Image via WikipediaDate:3rd May 2009
Time:Past 12:30pm
Place:My Study Cum Bed Room
As I sit here comfortably in my chair with a glass of cool water and with the ceiling fan running to deliver me cool air and so to keep me away from getting wet with sweat. I am here with all the comfort light, fan, chair, water and with practically no noise except for the occasional song of the Crickets. But all this comfort makes me uncomfortable at the slightest thought of the man whom we left yesterday in his grave for eternity.
He was a man may be in his early seventies. A respectable citizen, a good father and husband to his children and wife. It is said that he was in good health, no history of any chronic disease nor did he had diabetics, he was with all health until the time came for him to leave this world. He just could not survive a fall after what the witness said to be giddiness due to the Summer heat.
This man was the father of one of my close friend, with whom I had played as a child.
The funeral prayer was scheduled to be offered after the Isha [night] prayer. So I went to the Masjeed before hand and later at the scheduled time the Salah [prayer] was offered by all the men gathered there. As a Islamic custom the body of the deceased was to be carried in a small aluminum made bed like plank with four handles at the parallel ends. And four persons carry this plank at a time and all the persons present there lent their shoulders to carry it to the Graveyard, which was not so near and not so far from the Masjeed.
All the time while on the way to the Graveyard I was in deep thinking. Every time I visit a graveyard I have a strange feeling and my head keeps on prompting unanswerable questions all the time.
As I walked swiftly my heart was beating at double speed. My eyes gazing the ground and there was no trace of any smile or any happiness in me. But I was totally sad, partially because the deceased was my friend's father and partially because I was thinking what might be happening to him,was he happy with his death or was he sad at leaving this world. Where was he now? was his soul still resting in his body or was it wandering aimlessly?. Can he still see and hear us?. I had a torrent of questions.
As we reached the burial ground, I took notice if the surroundings. It was not a good looking place. The whole of the place was covered with weeds and the ground was uneven. There were a hundred and thousands of graves, these graves were not like the posh Christen's graves.But they were just a half or a feet above the ground . Some of them had labels of the resident of the grave.
At last we were there,a newly dug grave was ready. And two men climbed down into the grave and with much respect and care they lowered the body inside the grave. The grave was packed with mud. And the Imam recited the dua and prayed to the Almighty God to forgive the sins of the deceased. And then all the people were leaving, I also left the place and returned to my home.
All the way to my home I had been thinking and as I lay in my bed I was afraid to sleep. So I lay there staring the ceiling and trying to find answers to nearly a million questions.
What is happening to him?
Where is he now?
Is he at peace or no?
Will he go to hell or heaven?
With these questions in mind I was fast asleep.
And now coming back to now it is already past 2:30 and I must sleep now or else I will be hunted with these questions again.
At last I must say that I am "In Love With Life But Ready To Die".
Siemens in 1999 and in those days mobile phones were bulky and heavy [and also ugly]. The appearance of this mobile was similar to a cordless phone, with a two inch antenna and with a one by three inch screen, also it had receive and end call button followed by zero to nine keys and star and hash keys. To my surprise the phone also had a memory capacity which could store 20 contacts. The battery backup was not more than 5 hours.
