FROM MAULANAS DESK
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in
Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual
scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic
learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life
has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has
received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace
International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan
Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies.
He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the
world’ and is recognized as one of its most influential
Muslims1
. His books have been translated into sixteen
languages and are part of university curricula in six
countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace
and Spirituality based in New Delhi.
INSTANT TRIPLE TALAQ
IS UN-ISLAMIC
AS an Islamic scholar, I would say that the Supreme Court’s
judgement delivered on August 22—striking down instant triple
talaq (divorce) as being unconstitutional—is totally right. Triple
talaq is not a principle of Islam, but is rather a ruling of certain Muslim
jurists, adopted in the later period of Islam. In this matter, Muslim
jurists need to correct themselves instead of wrongly justifying triple
talaq.
In Islam, talaq is seen as an undesirable practice. But in rare cases, a
couple may feel that their marriage is not working, and in this situation,
divorce is allowed. However, there is a prescribed method laid down by
the Quran (
the first month, the husband tells his wife that he has pronounced talaq
once. Both then wait for a month during which they could reconcile.
After the first month, he may either revoke the talaq or pronounce it
a second time. Both wait for another month, at the end of which, if he
pronounces a third talaq, the divorce becomes final.
This pattern was adhered to during the time of the Prophet and the first
Caliph Abu Bakr. There were rare cases, when a man would come to
the Prophet or Abu Bakr, saying that he had divorced his wife by saying
talaq three times in one go. Then the Prophet and Abu Bakr would
consider this an instance of talaq being said in anger and so did not
finalise the divorce. Rather, they told him that his uttering ‘talaq’ three
times in one instance would be regarded as only one pronouncement
of talaq.
During the time of the second Caliph Umar, the
number of people who began to pronounce
talaq in one sitting increased. Umar, in a
case, ruled the saying of talaq three times in
one go as final and annulled the marriage.
But he also flogged that man as deterrent
punishment. This helped in curbing instances
of saying talaq at one go. Certainly, Umar’s
practice was not a Shariah law. His step was
rather an example of hukm al-hakim, or an
executive order. His annulment of marriage in
the case where the man said talaq three times
in one go was an exercise of the discretionary
power of a ruler. Such executive orders are
applicable to particular cases and do not have
the status of Shariah law.
Triple talaq is not a
principle of Islam,
but is rather a ruling
of certain Muslim
jurists, adopted in
the later period of
Islam. In this matter,
Muslim jurists need
to correct themselves
instead of wrongly
justifying triple talaq
In the British period, men again began to divorce their wives in one
sitting. Now Muslim jurists belonging to the Hanafi school of law revived
Umar’s order and made instant triple talaq valid. The Hanafi jurists
cited Umar’s precedent, but this reference was unwarranted, because
Umar had done so by way of an executive order while, in the later
period, Hanafi jurists did so by issuing a fatwa. Moreover, Umar had
also punished the person, while Hanafi jurists were not in a position to
do so.
In such a scenario, my advice to Hanafi Muslims is to take the Supreme
Court’s verdict as a reminder and review their practice. They should
consider triple talaq in one go as a case of a decision having been taken
in anger and take it as only one talaq—as had been done during the
time of the Prophet.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
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THE END OF HISTORY IS NEAR
Final Warning
THE twenty-first century is an alarming era. Almost every
day there is some news in the media that the planet earth is
becoming more and more uninhabitable. A recent news in this
regard appeared in The Times of India August 2, 2017, the gist of which
is noted below:
According to a new study the world will almost certainly reach a tipping
point and there will be an unstoppable, destructive climate change.
By the end of the century the world’s temperature will rise from 2°
Celsius to 4.9° Celsius. It is at the point that scientists think the world
will suffer disastrous effects like widespread drought, extreme weather
and dangerous increases in sea levels. Experts have suggested that 2°C
of warming is the point at which change becomes irreversible. There is
a 99% chance that climate change will break through that limit. Dargan
Frierson from the University of Washington said, “Damage from heat
extremes, drought, extreme weather and sea level rise will be much
more severe if a 2°C or higher temperature rise is allowed.”
The celebrated British physicist Stephen Hawking has even gone to the
extent of saying that we shall have to find another planet because we
cannot survive for more than 100 years on
this planet. Hawking’s is not a lone voice in
this regard. The whole scientific community
is in agreement with him. Scientists have
repeatedly issued the warning that we have
no option but to find another planet on which
to survive.
In ancient Egypt, the Prophet Moses gave this
message on behalf of God to the Egyptian
Pharaoh:
The Hour is coming. But I choose to keep it hidden,
so that every human being may be recompensed
in accordance with his deeds. (QURAN 20: 15)
All human beings
will face the
consequences of the
deeds performed in
the world they left
behind. Every person
shall have to face
divine judgement for
their former life.
In ancient times many prophets came to deliver this message to
mankind. We learn from the Hadith that they were more than 100,000
in number. All these prophets spoke in the same vein. All the prophets
gave this same alarming news. The Quran calls them Nazeer—those who give warning. This was the principal message of all the prophets
who came to the world.
In previous ages, this warning was given by the prophets. The message
was that the day will come when the history of mankind will reach its
end. And the next phase of human life will begin, that is, the world
Hereafter (Akhirat). In this second phase of life, man will be presented
before the Creator. All human beings will face the consequences of the
deeds performed in the world they left behind. Every person shall have
to face divine judgement for their former life.
Now, the scientific community has taken on this task of warning
mankind. There is consensus among the Muslims and the scientific
community that the end of the world is so near that it is knocking at our
door. Previous warnings were given on the basis of divine revelation
(Wahy). The scientific community is giving the same warning on the
basis of scientific data. The time for introspection has come. Every man
has to face this and prepare himself accordingly.
On that Day man will ask, ‘Where can I escape?’ But there is nowhere to
take refuge: on that Day, to your Lord alone is the recourse. On the Day,
man will be told of all that he has sent before and what he has left behind.
(THE QURAN 75: 11-13)
Sense of Repentance
A positive aspect of repentance is that it
engenders a strong determination in a person
to reform himself, and after having done
something wrong, to firmly walk on the path
of goodness thereafter. It is this positive
enthusiasm that follows from repentance that,
in line with the law of nature, changes an evil
deed into a good one.
THE VISION OF ISLAM
God Worshipping, Man’s Well-wishing
GOD has created man in freedom, but this freedom is not
unlimited. The freedom of the individual is taken away at death.
And, the freedom of the whole human race will be taken away on
Doomsday. After the cessation of life in this world, a new life will begin
in the Hereafter. There, people will be divided into two groups; one
who, having made proper use of their freedom making it subservient
to the will of God, will enter into Paradise; the other group will be of
those who, having been fearless of God in using the freedom granted
to them, will have to face punishment. This division will be eternal.
About a hundred years of life in this world is going to end in an eternal
fate for man. And the end will either be a terrible punishment or the
greatest of rewards. This state of affairs makes the matter of life
extremely grave. Despite this extraordinary gravity, all realities remain
hidden from human eyes. God, the angels, Paradise, Hell; nothing is
visible. As such, it was expected of man that
when these realities were revealed, he would
say, “God, I did not know that this was going
to be the end of life. Why did You not tell us
before?”
Calling people to God
involves conveying
the divine message
with beauty and
wisdom and without
any compulsion
as per the Quranic
commandments.
This would be a futile excuse as God has
made plentiful arrangements for His message
to be conveyed to mankind. With the very
creation of man, God began sending prophets
to the world. In fact, the very first man was
also the first prophet. The prophets were sent
revelations so that they could convey the divine message to mankind.
This series of prophets continued from Adam to Jesus Christ. Finally
God decided to send the final Prophet to whom He would send the last
divine book which would be preserved with the message of God for all
time so that no further prophets were required anymore.
For the conveyance of God’s message to people after the last Prophet,
the true followers of the Prophet were assigned the role. This is the
task referred to in the Quran as ‘calling people to God’. This duty
involves conveying the message with beauty and wisdom and without
any compulsion as per the Quranic commandments. Those who take
up this divine task must bear in mind that:
• God has no special relationship with any particular community.
• As this work is the task of representing God, it has to be performed
with meticulous care and accorded the highest moral standards
which it demands.
• Well-wishing and complete goodness is expected of an earnest
undertaker of this task.
• The traits of the one who conveys the message to others should
be of a completely peaceful and non-materialistic person. Such a
person should be completely positive and one who contributes to
the constructive activities of the world.
However, on observing the history of the
entire Muslim world over the last 200 years,
we find that this work has not happened.
The fundamental
mission of the
Prophet was to
convey the message
of God to man and
Muslims as followers
of the Prophet
cannot afford to
ignore this mission.
