Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Tulsi

Last week as I returned from office my wife informed me about some neighboring ladies, just came on a casual meet. While they were wandering in our mini garden, they stopped near a Tulsi plant (besil) and murmured Kaise Musalman Hain Yeh Log, Apne Ghar main Hinduoon Ka Paodha Tulsi Laga Rakha Hai? (How surprising, being Muslim, these people have grown Tulsi a plant associated with Hindus.)

The fact is that I was some how hesitant at the time of it’s planting, thinking; how people will react on it .I had never thought about things in terms of cast and religion. Things have no religion. These disputes are only enjoyed in human being. The most important example is the water provided on railway plate forms, before partition, had been served as Hindu Pani and Muslim Pani. It was only because the water touched by a particular community was not usable for others, so they had their own water named according to their religions

I had planted Tulsi in my garden only for it’s medicinal advantages. It has nothing to do with any religion, but the comment passed by that lady surprised me, though it was not unexpected. All things are merely creature of God .If particular things are associated to a religion, it doesn’t meant that such things have been prohibited for others like dates, having religious importance among Muslims but a number of Hindu families use it for it’s enriched nourishment qualities. I know a fellow who used to wear a dress not according to the customs of the religion he belonged to. Once, someone said him your appearance doesn’t match your religion so he replied my religion is not in my dress, it is in my heart and character.

This is the tragedy of our so called religious minded people that they always have an eye on the apparent shape of religion, whereas a true religion concerns with the inner world of a man which translates into action. Nowadays people are doing much more against the spirit of their religion; it shows that they have failed to absorb the spirit of their religion. Poet Iqbal says that, religion doesn’t teach to make differences and enemity. Mazhab Nahin Sikhata Aapas Mein Bair Rakhna.
Isn’t it a paradox that people spread hatred and fight on the name of the religion? Coincidently, yesterday I went through an article about Tulsi written by the famous expert of medicine. Hakim Abdul Hannan .He writes in this article, that Tulsi is called Raihan, in Arabic and there are many references of Raihan in the Holy Quran, particularly in the context of luxuries of paradise. Prophet Mohammed (P.B.U.H.) has also liked it and said ‘whenever someone offers you Raihan; don’t refuse it and this plant has come from paradise. I remember somewhere, in a religious book, it was written that when a righteous person breathes its last, the angels come to greet him, and they have shrubs of Raihan in their hands.

These details are sufficient to mark the importance of Raihan or Tulsi, and there is no reason for a Muslim to be refrain from it. Majority of Muslims don’t have plants of Tulsi in their homes, however, Tulsi has been entered if not in their gardens but in their drawing rooms, on a silver screen, through the idiot box, as many of them watch Kyunki Sas Bhi Kabhi Bahoo Thi, what about it?

2 comments:

  1. If this artical write in urdu many peopels understand about tulsi. And if this possible please send me all articals about tulsi in my mail address.
    My Address is mouz20042003@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for a good suggestion. I shall try to translate it in Urdu,and also to present original article on my blog.

    ReplyDelete