Give food to the hungry ones
Some of our friends call us to work for a non-communal Bangladesh, without explaining what do they mean by it? They often cite the names of Surya Sen, Khudidam, Prity Lata and Ila Mitra as reference, but never speak if Titumir, Fakir Maznu Shah and Hazi Shariatullah, all of who fought against British Imperialism and exploitation of man by man.
In this regard, may I narrate a story centering the construction of the Prophet Mosque? After arrival in Medina in 622 A.D., the Prophet Muhammad (SM) took a decision of building a Mosque for offering Salat (Prayers) five times a day. Just before start of the construction, came to the Prophet, Holy Spirit Jibreel and said: No artistic work in wood and metal is permissible because many men and women are in distress in the city.
On the basis of it, a good number of Islami scholars are of the view that feeding the hungry is more important than giving donation to Mosque for artistic work therein if nearby people are leading a miserable life.
Ameer Hamzah
Dhaka
