(A Set of Three Excerpts on Extraordinary Efforts to Save Belief in Recent History: Part Two)
(In the description of journey to Uzbekistan after talking or rather introducing Samarkand the author tells a story in the words of a Mufti about the communist revolution and rule in Central Asia.)
Stories of People of Obsession : Communist ruled the bodies of the people-not their hearts. Those who had the light of faith in their hearts kept their faith hidden and got the status of heart satisfied with faith (Qalbuhu Mutmainna bil iman). Russians tried every possible way to find that out. Some were caught but some they could not reach. For example, my father was a great scholar but immediately after the revolution he adopted such a getup as to show that he does not know even ABC.
To some children they will ask whether their parents have taught them any Arabic phrase. in case he will say yes then his father was hanged. If a child knew the Arabic phrase In the name of God (bismillah) then his father would be sent to jail. It was responsibility of school teachers to report the children knowing Arabic alphabets to KGB.
Scholars worked in such a manner that no one would know about it. Secret teaching continued in different houses and chambers. Some times we would make a big hall. Then we will furnish it with all necessary things. Then we will make different rooms around it and make the original hall so sound proof that the sound will not escape it. This hall will have a gateway to one of the rooms. The teacher will take the children inside with him and we shall close the door completely with planks and nails. We will put cabinets in front of it and then some liquor bottles and semi naked pictures will be kept in the room. while searching the house the liquor room will convince the police that these are communist people - what do they have to do with religion? They would leave happily. How would they know that just few meters away the children are reciting the Holy Qur'an in their innocent voice? Some times we would bring out the teacher and children after six months. Some children knew nothing about Arabic while going in but they come out having learned the Qur'an. It was a big sacrifice on path Muslim mothers for when their children were closed inside they themselves were there out in the courtyard - they would not see their children for six months.
If our people were sane then they would have been emptied of their religion but these people were crazy. As a consequence Allah Most High preserved their religion.
They returned back, all those sane ones who ventured into it,
The endurance to reach the destination? Reserved for the crazy!
(Laut aye jitne farzane gaye
Tabeh manzil sirf deewane gaye).
Pir Zulfiqar Ahmad Naqshbandi(DM): From Lahore to the Dust of Bukhara and Samarkand
