Learning from the Pope

The pope was probably thinking the same thing that the King thought when he decided to follow the instructions of the little Boy; namely to shoot the arrow in the name of the Lord of the Boy and he shall perish.

I’ve heard the story of the 'Boy and the King' far too many times to find myself praying that the boy be saved at the end. But that same ending sends a shiver down my spine…everytime. I can't seem to help it.

Once, as I was pondering over the cartoon debacle which was too recent for anyone of us to have forgotten, I thought that 'ultimately, victory is for the party of Allah.'

“…they plan and Allah plans, and Allah is the Best of Planners.” (Quran)

If you consider some of the recent global occurrences, such as the accusations that Sept 11th was perpetrated by Muslims, or the American soldiers disrespecting the Quran in Iraq, or the caricaturing of the Prophet, upon whom be many praise and blessings, or this very last attack by the pope, we find that as a result of these events an increasing amount of people turn to Islam, sometimes in the thousands.

After the Boy was executed, the crowds that had witnessed the execution turned to the Oneness of Allah at once. Consequently, the King made a ditch of fire and threatened those believers that stood firm in faith.

In comparison, we find that the people who speak out and defend the insults and accusations against their religion are subject to another hardship/attack just like the People of the Ditch after they had accepted Islam. When a muslim practices his right to speak out, he’s labeled as an extremist or wahhabi, and in rare instances, arrested.

Analyzing these striking similarities between our times and this parable underscores one thing: Truly, the Party of Allah will be successful.