Most of the movements undertaken by the
Muslims have been political in one way or
another. What is actually desired of them is
to work for a Hereafter-oriented movement,
in which the goal is to make people aware
of what they will have to face in the next
world. Instead, Muslim political activities are
directed at acquiring worldly rights through
protests and demands.
Muslims should now shun all such activities and if they claim to be
the true followers of the Prophet, they must emulate the Prophet in
their lives. The fundamental mission of the Prophet was to convey
the message of God to man and Muslims as followers of the Prophet
cannot afford to ignore this mission. Their activities must centre on
the task of conveying the peaceful message of the Quran to mankind.
Like the Prophet, they must live a noble life which involves being God’s
worshipper and man’s well-wisher. This is the vision and the mission
of Islam.
Petty Issues
A person who is inspired by an exalted
purpose in life will always ignore petty issues.
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
The Existence of Man is Proof of the Existence of God
God created man in His Own image.
(Prophet Muhammad, Sahih al-Bukhari)
IF man discovers himself, at the same time he can discover the
existence of God. It may be said that if God is a great God, man is
mini-god as compared to Him. When the French philosopher Rene
Descartes (1596-1650) tried to prove his existence, he said, “I think,
therefore I am”. This logic is certainly right, but the same logic applies
to the question about the existence of God as well. By using this logic
one can say, “I am, therefore God is”.
The British philosopher John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was an atheist. In
his Autobiography of John Stuart Mill, he narrates a story with reference
to his father. He writes: “The question, ‘Who made me’? cannot be
answered, because we have no experience or authentic information
from which to answer it; and that any answer only throws the difficulty
a step further back, since the question presents itself, ‘who made God?’
This premise itself is wrong. For the question here is about explaining
a real phenomenon, and not to evade it by producing irrelevant logic
of the kind stated above. Here, we are facing a phenomenon whose
existence we cannot deny. Denying it is like denying our very own
existence and the existence of the universe. The choice for us is not
between a universe with God and a universe without God. Instead, the
choice before us is a universe with God, or no
universe at all. Since there exists a universe,
to explain it, we have to take recourse to a
Creator. If we deny the Creator, we will have to
also deny the existence of the universe, which
is not viable. We cannot deny the existence of
the universe; therefore, we have to accept the
existence of a Creator as irrefutable logic.
Belief in God is
strange, but not to
believe in God is
even stranger. So
when we say that
there is a God, we
give preference to
the strange over the
stranger.
Belief in God is strange, but not to believe in
God is even stranger. So when we say that
there is a God, we give preference to the
strange over the stranger.
The river of knowledge is flowing in favour of the afore-mentioned
logic. In the ancient age, philosophy was the reigning discipline of the
world, and almost all the philosophers were believers and not atheists. Without referring to the word ‘God’, they were believers in some higher
power.
For example, the German philosopher, George Wilhelm Friedrich
Hegel (1770-1831) called it the “world spirit”. So was the case of
other philosophers, although they gave it different names. For the
philosophers, it was difficult to believe in a personal God. They were
believers of God as a pervading spirit, and not as an independent
being. This philosophical theology is called idealism in history.
It was this philosophical theory that was accepted by theologians in the
name of Monism. These theologians believed in God, but not in terms
of a personal God. Instead, they believed in God in terms of a spirit
pervading throughout the cosmos.
Scientific studies of the modern era were not
related directly to the question of God, but
they influenced the belief system indirectly. In
fact, modern science started a new intellectual
process in the divine field. Now this process
has reached the extent where science and
theology seem like a single discipline although
with two different names.
If we deny the
Creator, we will
have to also deny
the existence of the
universe, which is not
viable. We cannot
deny the existence
of the universe;
therefore, we have to
accept the existence
of a Creator as
irrefutable logic.
In the realm of the physical sciences, we
have had three major paradigm shifts in the
last four centuries. The first is attributed to
Isaac Newton (1643–1727). Here we have
the Newtonian hypothesis that matter was
the basic building block of the universe. In
the nineteenth and early twentieth century
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) developed the Einsteinian paradigm of
energy being the basic building block. Currently, research in quantum
physics has shown a relationship between quantum mechanics and
consciousness with scientists like David Bohm (1917–1992) and many
others accepting consciousness to be the basic building block of the
universe.
These shifts have had inevitable consequences for the new age
philosophy, which has moved away from the philosophy of crass
materialism to that of spirituality.
Perhaps this is the final word of science, but the final word of science
has only opened the door to another realm or discipline, and that is
religion or theology. If the building block of the world is consciousness
then what is the difference between consciousness and God? God is nothing but an embodiment of consciousness, so if the existence of
consciousness is proved, the existence of God is also proved.
British scientist Paul Charles William Davies (born 1946), currently a
professor at Arizona State University as well as the Director of BEYOND:
Centre for Fundamental Concepts in Science, summarizes the latest
scientific stand on the subject:
Scientists are slowly waking up to an inconvenient truth—the
universe looks suspiciously like a fix. The issue concerns the
very laws of nature themselves. For 40 years, physicists and
cosmologists have been quietly collecting examples of all too
convenient “coincidences” and special features in the underlying
laws of the universe that seem to be necessary in order for life,
and hence conscious beings, to exist. Change anyone of them
and the result would be lethal.
To see the problem, imagine playing God with the cosmos.
Before you is a designer machine that lets you tinker with the
basics of physics. Twiddle this knob and you make all electrons a
bit lighter, twiddle that one and you make gravity a bit stronger.
It happens that you need to set 30-something knobs to fully
describe the world about us. The point is that some of those
metaphorical knobs must be tuned precisely, or the universe
would be sterile.
Example: neutrons are just a little heavier than protons. If it
were the other way around, atoms could not exist, because all
the protons in the universe would have decayed into neutrons
shortly after Big Bang. No protons, then no atomic nuclei, and
no atoms. No atoms, no chemistry, no life.
This is the final logic to which scientific discoveries have reached in
the twenty-first century. Now the problem is only one of idiom. If you
use the scientific idiom, you will speak the above kind of language.
But if you speak in the religious idiom, you would say that the river of
knowledge has reached its final stage, that is, the realization of God.
WHEN THE LION SPEAKS
Truth Will Prevail
WHY do hunters think it’s cool to kill lions? Why are some lions
confined to a cage? People justify these acts by saying they
want the lions' head as a trophy or by citing the argument
that the lion is a savage and bloodthirsty beast. However, this is only a
one-sided statement—the stand of the lion, in this respect, is not known
to us. This phenomenon is because the lion, in spite of its bravery and
majesty, does not possess the ability to speak.
In this regard, there is a maxim famous among the African people. Africa
is a country of lions, as a great number of the world’s lion population
inhabits the African jungles. For this reason, lions find mention in many
African proverbs. One such saying is:
Until lions can speak, the only history will be that of the hunters.
This proverb is applicable, in a greater sense, to human life. In the
present world, due to various reasons, truth is speechless like the
lion. All realities lay hidden. Everyday false statements appear in
newspapers. Books and magazines consist of thoughts of a person’s
own liking. In conferences and seminars, the one who has the power of
rhetoric is raised to the lofty position of a hero.
In the midst of this verbal uproar, truth remains concealed—truth does
not speak of itself. However, this situation will prevail only so long as
truth does not express itself. Soon, the time is about to come when the
“lion” of the truth will roar out. It will make reality known to people,
while they sought to present a version of it suited to their own interests.
It will disclose what a person really was from within while pretending
all along to be something else. It will reveal a person’s real intentions
and motives when he tried to impress others from the stage.
The state of affairs existing in this world is wholly temporary—it is
certainly not everlasting. A time is sure to come when the lion speaks.
A time when the curtain shall be raised from falsehood and truth shall
become evident for all to see.
TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE
We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is
a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. Peace is
deeply linked with the entirety of human life. Peace is
a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion
for both—man and the universe. It is the master-key
that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a
favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour.
Without peace, no positive action—small or big—is possible.
AVOIDING CONFRONTATION
THE year after the Siege of the Trench, in 628 AD, the Prophet
Muhammad had a dream. At this time, he was in Madinah. In the
dream, he saw himself and his Companions visiting the House
of God in Makkah. His Companions were very pleased to hear this, for
it meant that, after a lapse of six years, they would soon be going to
Makkah and visiting the Kabah.
In accordance with this dream, the Prophet set out for Makkah with
1400 of his Companions. When they reached a place called Ghadir
Ashtat, they heard that the news of their journey had reached the
Quraysh. The Quraysh were a powerful tribe that controlled Makkah.
The Prophet was born into the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh.
