According to historians, spread of Islam in the Indian subcontinent (including of present areas of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh etc.) began with the business activities of Muslim traders who used to do trade with the coastal cities of this region. At that time, Hindu religion was in absolute majority in the area followed by the followers of Buddhism but annals of history confirm that there was not present a single Muslim in the area. Once a cruel king (most possibly one famous by name of Raja Dahir) got angry on something and hijacked some Muslim traders who were travelling along with their families.
They anyhow sent a request to Muslim ruler in Damascus for their help and rescue from where Muhammad Bin Qasim was sent with a small army that not only defeated Raja Dahir but also conquered some other areas. The gentle and just attitude of Muslim conquerors also conquered the hearts of the people of the area who started embracing Islam. It is also narrated that they liked Muhammad bin Qasim so much that they had made his idols and started worshipping it at their houses like they normally used to do with other hand-made idols.
Anyhow, then came the Saints who were perfect in Islamic knowledge and had noble spiritual and moral qualities and attitudes. Their methodology was so unique and inspiring that people started embracing and entering into the circle of Islam in large numbers. Very rarely they told them about the teachings of Islam or its benefits to the humanity, rather they won their hearts with their service and simple and inspiring style of living. They were the perfect pictures of humility and kindness. They were at the summit of the mountain of patience and tolerance and whatever people did or said to them, they never let their foreheads polluted with the wrinkles of dislike or anger.
They lead an absolutely simple life, thus living more happily with the poor or less-privileged. They were the men of service; they did well to everyone. Even they cared about those who used to tease them constantly. In a society, where division of humans on the basis of caste had deprived a majority not only of a comfortable life but also of their self-respect, these Saints came as a pleasant breeze who preached and practiced equality among all the human beings and who liked to live among them.
The perfect behavior and sincere service to humanity and mankind made possible that almost half of the population of an area changed their minds and beliefs.
Similarly, the status, value and importance of mother is supreme among all the human relations. No doubt, father and other relations are also of their own importance but everyone accepts that the importance of mother is not interchangeable. Even in our religion, the heaven or paradise has been said to be under the foot of mothers. It shows to us two realities; one it clearly declares the importance of mother and secondly it tells us a simple formula to earn the heaven which is possible by making the mothers happy of your love and service.
When we observe the lives of mothers, we again come to same conclusion which we observed in the case of Saints. In our eastern societies, girls start serving the family right from their early ages. As she grows a bit old, she becomes the sister and caretaker of all her brothers and sisters and does the service to them happily. When she is married, she takes the responsibility of serving not only the husband but also every individual present in his family. The real stage of service comes to practice when she becomes a mother. With the child arrives the love and affection that has been bestowed only to the mothers and it is such a strange quality that scholars hail and admire it but yet they have to find the perfect words and sentences to honor and praise it truly. We have all witnessed strange scenes of mother’s love extended towards her children. At times, she gets so tired that she even forgets herself but then she is found to be combing the hair of her child with utmost attention and interest. Many a times she forgets to eat something or simply doesn’t find something to eat, but when her son arrives, she brings to him the food that she had hidden somewhere for her love.
Once a son tried to test the tolerance of his mother and decided not to speak to her. Mother spoke to him but he did not reply. She got a bit concerned and asked again but he remained silent. When she did not receive any reply after repeated queries, she came to him, gently held his face in her hands, kissed him on forehead and asked a question with the tears in her eyes, “Why my son, aren’t you feeling well today?”
In the different ages of her life, a woman serves the parents and especially the mother more than a man. Being an unmarried girl, she assists the mother in kitchen and different works of house. After marriage, she serves the parents of her new house till their last breath. This unique opportunity has been given to the mothers only. No doubt, they have been best provided with the opportunities to earn the paradise hidden in the service of mothers.
Doing service is the pure form of all the virtues. However acknowledged and pious you are and how ever you try to show yourself as pious and well-wisher of others, your words or ideas cannot be transformed into reality until you don’t be of any use to others in the form of your service.
Just like any other good work, like doing charity or spending for a good work from your pocket, doing service is also one of the virtues that evil forces stop you from extending. You feel it quite easy when you keep advising yourself or the others about the importance of service and its benefits but when you decide to do it practically, evil forces exert all their powers to prevent you from doing so. Service becomes more meaningful when you do effort to resist these evil forces because these forces try all their best to stop you from the service.
Contrary to speech or bombastic claims, service cannot be insincere and hardly be used for earning fame or deceiving people. That is why it is said a person, who speaks a lot and does himself nothing, loses his credibility and his beautiful words lose their effect.
Service of mother is the most sincere of all as she does all the service to her children without any hope of return or appreciation. Such pure form of service can hardly be observed in any other social relation or setup.