The Bull's Advice
As soon as Mr Bilal entered the classroom, he paused for a moment upon seeing Huzayfah sitting in the first row. However, in the next instant, he proceeded towards his chair as usual and greeted all the children in a loud voice. All the children responded by standing up respectfully.
The Primary Purpose of Human Creation. Sir wrote the title of today's lesson on the whiteboard and then, closing the marker, came and stood among the children. "So, children, what do you think could be the purpose of your life?"
A child from the back row stood up and said, "Marriage."
Sir, along with the children, smiled and said, "My dear son, I am not just asking about the purpose of your life, but what is the purpose for which Allah Almighty created all of us humans and sent us into this world? Surely, just eating, drinking, and having fun cannot be the purpose; otherwise, animals are also doing that. So, what could be the purpose of creating us humans? Have you ever thought about it?"
While speaking, Sir had reached Huzayfah and, addressing him, asked, "Huzayfah my son, are these glasses for your eyesight, or are you wearing them for fashion?"
"No, no, Sir, they are for my eyesight. I had a headache for many days, and it wasn't getting better despite taking medicine, so Mum and Dad took me to an optician," Huzayfah replied, standing up.
Mr Bilal: "Son, needing glasses at such a young age is a worrying matter. You should check your daily routine to see what the problem is."
"Sir! Huzayfah's daily routine only includes video games. If he had his way, he'd bring them to school too."
Mr Bilal looked concerned at Muawiyah's comment. Then, gesturing for Huzayfah to sit down, he turned to the rest of the children and said, "So children, we were trying to find out the purpose of our creation. Just as we find solutions to our other religious and worldly problems from the Holy Quran, for this issue too, we will ask the Holy Quran itself. 'O final and perfect Book of Allah Almighty, you tell us, what is the purpose of the creation of us humans?' So children, do you know what answer the Holy Quran gave us? The Holy Quran tells us the command of Allah Almighty, which is at the beginning of the twenty-seventh part. He stated: And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.[1] This means the purpose of our creation is to worship our Creator and Master, Allah Almighty. You know which Islamic month this is, don't you?"
When Mr Bilal asked, Usayd Raza replied, "Sir, this is Rabi' al-Thani."
Mr Bilal: "Yes, yes, son, the same month of the blessed 'eleventh' [Giyarween Shareef]. So, let me tell you an incident from the childhood of the saint Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه. In his childhood, he was once in a jungle when he saw a bull and started walking behind it. After a short while, the bull turned, looked at him, and said, ‘ꜤAbd al-Qādir! You were not created for this.'[2] Hearing this, Shaykh ꜤAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī returned home and, taking permission from his dear mother, became a traveller upon the path of knowledge."
"See, children! There was no place for frivolous games and sports in the lives of the righteous servants of Allah like there is in ours. On the other hand, we have adopted such activities which are not only harmful to our religion but also to our worldly life, such as video games and the like."
Muawiyah: "Sir, what is the religious harm in video games?"
Mr Bilal: "Look, children, it is no secret that there are certain games in which, during play, a child not only drifts away from Islamic etiquette, but, Allah forbid, even develops a hatred for the religion of Islam itself. For instance, there are games in which characters with an Islamic appearance — such as a beard and an Islamic hat — are depicted as evil. As for worldly harms, video games are a complete package of diseases. Weak eyesight and headaches are merely two minor ailments that arise from them. Most importantly, however, the more we occupy ourselves with such activities as video games, the further we distance ourselves from our true purpose in life."
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