In the book Ibn ul-Vaqt by Nazir Ahmed, we see how Ibn ul-Vaqt slowly becomes estranged from his culture, society and religion due to his adoption of colonial values. As Ibn ul-Vaqt seeks to assimilate himself into the demands of the British overlords, the religious attitude of his society ensures a slow exile for him. Having eaten at the home of Noble Sahib, Ibn ul-Vaqt begins a process of his estrangement from his family, as he argues with his Aunt:
‘What rubbish have they been telling you? I only went to see Noble Sahib, it was time for lunch. He invited me to have lunch with him.’
His Aunt asked, ‘but you didn’t take it, eh?’
Over the course of the book the muslim society around Ibn ul-Vaqt slowly distances him from themselves. Similar to the case of his aunt, most people are unwilling to accept the actions of Ibn ul-Vaqt and his admiration for the British rulers. Religion becomes a tool to exile Ibn ul-Vaqt in the muslim society.
As the story progresses, and Ibn ul-Vaqt is stuck between two worlds, the muslim society which has rejected him, and the British which will never really accept him, Ibn ul-Vaqt is visited by Hujat ul-Islam who eventually urges him to “rediscover” Islam. Ibn ul-Vaqt is rejected by this close relative when he insists Hujat ul- Islam stay for dinner:
‘I cannot be sure of your food when you have wine in your store and you serve it to the Sahibs and your cook too does not abstain from anything’
The most interesting thing about religion being a tool for the exile of Ibn ul-Vaqt, is that because of his lifelong temperament for adopting the English lifestyle, the solution of immersing himself in religion offered by Hujat ul Islam cannot really allow him to go back to his roots. Religion ensures Ibn ul-Vaqt’s continued exile, which is why I have felt it to be an important factor which saw Ibn ul-Vaqts estrangement from his society and it serves as a reminder for us that values and customs that are religiously derived is an extremely powerful force.
No comments:
Post a Comment