
“Whatever happened, happened for the good; whatever is
happening, is happening for the good; whatever will happen, will also happen
for the good only. You need not have any regrets for the past”.
“What did you lose that you cry about? What did you bring
with you, which you think you have lost? What did you produce, which you think
got destroyed? You did not bring anything - whatever you have, you received
from here. Whatever you have given, you have given only here. Whatever you
took, you took from God. Whatever you gave, you gave to him. You came empty
handed, you will leave empty handed. What is yours today, belonged to someone
else yesterday, and will belong to someone else the day after tomorrow. You are
mistakenly enjoying the thought that this is yours. It is this false happiness
that is the cause of your sorrows”.
Bhagawat Geetha is one of the oldest religious scriptures
available. It is believed to be written around 5100 years ago. This elaborates
the preaching of Lord Krishna to the warrior Arjuna in the battlefield when he
hesitated to fight against his kith and kin.
The second book is ‘Answer to Non-Muslims’ Common Questions
About Islam’ by Dr Zakir Naik. Islam is the religion I started reading about a
few years ago. During the Al-Qaeda era the entire non-Muslim world started
developing hatred against this wonderful, well-tuned way of living. They all
thought Islam was a religion encouraged bloodshed and terror.
Therefore my curiosity grew to read on this second largest
religion in the world. By accident I came across this man Dr Zakir Naik, a
physician by profession but now a well-read scholar on comparative religion,
through Peace TV-a dedicated telecast for Islam and comparative religion by
Islamic Research Foundation founded by Dr Zakir himself.
As
I was browsing internet looking for a book on Islam I found this well-compiled
book which clarifies a ton of doubts on Islam. Reading through the book I found
these lines which simply tell you what Islam is all about. “Islam is derived from the word ‘salaam’ which
means peace. It is a religion of peace whose fundamentals teach its followers
to maintain and promote peace throughout the world.
Thus
every Muslim should be a fundamentalist i.e. he should follow the fundamentals
of the Religion of Peace: Islam. He should be a terrorist only towards the
antisocial elements in order to promote peace and justice in the society”.
As per Dr Zakir Naik if you really want to learn about a
religion you have to read the genuine, authentic scripture of that religion.
And you should not conclude about a religion looking at certain activities of a
small group of people who happen to follow this religion.
The
third one is the lecture given by the 1979 Nobel Peace prize laureate and one of the most kind hearts the
modern world has ever seen-Mother Teresa. When I was searching for the best
speeches I found this heart-touching piece delivered when she accepted the
prize. She talks about peace, love, kindness, smile and Jesus throughout the
speech. If a speech can bring tears in your eyes you just imagine the strength
of the lines. When I was reading the below lines I was literally in tears.
“The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we
went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a
most terrible condition - and I told the Sisters: You take care of the other
three, I take of this one that looked worse. So I did for her all that my love
can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She
took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: Thank you - and she died.
I could not help but examine my conscience before her,
and I asked what I would say if I was in her place. And my answer was very
simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself, I would have
said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but
she gave me much more - she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a
smile on her face”.
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