Islam advises those of its followers who are able to start a matrimonial life to tie themselves in a nuptial knot so that the cycle of life may keep moving. Hazrat Abdullah (R.A) narrates:
“We were with the Prophet (S.A.W) while we were young and had no wealth whatsoever. So Allah’s Apostle said, “O young people! Whoever amongst you can marry, should marry, because it helps him lower his gaze and guard his modesty, and whoever is not able to marry, should fast, as fasting is a shield for him (from desires).”
However, some illiterate people have made a jest of marriage by making it a compulsion, consequently rendering the institution of marriage an abhorred institution among many. For them, neither education nor a stable financial career forms the criterion for marriage. Parents wed their daughters without providing them complete education so that if their husbands turn out to be disagreeable blokes, they are not even able to stand up for themselves. In case of sons bred by illiterate couples, only the element of “manhood” is brought under consideration. The matter whether their son will be able to keep his spouse happy and contented is completely ignored.
These acts have also blemished the image of Islam to a large extent, since they lead people into believing that the religion has made marriage mandatory on the cost of its followers’ happiness, specifically women. Since it has been made a compulsion by the people themselves, it has also resulted in those people becoming the victims of the same illiterate class who are not able to get married due to some problem.
Women who are not able to make it to marriage are constantly held culpable for it. Either they are thought of as being less beautiful or not being pious enough for reasonable families to accept them. This nagging converts them into obstinate beings and makes them envious of married or to-be-married women. It is a matter of common observation that many eastern girls who are not able to make it to the other house become possessive of a stubborn attitude.
The 1996 telefilm “Ab Tum Jaa Saktey Ho” adapted from a short story by Khadija Mastoor and directed by Mehreen Jabbar presents a character reflective of such an attitude. The character of Aalia played by Khalida Ryasat is of a woman who after having been betrayed by a man in her young age has turned into a misanthrope who does not leave her house except for the purpose of teaching. Neither she attends any wedding, nor does she visit any friend or relative. Her orphaned niece, Raheela, whose role has been played by Sania Saeed has also been tied in the same chains by Aalia, who does not allow Raheela to move out of the house or develop candid relations with anyone. She is forced to do the chores by Aalia, who in return needs everything prim and proper. Raheela is not happy with her life confined to four walls and has become fed up of Aalia’s priggish disposition.
The drab environment of the house changes when Humayun Saeed in the character of Shaukat marks his appearance. He happens to be a young cousin of Aalia who comes to live with her, and brings both the women to life through his jokes and attention seeking acts. He manages to inculcate confidence in Raheela who a few days after remaining in his company, lets go of her reserved attitude. His presence turns out to be a blessing for the two women, but transforms into a nuisance when Shaukat expresses his wish to marry Raheela before Aalia, who grows jealous, for she unconsciously and without Shaukat’s slightest knowledge has started to have romantic feelings for him, since after the deceiver, she finds Shaukat as the only person to give her so much attention.
As Shaukat is young, he considers Aalia nothing more than an old aged cousin and is bent upon marrying Raheela. He manages to procure Aalia’s consent, but on the condition that they would live in the same house. This is agreed upon by both Shaukat and Raheela initially, but as life moves on, starts creating problems for them, for Aalia forces them to live their life the way she wants. She forbids them from hanging out or relishing other nuptial felicities. This gradually brings Raheela to the verge of standing up against Aalia, who after Shaukat’s arrival has turned into a confident woman.
Raheela makes Aalia realize how wrong she has been doing to her by confining her to the small house and snatching away from her, her right to lead a happy life, just because she herself has remained deprived of it. Aalia realizes her mistake and with a heavy heart, tells Shaukat and Raheela that they are no more to remain subservient to her, and if they wish, they can start a new life altogether. Raheela and Shaukat abandon the stubborn lady to give a new start to their matrimonial life. Aalia is left to herself.
Apart from being another feel-good telefilm by Mehreen Jabbar comprising of a star-studded cast and having a soft music playing in the background, “Ab Tum Jaa Saktey Ho” introduces us to the unfortunate fact that our people have become so much obsessed with marriage that they do not let go of any chance to tie themselves in the marital bond, even if the person before them is of age too old or too small for them, or totally disinclined towards marrying them. It is the society that has given so much importance to it over every other thing that people do not think beyond it, and people who are not able to get married turn themselves into execrable creatures.
The writer is a student of English Literature at Government College University, Lahore.