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In the old days, the sages used to say, “Weigh first, then speak,” but nowadays the sages have probably given up weighing before speaking. Such wise people, after listening to whose brilliant and Nastaliq speeches we learned to speak and write, and whose style of speech has been recognized by a scholar, have also adopted such a careless style of speech._x000D_
The proverb is famous that once an arrow is shot from a bow and a word is spoken, it cannot be taken back. Therefore, before uttering any word, we should think a hundred times about what its effects may be. How much our own reputation may be affected and how it may hurt the feelings of someone else. But this behavior has probably become obsolete now, and even the most astute politicians no longer organize the thought that is required in the search for soft words to say something harsh._x000D_
Recently, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, said something in a fit of emotion that has hurt the sentiments of every section of the nation and is drawing reactions from different schools of thought in the society. Addressing a gathering in Kasur, Maulana said, “What if a soldier is martyred? He also takes his salary.” We are still in awe of Maulana’s statement as to how he could say this so easily. Salary cannot be made the standard of a person’s performance. The real thing is good intentions and passion that are required to do any work. Many people who receive good salaries have very poor performance, while many people who receive low salaries perform very well in life. This is a matter of ordinary life, as far as a martyr is concerned, salary can never be a substitute for a human life, nor can anyone trade their life for the meager salary they receive every month. It is only the passion to protect the motherland and sacrifice their life in the path of Allah that entices a young man to join the army, defend the borders, and protect the country and nation._x000D_
The virtue of martyrdom and the greatness of a martyr have been described by God Almighty in His Word, so how can any human being weigh someone’s sacrifice in the scale of salary? In a holy verse of Surah Baqarah, it is said that do not call those who are killed in the path of Allah dead, rather they are alive but you do not realize it. Who would know this verse better than Maulana Sahib, who is himself a Hafiz of the Quran and a great religious scholar. Only Maulana and scholars like him have informed us such common people about the status of martyrs. These are the scholars whose sermons make the youth willing to sacrifice their lives in the path of Allah and when the time comes, they give their lives to the cause of Allah by raising the slogan of Takbir. The martyr sacrifices his life for a good cause in the desire to get eternal life, not to put a few thousand rupees in his pocket after a month._x000D_
If the salary is the goal of a soldier, then he can flee from the battlefield at the right time by making an excuse that cannot be denied, then who can force him to put his life on the line. Despite this, if someone ends his precious life by stopping the bullet coming towards us on his chest, we should remain grateful to him for his kindness throughout his life that he will not get this life again, we should not reduce the importance of his sacrifice by saying that it was his responsibility because he was getting paid for this work._x000D_
In this world, everyone does some work to earn a living and gets paid for it. Some people do not do the work that is expected of them despite getting paid. Such people do not even sweat for a salary, compared to them, if someone sheds their blood for a salary, is it a small matter? Perhaps no human being can estimate how great a martyr who sheds his entire body’s blood for a salary is compared to a haram eater who does not shed a single drop of sweat for a salary. Even if Maulana’s words are accepted as true, we should still be grateful to this person who takes the responsibility of protecting the country and nation on his head for a modest salary and does not hesitate to sacrifice a precious commodity like life. Salary can never be the reward for the blood of a martyr. The reward for a martyr is only what is described in this poem of Iqbal:_x000D_
From dead dust and blood you have created this world_x000D_
What is the eternal flame of the martyr?