When the Prophet began preaching Islam in Makkah in 610 AD, many
members of the Quraysh turned his staunch opponents. This is why he
left Makkah in 622 AD and migrated to Madinah.
Indignant at the idea of the Muslims visiting the Kabah, the Quraysh
had amassed an army and vowed to prevent the Prophet and his
Companions from entering Makkah, although it was contrary to Arab
tradition to prevent anyone from visiting the Kabah. The Prophet was
acting under divine inspiration; perhaps that is why he remained calm
when he heard of the Quraysh’s reaction. He learnt from informers that
Khalid ibn al-Walid, intent on blocking the Muslim’s path, had advanced
with two hundred cavalrymen to Ghamim. On hearing this, the Prophet
changed route, deviating from a well-frequented path to a little known
and arduous route, which led him to Hudaybiya. In this way, he avoided
clashing with Khalid’s army.
This is how the historian Ibn Hisham, in his biography of the Prophet
describes these events:
“Who can show us a path not occupied by the Quraysh?” the
Prophet asked. One of them volunteered to do so and then
proceeded to guide the Muslims by a route which led through
arduous, rocky and mountainous passes, but when they had
done so and emerged upon an open plain, the Prophet called on
them to seek forgiveness of God and turn to Him. This they did.
This was obviously a trying time for the Muslims, but they had
to face their trial with patience and forbearance. This was the
path laid down for them by God. Even the slightest hesitation to
follow that path was to be considered a transgression, for which
forgiveness had to be sought. That is why the Prophet urged his
followers to repent and seek forgiveness for any weakness or
irritability they may have shown at that taxing time. Difficulties
were to be faced with fortitude. No impulse was to cause one to
deviate from the path of God.
In order to survey the situation, the Prophet made a halt at Hudaybiya,
situated nine miles from Makkah. From Hudaybiya he sent one Kharash
ibn Umayyah on camel back to inform the Makkans that the Muslims
had come to visit the House of God, not to do battle. On reaching
Makkah, Kharash’s camel was slaughtered, and attempts were made
to murder him as well, but somehow he
managed to escape and return to Hudaybiya.
The Prophet then set Uthman to appeal to
the Makkans to refrain from hostilities and
tell them that the Muslims would return
quietly to Madinah after performing the rites
of Umrah. The Makkans paid no heed and
took him prisoner. Later Mikraz ibn Hafs,
along with fifty men, attacked the Muslims at
night, raining stones and arrows. Mikraz was
captured, but no action was taken against
him; he was released unconditionally. Then,
as the Muslims were praying in the early morning, eighty men from
Tanim attacked them. They were also taken captive and then allowed
to go free unconditionally.
If someone conspires
against you, you
should render the
conspiracy ineffective
through wisdom and
silent positive action.
Lengthy negotiations with the Quraysh ensued. Finally a truce was
agreed upon between the two sides under which the Muslims were
to return without visiting the Kabah. At first sight, this truce appeared
to amount to an outright victory for the Quraysh and defeat for the Muslims. The Prophet’s followers could not understand how, when God
had given them tidings of a visit to the House of God, the Prophet could
have agreed to return to Madinah without performing the visit. They
would be allowed to come the following year but would have to leave
Makkah after a stay of only three days. Humiliating clauses such as
this and exacerbating as they were for the Muslims, were all accepted
unquestioningly by the Prophet. It seemed to be an acceptance of
defeat.
To fight one’s
enemies is no way to
succeed in life. Only
by avoiding conflict
can one consolidate
one’s strength.
The Quraysh deliberately acted in an aggressive manner in order to
offend the Prophet. They wanted to provoke him into initiating hostilities
so that they could find an excuse for fighting him. To prevent a visit to
the Kabah was in itself quite contrary to Arab tradition. Moreover, it was
the month of Dhul Qadah, which is one of the four months considered
sacred in Arab lore, in which fighting was prohibited. The Quraysh
wanted to fight the Muslims, but they did not
want to be accused of having desecrated the
holy month. They wanted to be able to lay
the blame at the door of the Muslims, who
were few in number at that time and not even
equipped for battle. There the Muslims were,
stranded some 250 miles from home, right on
the border of the territory of their opponents.
It was a perfect opportunity for the Quraysh
to unleash a savage onslaught on the Muslims
and give full vent to their antagonism.
The Quraysh did everything they could to provoke the Muslims
into starting a fight, but the Prophet ignored every provocation;
he scrupulously avoided falling into their trap. The situation was so
grave that Abu Bakr was the only one amongst the Companions not
to feel that in accepting the seemingly humiliating peace terms they
had bowed before the aggressor. The Companions were even more
astonished when a verse of the Quran was revealed which referred
to the agreement as a ‘clear victory’. “What kind of victory is this?” one
of them protested. “We have been prevented from visiting the House
of God. Our camels for sacrifice have not been allowed to proceed.
God’s Prophet has been forced to turn back from Hudaybiya. Two of
our persecuted brethren, Abu Jandal and Abu Basir, have been handed
over to their persecutors.”
Yet, it was this humiliating treaty that paved the way for a great Muslim
victory.
The Treaty of Hudaybiya appeared to be a capitulation before the
opponents of the Muslims but in fact, it gave the Muslims an opportunity
to consolidate their position. The Prophet accepted all the Quraysh’s
demands in return for a single assurance from them—namely, that they
would cease all hostilities against the Muslims for ten years. Continual
raids and threats of warfare had prevented the Muslims from pursuing
constructive missionary work.
As soon as the Prophet returned from Hudaybiya, he intensified
missionary work in and around Arabia, the ground work having been
done beforehand. Now that peace prevailed, the message of Islam
started spreading rapidly. The Prophet also turned his attention
to building up the influence of Islam in Madinah. The culmination
came within only two years of the Treaty of Hudaybiya; the Quraysh
surrendered without even putting up a fight. There was no further
barrier now to the Prophet’s triumphant entry into Makkah.
People nowadays tend to resort to violence on the slightest provocation
from their opponents. When the losses of meaningless war are pointed
out to them, they seek to justify themselves by saying that, they were
not the aggressors and that their opponents had forced them to take
to fighting. “We didn’t fight!” they retort. “It was those people who did
it! They conspired against us to make us fight.”
Such people do not know that ‘not to fight’ is not simply that if no one
fights you, you do not fight with anyone. Rather, ‘not to fight’ means
that if someone comes to fight you, still you should not fight with them.
Non-violence does not mean remaining peaceful so long as no one is
acting violently towards you. Rather, it means to refrain from violence
even in the face of violence. If someone seeks to provoke you, you
should not allow yourself to get provoked. If someone conspires against
you, you should render the conspiracy ineffective through wisdom and
silent positive action.
To fight one’s enemies is no way to succeed in life. Only by avoiding
conflict can one consolidate one’s strength. Only then, will one be
able to overcome one’s foes. To fight at the slightest provocation and
ignore the need to quietly build up one’s own strength is to condemn
oneself to destruction. Such conduct can never lead to success in this
world of God. The Prophet achieved success by pursuing a policy of
non-confrontation; how, then can his followers succeed by pursuing a
policy of confrontation? How can they be called his followers when they
are blind to his example?
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SUPERACHIEVERS
Stepping Stones to Success
THE American writer, Charles Garfield, who has made a thorough
study of the psychology of peak achievement, says that, “in a
study of 90 leaders in business, politics, sports and arts, many
spoke of ‘false starts’ but never of ‘failure’. Disappointment spawns
greater resolve, growth or change. Moreover, no matter how rough
things get, super-achievers always feel there are other avenues they
can explore. They always have another idea to test.”
The writer emphasizes the fact however, that these high achievers are
neither super human, charismatic nor even singularly talented. What
they do have in common is an “uncanny knack for increasing the odds
in their favour through simple techniques that almost anyone can
cultivate.” He delineates three major areas of concern.
First and foremost, one must have a great sense of mission, and a
strong desire to turn everything that comes one’s way to good account.
Secondly, one must be result-oriented, so that
one is not just preoccupied with unceasing
activities, but with a definite outcome of
one’s efforts. Thirdly, one has to take stock of
whatever knowledge and skills one has and
bring out whatever is latent and waiting to
be used, so that it can be tuned up to a peak
of perfection. Very often, it is not so much a
question of adding to one’s knowledge and
skills as of developing what is already there—
capacities of which we are sometimes barely
aware. Frequently, it is one’s initial sense of
mission which taps these hidden resources.
No one sails through
life without bumping
into obstacles and
suffering a variety
of setbacks. This
is when one must
beware of lapsing
into passivity.
Sometimes it is impossible to achieve distant goals without the aid
of one’s fellow men, in which case, one has to develop the capacity
to inspire the team spirit in others. Particularly in highly competitive
situations, it is essential to be able to encourage other competent
people to make a significant contribution to one’s own performance.
But no one sails through life without bumping into obstacles and
suffering a variety of setbacks. This is when one must beware of lapsing
into passivity. Then one has to take oneself firmly in hand and decide to look upon such things not as great gulfs from which one will never
emerge, but simply as hurdles which have to be surmounted if one is
to finish the race. The initial feeling of disappointments should quickly
transform itself into a great determination to try harder, to alter one’s
approach, to seek different and better ways of achieving one’s goal,
and to channel one’s energies more effectively towards the ultimate
target.
NO END TO POSSIBILITIES
Just Don’t Lose Hope
THE sun was setting in the west over the mountains. Half of the
orb had already dipped beneath the ridge. In a few minutes,
the whole sun disappeared behind the still-glowing mountain
range. Then darkness began to set in on all sides. The light of the sun
was gradually receding, and it seemed as if the whole area would be
plunged in pitch darkness. But just then, another light began to ascend.
It was the full moon, ascending in the east as the sun set in the west.
In a short while the whole scene was lit up again. Not long after the
eclipse of the sunlight, the earth was illuminated anew. This is a sign
of nature. When one possibility ends, another begins. With the setting
sun, the rise of the moon gives light to the world.
So it is, for individuals and nations—there is always hope. If one falls
victim to the hand of fate, there is no need to be discouraged. There is no
cause for despair in this world of God. By grasping fresh opportunities
and utilizing them, one can arise again. All one has to do is go about
one’s task in an intelligent manner without ever giving up trying.
God has created this world full of wonderful opportunities. Here, when
matter perishes, it becomes energy; when darkness comes, a new light
emerges from its depths; when one building falls, it leaves a place for
the construction of another. So it is, with events in the life of man.
From every failure emerges the chance of
new success. The same applies to nations too.
The suffering resulting from backwardness
can give rise to a new spirit of struggle and
endeavour and lead them on to greater
heights.
From every failure
emerges the chance
of new success.
No one need lose heart in this world of God.
However uncompromising circumstances
may seem, they contain somewhere, the
possibility of triumph for man. What one
should do is seek out these possibilities and use them to turn one’s
defeat into victory. Though no one can go back and make a brand
new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.
Remember that every dark cloud has a silver lining. The obstacles of
your past can become the gateways that lead to new beginnings.
AVOIDING THE USELESS
To Achieve the Useful
THE Quran advocates a purposeful life. It exhorts people not to
indulge in useless talk or useless activity. On this subject there is
a particularly apt verse in the Chapter Al-Muminun (The Believers)
of the Quran. Its translation is as follows:
Successful indeed are the believers, those who are humble in their
prayer; and those who turn away from everything vain. (
Human pursuits fall into two categories—worthy and unworthy.
A worthy pursuit is one which leads to positive results and an unworthy
pursuit is one which leads to no result at all. A true believer is one
who has before him a specific target, which makes him selective. He
therefore makes a point of always selecting that kind of activity which
is worthy and avoids that which is unworthy. It is this kind of person
who will be rewarded with success by God Almighty.
Before taking any action, the believer must assess its possible result. He
must anticipate its consequences. His response to any situation must
be rational and well-considered and not just an emotional outburst.
This principle includes all kinds of human expressions and activities
like thinking, discussions, reading, dealing, association, shopping,
travelling etc. A believer must adopt this kind of behaviour in every
aspect of his life, both in word and deed.
A wise man always
differentiates
between a positive
response and a
negative reaction;
between a realistic
approach and an
emotional approach.
He invariably adopts
a result-oriented
policy.
It is a fact that we are on this planet earth for a
limited time. Our life span being so very short,
we cannot afford the luxury of wasting time
and energy; we have to be very prudent. We
have to select only such targets about which
we can say with certainty that in the end they
will yield the required result. No excuse in this
regard is acceptable.
When you use your mind, use it on healthy
subjects; when you speak, say whatever is
good for you and good for others; when
you are going to take a step, examine all the
relative aspects. If there is any possibility that
your step will prove to be counter-productive,
then refrain from taking it.
A wise man always differentiates between a positive response and
a negative reaction; between a realistic approach and an emotional
approach. He invariably adopts a result-oriented policy. Jumping into
things without assessing the result is a habit that only fools can afford,
for fools rush in where angels fear to tread. A wise man cannot afford
this kind of involvement.
‘Useless’ means ‘without any result’ and whatever has no result is
pointless and liable to be thrown into the litterbin. Even animals follow
a result-oriented path. How much more so must human beings then be
conscious of doing result-oriented things?
If an honest person indulges in useless activities, his conscience will
go against him. Before facing others, he has to face up to his own
conscience and there are very few who can do that. Conscience, working
as an internal check, is a moral keeper for every person. Conscience
never fails and if you pay heed to it, you will save yourself from going
astray. Follow your conscience and you will surely develop into a divine
personality.
Law of Nature
No steam or gas ever drives anything
until it is confined. No Niagara is ever
turned into light and power until it is
tunnelled. No life ever grows until it is
focused, dedicated, and disciplined. There
is but one law of nature, which applies to
both animate and inanimate objects. It is
that there is a price to be paid for every
end in life; without paying that price,
nothing can be achieved.
GARDEN OF SPIRITUALITY
Seek its Nectar
JUST visit a place of natural beauty, any place where there are
mountains, flowing rivers, tall, lush green trees, birds on the wing,
small white clouds floating in the sky and the sun shining. In such
a place, you will feel like exclaiming: “How wonderful is nature!” But
nature is not just a wonderful world. It is rather an amazing garden of
spirituality. Indeed, everything in nature gives you a taste of spirituality.
For example, when you see a honey bee hovering over a flower, you
suddenly realize that it has a lesson to impart, for every part of nature
is like a flower for you. In each part resides the nectar of spirituality.
Take out this spiritual nectar and you will be motivated to turn yourself
into a spiritual personality.
It should be borne in mind that spirituality is not a state of ecstasy.
Ecstasy is a trance-like state, a state of bliss or a semi-conscious
condition. It is like a kind of stupor which causes blurriness in the
conscious mind. But spirituality is very different from this, being
marked by a high level of acute intellectual awakening, rather than a
semi-somnolent state of mind.
During the pre-scientific age, the notion
had become prevalent that the heart was
the source of spirituality. This was taken for
granted and led to spirituality becoming a
subject for meditation, that is, heart-based
spirituality. Since the heart is devoid of
any thinking capacity, spirituality could not
therefore, become an advanced discipline. It
was reduced rather to being an array of illdefined
assumptions.
For an awakened
mind, the whole
world is a world
of spirituality. It
extracts spiritual
content from
everything. The
awakened person
thus enhances his
spirituality until
he grows to be a
spiritual giant.
Now that we live in the age of science, it is
possible to place spirituality within the frame
work of a mind-based discipline. Being a
science just like other sciences, spirituality
should be associated not with meditation
but rather with contemplation. Since the
domain of the physical sciences encompasses the exploration of the
quantitative aspects of nature, what is discovered therein is necessarily
of a material nature. The domain of spiritual science on the other hand,
encompasses the contemplation of the qualitative aspects of nature, so that within its scope, it is things of a spiritual nature which are brought
to light.
Flowers are the greatest concern of the honey bee. For a honey bee, its
whole world is a world of flowers. It never wastes time on other things.
It concentrates on flowers, takes the nectar from them and returns to
its hive. The same is true of an awakened mind. For an awakened mind,
the whole world is a world of spirituality. It extracts spiritual content
from everything. The awakened person thus enhances his spirituality
until he grows to be a spiritual giant.
Spiritual science, in developing the mind, enables one to analyze
matters in an objective manner. In complex issues, it is an aid to right
judgement. It helps one to view things in such a way that mental
confusion is dispelled and one can think with total clarity. If heartbased
spirituality was no more than thoughtless ecstasy, mind-based
spirituality has emerged as a fine-tuned form of high thinking.
Spiritual science has evolved in the same way as the science of the
solar system. In the early centuries man had given credence to the
geocentric theory. As a result, no development in this science was
possible. In modern times, however, man’s thinking altered sufficiently
for the heliocentric theory to be formulated, as a result of which solar
science became a developed discipline. The same change in thinking
took place in the case of spiritual science. In the pre-scientific period,
people believed in heart-based spirituality, so that there could be no
furtherance of the imparting of spiritual discipline. The scientific age
being an age of mind-based spirituality, endless scope for spiritual
advancement has opened up.
Our world is like a garden of all good things, and spirituality enables
the individual to live in and benefit from this garden.
