Even before the euphoria of IPL season 12 is over after 49 days of star packed gala, the fever of ICC World Cup 2019 is already gripping; it won’t take much time when people will be seen watching cricket, talking cricket, sleeping cricket and eating cricket when it starts on May 30 this year. Billions of dollars will be invested into it, advertisements will go overboard to look for more and more eye-balls and people will be spellbound like the cast of a magician until it ends on July 14; not to forget black market of gambling, match fixing, speculations, jubilations, emotions of passionate nationalism, depression and instances of extremes like murders, suicides would result as reported every time such events are organised.
In the 20th century, cricket was just a game for some people like any other game where only players and some supporters were involved, in the early 20th century teams started to take shape in parallel with formation of nation states after World War II. During those days only test crickets were used to be played. In 1971 the limited over matches started and it appears that with the advent of radio and later television the format of cricket started to take shape gradually engaging more and more people, money, capitalism and politics into their ever encompassing fold.
World Cup started in 1975 followed by many regional and brand based cups showcasing cricket as a game of masses. In 2003 another version of cricket termed 20-20 was launched in England that caught the imagination of masses with their forelock. In the same fashion many other sports, entertainment industries, TV programmes that began as humble start at the end of the 20th century took an exponential and mammoth shape in the beginning of the 21st century with the advent of cable TV, followed by DTH, HD format, Internet, Smartphone and 4G Mobile networks.
One may think it as just a pastime, but these pastimes don’t just pass by, but rather remain in one or other form. There is a kind of ‘eternal schedule’ all along, year after year, getting ever more packed with time. The formats like common wealth games, Olympics, world cups of different formats as well as different sports; local, national and international levels; the beauty peasant seasons of multiple formats, the award functions in TV programmes and music; regional, national and international movie industries like Bollywood and Hollywood; the Netflix series like GoT and similar others; the political festivals in MCDs, locals, mayors, MLAs and MPs elections; the cultural festivals and fashion shows in institutes, universities, and cities; and the list keeps expanding. All these perpetual events have too heavily pre-occupied the minds of masses to think anything else independently. This is actually slavery of mind in the world filled with slogans like independence, freedom and liberty.
Instead of thinking of ‘Who I am, or what is the purpose of my creation?’ we are busy in asking ‘who is Russel, or Messi or Salah?’. Instead of lost in the finding of signs of Allah in the universe, we are lost in the imagination of GoT, Ertugrul or some actor or actress. Instead of contemplating ‘is there any God?’ we are busy assessing ‘box office performance of avengers’. Instead of questioning ‘why we all have to die?’ we ask why we didn’t get ticket for this movie?’. Instead of reading and contemplating the Quran, we are busy in contemplating possible relation between stars and co-stars; instead of taking the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) and Sahaba as our role models, we are busy idolising these protagonists of distractions such as sports stars and cine stars.
But this is not happening for the first time; history is repeating itself again. During the call of Rasulullah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) in Makkah around 610 C.E. the leaders of Quraish organised many such competitions like fighting, singing, storytelling to keep the masses involved in order that they may not get time to listen to the Quran. Allah exposed their plans by saying, “And those who disbelieve say, “Do not listen to this Quran and distract by noise around it, perhaps you may succeed” – Al Qurán: 41:26.
Similarly, the situation of the world is today. This global village (world) is facing a situation like that of the Makkan society; Dawah to uproot the evil establishment of batil and establishment of Islam is going on here like that in Makkah. Similarly, the batil of today are willing to make the society so much busy in sports, entertainment, relations, and other issues that the people never get time to contemplate about their own existence and remain isolated with beauty and justice of Islam, even if they are hungry for it and doing suicide in absence of it.
Distraction, as mentioned in the Quran, is in the context of idle talk, when Allah, the Most High, said, “But there are, among men, those who purchase idle talk (Lahw) – Al Quran: Luqman: 6.
The Quran talks about purchasing of idle talk which is such a befitting description of purchasing tickets, tools, and gadgets for organised distractions. The distractions are so diverse that none is spared from its barrage of attack. While kids have their pogos and cartoons, women have their soaps of sas bahu (such a pleasure of looking into other families that it takes to maniac level). While youth have all obvious distractions ranging from entertainment to pornography, old people are inebriated with dramatised version of news and analysis, market shares and political cock fight debates. The genre ranges from laughter challenge to poetic events, from WWE ring fighters to movies in international, national and local languages. From music and sports to reality shows and researches are underway for invention of new genre to sustain engagement.
There is a reason behind this never ending pleasure seeking schedule. It is the nature of the Aqeeda of the disbelievers, that they seek the distractions in life, because they cannot stand the true questions of life as mentioned previously like ‘Why I must die one day’ and shouldn’t I be prudent enough to know what happens after life? Escaping from such serious real life questions and engaging in distractions makes them some respite for a time being, but they remain hungry for satisfaction of their souls. There is no wonder such a discussion makes them depressed so much so that they deny discussing issues concerning death.
But this escapist attitude distracts man from achieving the goal in life, which is the pleasure of Allah. Instead man is given the goal of achieving the sensual satisfaction; similar to what is found among animals. So man strives hard to entertain himself and to seek his pleasure in life, not worrying about what comes after life. This comfort zone of distractions pushes them to organise activities by fixing times for host of entertainment, organising distractions or theatrical shows and the likes.
Organised distractions have affected the entire life of a Muslim. These distractions turn the Ummah away from taking Islam as the basis of her life, in belief, worship, in her manners and actions, thus weakening her reverence and respect for her Deen, causing her to live life without a purpose and walking without a path. As mentioned by Syed Qutub:
“This world becomes entertainment and games when there are no honourable, lasting purpose behind it, and when it is lived for what it has to offer, detached from the path Allah has set out in it…”
The greatest danger in organised distractions is that they divert the youth from taking vital issues of Ummah, plan and act accordingly to solve her issues. We must therefore purposely stay away from all such designs of distractions in the name of entertainment. We will be asked about our response and the camp we choose when the struggle between haq and batil was going on. Once we keep ourselves from distractions, In sha Allah there will be barakah (blessing) in our time and we would be able to achieve great things in our lives for our families, society, Ummah and Islam.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) was most truthful when he said, “The two feet of the son of Adam will not move from near his Lord on the Day of Judgment until he is asked about five matters: about his life, how he spent it; about his youth, how he took care of it; about his wealth, how he earned it and how he spent it; and about that which he acted upon from the knowledge that he acquired” [Tirmidhi].
[DR. ABRAR AHMAD is Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering; Assistant Proctor
Nodal Officer IQAC, F/O Engineering and Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi]