On Mother's Day
Mirza Sharafat Hussain Beigh
Long ago have been laid the greatest foundations of love and mercy that a mother bestows to children while expecting null in return only as result of her unmatched devotion towards nature’s set norms. Mother from Eve to Fatimah through Virgin Mary, the dignity this personality comes with stands itself attested by God in Holy books and divine scriptures viz. Torah, Bible and Quran.
The Indian Subcontinent from centuries has been worshipping a major deity Durga who represents protection and motherhood, so well among the other religions practiced in south asia and middle east nonetheless the mother is not considered the deity but important affairs have been in their hands by the command of God, that they remarkably discharged. Notable among is the virgin Mary, who was granted a son considered to be God’s word both acclaimed in Christianity and Islam. With valor bringing forth an infant before her people suspecting her wrong, bearing toughest labour pains the highest above all of women gave birth to Messiah, who raised the dead to life. Her virgin conception and bearing stabbing pain is only a mother could have endured, all such facts are testified by Islamic Holy Book Quran in chapter Maryum.
In 7th Century, Last Islamic Prophet’s daughter Fatimah Zahra is believed to love her two son more than her life. One event in Hikayat e Sahaba recounts the illness of Fatimah Zahra and striving endeavor of Ali Ibn Abi Talib to find pomegranates for his wife Fatima that upon eating only could save her from illness. Ali had to put some extra efforts to find the one among last pomegranates in Arabia as the season of pomegranates had ended. While returning to home Ali to his surprise saw his two sons, Hasan and Husain eating grains from that last pomegranate, after inquiring from Fatimah Ali came to know that his wife had refused to taste the delectable fruit while her children Hasan and Husain would remain deprived of toothsome grains.
The essence of motherhood does not remain confined to giving birth or countless sacrifices that a mother lays down for her family and children in particular. The name mother itself offers calmness to riots of emotions and soothes a sore heart stricken with grief. It is mother who has all-round quality to pacify her children when angry; persuade the sulky and scold the wrong, leaving all her expectations apart and giving out her heart for free to her family.
Long ago in the deserts of Mesopotamia nowadays Iraq, Umm Layla—wife of third Shia Imam Husain Ibn Ali is believed to mourn her elder son’s death in the holy battle of Karbala in a way that has left millions of commemorators grieved since the event. Not a single inheritor nor a guardian would ever bewail for the loss of his offspring except that a mother can.
The mother is essence of joy and delight of every happy children. She is the lullaby of childhood and mother lost in youth is the elegy for life, moreover she is the melody of happiest days, and martyr of poverty and grief stricken period. “He who loses his mother loses a pure soul who blesses and guards him constantly” writes Khalil Gibran in The Broken Wings.
With other countries of the world, India celebrates mother’s day on second Sunday of May, reminding us of a school teacher in US Anna Jarvis who held a memorial service for her mother Ann Reeves Jarvis at St Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. Nine years after US President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation and declared the second Sunday of May as Mother’s Day. This day is to pay homage to mothers who are lost to the memories, and also those who come to blows for their children to live a dignified life. Mothers are mothers, wherever they are and how old they are never matters. It is rightly said by Britany Murphy “Home is Where my Mom is.”