Together
God has placed pleasant things
alongside the unpleasant things in life.
FROM THE SPIRITUAL TREE
There is a tree beside my house. I call
it the 'Spiritual Tree'. I derive spiritual
inspiration from it. A tree is an evergrowing
being that was initially a seed
possessing the potential of becoming a
full-grown tree. A seed takes food from the
universe around it and then grows into a
tree. The same is true with spirituality,
the desire for which is intrinsic to, and an
integral part of, the very nature of, every
human being. To realize this spirituality,
Man must derive spiritual food from the
universe around him. A tree converts
carbon-dioxide into oxygen; a spiritual person is one who can take positive lessons
from negative situations. From this perspective, a tree is an embodiment of a
spiritual personality. —Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
LOVE OF GOD
GOD has created man so that man may discover God. For this man
is bestowed with the faculty of thinking. By using this faculty one
can develop one’s intellectuality and thereby discover God. This
discovery gives one the greatest joy and happiness. Discovering God in
this manner will develop in us a strong bond with God. The result will
be the emergence of a new personality.
We will live in the glory of God and our days and nights will be spent
in thoughts of God. Our soul will find sustenance in the remembrance
of God. Since the last few days, I was not able to remember God at a
deep level. This had troubled me. Today when I woke up in the morning
before dawn, I prayed to God with tears welling up in my eyes. I cried:
“O God, will You abandon me?” Then, once again I was able to feel
connected to God. Love of God means to begin to live in thoughts of
God. When you develop true love for God, you will see blessings of God
everywhere.
An ordinary person from a village was made a member of parliament
by the help of a political leader. After becoming an MP, he moved to
a new well-furnished house. To whoever came to meet him, he would
keep repeating that whatever he had was a gift given by his political leader. But who among us says that whatever he possesses has been
bestowed by God? When a person sees the sun, moon, birds, skies and
the trees, he should be able to exclaim that all of these bounties have
been bestowed by God. People are aware of the gifts given to them
by others, but nobody truly acknowledges God for the innumerable
blessings which He has endowed man with. Breathing, seeing, eating,
drinking and walking—all these experiences should inspire us to
become deeply thankful to God and thus develop closeness to Him.
The Quran says:
There are some who set up equals with God and adore them with the
adoration due to God, but those who believe, love God most. (
People are generally busy in love for their
children, families or businesses. Nobody can
be truly said to have love for God. Having
strong affection for something or person
other than God is like setting up partners with
God.
People are generally
busy in love for their
children, families
or businesses.
Nobody can be truly
said to have love
for God. Having
strong affection for
something or person
other than God is like
setting up partners
with God.
The verses of the Quran and sayings of the
Prophet are filled with God-realization, but
nobody has written any significant book on
this topic. Generally, people write stories and
legends about others. Very few write about
discovering their ultimate Benefactor. This is
due to a lack of deep thinking, without which
there is no discovery. Everything depends on
how much one reflects and contemplates.
Without such thinking, there is no finding and
no realization of God.
Save Time
If you can save your minutes, your
hours of themselves will be saved.
TRUE PROGRESS FOR WOMEN
Real Empowerment
TRUE progress for women cannot be achieved by encouraging
them to make their entry into every field of life. A better
approach would be to increase their knowledge, skills, alertness
and awareness in their own sphere of activity. The more a woman is
endowed with these qualities, the more effective will be the part she
plays in the activities of daily life. An intellectual woman can perform
the greatest of services, whereas, if she is left ignorant and untutored,
she will never—even if she is brought to the forefront of things—be
able to play a role of any significance.
There have been many women in history who never emerged from their
homes, but who exerted a great influence upon the outside world. The
allegation that women cannot perform great services when confined
to the home is refuted by Islamic history. Home management is also
undoubtedly great work, but the work which concerns the outside
world can also certainly be performed by women, without putting
themselves into uncongenial surroundings, or forcing themselves to
play unfamiliar roles for which neither training nor biology has fitted
them.
It is a little understood fact that the role a woman plays does not depend
upon her physical environment, but rather on the degree to which her
intellect has been cultivated. In order to progress, it is not binding that
she has to put herself into all kinds of unsafe situations in the outside
world. We can understand this from the following argument. If it were
put to a writer that he could serve humanity better by stepping out of
his study and jumping into the boxing ring, he would surely retort that
there is more to solving the problems of the world than just punching
people on the nose. He would, indeed, point out that the intellectual
can best operate in his own chosen sphere and that it is not physical
brashness which counts in this life, but the sharpening of the intellect.
Imagine a reversal of the social structure which entails a surgeon
working in a butcher’s shop, a teacher selling vegetables etc. In each
case, the change of workplace and role would render useless and
irrelevant the innate and acquired skills, the knowledge and the moral
excellence of these highly qualified and experienced professionals.
Their competence and effectiveness would moreover, be eroded by the
sense of frustration and discrimination engendered by surroundings
which clearly were unsuitable for them.
Studies in biology and psychology have shown that the two genders
are different in nature, each being designed for a different purpose.
They are endowed by nature with different capacities so that they may
play their respective roles in life with greater ease and effectiveness.
Difference of biological function does not imply inequality. In fact
differences are meant to make both genders play complementary roles
and endure the challenges of life by supporting each other with their
constructive capacities for which each is best suited. It should not be
looked upon as a matter of superiority or inferiority. Looked at with the
right perspective, these differences are a blessing of God.
What the world perceives as a problem of
inequality when it comes to oppression
and degradation of women is actually a
phenomenon of evil perpetrated by humans
upon other humans due to the misuse of
freedom. It has nothing to do with the role
accorded to each gender by nature. Such evil
is a part of every society.
It is a little
understood fact
that the role a
woman plays
does not depend
upon her physical
environment, but
rather on the degree
to which her intellect
has been cultivated.
The phenomena of oppression exists
between the rich and the poor, men and
women, an adult and a child, people in power
and the common man, the educated and the
illiterate etc. The solution to this problem of
backwardness of women due to lack of opportunity for progress lies in
helping people to change their mindset. To this effect there should be
wide efforts to raise the thinking levels of the individual to overcome
such negative behaviour in society.
TRUSTING HUMAN NATURE
Assured Results
DURING his 23-year movement, Prophet Muhammad brought
about a revolution which took place at the level of human
thought. Monotheism replaced polytheism, people who had
been insolent became dutiful, those whose thinking had been parochial
became upholders of the international message, those who had known
nothing but fighting and aggression became champions of peace and
humanitarianism spreading their message all over the world; those
who had no history of their own, rose to fashion a history of the nations
of the world.
Now the question arises as to how did the Prophet succeed in bringing
about this unique revolution? The answer is that a huge amount of
sacrifice was needed to bring it about. This sacrifice is what we call in
today’s jargon as ‘taking risks’. The world is governed by the principle:
The greater the risks the greater the success. Changing the minds of the
people is the most difficult task in this world. Therefore, one who aspires
to do so cannot but imperil his own interests. As far as this world of
cause and effect is concerned, Prophet Muhammad took the greatest
of risks, and hence the success he achieved was also the greatest.
Two examples will bring out the magnitude of risks undertaken by the
Prophet. The first example concerns the takeover of Makkah. After the
acquisition of Makkah, the Prophet declared a general amnesty for all
those people who had displayed the greatest antagonism towards him
and his Companions. They had expelled him and his Companions from
their homes, waged offensive battles against him and killed a large
number of his Companions.
The past crimes could be forgiven, but another danger lurked which
was even greater. It was the danger of those people re-organizing
themselves to plot against the Prophet and his Companions again. In
the face of all this, the Prophet took a great risk and set them free
and he benefitted equally as a result. This was an example of trust in
human nature, although it was fraught with dangers.
When these people came to Prophet Muhammad, after the acquisition
of Makkah, they were in a psychological state when death seemed
certain; they felt sure that they were to be consigned to their graves.
The moment the Prophet granted them pardon, it seemed as if they
had been given a new lease of life. It was such a great favour to them
that after this they could no longer remain obdurate. Psychologically, it was no longer possible for them to remain insolent after such
noble behaviour on the part of the Prophet. The very people who had
been his greatest of enemies now became his greatest companions
and supporters. This unique event in history could come about only
because the Prophet dared to take a most unique risk.
Another noteworthy incident concerning the Hawazin tribe took place
after the occupation of Makkah. When the Prophet and his Companions
headed for Taif by a route bordered by Hawazin territory, the tribesmen
rained down arrows upon them from the hill tops. At this sudden
onslaught, the Muslims were stricken with panic. Many precious lives
were lost. However after an initial defeat, the Muslims won the battle.
