[Poem] From Heaven to Salman Rushdie

[Poem] From Heaven to Salman Rushdie

Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq


The recent attempt on Salman Rushdie's life on August 12, 2022 is a stark
reminder of the challenges in our contemporary time. Salman Rushdie is a 
celebrated novelist, according to his peers one of the finest living novelist 
in English. As peers know better, and I am not from the field of literature 
or art, I have no expertise to comment on or assess his contribution. 
However, as a human being and as a Muslim, I was deeply hurt by his book The 
Satanic Verses [1988]. 

I respect the freedom of expression, as I value my own freedom of expression, 
but there should be some sensibility and decency so that we do not reach a 
level where we simply don't care about what others think or feel. Once we 
breach that threshold of sensibility and sensitivity, as Rushdie showed in 
utter disregard to what Muslims might think and feel, one cannot ignore the 
possibility that there would be others in reaction who simply do not care 
about what others think or feel; instead, they want to act on their own 
revengeful impulses. That's what happened a few days ago when Rushdie was 
attacked by someone who crossed that threshold of sensibility and sensitivity 
and acted out against Rushdie in disgust.
 
As a Muslim and a human being, I do not agree with the way Rushdie hurt the 
feelings and beliefs of Muslims, but because I value freedom of expression, I 
disagree with such physical assault on Rushdie. Rushdie's Satanic Verses and 
those who want to hurt him are two sides of the same coin; they don't care 
about what others think or feel. I can't say what Rushdie should or could 
have done, but I do urge my fellow Muslims that evil is not best responded 
with evil. Islam is greater than anyone's insult or blasphemy, and therefore 
no one should engage in such act of violence (though I know there are zealous 
Muslims who would disagree with me).

As I try to process in my mind the most recent incident of attack against 
Rushdie in New York, I remember that as an amateur I wrote a poem in 1999: 
From Heaven to Salman Rushdie. There was a context to it. In 1999 to 
memorialize the birth of the six billionth baby, a book [Letters To The Six 
Billionth World Citizen] was published with the contribution of some 
luminaries from around the world. One such contributor was Salman Rushdie. In 
his essay (title: Imagine there's no heaven), he sermonized the new 
generations that religion is the source of the problems.?

First of all, he argued that regarding the story of creation and how we got 
to this world, all religions got it simply wrong. He wrote: "As human 
knowledge has grown, it has also become plain that every religious story ever 
told about how we got here is quite simply wrong. This, finally, is what all 
religions have in common. They didn't get it right. There was no celestial 
churning, no maker's dance, no vomiting of galaxies, no snake or kangaroo 
ancestors, no Valhalla, no Olympus, no six-day conjuring trick followed by a 
day of rest. Wrong, wrong, wrong."

Condemning not just all the religions but also the ancient wisdoms, he wrote: 
"The ancient wisdoms are modern nonsenses. Live in your own time, use what we 
know, and as you grow up, perhaps the human race will finally grow up with 
you, and put aside childish things."

The essence of his message to the new generations is to free their mind from 
any idea of anything divine in general and heaven in particular. To inculcate 
his way of thinking he called upon the future generations to begin their 
growth by imagining that there is no heaven. While there is a lot of nonsense 
in the name of religions and also in the name of heaven, I was bemused at his 
thought of freeing ourselves from the thought of heaven.

As I mentioned, I am not from the field of literature and not a poet, but I 
was tempted to express my thought in this poem in 1999. Remember, that this 
is a amateurish attempt and therefore it should not be taken too seriously. 
It is seriously written in jest. 

=============================================

From:?	? Heaven
To:?	? Salman Rushdie

[In response to Rushdie's recent writing "Imagine no heaven", what Heaven might say!]


Mohammad Omar Farooq?
(Initial draft: 10/28/99)

Imagine no heaven! Recently, you wrote.
Rushdie, that's an interesting thought!
Those well-versed in your "verses"
This idea, they may have already bought.

Your devotion to free others
From the thought of me,
Does deserve some heavenly feedback -
I can clearly see.

