History and Heritage (Hadith No. 425)

Salam,
Bismillah.

Volume 1, Book 8, Number 425:

Narrated ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar:

Allah’s Apostle said, “Do not enter (the places) of these people where Allah’s punishment had fallen unless you do so weeping. If you do not weep, do not enter (the places of these people) because Allah’s curse and punishment which fell upon them may fall upon you.”

Us Pakistanis know about the Indus Valley Civilization (Mohenjo Daro and Harappa) and those remains of some cultural civilization in Taxila (hey I’m not a history person). I’ve been to these places many times with educational/field trips but never realized that they’re not supposed to be picnics, these trips. These remains that we are so proud to have in our country, are the remains of those people/nations who were punished by Allah. They were disobedient to their Lord. So much so that Allah (SWT) wiped them out with one flood/tornado/earthquake etc.
We learn in history how powerful and strong these civilizations were. Their infrastructure and technology and how much they had learned about the Earth and its surroundings, and their systems within communities etc. But what could that strength and power do when Allah’s Word came to be?

It’s just like the stories of ‘Ad and Thamud that we learn in the Qur’an. Allah sends a Prophet to a people. They don’t believe. Allah punishes them.

A few things to be learnt:

• Do not disobey Allah, individually or as a nation.
• When you visit such places or museums that display such heritage, feel Allah’s wrath on that piece of land. Imagine what would’ve happened when the earthquake came or the tsunami struck, or whatever ‘natural disaster’ befell the people that once lived there. Don’t take your pictures with the mummy of Fir’awn to put up as display on your Facebook profile. Take pictures so you can remember that trip for a long time and admonish others about it. Your trip to a museum should not be a ‘fun’ trip. Be serious and weep (as it says in the Hadith), for there’s nothing better to do there.

Wassalam.