Feb 19, 2022
The Fascinating Story of a Blind Muslim Carrying a Paralyzed Christian
A story of humanity and indifference to difference
At times, it is easy to gloss over our lives without the faintest hint of the few great capabilities we are offered. Overlooking the best that life offers us daily is a common human trait. Sometimes, a look at what had driven others gives us a good look at what we should cherish.
This is the brief story of a picture taken over a century ago to a land and time that might be alien to most of the readers here.
In the land of Damascus, there once lived two individuals who were inseparable because they complimented each other and were each other’s strength.
In the photo above, which was taken in 1889 by Tancrede Dumas, we see two individuals. The picture is a depiction of how they were till the end, tied literally to the hip.
They were called Mohammed and Sameer. Both of them had different disabilities but they focused on their capacity to do what each was capable of doing.
While Sameer could not see and Mohammed could not walk, this did not limit their potential. Sticking together meant that now Sameer could be guided through the streets of Damascus while Mohammed could be transported wherever he needed to go.
They may have been similar in the sense that they had physical limitations but they were different in many other regards. Mohammed was a Muslim and Sameer a Christian. The differences did not stop at that point as they hailed from different ethnicities and they could have had many more differences than we even know.
The bottom line is that they looked at each other’s strengths and combined their strengths to make life bearable for both of them. They stared at the magnitude of their issues and concluded that rational beings should set aside differences for the betterment of their lives.
Sadly, this story does not have a good end. Samir’s death led to Mohammed’s subsequent depression and mourning that may have led to his death seven days later.
Lesson
We can focus on the good rather than the sad end of the story.
As we speak, the world is undergoing unprecedented levels of problems. Global debt is on the rise, an increase in all kinds of polarization has arisen, terrorism and poverty are also on the increase.
To put it simply, the world is experiencing strife and struggle that could and should be a memory of the past. By working hand in hand, providing our support and lending a hand to those who are weak in our strengths could do a great job of relieving humanity of many of these problems.
This might come off as being altruistic but we have seen many global efforts in the past to solve problems and many have been successful. I am, therefore, placing my optimism on something that has happened before rather than blind faith.
Humanity needs to take a leaf from Sameer and Mohammed’s story and be a little more indifferent to our differences.
Source
[1]Heba412. “A Blind Muslim Named Muhammad Carrying His Best Friend a Paralyzed Christian Who Suffers from Dwarfism Named Samir, Damascus, Ottoman Syria, 1889.” Egypt Independent. Last modified September 14, 2020. https://egyptindependent.com/the-surviving-sect-its-origins-and-connotations/765a9d50-d8d9-4ce0-aa01-4033ab6aa15a/.
