FRIDAY FOCUS: Kashmir Doesn’t Need Another Lecture. It Needs a Mirror

Kashmir’s Biggest Question: Log Kya Kahenge — Ya, Allah Kya Kahega? The Uncomfortable Question We Have Forgotten to Ask.

Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili

Kashmir has a strange contradiction. We are deeply concerned about ‘what people (relatives, neighbours, the mohalla, or social media say, whisper, or post behind our backs) will say?’ But strangely unconcerned about ‘what Allah will say.’ Sad.
To be precise, our lives are increasingly organised around these three words, “Log Kya Kahenge”. And somewhere in this endless noise, one voice has become almost inaudible: “Allah Kya Kahega?”. That is the question we should be terrified of; not because Allah is unjust, but precisely because Allah is Just.

What a deviant thinking and mindset. We have made society our judge. Look around. a wedding becomes a competition, a house a status symbol, a child’s career a family trophy, a daughter’s marriage a social negotiation, and a person’s clothes, car, income, education, and family background become measures of worth. And behind almost every decision stands the same invisible judge the Society.

We may deny it, but we know it. We have seen people borrow to impress those who will never repay their debts. Families overspend because “log kya kahenge?”

People tolerate injustice to protect their status. Gossip becomes entertainment. Private suffering becomes tea-time gossip. And then we call ourselves a religious, moral society. This is where we need honesty. Being surrounded by religious symbols does not automatically make a society God-conscious. A society can have mosques everywhere and still lose its moral compass. Because the real test of faith is not what we display. It is what we do when nobody is watching, except Allah.

“Allah is watching” — the sentence we need to recover, and the core purpose of this piece as a reminder: Allah dekh raha hai. When you cheat, take what isn’t yours, destroy a reputation through gossip, humiliate the weak, exploit an employee, lie to protect your image, or discriminate based on wealth, status, or connections — Allah is watching. And when you quietly help someone without telling anybody—“Allah is watching that too.” This is the great equaliser. The rich man’s secret, the poor man’s suffering, the politician’s abuse of power, and the ordinary person’s silent goodness — all are visible to Allah. There is no hiding place from divine accountability.

Our most dangerous phrase: “Sab Karte Hain”. How many wrongs have we normalised with three words? Everyone gossips, takes shortcuts, shows off, gives and takes favours, spends excessively, compromises, and lies a little — everyone does it. But since when did “everyone does it”becomes a moral argument? If an entire society walks in the wrong direction, does that make the wrong direction right? No. And this is exactly where individual accountability begins. On the Day of Judgment, we cannot say: “Ya Allah, sab kar rahe thay.”“

We cannot hide behind the crowd, nor blame Kashmir, society, relatives, parents, or friends. At some point, the responsibility comes back to sll of us – you and me.

Kashmir Doesn’t Need Another Lecture. It Needs a Mirror
We constantly discuss what is wrong with Kashmir in people’s open parliament, congregational gatherings- be it weeding or funeral event. Instead of asking: Kashmir mein yeh sab kyun ho raha ha-chalta hai chalney do”, we should ask “main is sab mein kitna involved hoon? “
That question hurts.That is why we avoid it. It is much easier to criticise society than to examine ourselves. We condemn dowry yet expect it, decry extravagance yet compete at weddings, abhor gossip yet partake, denounce corruption yet seek shortcuts that benefit us, and reject hypocrisy while guarding our own public image. The problem is not only ‘them.’ The problem is also “us”. Here it is us- with greatest contradiction.

The Private Life Test!
Here is perhaps the simplest test of character:“Who are you when nobody important is watching?” Who are you when there is no camera, no audience, no applause, no reputation to protect, no social reward? If nobody knows what you did, would you still do right — help without recognition, refuse to cheat when unseen, and tell the truth when no one would catch your lie? If the answer is yes—there is something beautiful happening inside you. Because you are no longer living for people. You are living with Allah-consciousness.

Why “We Fear People’s Anger More Than Allah’s Displeasure?
This introspective question always irks me. This is perhaps our deepest contradiction. Someone threatens to stop talking to us—and we panic. A relative becomes offended and we panic. Someone criticises us and we panic. Our social reputation is questioned and we panic. But when we compromise a principle, hurt someone, betray a trust or commit a wrong—we often move on. Why? Because society is visible. Allah is unseen.

