World Mothers’ Day and the Mother of Three Children, Afia………

Today, on May 8, in Europe as well in America, World Mothers’ Day will be celebrated to pay
homage to the greatness of mothers. To pay tribute to the sublimity of their great mothers, various
countries, states will celebrate it in their own way. Some will send bunch of flowers while others will
ascertain their mothers through cards with words full of love that how much they love with the
world’s great personality. In some societies, it will be celebrated through luxurious parties. No
matter what way is adopted but the purpose will remain the same to pay homage to such a sublime
personality like mother and to confess her sacrifices.

In Pakistan, where other various affectionate ways would be adopted, there some NGO’s will
arrange functions to legalize the received dollars but the majority will be ignorant from the fact that
today three innocent beings are looking for a sublime blessing like their mother. Even after several
years, Muhammad Ahmad, Maryam Bent Muhammad and Sulaiman are anxious to play in the lap of
their mother. Sulaiman who had been blessed his mother’s company only for six months, these
people will remain ignorant of the feelings how this mother passed her nine years without her near
and dear offspring.

If it isn’t point of sorrow for us, then what it is that today in the name of paying tribute to the
sublimity of mothers through musical tunes, the cries of an oppressed mother will be forgotten.
Today the pain of that mother will be forgotten who is anxious to play with her offspring, that
mother who wishes to send her loved ones’ to school, that mother who longs to see her children
playing and laughing, and that mother who is extremely desirous to see a glimpse of her near and
dear children.
What to say of others when we ourselves are unable to feel this pain that is burning the heart of this
great mother, Afeya Siddeqi, who wishes to forget the unmentionable oppressions done to her by
embracing her children, that her whole life was destroyed by few people in return of dollars and
diminished serenity and peace of her life.

We are detached from the feelings that Afeya who could not see her children weeping even for a
moment, who became very, agitated seeing her children sad. Think for a while how she would have
passed the long yearly spanned prison away from her children. At the time when she would have
remembered the innocent mischief of her children, how she would have faced that agony, how that
mother would have expressed her sufferings, who would have been with that mother and would
have solaced her for the better time.

There is need of an alive heart to feel it, the heart which hasn’t been impressed by lust of worldly
pleasures and love of dollars, because it is not too far that if the darkness of our hearts don’t end,
then within the next year, not knowing, the intellectuals will have been discussing some other
mother.

Before it’s too late, we will have to prick our conscience. We will have to think it seriously whether
we are really following the path of the Prophet (PBUH), is the Muslim Ummah like one body? That a
single man being hurt is felt by all the Ummah and do we deserve to celebrate “World Mothers’
Day” right after selling a great mother like Afiya in return of dollars, and by snatching the joys of
innocent Ahamd, Sulaiman and Maryam?, and will we be free from our responsibilities by
celebrating the DAYS in this way, and we will have to think whether the citizens of an Islamic state
continue enjoying the worldly pleasures after selling their mothers, sisters and daughters in this
way?