LAST DAY ON EARTH

By Aimen Saeed (ex-1st yr)


“Ready to drop”………… yes, these words were perfectly defining us that day. I and my friend were totally knackered by the day’s hard routine, especially the hustle and bustle of the biochemistry practical. We got free pretty late and were too knackered to even think of anything other than sleep.

Dragging ourselves on our way to hostel, we were complaining of how this daily routine has raddled us. The street was clamoring with the heavy traffic and people. A busy day.  But it was  some other voice that caught our attention. The noise was so high-pitched that
for a second we were in a state of shock. It was the voice of an old woman crying on a foot path. I had never seen a woman weeping like that. We went to her and asked the matter.

“Amma G kia hua?”

She replied (weeping):

“Meray paisay khatam ho gye hain, haye maray paisay khatam ho gaye hain, mai nay dawai laini thi, may boht bemaar hu…..”

 We noticed that she was holding a file with potpourri of prescriptions and a few empty packages of medicines. She was even holding a few empty packs of syringes. She was begging for help and no one around seemed to pay attention to her.

Looking at her situation we couldn't resist helping her. We decided to buy her medicines from the nearby pharmacy. In the meanwhile, we saw a rickshaw driver staring at us from across the street. We didn't pay heed and ignored. We went to the pharmacy while she waited for us on the footpath  We reached pharmacy , got the medicine and when we were about to pay the bill we heard a voice behind us

“Guria?  May aaap say baat kr raha hu

Beta G may aap say baat kr raha hu!”

We turned. It was the same rickshaw driver. Now we were a bit concerned. He had followed us to the pharmacy. He continued talking,

“us aurat ki madad na karay aap. Wo thug hay. Har anay Janay walay ko aisay he baiwaqoof banati hay. May roz us ki harkatay daikhta hu.”

We asked,

“aap ko pura yaqeen hay, per wo itna ro ri hay or us k pass prescription bhi hai…..”

“us nay roz nuskhay pakray hotay hai, dawai laity hay or pharmacy may wapis baich daiti hay. Ye is ka roz ka maamool hai. Mujhay is say kia faida hay k may aap ko us ki madad krnay say roku. May aap ko fraud say bachara hu........”

Now we were perplexed. We couldn't decide what to do. Well, we hadn't even looked at the prescription and the empty packages she handed over to us seemed pretty worn out. And the medicines were kind of expensive too. We got convinced.

Getting a grip on ourselves, we went back to the place where she was sitting, thinking that we might be doing something wrong by not helping her. To our surprise, we saw her begging for help to another man whose attention she had grabbed now. Then we were sure that this woman is definitely a fraud. By the time we reached her, she was holding another pack of medicines. Seeing us she couldn't look us in the eye. She started clearing her side, giving excuses. We were disgusted. We gave her some money, warned the other guy she was begging to now and went away.

Confronting such a situation, I went off the deep end. Thinking to myself that how will I ever be able to trust someone weeping and begging so badly in front of me. What if he’s a liar like this woman? What if he’s actually someone who direly needs help? This was a big question mark inside my head.

We friends do talk big about help and sacrifice for the people in misery. But the truth is, we are too damn scared to implement it. Or we are afraid that this world is being hard on us.

But reality is totally different. This world isn't just full of thugs, liars and frauds. Good people do inhabit it. There are needy, who are too harshly hurt by life to even ask for help. And it is on us  or rather I should say it is obligatory on us to find such people and help them because it is us who will be questioned by Allah that day.

“Those needy ones who are wholly wrapped up in the cause of Allah, and who are hindered from moving about the earth in search of their livelihood especially deserve help. He who is unaware of their circumstances supposes them to be wealthy because of their dignified bearing, but you will know them by their countenance, although they do not go about begging of people with importunity. And whatever wealth you will spend on helping them, Allah will know of it. (2:273)”

 Crossing the emergency department, looking at the misery of people I often thought “if this is the outside world then what it would be like in the inside?”

I’m just a medical student, who’s dangling on a bridge between 1^st year and 2^nd year, but it  does make me curious that how it would be like “saving someone’s life” or to say , “trust me I’m a doctor” ??

But the thing that makes even more curious, the thought that raises my hackles whenever it appears in my brain is:

What if I don't wake up tomorrow? What If it turns out that today is my last day on earth. Will I be proud of what I've done in this life? Because if I won’t, I better start getting square…………………..