And human beings are easily hypnotised by what they can see. But faith asks us to live according to what we “cannot see but know to be true.”

That is the paradigm shift.
From visibility to accountability. Let us assume, What if we stopped asking “Log Kya Kahenge?”

Imagine a different Kashmir. A father says: “Mujhe logon ko impress nahi karna. Mujhe Allah ko jawab dena hai.” A family says: “Hum shaadi apni haisiyat ke mutabiq karenge, social competition ke mutabiq nahi. A businessman says: “Mera profit mujhe haram nahi kamaane dega. A person refuses gossip:“Mujhe is shakhs ki izzat ka hisaab Allah ko dena hai.” A powerful person refuses to exploit someone weakerledas the way by example. ”Mere paas authority hai, lekin Allah mujhse bhi upar hai. ”A young person says: “Meri life ka purpose Instagram ki reel ya photo op, wedding festival ,aur approval nahi.” Imagine that. That would be a genuine social revolution. Not loud. Not political. Not performative.

“The Sin of Oblivion”
Perhaps our greatest problem is not that we do wrong. Human beings will make mistakes. The greater danger is that we stop recognising wrong as wrong. We become comfortable. We laugh, boast and gossip about it. We normalise it. We pass it from one generation to another. And eventually, the conscience becomes silent. That is oblivion. You know something is wrong. You feel it. Then you do it anyway. Then you see everyone else doing it. Then you stop feeling anything. And finally, you call it normal. That is when a society is in danger.

If not me, who? If not now, when. Not Tomorrow, my time is now.

We Need a Paradigm Shift
Kashmir does not merely need more slogans. It needs a change in the question at the centre of everyday life.:“Allah kya kahega?
Before indulging in activities of any kind, this one question should stand between us and our impulses: ““Allah ko main kya jawab dunga?” That question can change a person.
Enough people asking it can change a family. Enough families asking it can change a community. And enough communities asking it can change a society.

Painting “The Day the Audience Disappears”
One day, the audience will disappear, InshaAllah. The neighbours won’t matter. The relatives won’t matter. The WhatsApp group won’t matter. The social status won’t matter. The posh house won’t matter. The luxurious car won’t matter. The expensive clothes won’t matter. The reputation we spent decades protecting will not matter. What will remain?Our deeds. And the One before whom those deeds are brought. So perhaps the real question for Kashmir is not:What kind of society are we becoming? It is much more personal. What kind of person am I becoming? What kind of society am I contributing. Because Kashmir will not change merely because we complain about Kashmir. It will change when we change what we tolerate within ourselves. When truth becomes more important than reputation. When justice becomes more important than connections. When simplicity becomes more important than show. When dignity becomes more important than gossip. When Allah’s approval becomes more important than people’s applause.

The Question That Should Haunt Us
Tonight, before sleeping, forget Kashmir for a moment. Forget society. Forget everyone else’s faults. Ask yourself one question. Absolutely Not! “Log mere baare mein kya kahenge?” But: “Allah mere baare mein kya kahega?” And then ask the harder one:
““Agar aaj mujhe Allah ke saamne apni zindagi ka hisaab dena pade—kya main tayyar hoon?” Maybe the answer will hurt. Good. Let it hurt. Because sometimes a wounded conscience is better than a comfortable soul. “Allah dekh raha hai.” He sees the public. He sees the private. He sees the conceled and what is revealed . He sees the deed. He sees the intention. He sees what society applauds. And He sees what society never knows.

The people we are desperately trying to impress will eventually forget us, Allah will not. So let Kashmir ask itself, honestly and without excuses: Are we living for people – or preparing to answer to Allah? The paradigm shift must begin here..”Log kya kahenge?” must no longer be the loudest question,or guiding our conscience instinct in our lives. There is a greater question. A final question. An unavoidable question: “Allah ko kya jawab denge? Wa aakhiru da’waahum ani l-hamdu lillahi rabbi l-‘alameen”. And the last of their call will be: ‘Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds!'”

(STRAIGHT TALK COMMUNICATIONS EXCLUSIVE. The author is a healthcare reform advocate and columnist from Kashmir, writing on healthcare policy, medical ethics, social justice, faith, civic responsibility, and community welfare.)