Dustland, Neighborhood of Sinners
At the residence of a humble servant
O God!
I, Your dust-made servant, resident of Dustland, am deeply troubled, confused, and sorrowful. My heart is with Iran, and my mind is with America. On one hand, my heart weeps tears of blood; I am grieved by the martyrdom of innocent Iranian children and the loss of steadfast leadership. Many times I feel like tearing my collar and coming out into the streets, shedding so many tears that the streets turn into rivers, protesting so intensely that cities shut down.
On the other hand, my mind says that America and its allies have already devastated Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Libya—Iran too will not be able to escape them. O God, I pray daily that there be peace and goodness in Iran, that the bombing stops and sanctions end. But reason says that merely praying does not put worms into the enemy’s cannons. O my God! Guide me, remove my confusion, and pave the way for peace.
O Exalted and Supreme God!
This was the moment to write to the symbol of resistance, Imam Hussain (RA), and seek guidance from him. I would have asked: why did you extinguish the lamp and say that whoever wishes to leave Karbala may go? But I did not dare address him, fearing sectarian taunts. I wanted to call upon the Mercy to the Worlds, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and ask where his followers should go in such difficult times—but then I feared that monotheists would declare my call as shirk. Then I decided to seek guidance from Ibn Rushd, the greatest proponent of reason among Muslims—but I feared his fate, for from Granada to Samarkand, Muslims called him a disbeliever and pelted him with shoes. Then a wise man advised: write to God. In Pakistan, there are blasphemy laws regarding prophets, saints, and scholars—but regarding God, one may say anything; no such law exists. Therefore, O God, I write this letter to You.
O True Lord!
You know that I am fearful, cowardly, worldly, and sinful. It is true that martyrdom is the desire and goal of a believer—but what can I do? I am sinful at heart; I fear death and love this world. If I became a true believer, perhaps I would be ready, like Iran, to sacrifice myself for truth—but reason intervenes and says: if you live, you can change the world; if you live, you can raise your voice for Palestine and Muslims. On the other side, the heart is captivated by the love of Iran and martyrdom. I am conflicted, caught between contradictions like Ghalib between mosque and church. Iqbal declared love superior to reason by saying “Love leaps without fear,” while “reason is still absorbed in watching from the rooftop”—yet in his prose, he gave arguments based on reason. The fundamental question remains: life or death? O God, like every human, I want life—I want to live. Only great people desire martyrdom; I, a sinner, cannot attain that مقام.
O Beloved God!
The late Sir Syed Ahmad Khan whispers in my ear that Muslims have abandoned science and technology for 600 years. Allama Iqbal nudges me toward Shikwa and Jawab-e-Shikwa. Jinnah and Mustafa Kemal Pasha teach me progress through constitution, law, and democracy. O God! I am troubled—what intellectual contradiction and confusion have we fallen into? We made Osama bin Laden a hero, celebrated 9/11 as America’s destruction, and rejoiced. Now time has passed—even the Taliban have distanced themselves from it, and his supporters no longer even mention his name. Remember when there were “good طالبان” and “bad طالبان”? Their supporters used to justify every bombing with new interpretations. Ideally, all such interpreters should now be sent to Kabul and Kandahar so they may become honorary citizens of their imagined Islamic emirate, educate their sons there, and keep their daughters safely within veils and walls.
Have you forgotten how during Saddam’s war with America, we claimed American defeat? One of our generals declared Iraq the graveyard of America; another called Afghanistan America’s graveyard. But the opposite happened—now Afghanistan and Iraq resemble graveyards, yet not a single light of America has been extinguished.
In Palestine, a two-state solution was about to materialize under the Abraham Accords, when someone incited Hamas—since October 7, such a war has begun that its fire has not cooled. The issue has regressed from Palestinian freedom to mere survival. Hezbollah in Lebanon has been weakened; in Syria, Assad’s government fell; now instead of Iran’s ally, there is a government backed by Saudi Arabia. Libya’s strongman Gaddafi was dragged out of a culvert and killed with his own golden pistol—and not even a single cry of protest was heard.
O my God! Instill in Muslims the spirit of Sir Syed and Iqbal; grant them a mind like Jinnah. Instead of mourning the falls of Baghdad, Granada, Dhaka, and Kabul, let them celebrate victories like a solid wall (Bunyan al-Marsus). Let us not become so rigid like Iran that we rise to such heights where compromise becomes impossible. O God, I know that when people do not help themselves, God does not help them either. Did not Iqbal say: “God Himself asks the servant—tell me, what is your will?”
O Lord of the Throne Above!
This humble servant is made of dust and is also a resident of a land of contradictions. Pakistan has shown no contradiction in the Iran–America conflict; it has sincerely advised Iran and also explained to America that if Iran’s leadership is eliminated, anarchy will follow, harming America, Iran, and the Muslim world alike. The failure of Islamabad’s peace efforts has increased my anxiety. I am sweating in fear. Pakistan wants to stay out of this war—and has remained so—but on one hand, it has a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia; on the other, it wants to maintain love and cooperation with Iran. If Saudi Arabia, as an ally of America, becomes active in opening the Strait of Hormuz, Pakistan may be forced—willingly or unwillingly—into this war.
Here lies my core problem: my stomach is hungry; my mind wants to side with the powerful—but my heart is devoted to Iran. O God! I am weak. If 5 billion dollars are not received, this servant and many like him will starve; a nuclear state will be brought to its knees; the threat of default will increase. Should we follow Ibn Rushd and use reason? Or fight with emotional zeal and die? Should we use intellect as a weapon against opponents—or lose our limbs in emotional frenzy?
O My Beloved Lord!
In this difficult time, show this humble, sinful servant the straight path. Guide Pakistan correctly. Grant the Muslim Ummah sound intellect and sincere knowledge so that in this critical time, it may choose the right path for itself.
Awaiting Your reply,
A humble servant