When a Child Said What No One Dared to Ask

Yesterday Evening

It was an incident from last evening. I was sitting in my study room reading the famous book “Shahab Nama.”
What an astonishing piece of writing it is. This is not just the autobiography of “Qudratullah Shahab” but the story of the whole world. Whether it is Urdu literature or political and religious matters, tales and stories or the possibilities of the future...
Everything has been brought together. I was deeply engrossed in reading when my little nephew Rayan (my cousin's son, to me he is like my own nephew) walked in holding a tablet in his hand. There was a strange sparkle in his eyes.
“Mamu Jan! Today I discovered the biggest secret of the world.”
He said proudly.
I smiled and asked,
“What secret is that, son?”
“I searched on Google for the most valuable treasure in the world and I found a video in which a scholar was telling that knowledge is the most precious treasure and he even gave 100 reasons for it. But Mamu there is one thing I did not understand…”
Looking at his excitement I said,
“What did you not understand, son?”
“That all knowledge is available on the internet. When everything is here then why do you have all these books in your shelf?
Aren’t they old now?
Don’t we get the same books online?
Can’t we find the same content on YouTube?
And what do you keep doing for hours with these dusty old books?”
Hearing Rayan’s questions, I became silent for a moment. These are the same questions being asked in every house today. These are the same issues that have started a silent war between parents and children.

Respected readers, has such a question risen in your home too?
Do your children also think that books are no longer needed and that books have become a part of history?
If yes, then let us search for the answer together.

The River and the Well

I seated Rayan beside me and said, “Son, this tablet in your hand is like a river that flows fast, very fast. And these books are wells that are deep and silent. You can sail a boat in the river and roam around, but when you feel thirsty, it is the sweet water of the well that truly gives life.”
Curiosity grew in Rayan’s eyes.
“But Mamu, how can a well be better than a river?”
“Listen son, when you read something on the internet, it gives you an instant answer. But a book does not give you answers to questions, rather it teaches you how to question. It forces you to think.”

I took out an old book “Shahnama Islam” from the shelf. Its pages had turned yellow but the words were still alive.
“Do you know Rayan, this famous book is by the poet Hafeez Jalandhari.”
“Hafeez Jalandhari? The creator of our Pakistani national anthem?”
Rayan asked in amazement.
“Yes, exactly. The same Hafeez Jalandhari who wrote our national anthem. He also wrote this book. In this book he compiled the complete history of Islam in poetry. Rayan, shall I tell you something even more surprising?”
“Of course Mamu!”
Rayan said eagerly.
“So listen. My grandfather received this book from the author himself, Hafeez Jalandhari. Look, his signature is on the front. Grandfather used to read it day and night. Then my father, your Nana, read it completely. On every page he wrote many notes with his own pen. Then I read it and now you will read it.
This is a journey of four generations. Can your tablet last for four generations?
Will your grandchildren be able to use it?
Forget four generations, as soon as a new feature comes, won’t you throw it away yourself?
How could it possibly contain the meaning of a verse that you understood in matric and your grandchildren read it later?”

Rayan fell into deep silence. Perhaps my philosophy seemed heavy to him. My logic may not have settled in his young mind. But I invite you to think. It is the need of time that we think this way before it is too late because this is not just Rayan’s question, it is the question of an entire generation.
How will our youth, who grew up in the fast world of the internet, understand the silent and deep world of books?
The truth is that the internet is a great blessing from Allah. It made knowledge common and brought light to faraway places. But the correct use of every blessing is necessary, otherwise that same blessing can become a burden.
Do you know that the very first word revealed in the Quran was read, Iqra.
This command connects us with knowledge and books not merely informationally but spiritually.
And one more thing, when you read a book your mind becomes fully focused. A sacred connection forms between you and the book. This is a state that the internet cannot maintain.
But I am not saying to leave the internet, never. Our religion teaches us balance. How can we distance ourselves from something so useful? Therefore the method is that we benefit from the facilities of the internet and also from the blessings of books.

The Challenge

Respected readers, here I want to tell you something interesting.
I gave Rayan a challenge:
“Come son, today we both perform a practical experiment. You read about Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi on the internet and I will read from a book. Then we will see who learns what.”
Rayan nodded eagerly and at the same time I took out the book “Salahuddin Ayyubi” by Maulana Muhammad Ismail Rehan from my bookshelf and Rayan switched on his tablet and searched YouTube.

Friends, the result was surprising. As soon as Rayan saw the search list, he found some Turkish, some Arabic and some Urdu dubbed Salahuddin series.
For the next two hours we both got busy with our work. After two hours our alarm rang loudly and we both were startled. Time was up. I stepped forward, turned it off and began sharing what I had learned. I told him about the historical facts I found in the book. I talked about Salahuddin’s military life, the conquest of Jerusalem and the Ayyubid Empire. I also shared the lessons of history I learned, the dates of battles I remembered, the lessons of humanity, the figures of history and the principles of life I found in the lives of Muslim conquerors.
Now I looked at Rayan and he awkwardly said, “Mamu, the love story of Sultan Salahuddin Ayyubi’s servant has not even finished yet…”
I burst into loud laughter. Not because I won, but because perhaps I had succeeded to some extent in bridging the generation gap. Perhaps I was able to make Rayan understand.

Then I explained further,
“See son, this is the difference between a book and the internet. The internet gives information, a book gives wisdom. The internet fills the mind and a book fills the soul.”
Dear friends, today we live in an age where there is abundance of knowledge but shortage of wisdom, plenty of information but lack of understanding.
So should we leave our generation with only information or give them wisdom and understanding too?
I said to Rayan,
“Son, the internet will fulfill your immediate need but books will be your lifelong companion. These are two lights in your hands. One is a torch that gives instant light. The other is a lamp that keeps glowing for a long time. As long as it exists it will continue to give you light.”
Respected readers, Rayan learned this lesson today. And you…?

The Promise

Let us pledge that we will revive books in our homes. We will teach our children to love books. We will benefit from the facilities of the internet but we will not deprive ourselves of the blessings of books because books are not just pages of paper, they are the voice of generations that speak to us and these voices should never fade.