Rushdie Haunted by his unholy Ghosts — Page 74
74 Mohamed Arshad Ahmedi Rushdie in almost all his books to continue his derision of Islam and its tenets. Surat Al-Rahman deals with the basic principles of Islam, i. e. Divine attributes, particularly God’s Unity, and with Resurrection and Revelation. It deals with the gifts that God has given to man. The earth with all its treasures, the deep seas and high mountains were all created for his sake. But the whole idea of the ‘Grand Design’ of God and of His bounties has been dealt a spiteful blow by Rushdie when he writes in his book: ‘Flapping Eagle stood in the room he had passed through earlier, the room with veiled objects on podia, wondering what he found alarming about Grimus. He decided it was the childishness un- derlying his whole so-called Grand Design, the fulfilment of every half-formed whim, and the strangely infantile rituals he devised to amuse him, like this so-called Dance. ’ (p. 294) Rushdie treats the subject most flippantly and he continues this further in the subject relating to Heaven and Hell. In Surat Al-Rahman it is stated that God endowed man with great intellectual and discretionary powers so that by sifting right from wrong he might follow Divine guidance. But the Surah also warns that man, in his conceit and arrogance seeks to ignore and defy Divine Laws, and consequently brings down upon himself God’s punishment. But, on the other hand, it also says that just as Heavenly Punishment which will be meted out to the guilty and iniquitous will be most grievous and frightful, so would the Divine favours that will be bestowed upon the righteous be beyond measure or count: ‘There shall be sent against you a flame of fire, and smoke. . . And when the heaven is rent asunder, and becomes red like red hide. . . But for him who fears to stand before his Lord there are two Gardens. . . Therein will also be chaste maidens of modest gaze,