You Could Never Convince A Monkey To Give You A Banana.........

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 20 May 2025 “You could never convince a monkey to give you a banana by promising him limitless bananas after death in monkey heaven.” ― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Yuval Noah Harari's witty and mildly sarcastic quote also underlines the fact that the intelligence of monkeys is far superior than that of humans. All these imagined heavens of all faiths are human concoctions and salient features of religious morality. Live a saintly life in this world, sacrifice all pleasures, deprive yourself of all desires and when you die and go to heaven, all comforts and pleasures await you there! Only a religiously muddled and scripturally addled mind can believe in all this garbage. "Tahoor-E-Jannat Ki Aas Mein Kar Doon Badakashi Tark/ Kya Itna Bewqoof Samjha Hai Naaseh Ne Mujhe? " (Shall I give up on drinking, hoping to quaff Tahoor of heaven/ Does the preacher think that I'm such a big fool? Tahoor: Imaginary wine available in a non-existent paradise). One Pakistani Urdu poet aptly said, "Firdaus Mein Milengi Hoorein Har Din Tujhe/ Yahan Ki Har Hoor Ko Tu Apni Bahan Samajh" (Houris will be easily available in heaven/ Treat every woman of this world as if she's your sister!). Kis Aas Mein Lutf-E-Jahan Chhod Doon/ Mujhe Toh Baawar Nahin Koi Jannat Bhi Hai Kahin (How can I relinquish the pleasures of this world/ I don't believe, there's a heaven anywhere). All man-made religions have described their respective heavens. Not just religious Muslims, but the devout followers of all religions blindly believe that there's a world beyond which's called Jannat/ Paradise/Swarg or Shamayim (Shamayim is the Hebrew word for "heavens" and is used to refer to the dwelling place of god and other heavenly beings). That death is the End or the Final Closure is something that humans are still unwilling to accept. The very thought is unimaginably depressing that there's nothing beyond this bodily existence. All religions traded upon this basic vulnerability and apprehension of humans by concocting Hereafter, Afterlife, Heaven/s, Houris, Soul and all that jazz. These are eschatological fabrications, engineered by all faiths. Enjoy the life to the hilt. Don't hurt or deceive anyone. Be honest. This is the crux of life. Anything beyond and intangible must be taken with a pinch of salt the way Mirza Ghalib took, "Hum Ko Maaloom Hai Jannat Ki Haqeeqat Lekin/ Dil Ke Khush Rakhne Ko 'Ghalib' Ye Khayal Achchha Hai (Though I know the reality of Paradise / It's a good thought to deceive myself). By the way, those who're interested in knowing how this seductive Jannat looks like, must watch the YouTube channels of Pakistani clerics like Maulana Tariq Masood, Tariq Jamil, Muhammad Ali Mirza, Mufti Muhammad Tahir Asim, to name but a few. Their vivid and also salacious descriptions of Jannat and its gorgeous inmates can force you to kick the bucket, if you happen to be a virile and 'salivating' man! So, watch the programmes of these agents of heaven at your peril! ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/convince-monkey-banana/d/135587 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism