Who is Responsible?

Responsibility is a trait that can make an individual succeed or fail in his life. No matter what your age, caste, colour or position in life fulfilling your responsibilities to the best of your abilities is the key to success. It is an endeavor which requires courage as well as the will to benefit ourselves as well as others.

According to facts and figures, twenty five million children do not study in any school. Who is responsible? If we take upon ourselves the responsibility to teach religion and contemporary education to one child per month or year the result will be different. It will not only produce an educated person but also a healthy, Islamic society and will make not only us, but Allah ta’ala happy.
Hazrat Abu Hurairah رضی اللہ عنہ narrated said that a man said to Rasoolullah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم “My father died and left behind wealth, but he did not leave a will. Will it expiate for him if I give charity on his behalf?” He said: “Yes.” (Sahih)
سنن نسائی:جلد دوم:حدیث نمبر 1592 حدیث مرفوع مکررات 6
علی بن حجر، اسماعیل، علاء، ابیہ، حضرت ابوہریرہ رضی اللہ عنہ سے روایت ہے کہ حضرت رسول کریم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم نے فرمایا جس وقت کوئی انسان مر جاتا ہے ان تین اعمال کے علاوہ باقی تمام اعمال موقوف ہو جاتے ہیں (اور وہ اعمال ہیں) ایک تو صدقہ جاریہ دوسرے وہ علم کہ جس سے لوگوں کو نفع حاصل ہو اور تیسرے نیک اولاد جو کہ اس کے واسطے دعا مانگتی رہے (مطلب یہ ہے کہ ان تین چیزوں کا ثواب جاری رہتا ہے باقی تمام اعمال کا ثواب بند ہوجاتا ہے) ۔

Another gloomy side of our society is that approximately 21.4 million people in Pakistan and 870 million people around the world are undernourished. This means one in eight persons does not have enough food to eat for a healthy and active life. Furthermore, 20 to 50 per cent food is wasted in the world – at restaurants, houses, functions etc. Our eating habits are leading us to destruction.

In our society two factors are mainly responsible for our poor economic conditions. Firstly, we buy more than our need and secondly we use the things carelessly.

As a result shortage is created in the markets, which leads to higher prices, hoarding and contaminated products.
Who is responsible? WE ARE. Until we curtail our inordinate desires and help the poor by giving them money and the things which are lying useless in our homes, which we do not need, there will be no change in the situation. In fact, the situation will get worse.

It was narrated from Anas bin Malik رضی اللہ عنہ that the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم said: "It is extravagance to eat everything you want."(Da'if)
سنن ابن ماجہ:جلد سوم:حدیث نمبر 233 حدیث مرفوع مکررات 1
ہشام بن عمار، سوید بن سعید، یحییٰ بن عثمان بن سعید بن کثیر بن دینارحمصی، بقیہ بن ولید، یوسف بن ابی کثیر، نوح بن ذکوان، حسن، حضرت انس بن مالک رضی اللہ عنہ فرماتے ہیں کہ رسول اللہ صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم نے فرمایا یہ بھی اسراف ہے کہ تم ہر وہ چیز کھاؤ جس کو (تمہارا) جی چاہے۔

Our attitude is another serious problem and might be the most crucial one. Majority of us are impatient and it can best be judged at the traffic signals, banks, shops, etc. Everybody is in a hurry. Nobody takes care of queues. What lessons are we giving to our future generations? Now-a-days our children do not follow our lectures. They only follow our actions.

Unemployment is becoming another grave problem. The current unemployment rate is 6% in the world. Who is responsible? Again responsibility lies on our shoulders. Although we cannot give employment to every single person, we can guide and motivate them in developing their skills.

Electricity is one of the basic necessities of our time but with the passage of time its shortage is becoming acute. Who is responsible? We are. You and me. We must turn off the fans and lights when we leave the room, we must use energy-savers and we must remove the switches of household appliances from their sockets when they are not in use. A little saving by one person will make a huge difference.

A significant amount of medicines is expired in our houses while at the same time thousands of patients need them. They are not in a position to buy the medicines because of their poverty. Who is responsible? We can alleviate the sufferings of the poor patients by donating our surplus medicines to those organizations which provide our medicines to the poor.

There are many more problems but every problem has a solution. We only need to find it. We should do away with our habit of blaming the government for all our grievances. We must take individual responsibility for what is happening around us. We should not wait for other people to do what needs to be done. If we start shouldering our responsibilities, our country will surely become one of the most advanced countries of the world. Words become sentences, blocks become buildings, drops become rivers and so our individual efforts will help. If we do not do so but merely enjoy the blessings then one day:
You will be asked about all the pleasures (you enjoyed in the world). (102:08 Surah Takasur)
پھر اس دن تم سے نعمتوں کے متعلق پوچھا جائے گا