Big Bang,as scientists believe , is some extraordinary incident having taken place millions of years before resulting in the creation of this universe of which our earth forms a tiny part. Baghdad the city in the middle east has tremendous importance when we read or refer to history . Qazi Ashraf, the renowned surgeon, has found time and deep interest to connect the two in a book form whose first part is in our hands . The 400 odd page book takes us through the journey of mankind having split the book in our hands into four parts . In its preface the learned author introduces his hard earned work as ,” It takes the reader on an intellectual journey through the unbelievable tapestry of the Sacred history.” When I started reading it and through the first few pages I was simply disillusioned with the language used and some references particularly about the origin of religion finding it simply unacceptable. For example his assertion ,” ……By the day modern humans started laying the foundations of civilizations ; they already possessed the required package of inventions and technologies. One such invention crucial to their success was religion.” When we talk of life, science has its own explanation while as we the believers accept something different . What has the learned author tried to convey in this compilation was my question loaded with scold and rejection of this work. Then the two Mushtaqs, namely Dr.Nazir Mushtaq and Mushtaque Barq , intervened asking me to read another thirty odd pages. Then the real interest developed and page after page and section after section aroused to go through the details . It turns out what the author in its preface suggests “it is a magisterial account of the pains ,struggles, humiliations, wars, and bloodbaths that humankind has engaged in during the process of civilizations .” And that is making it mandatory upon the readers who are interested in knowing the crests and troughs of human history .
When we are in scientific discussions talking about the beginning of the universe we usually refer to the Big Bang a sort of huge explosion creating something which is more of hypothetical nature and less of real . The learned author refers to the scene as nothing out of nothing followed by something out of nothing .He writes ,” Big bang was a term casually blurted by Fred Hoyle in a radio talk to ridicule his opponents particularly George Lamitree, a Belgian priest and physicist who toyed with the idea of the beginning of the universe .Big bang simply picked.” And with further developments water on earth came from different sources across the solar system in bombardments of icy comets and asteroids. As water appeared, life was bound to start.
The existence of modern day humans rather Homo sapiens is an interesting story as regards the historic and scientific suggestions. Its first appearance in modern day Africa, then migration in different directions, inter group rivalries and annihilation. The learned author quotes Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari who makes an fine assertion ,” it was primarily humans who displaced the Neanderthals ,the undisputed masters of Europe , forcibly interbreeding with some, slaughtering others, and pushing the rest eventually to brink ,leading thereby to Neanderthals extinction …..all blame rests on Europeans’ ‘ancestors ‘ shoulders . They are guilty and their progeny ,the modern day Europeans should collectively seek atonement for their ancestors’ sins. I want to refer to Yuval’s recent assessment in an interview which may not fit in here but has far reaching conclusion about recent Hamas -Israel like skirmishes. Commenting on the issue he says, “ the issue of Israelis is to live in present times while Hamas people are more interested in the life hereafter . How can such people be controlled despite use of very heavy and lethal armaments ?” This argument brings us closer to what is popularly known as Sacred history which has the dictionary meaning as the history that is retold to instil religious faiths ,which may or may not be founded on the fact.
The living habits developed as time went by and it necessitated group living .These groups were formed on various societal levels which propped up the necessity of a ring leader. Untill recently the ring leader was believed to be a human instinct but primologists have documented such presence in apes and chimps. And interestingly the male member rose to the ringleader spot in all situations and all animal kingdom. It reminds me the famous George Orwell novel titled “The Animal Farm” wherein the pig namely Napolean attains the leadership after using his army of nine attacking dogs and intimidating other animals. The learned author has referred to an important aspect of male dominance being the innate trait of the animal kingdom inherited by humans through Evolution.
The rise of Aryans as a warring community and their entry into the areas of Akhand Bharat is another fascinating story. Their learning the art of horse breeding makes them agile and combat ready and the goddess Indra makes them a cohesive force resulting in their pushing the indigenous communities from the lands they occupied. It is believed that such a way of life was not unique to Aryans only but happened in other areas and other communities. The taming of horse, in the first place, is believed to have done to the Aryans what the invention of aeroplane did to modern day society. In a sarcastic reference to a tall leader one of our time persons would say ,” it was not the tall leader who abolished the forced labour ,the Begaar, but the invention and import of load carriers which helped in abolishing the curse.”
Most of the people sitting here in the audience will be having knowledge and interest in the Abrahmic religions related directly to Hazrat Ibrahim AR. Abrahm’s grandson Jacob also known as Israeal migrated to present day west bank of Palestine. The progeny of his twelve sons came to be known as twelve Jewish tribes .These Jewish tribes migrated to various places . I will like to mention one such migratory tribe having reached our own land Kashmir .As the learned author Qazi Ashraf has recorded ,” There are more profound than what meets the eye cultural similarities between kashmireans and Israealties . The Jews are known for observing kosher or koshur dietry habits -a cultural legacy they call Kashruth .What is not so widely appreciated is that the Kashmirians are also very possessive about Kashruth.”
Acclaimed historian Holger kerstan writes about something which is very interesting about similarities between Jews and Kashmiris. I quote ,” The inhabitants of kashmir are different from other people of India in every aspect.Their way of life, morals, character, clothing, language, customs, and habits are all of a type that might be described as typically Israeli. Like present day Israelis the Kashmiris do not use fat for frying and baking ;they use only oil. Most kashmiris like fish called Fari (eaten by Israelis) in remembrance of the time before Exodus from Egypt . “ Similarly there seems to be resemblance in dress codes, the traditions of local rhythmic dance locally called Rouff , in some parts use of Mosaie qabar etc between kashmirians and israelies.
Historians, in general, believe that the Jewish community at times bigger or smaller has tried to remain glued and of course raising its head against those who ruled. Be it the powerful Nebuchadnezzar who remained benevolent towards the community or the ruthless Babylonians resorted to harshest measures when the conspiring community challenged the authorities due to their arrogance . The learned author has summed up the scenario as follows ,” The Babylonians did all they could – break, vandalize, and burn everything that came their way ,leaving almost nothing erect .They quite literally destroyed everything the Jews possessed ,everything except one –the commitment of the Jews to their religion .” Possibly their drawing board marking lines of modern day Greater Israel is a new step in that direction. Former Israeal PM Golda Mier once said ,” when there is war agreements are just pieces of paper.”
Alexander the great and his progeny ruled and lived differently . History ,as sch, teaches a lesson :if you want to stay in power ,use might to make it right. Those who failed to learn this lesson suffered mortally under the cold invisible hand of history . The analysis of history finds one common narrative ; the weaker sections ,social,religious, economic have been treated ruthlessly by the powerful in all times and all places. The subjugated have been trampled .
The learned author Dr.Qazi Ashraf has burned mid night oil literally and provided us the whole history in a condensed form. He has taken the help of 283 books /references to compile this book. But I find no mention of the book titled “ Humans are not from earth; a scientific evidence of the evolution” by Ellis Silver. Ellis Silver examines the evidence that’s all around us … and discovers that we evolved on a world distinctly different from the one we live on today.. Earth as a prison planet: Many people believe the Earth is actually our prison, and that we were brought here as a punishment.
Does it conform to the popular belief of eating forbidden fruit in the heavens ?
I congratulate Dr.Qazi Ashraf for the details in this fascinating book.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER
The reviewer is general Secretary Fiction writers’ Guild, Srinagar and can be e mailed @ wanishafi999@gmail.com)
