Chapter 5 We should say Thank You

I have known Arif Mian for such a long time, when we were both in fourth grade, we both didn't actually used to study. I was the only one studying and he was engaged in other "mystical movements". Cigarettes or handcuffs were his favorite pastime. Yes, at that time he would be about ten years old.... In addition, he had a romantic temperament since childhood. I also used to get repeated warnings from my family to stay away from Arif Mian, they told me that his intentions are not good.... And the fact was that his intentions were really not very good at all.... After fourth grade I transferred to another school and our meetings became less frequent.... Then I would only receive news that Arif Mian is constantly failing. His father has thrown him out of the school. And when I reached my college life, I was told that he had been kicked out of the house because of his growing mysticism.

During this time I went out of the country and lost contact with him completely. When I returned after six or seven years, one day Arif Mian came to visit me.... He descended from a well-decorated horse-cart, probably dressed in a suit, fingers turned yellowish due to smoking and teeth turned pale from who knows what kind of drug intake. It turned out that after leaving home, he started his own business. And now he is playing in the millions and is planning to set up a big industry. However, his actions were still mystical. I got a chance to hang out with him for a few days. Some really strange experiences occurred.... Riding on a horse-cart, he would simply say "chal bhai" and the horse-cart would start walking and take him where he wanted to go and where most noble men did not want to go. They don't even want to be seen in these areas.... Arif Mian was very popular in these areas. Due of his money and because of his eloquent speech.... He was living in a secluded house in Gulberg so that his "privacy" would not be disturbed.... Despite of my childhood friendship with him, I could not keep up with him for so long and we fell apart..... Occasionally, we would encounter each other at a wedding and would leave after Salam Dua.

The same Arif Mian came to my place a few days ago. He said that he had come to Mio Hospital to get the news of a close relative so thought of coming to meet me too..... I served him some tea and said that I only have this to serve him. He laughed loudly and asked for another cup of tea.... Then occurred the strangest event due to which I have described Arif Mian's history sheet to you. He looked at the time in a hurry and disappeared saying "I'll be back in a moment". He returned after a while and then started talking from where he left off. I asked, "Where did you go, Arif Mian?"

Being a little embarrassed he said, "Nowhere...."

I said, "There must be something urgent?..."

"No man," he said nervously.

I asked, "Where did you go then?"

He bowed his head and said, "I just went to the mosque to pray."

"Prayer?" My mouth was wide open with surprise.

"So tell me, how are the children?"

"They are fine, thanks to Allah, but Arif you and prayers?"

"Well..... that happens sometimes.... Why can't I pray? "

"But Arif...."

Then Arif Mian told me a story. He began to say

"Once I had to go to Karachi for some work, that was about two or three years ago. My habits were the same ones that not only you but the whole world knows about.... Anyways, in the evening, along with a friend, we fixed our mood and then telephoned a place in the society that we were coming and we used to go there often. We left the hotel at eleven o'clock at night, as we were not mentally normal, so after even after wandering around for two or three hours, we did not find the house where we were expected.... At about 2 a.m in the night we rang the bell of a random house. The landlord came out yawning. We said that we have a sick patient so we need to make an urgent call.... He opened the door to his drawing room. For the time I called the occupants of that house and asked them for their address again and told them to wait as we are arriving soon, the landlord had brought tea for us.... And his face showed that he knew that none of our patients was sick and what kind of doctor we were calling. But he kept smiling and repeatedly thanked us for coming to his house. We came out and for a long time we thanked him for his kindness.... How could we thank the person enough who opened the door of his house for us at two o'clock in the night and let us make a call, served us tea and thank him, we could not repay him. Anyways, at last we went there where we were expected in the first place.... Dawn was breaking on the way back. We were tired. The call to prayer was going on in a distant mosque.... I listened to it while yawning and suddenly an idea came to my mind. Arif Mian, tonight a stranger let you make a call for sixty paisa and served tea for fifty paisa and while you were thanking him, you doubled over and were buried forever under his grace.... Then who gave millions of rupees to you in spite of all your abominations. Gave you luxurious mansions, cars and family. You should also be thankful to Him for all these blessings.... I turned towards the mosque. And after since that I keep thanking Him and don'tnot pay attention to anything else.... "We should say thank you, shouldn't we?"

"Yes!" I was unable to reply and said silently said to myself, "We should say Thank You."

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