Things that have always held true on the advent of the holy month of Ramazan are the joyful messages and the flood of greetings and peace in your inbox from around the world. This year was under a different scenario as things were completely different and so was the form of expression. This time around it really felt as if the whole world was praying for themselves – and each other.
In solidarity with and respect for those who have lost loved ones around the world or who are afflicted by the virus; the aunt who lost her husband to COVID-19 sits in isolation unable to see her children as they were under strict lockdown and the news of a cousin being diagnosed with the virus (he is a frontline worker), has certainly brought dismay and sadness. As one online survey asked how many people actually knew somebody personally who had contracted COVID-19, and suddenly hundreds of stories emerged. Almost everybody we knew, knew that somebody. This Ramazan was different because of the pandemic and associated circumstances the world over. It was with mixed feelings that people embraced the natural nostalgia of the beginning of the holy month.
People who enjoy the essence of this month with fasting, which is one of the main pillars of faith, will truly understand the word patience; fasting is not easy for many. However, one also realized the plight of hundreds and thousands of people who live below the poverty level who would be especially stricken during this time period. One can only imagine the stigma of a lockdown with the spread of an illness, with their meager resources and the heat wave here which has not been coming slow on some of the cities. As one braced for what was going to happen this year in the worst of circumstances, there was news of food ration distribution and call for donations even before the month commenced. Suddenly the messages were in droves as private donations were collected in millions by the country, by those who had the means. We saw thousands of workers and areas receiving aid by the citizens of this country. People geared up in trucks, with packs of food, water, even medical supplies to those less privileged. It is this very response, especially in terms of helping those in need which is a strong foundation of our country; something that has kept us going and our world moving.
Pakistan has been highlighted as being one of the most charitable nations, especially as far as their charity and relief work is done by its people; a proud moment saw a story on this very characteristic being taken up by BBC Travel. And it is not only the private citizens of the country that do so. The Ehsaas programme by the government kicked in just in time to brace and help the mass numbers of Pakistanis who would need the utmost help in times like these. Their Emergency Cash programme under the umbrella of Ehsaas run by their Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division became active and was already distributing relief to those in need within days. Through some smart planning and active on ground relief work they have sought to distribute food, relief and money to more than 6.6 million Pakistanis who wouldn’t be able to earn their wages under the current conditions of a lockdown.
Recently this past week also saw the generosity of several countries towards us. Always a friend to Pakistan, our brothers and sisters in Turkey delivered their second medical aid shipment. Immense relief has come in from Saudia Arabia and the UAE. Before that, China donated huge shipments of masks, testing kits, protective suits and other emergency relief goods and has kept doing so at intermittent moments. The kindness of neighboring and friendly countries addressing the needs of still developing nations is one which will further solidify friendships for years to come.
The haunting images of an empty Kaaba and The Holy Mosque of Medina; just a cleric and some attendants, prayers, but no worshippers, will stay with this generation for a long time. For survival of this world and for the sake of protecting our congregations; it simply had to be done.
Experts tell us that realistically speaking the vaccine for the virus will not be possible till at least the next 18 months to be distributed to the world (there are however plans to somehow kickstart the process by Jan 2021). However, one can still hope for the best and a miracle to happen. As news comes that Italy, one of the worst hit countries, plans to open up slowly and New Zealand is declared coronavirus free -there is that note of positivity that there is a way out of the darkness.
One pessimist wrote online that to give hope in a time like this is misleading the people. He also wrote that it can lead to false sense of information and therefore it is a criminal act. To him I would personally say that hope is a human element and if he didn’t have it-it was alright if he chose not to.
And here it is, having hope is certainly part of being human. It is not just a part of the faith of being a Muslim but for all humans of this world. It is having the understanding that something will work out. It is the essence of resilience; of surviving through many things that come at us through trial and tribulation. Having hope is not being stupid about COVID-19. Having hope is resisting the negativity that we need to crush down. It is a fight back of each living being on earth. And one would not need an expert on wellbeing to tell us this. One just understands this is innate. Wanting a miracle or praying for one is not being immature. It is asking for relief from things that have overwhelmed us and that feel beyond our control.
The glimmer of something good out of an uncertain outcome is something we must not let go of. We must live through this as humans and we must survive through this alongside helping others in any way with the given resources we have. Yet, even under all these circumstances one feels that Pakistan as a country has truly come a long way to a place of security and safety with a strong government which will lead the way. And that it is where it needs to be, emerging with faith, for a better tomorrow.