About 6,000 people were taken captive. Again the Prophet took the risk
and liberated the prisoners with mounts and
provisions so that they might comfortably
return to their homes. Again the same miracle
happened. The extraordinary magnanimity
of the Prophet rid them entirely of their
haughtiness. Old enemies now turned into
friends.
At the level of
the real inner
personality, every
human being is
predisposed to truth.
No one is averse to it
as far as his nature is
concerned.
What emerges from the above examples
is an important part of the Sunnah (practice
and teaching) of the Prophet of Islam—trust
in human nature. We find examples of this
principle throughout his life. Man is not a statue made of stones.
Rather he has a precious gift within him in the form of human nature.
This nature is the most important part of a human personality. This is
what is referred to in the Quran in the following verse:
By the soul and how He formed it, then inspired it to understand
what was right and wrong for it. (
This shows that everyone by birth knows what is good and what
is bad; what is wrong and what is right. The Prophet’s life is replete
with examples of such conviction and confidence. In spite of apparent
antagonism, his conviction was never shaken, that one day or the other
the hearts of his opponents would be opened and their good human
nature would prevail. This was the reason why, in spite of the worst
opposition, he never cursed people who were apparently his enemies.
Instead he always prayed for them. It was a result of this policy that the
Prophet never felt the need to resort to violence against opponents. He
treated his enemies as if they were his friends. That is why for the first
time in human history he was able to bring about an almost bloodless
revolution throughout the nation.
The Quran tells us that God created all human beings with the same
nature:
And follow the nature as made by God—the nature in which He has
created mankind. There is no altering the creation of God. (
There is a Hadith to this effect: “God has created human beings with
an upright nature.” This shows that all human beings are born with
the same nature. Trusting the nature man is born with, one must
think along the lines that some people are his direct supporters, but
others are his potential supporters. He nurtures in his heart the same
well-wishing for his opponents as he feels towards his friends. He is
able to address his apparent opponents with a cool-mind and without
losing his balance, until the time comes when his enemies turn into his
friends. This is the reality pointed out in the Quran in these words:
Good and evil deeds are not equal. Repel evil with what is better;
then you will see that one who was once your enemy has become
your dearest friend. (
An enemy becoming a friend does not mean that earlier a person
was fire, then he became water. The truth is that the person already
was a friend, only some superficial layers had obscured his true
personality. One’s unilateral good behaviour helps in removing these
superficial layers and brings out the real person. At the level of the
real inner personality, every human being is
predisposed to truth. No one is averse to it as
far as his nature is concerned.
A study of the life of the Prophet shows
that trusting human nature is a permanent
principle of Islam. Dividing people into friends
and enemies is against Islam as well as nature.
While dealing with people, the actual factor
worth considering is human nature. Man is
basically subordinated to the temperament
he is born with. All other things are only of
a temporary nature. They do not enjoy the
position of a decisive element in the matter of
human behaviour.
A study of the life
of the Prophet
shows that trusting
human nature is a
permanent principle
of Islam. Dividing
people into friends
and enemies is
against Islam as well
as nature.
Taking into consideration the above factor, if we are able to give
concessions to human nature by avoiding provocation and not letting
imaginary fears overwhelm us, we can solve many problems of the
world in the most sensible manner.
THE LEARNERTEACHER
One Man Two Missions
WITHIN a few days of landing in Bombay, a young Spanish priest
by the name of Henry Heras found himself in the presence
of St. Xavier’s College, Bombay. He met the principal of the
college. The young priest was a historian, and had a degree in Spanish
history. “Which branch would you like to teach?” the principal asked
him. “Indian History”, Father Heras replied. “What do you know about
Indian history?” the principal asked. Father Heras said he knew nothing.
“Then how are you going to teach it?” “I shall study it”, Father Heras
answered.
To those who knew that he had a degree in history from Spain, it might
have seemed strange that he did not just choose a branch of the subject
with which he was thoroughly familiar, then settle into a comfortable
teaching routine which would bring him his salary with the minimum of
effort. Strange indeed, until one discovered that his purpose in doing so
was to bring him into contact with the widest possible range of young
people in order that he might more effectively pursue his mission. It
was essential that he should have a permanent base from which to
work, and this kind of teaching assignment was ideal in that it gave him
the opportunity to function both as a teacher and a missionary.
So intent was he upon carrying out his mission that he did not once
baulk at the enormity of the task that lay ahead. It meant learning
the history of a whole subcontinent—and that too, which dated back
to the most ancient of times, and into which were interwoven the
histories of many peoples. The complexity of the task was intensified
by the lack of documentary evidence for certain important periods
of Indian history and the fact that much had to be pieced together
on the basis of archaeological discoveries. But he set about his task
with such thoroughness and determination that he became not only
an accomplished teacher of history, but a historian of repute of the
same class as Sir Jadunath Sarkar and Dr. Surendra Nath Sen. He died
in 1956, but his work is still commemorated by an institute in Mumbai
which is named after him: The Heras Institute.
It is when one has a great and over-riding mission in life that no task
seems too difficult, no hardship too great. That is when temporary
gain loses its attractiveness and loss seems of little importance. There
are many Muslims in the world today who let it be known that they
are ‘interested’ in doing missionary work. But are they ready to make
the enormous sacrifices and engage in the unremitting toil which true
missionary work demands?
VALUE OF EDUCATION
Love, Despite Hatred
EDUCATION should not be only a means for obtaining a certificate
that can fetch one a job. Its real aim is to make people conscious
or aware. Making people aware is the first step in the path of
progress. The journey of a person always starts from this point. Just
as a farmer cultivates a seed, which later transforms into a tree, an
educational institution should make a person so intellectually capable
that he can complete his evolutionary journey.
What does it mean for someone to become aware? It means that a
person can relate the past with the present and plan for the future.
He can view the problems of life against the background of the eternal
cosmic plan. It means to become aware of who one is and who one is
not. To know that only by harmonizing one’s will with God’s will can one
be truly successful in this world. An aware person alone is a sensitive
human being, in the true sense.
A person who is
aware is able to
develop a correct
opinion about
himself and others.
He is able to evaluate
and determine which
of his opinions are
prejudiced and which
are not.
A person who is aware is able to develop a
correct opinion about himself and others. He
is able to evaluate and determine which of his
opinions are prejudiced and which are not.
Whenever any situation arises, he recognizes
what action would be a reaction and what
other action would be a positive response. He
distinguishes right from wrong. Separating
the false, he recognizes the truth.
The following quote from Sir Thomas Carlyle,
a well-known British writer, is very helpful in
making us understand the meaning of being
truly sensitive towards others—it is to have a
loving heart which is the key to gaining knowledge. He said, ‘A loving
heart is the beginning of all knowledge’.
The above saying is extremely meaningful but its meaningfulness
cannot be properly understood unless we add these words to it, ‘loving,
despite there being a cause for hatred’. For in this world the factors
of hatred are always present. No one can love other human beings
without demonstrating that they are broad minded enough to love
people despite experiencing their hatred and ill-will.
Thomas Carlyle’s life itself serves as an example. The Crusades had
resulted in hatred between Muslims and Western nations, with the result that for centuries they held the Prophet
to be an evil person. But Thomas Carlyle rose
above the cloud of hatred in the wake of the
Crusades and studied the life of the Prophet
objectively. He became so impressed that he
held him to be the hero of all the prophets and
acknowledged the worth of his personality
with the highest of praise in his book On
Heroes, Hero-worship, and The Heroic in History.
To develop a heart
within one, which
may love despite
hatred amounts to
taking oneself to the
height of morality.
This high morality is
the only ground on
which the plant of
knowledge grows and
develops into a lush
green tree.
To develop a heart within one, which may love
despite hatred amounts to taking oneself to
the height of morality. This high morality is the
only ground on which the plant of knowledge
grows and develops into a lush green tree.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PATIENCE IN ISLAM
Highest Virtue
PATIENCE or Sabr is a central Islamic value and teaching. It is
repeatedly stressed in the Quran. There are other words with a
similar meaning in the Quran—for instance, eraaz, which means
avoidance of conflict. These two words, sabr and eraaz, appear in the
Quran more than 100 times. This indicates the great importance that
the Quran gives to patience and avoidance.
There are two aspects of sabr (patience) and eraaz (avoidance). One is
related to this worldly life—that is, the pre-death period of our life. The
second is related to the world Hereafter, that is, the post-death period
of our life.
Our worldly life is beset with challenges. The reason being the world we
are living in presently is a world where everyone is free. This freedom
creates competition and challenges which in turn creates problems
constantly. We very well know that we cannot abolish the freedom
given to man by God Himself. So, no human being has the power
to abolish that situation which leads to competition and challenges.
