... So we sleep

by Saima Iqbal
Sleep?s so much better than being awake. We make ourselves comfortable, snuggle in, dream a little, far, far away from the harsh reality called life. Let?s face it, who?d rather be in class, studying for exams, finishing up a lab, or trying to talk to a T.A. for partial credit that you know you?re not going to get, when you could be sleeping, possibly dreaming about all of it. It seems as though the Muslims over the world have understood the logic fairly well, and have taken a liking to it. We may have, however, taken ?sleep? to a whole new level.
When we dream, our bodies are asleep, but our minds stay awake. But what do you get when your bodies are awake, yet the minds sleep? The Muslim Ummah of today ?
Yes, we have the Palestinians fighting for their lives, Bosnians begging for help, Serbs freezing to death, but those are the harsh realities of life. We do think about them. But the mind says, what can we do, after all, we?re students. So, a comment here, a discussion there, and a condolence, maybe even prayer, for extra credit, and there we have it. Our duty to humanity, during our student life, is done. Let us sleep now.
There is, of course, the chance that we may be next in line to cry for help. We?ll cross that bridge when we get to it, says the mind? I mean, after all, who thinks that far when we have exams like Organic Chemistry to think about?
Allah says: Wallazhina jaahadoo finaa lanahdinnanakum sobolana, wa innAllaha lama'al mohsinin" (To those who sacrifice their comfort in search of truth, we'll show the way, we'll guide them, Allah is with the sincere). And, of course, with awakening comes pain. As Rumi puts it: "Harke oo bidartar, por ranjtar" (The more awakened a man, the more his pains). So what is there to gain when we forsake our beloved slumber to face the cruel facts of life, to witness, if not go through, the pain and humiliation that the Muslim Ummah is facing today?
Hey, atleast we (the Muslim Ummah) are united on this front ? we, as a whole, sleep as life goes on. What do you think?