One afternoon, two months later, Luke and Fida came back from school with a great surprise.
‘Mama! Mama!’ Luke yelled.
‘Luke, I’m here. Is everything all right?’ Alya asked.
‘Certainly, mum. Everything is perfect. And I have great news.’
‘Did you get your exam papers?’ Alya asked in surprise.
Luke’s smile faded. ‘Oh, no, not that,’ he responded quickly.
Fida’s shoulders shook as she muffled her laughter. She asked, ‘Mum, do you remember the stranger who fought with Uncle Noor and took away his fish?’
‘Yes, I do. Your father was so proud of your help to the family during that difficult time,’ Alya said cheerfully.
‘Mum, you won’t believe it but that stranger went to Uncle Noor’s house today and apologised for his rude behaviour!’
Alya stared at Fida with her mouth agape. ‘What? But why?’
‘Mama, the stranger said that his middle finger got cut while he was cleaning the fish, and it became septic. The doctors could give him medicine, but they did not have a cure. Later they had to cut off part of the infected finger in order to save the hand. But the infection spread to other fingers, leading to more amputation. Still, the pain was severe. Finally, the full hand had to be amputated.
‘The man fell into depression. Then one day he had a dream. He heard a voice in his sleep warning him that if he did not apologise[ML1] for his rude behaviour then his full body would become rotten.
‘He woke up in panic and rushed to Safa’s house. Uncle Noor felt pity for the man as he begged for forgiveness and prayed for him.’
Fida looked up for a reaction.
Alya said, ‘Every living thing in the world has a family depending on him. So, before you hurt any animal, think of the children who are waiting for the parent’s return.’ Alya glanced at Luke and continued, ‘Sometimes the animal goes out to fetch food for its children. But some naughty children torture and kill them. Can you guess what will happen to the children?’
‘What happens, Mama?’ asked Luke, almost bursting into tears. Alya smiled.
‘Their babies are too small, and they can’t even fly to search for their mother, so, they wait and cry for her with hungry stomachs. Then, finally they die.’
‘Oh poor thing!’ Fida said gloomily. Tears filled Luke’s eyes. He ran to the cage to talk to the parrot he had kept for all this time.
‘Have you got a family?’ he asked. ‘I’m sorry, really sorry,’ he cried as he opened the cage. ‘You are free, my sweet little bird, you are free. Please forgive me.’ Tears rolled down his face.
Alya hugged her little boy with a tender smile. ‘I’m proud of you,’ she said. ‘Always think of God. He is watching you. He loves all his innocent creatures. If you hurt any of them then the punishment is severe.’
‘Mama, there are many bad people all over the world. Will God see and punish them all at once?’ Luke questioned, confused.
Alya smiled and said, ‘Yes, of course dear. He is very powerful and beyond our imagination.’ Luke was still confused.
‘Beyond our imagination?’ he asked.
Alya nodded her head, smiled and said, ‘Yes, Luke, all the creatures in this world know that God is very powerful.’
‘Yes, Mama,’ Luke and Fida agreed.
‘All creatures definitely think that God is like them but more powerful. You see, an eagle has powerful vision, and he thinks God is like him, with powerful eyes. In the same way, a cat, a cow and so on think that God takes their own form. But you know all these creatures have different physical features and abilities. So God’s appearance is beyond imagination. We humans also think in a similar fashion. And certainly it’s beyond our imagination, too.’
Staring at both of her children and moving her hand over Luke’s head, she added, ‘It’s clearly stated in the Holy Quran that God is not like any of the creatures that he created. He is beautiful, merciful and powerful. He is independent while all his creations are dependent.’
Luke thought for a while and asked, ‘How do we know if a person is innocent, Mama?’
Alya was stunned. She stood with her mouth wide open. ‘What?’
‘How do we know if a person is innocent, Mama?’ repeated Luke. ‘I mean, the world is full of thieves, smugglers, and murderers. Why can’t God, who sees everything, punish all evil things in one go?’
‘Remember, God is not in competition with us living beings. He is the one who can and will take his own decisions at a time most appropriate, as per his design. I didn’t ask you to go and investigate people’s history. I said that you should do your job right and let others do theirs and then, finally, God will do his,’ Alya said.
‘What’s my job, Mama?’ asked Luke.
‘To study your lessons properly,’ Fida teased.
‘I didn’t ask you.’ Luke frowned at his sister.
Before they could start a quarrel, Alya interrupted. ‘That’s enough, you two. I will tell you, Luke. It is to take help, to give help, to share, to care and so on …’ Then, with an innocent smile, she added, ‘Always think of what you can do for the society. Is that clear?’ Alya grinned with mock seriousness.