juzer esmail wrote: ↑Fri Sep 06, 2019 5:16 am
*700,000 tears - and how to get there*
I was in the masjid when Mufaddal Maula looked up from his papers and asked us to think about how many mumineen there were in the world. About 7 lakh, he said; if each of them were to shed just one tear, their volume would be that of a lake.
It's amazing to be part of this. Part of an age which will be remembered for just how many mumineen came together to weep upon Imam Husain. An age where the largest masjids are simply overflowing with mumineen. An age where every day I hear of someone else who sacrificed something to come for Ashara - whether that be a job, an exam, an opportunity - and they were proud of themselves for doing it.
For even those of us who have always attended, Ashara is still a time of self-reflection, of introspection, and a very personal time. After all, shedding tears is a personal business. It's understandable, to not want to be tracked. To keep one's privacy and not to be irritated by the scanners placed at every door. Ashara is a private interaction between maula and me, and the scanning machine is like a super-imposed barrier.
I've always understood the reasons some of my friends had for not scanning. But yesterday, when Maula made us imagine what ALL of our tears would look like if put together, I realised this was something much bigger than one person.
When we scan we - to some extent - give up our privacy and put ourselves on record. But what we get in return is good data; and good data is priceless. It allows jamaats everywhere to reach out to those who haven't joined us yet. It saves countless hours of working through lists of mumineen who have already attended. It's true, some times it's those who would rather not be contacted. But other times, it's the people who are just waiting for someone to reach out to them.
I heard today of a bhai in Canada who suffered a heartattack after a recent divorce. This bhai had no support network and had lost everything he had to a legal battle. A volunteer who went for ashara ohbat arrived at his hospital with flowers. He was so touched to see his first visitor in a week that he was ready to go - for the first time in years - to an ashara waaz again. He's been attending everyday - checking in before time.
It's easy to become lost in today's world and not everyone has a support network that enables them to give up things for ashara. However, just a simple thing like the scanning data enables thousands of volunteers across the world to reach out to those who aren't coming. And when they do come, just the sound of ya Husain, after who knows how many years, is enough for the tears to come streaming down their faces.
With just a few days left to Ashura - I implore you to make sure you scan your card tomorrow. No one wants to invade your privacy. But it might just help us to get everybody there. Every mumin is needed. Each tear counts.