Hence, we are compelled to live in a situation
of problems. Given this scenario what do we
need to face the challenges successfully?
Patience is a culture
of prophets; a
method of prophets;
a way of prophets.
It is a very lofty
quality. It is a
culture of a man
of mission. All the
prophets adopted the
culture of patience
and avoidance of
confrontation.
The solution lies in adopting the concept and
teaching of sabr. It tells us that we simply have
to learn the art of problem management,
rather than seeking to eliminate problems,
which in any case is impossible. Problems
arise because of the differences in nature
amongst people. Sabr is only another name
for the management of these differences.
Sabr is thus the basic condition for success in
this world. The Prophet of Islam said: “God’s
help is for those who keep patience.” (Musnad
Ahmed)
Sabr is not a passive attitude. It is not cowardice. The Quran says: “Have
patience, then, as had the steadfast Messengers before you.” (
Keep patience, just like the prophets. Patience is a culture of prophets;
a method of prophets; a way of prophets. It is a very lofty quality. It is a culture of a man of mission. All the prophets adopted the culture of
patience and avoidance of confrontation.
Without patience, without avoidance, one cannot gain any valuable
achievement. This is a law of nature, and “there is no altering the
creation of God.” (
a believer (a person of deep faith in God) relying on patience. He makes
patience or sabr his divine shield. To further explain how sabr can be a
divine shield one needs to just look at nature to find an illustration of
avoidance and patience.
In nature, you can perceive a validation of the benefits of avoidance and
exercising patience. Consider a mountainous stream. When it flows, it
encounters many boulders in its way. What does the stream do? What
is its way? It isn’t the method of the stream to seek to remove the
obstacles that lie in its path. Instead, it adopts the method of avoidance
of confrontation. It flows on, swirling around the boulders, instead of
clashing against them. This is what the Prophet of Islam meant when
he said that patience is what a believer relies on. Patience is a divine
shield for the believer. Like the stream the
believer moves on with his mission without
clashing with others.
This positive
response of
forgiveness in the
face of provocation
is a main source of
cultivating a positive
personality.
There is another illustration given to us in
nature—the rose plant. On every branch of it
you will find both flowers as well as thorns.
Although they live side by side, the flowers
never try to eliminate the thorns or vice versa.
They live in total compatibility together. So,
the rose plant has adopted what may be
called the principle of peaceful coexistence.
We need to adopt this same principle in our lives, too. Otherwise, there
is no gain, no success, and no achievement. The only other option is
destruction. So, when achievement in the world depends on patience,
one cannot underestimate its importance in every aspect of life—
personal, social, national and international.
A verse in the Quran says: As-sulh khair, meaning, “reconciliation
is best” (
parties, one must adopt a conciliatory course of action, rather than a
confrontational course of action. This is as-sulh khair.
The same principle is applicable to the other aspect of our life—our
spiritual life. The Quran says: “That [Paradise] is the recompense for
those who purify themselves.” (
who are able to convert negativity into positivity.
In this world, we experience many negative situations. Every now and
then we face provocations. How can one live amidst these negative
experiences with positive thinking? How is it possible? There is a verse
in the Quran which says that those who believe “forgive when they
are angry.” (
provocation is a main source of cultivating a positive personality.
Once, a man came to the Prophet and asked him for a master-advice
by which he could manage all the affairs of his life. The Prophet replied:
“Don’t be angry.” (Sahih al-Bukhari). What does this mean? It means that
when one is provoked, one should be able to keep control over anger.
If you become angry and react it will become
a distraction for you. Patience and avoidance
save you from this distraction.
When one discovers
Truth, one becomes
cautious and avoids
all distractions.
One is able to save
oneself from all
negative thoughts
thereby becoming a
positive person.
Another verse in the Quran says: “Truly, those
who persevere patiently will be requited
without measure.” (
will be awarded unlimited reward. According
to the Quran, only sabr has this special quality.
It is very important to know that one cannot
find entry into Paradise simply by reciting some
words like the Islamic creed declaring belief in
God and the prophethood of Muhammad or
by performing some rituals. All these things are not enough for entry
into Paradise. In addition, one has to be a totally positive personality.
However, we must know that it requires a continuous process to build
a positive personality. It begins from the discovery of Truth.
Discovery means awakening. The discovery of Truth creates a storm
in the soul. It gives one the art of positive thinking and the art of
positively managing challenges. Without this discovery, there is no
revolution in the personality. This discovery makes one a truly living
person; a positive person. Faith can become stagnant, hence, discovery
is important for faith to be a living faith. When one discovers Truth,
one becomes cautious and avoids all distractions. One is able to save
oneself from all negative thoughts thereby becoming a positive person.
The Quran uses the word purified to describe positivity and says that
it is the purified soul which will be successful in the Hereafter. In other
words it is the purified soul which is deserving of Paradise, a place of
unlimited reward.
HOW TO BECOME BEAUTIFUL
Sincerity in Character
There are two kinds of human behaviour: the sincere and
the insincere. Sincere behaviour is the result of adherence to
principles, while insincere behaviour shows a lack of principle.
HERBERT W ARMSTRONG, the founder of Plain Truth, a magazine
published in the US, observed in an article that in his long
professional life, he had occasion to meet hundreds and
thousands of people from different denominations. But he said that
if he were asked what the scarcest quality in human beings was, he
would say that it was sincerity. Sincerity is the noblest of all human
qualities. But very few people would measure up to this high ideal.
Insincere behaviour or unprincipled behaviour is very easy to indulge
in. When you are faced with a situation, it doesn’t require much thought
to take a spontaneous decision. Without applying your mind, you can
follow the advice of the situation. You can easily understand what is in
your interest and what is against it. So in following the dictates of the
situation, you don’t need any ideal yardstick to guide you. This kind of
behaviour is like that of flowing water. The contours of the surface of
the earth determine its path. The one who is insincere is always ready
to accede to the demands of a given situation.
In comparison sincerity is a difficult option.
When you are a sincere person, you cannot
afford to go against your conscience or moral
norms. It is this difference between the two
that makes one a difficult option and the
other a very easy option. Sincerity invites you
to ponder over the situation, to try to choose
the best course of action, even if it is against
your desires.
Sincerity is the
noblest of all human
qualities. But very
few people would
measure up to this
high ideal.
In terms of social requirements, principled
behaviour is very important. It makes you predictable to others, who
can then anticipate your behaviour before dealing with you. On the
other hand, insincerity makes you an unpredictable person. It becomes
difficult to understand what kind of attitude you are going to adopt in
the future.
Principled behaviour makes you a true human being, while unprincipled
behaviour makes you an unpredictable character, one capable of
inhuman behaviour.
Unprincipled behaviour can give you some benefits, but these are
of a temporary nature. Permanent benefits can be achieved only
through principled behaviour. Sincere people are able to receive divine
inspiration. Sincerity develops one’s spirituality, while insincerity
ruins one’s personality. The insincere person fails to have spiritual
experiences in his life.
The greatest drawback of unprincipled
behaviour is that it is like a form of
psychological suicide. One who opts for
the insincere path first kills his conscience,
for without suppressing one's conscience
one cannot be insincere in their behaviour.
Conscience is a moral watchdog in life. It is
the finest gift of nature. One who goes against
conscience is making a self-destructive choice.
One should keep conscience alive by listening
to the inner voice. This inner voice is the voice
of conscience.
One who opts
for the insincere
path first kills his
conscience, for
without suppressing
one's conscience one
cannot be insincere
in their behaviour.
Going against one's conscience is not easy. It is this behaviour that
creates what is called tension or stress. If one wants to live with a
tension free mind, one should listen to the voice of their conscience
and follow it without any reservation.
Sincerity is not a single value. Sincerity combines all good human
values. Where there is sincerity, there are all kinds of moral beauty. In
contrast, insincerity makes one ugly.
DEATH
Compulsory Eviction
OF all the stages through which a person will have to pass, death
is the most certain. Everyone who is alive now will be dead
sometime in the future. One day the eyes of those who see will
fade and their tongues freeze into silence. Every human being will one
day be leaving this world, never to return, and entering a world which
he will never leave.
No one can be sure when death will come; it might strike at any instant.
The gravity of the situation lies in death not being the end of life, but
rather the beginning of a new, eternal life, a world of everlasting reward
or retribution.
Everyone is on a journey from life to death. Some have set their sights
on the world, others on the Hereafter. Some strive to satisfy their own
desires and egos, others are restless in the love and fear of God.
Both types of people appear the same in this
world. But in relation to the life after death,
there is a world of difference between the
two: those who live in God and the Hereafter
are redeeming themselves, while those who
live in worldly pleasures and selfish desires
are condemning themselves to doom.