Whether I exist or not
You don't really know. Do you?
Yet, to see a disconnect between me and humanity
Zeal similar to yours is not at all new.

It's no surprise that on your pen
There are dark, ineradicable curses;
You won't be able to produce
Anything other than like Satanic verses.

To speak about love, conscience?
Or anything that people might call good,
Is a genuinely admirable task,
And, everyone definitely should.

But my record does not show since when?
your soul got filled with love and love for what is right!
When Shah was brutally repressing his people
Where was your righteous fight?

Billions of ordinary people who imagine of me,
Before your "verses," did they, to you, commit anything wrong?
But you did not have the least decency; rather with greed for fame and money
You wounded their feelings with your Satanic song.

If anyone committed wrong due to thinking of me,
With those wretcheds I don't have much to do;
I am the abode of love, peace and happiness,
I understand that those things might not fit your intellectual shoe.

You hurt the feeling of so many people,
And due to you some people were dead;?
But still the zealous ones shouldn't have?
Declared any bounty on your head.

For those lowly creatures whose Satanic intellect
Spread the message of prejudice, not of heavenly peace or joy,
That Rebel one of Bengal, Nazrul, got it right, when he proclaimed:
"Due to grace we spare them, thinking them as ant or toy."

That Rebel was again right on target for those who teach that
Eternal good and beauty shouldn't be part of their imagination:
"Let them enjoy mud-slinging, their weapons are malice and vilification,
We will throw bouquet at them, and trumpet to one God our salutation."

Yes, I am what you see in brotherly love,
In motherly affection, haven't you seen my trace?
Those who love me don't return in evil kind,
Bouquet is often the more appropriate weapon of grace.

If you did not know, only those
Whose hearts are filled with goodness and love,
Are invited to knock?
At the door of heaven above.

You don't like the idea of heaven? that's fine!
Since I am divine mercy and love, I CAN'T tell;
"You don't want to seek me?
Well, you can go to hell."

In the name of "whatever" -
Hatred, prejudice or malice those who harbor,
Let me say loud and clear, I am not for
Undue intellectual or religious fervor.

You don't know even the C of creation,
But your arrogance, it seems, knows no bound,
No one really created you! Really think so?
Well, with such "scientific" notion keep monkeying around.

It won't make any difference if I say that you are disturbed and confused,
Indeed, you have got it all wrong;
Why don't you wait until your eyes close,
And then wake up with Satan's hell-hot, scream-song?

The first rule of heavenly bond:
You must CHOOSE to come here;
You must cherish, seek and fight for FREEDOM
To begin your journey toward me, O dear!

The second rule is simply this:
You must have some COMMON SENSE;
A world without higher accountability is not necessarily better,
But it won't be understood by Satanic intellect - a fog so dense!

The third rule is even simpler:
If you love me, to others also you show love and care;
Otherwise, if mean spirit, hatred or greed is all that you can offer,
Bringing someone here simply won't be fair.

The fourth rule is very straight:
Truth and beauty, with your heart and head, you must seek;
Let knowledge not make anyone arrogant,
True wisdom has always made people noble, not meek.

The fifth rule is not so easy:
For what you cherish you must make sacrifice and face what may come with courage!
Hiding behind the old Queen's skirt - many might consider cowardice;
Not as a brave and truthful you will be recorded in history's page.

The sixth rule is profound:
One's word and action should bind hearts, not repel.
Toward what is good, positive, creative and dynamic,
One's message of hope and creative imagination should propel.

It is only with the brush of imagination of my guests
I become animated as the eternal joy-and-love tree;
You seek freedom from me?
LET THE WORLD KNOW THAT FROM ME YOU HAVE BEEN SET FREE.

What about those who love you
And whom your love does cherish?
Well, the simple rule of love is:
Whomever you love, with them, you perish.

Devil's desire is to repel;
To bind hearts it has no power;
I am like a magnet that attracts,
So to scare people away from me, keep grumbling from Satan's tower.

One last thing, though it may not matter.
If you ever shift your heart from DOWN there to look me UP;
The gate of my love and happiness are open to all
Who seek me to take a sip of bliss from my eternal cup.?