We are obsessed
with the world, which
meets our eyes. We
fail to pay attention
to the call of truth.
If we were to see the
next life with our
worldly vision, we
would immediately
submit to God.
Death will overtake everybody; no one can
escape from it. But death is not the same for
everyone. Some have made God their goal in
life; they speak and keep silence for His sake
alone; their attention is focused entirely on
the after-life. Death is for them the end of a
long terrestrial journey towards their Lord.
Others have forgotten their Lord; they do not do things for God’s sake;
they are travelling away from their Lord. They are like rebels who roam
at large for a few days, and then death seizes them and brings them to
justice.
Righteous people have a different attitude to death from the
disobedient. They are concerned with what comes in the wake of
death; they focus their attention on gaining an honourable position in
the life after death. Those who disregard the existence of God and the Hereafter, on the other hand, are caught up in worldly affairs. Their
ultimate ambition is worldly honour and prestige.
Under present circumstances, those who have consolidated their
position on earth seem to be successful, but death will shatter this
facade. It will become clear that those who seemed to have no base in
the world were in fact standing on the most solid of foundations, while
the position of those who had reached a high status in the world will be
exposed as false. Death will obliterate everything; afterwards only that
which has some worth in the after-life will remain.
We are obsessed with the world, which meets our eyes. We fail to pay
attention to the call of truth. If we were to see the next life with our
worldly vision, we would immediately submit to God. We would realize
that if we do not submit to Him today, we will have to do so in the
future world, when submission will profit no one.
THE WORD OF GOD
From The Scriptures
The Quran is the book of God. It has been preserved in
its entirety since its revelation to the Prophet of Islam
between 610 and 632 AD. It is a book that brings glad
tidings to mankind, along with divine admonition,
and stresses the importance of man’s discovery of
the Truth on a spiritual and intellectual level.
Translated from Arabic and commentary by
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
O men! It is you who stand in need of God—God is self-sufficient, and
praise worthy—if He so wished, He could take you away and replace
you with a new creation; that is not difficult for God. No burden-bearer
shall bear another’s burden, and if some over-laden soul should call
out for someone else to carry his load, not the least portion of it will
be borne for him, even though he were a near relative. You can only
warn those who fear their Lord in the unseen, and pray regularly.
Anyone who purifies himself will benefit greatly from doing so. To God
all shall return. (
Man is an extremely vulnerable creation. His whole existence depends
on a particular balance of natural factors. If this balance were to be
disturbed, the very existence of man would be threatened.
If, for instance, the sun reduced its distance from the earth and came
near it, then all human beings would be burnt and reduced to ashes.
Also, a large part of the inside of the earth consists of an extremely hot,
semi-liquid material. If this hot matter moved upwards, the surface of
the earth would experience terrible earthquakes which would reduce
all human settlements to ruins. Moreover, meteors constantly fall upon
Earth from outer space, but the atmosphere shields us against their
effects. If the present balanced arrangement of this phenomenon were
to be disrupted, the shower of meteors might turn into such a terrible
barrage of stones that it would be impossible to save humanity from
it. Man is surrounded by innumerable deadly possibilities of this kind;
being totally dependent explains why man needs God and not vice
versa.
The burden of Doomsday will be that of one’s sins. Were it only a
question of a physical burden, any individual could share another’s
burden. But, the denigration and pain one suffers due to one’s bad
deeds are of an extremely personal nature and there is no question of
anybody else sharing them.
The Truth is very clear, but it is understood only by one who wants to
understand. One who is not serious about knowing what Truth is and
what is untruth, cannot be made to understand anything.
The blind and the sighted are not equal, nor are the darkness and the
light; shade and heat are not alike, nor are the living and the dead.
God causes whom He will to hear Him, but you cannot make those
who are in their graves hear you. You are but a warner—We have sent
you with the truth as a bearer of good news and a warner—there is no
community to which a warner has not come. If they reject you, so did
their predecessors. Messengers came to them with clear signs, with
scriptures, and with the enlightening Book, but in the end I seized
those who were bent on denying the truth and how terrible was My
punishment. (
It is a fact that the expectations one has of light are not applicable
to darkness. What one gets from the shade cannot be derived from
sunlight. The same is the case with man. Among human beings, some
have vision and some are blind. A man with eyes immediately sees his
way and recognizes it. But one who is blind will simply go on groping
in the dark.
Similarly, with regard to insight there are two types of people,—one
consisting of the living and the other consisting of the dead. The living
man is one who sees things in depth—who tears apart the deceptive
veil of words and grasps hidden meanings—who goes beyond
superficial matters and tries to understand the inner reality—who
assesses intrinsic values and not outward appearances—whose eyes
are concentrated on real facts and not on irrelevant hair-splitting
theories—who, after knowing the Truth, submits to it—he is the one
who is alive. He is one who has been fortunate enough in this world
to accept the Truth. Those whose behaviour is the very reverse of this
are dead. They never come anywhere near accepting the Truth in this
world of trial. They remain deaf to the call for Truth, until after death,
when they go to God to face the result of their blindness.
ASK MAULANA
Your Questions Answered
Q & A with Maulana on the ulema and inter-faith dialogue.
You are one of the few traditionally-trained Muslim ulema, in India
and abroad, to participate in inter-community dialogue initiatives.
What do you think are the reasons that few such ulema are engaged
in such dialogue?
One major reason is that the Muslim ulema are not comfortable with
the present concept of dialogue. The present concept of dialogue
is based on mutual learning and mutual understanding. But the
traditional mind of the Muslim ulema is based on debate and heated
polemics. So, they have no interest in serious dialogue. Even if they
participate in any interfaith dialogue, they often misrepresent Islam
because they speak in the language of debate, which is not acceptable
to other participants. I don’t know of any traditionally-trained Muslim
scholar or cleric who is competent enough to participate in the modern
kind of interfaith dialogue.
Muslims are devoid of the dialogue spirit. They want to impose their
concepts on others. They don’t know the concept of dialogue, which
is based on sharing and mutual understanding. In the light of my
experience, Muslims are debaters and not dialoguers.
Do you think that the fact that in the madrasas where the wouldbe
ulema are trained, students are not trained in various languages
other than Arabic (and in India, mainly Urdu) have to do with the fact
that few ulema are engaged in dialogue—because such dialogues
generally take place in other languages, particularly English?
Many madrasas in Africa have adopted English as their medium of
instruction. In the Arab world, the medium is Arabic, while in Iran it
is Persian. But all the scholars who are taught in these madrasas are
one and the same. All of them are trained in the concept of debating.
They are not aware of the concept of modern dialogue. It is basically a
question of the present Muslim mind, and not a question of language.
The present Muslim mind is one and the same in every country, from
the East to the West, in the Arab world, and among non-Arabs, too.
I’ll also say here that where there is a will there is a way. I learnt English
on my own and I also studied in a madrasa, and so I am sure that others
with a madrasa background can do so, too, if they have the will. No
one is stopping them. If you interact with others, gradually you will learn their language and will be able to be sensitive to their culture and
traditions.
What role does the fact that madrasa students and the ulema who
teach in madrasas have very little social interaction with people of
other faiths play in there being very few traditionally-trained ulema
who are engaged in interfaith dialogue?
All the madrasas, not only in India, but everywhere else too, were
established on a common idea—that is, the preservation of the identity
of Muslims. It is this widespread concept that is mainly responsible for
the phenomenon that few Muslims take part in dialogue with other
communities. This concept has created a ghetto mentality among
Muslims. No Muslim community throughout the world is an exception
in this regard. Malaysia, for instance, is said to be a ‘modern’ Muslim
country. But recently, there was this news of a Malaysian court issuing
a decree that sought to prevent others from using the word “Allah”.
How absurd! But this is the case with all other Muslim countries as well
today.
What role might feelings of supremacism or Muslim exclusivism or
looking down on other people or the fear of being rejected by people
of other faiths have in explaining the perceived lack of enthusiasm for
interfaith dialogue among the ulema?
As per my experience, the word ‘supremacism’ is the most appropriate
term to explain the present Muslims’ mentality. Previously, such
communal supremacism was considered to be a Jewish phenomenon,
but now Muslims have monopolized this concept. I think that Muslim
supremacism is the greatest reason for all kind of problems that are
seen in the Muslim world.
May be one reason that the ulema may not be enthusiastic about
interfaith dialogue is that some of them might think that interacting
with people of other faiths might negatively impact on the Muslims’
identity. Some ideologues refer to a Hadith in this regard which warns
Muslims against copying the ways of others. May be they think that
if Muslims interact closely with others, including through and for
dialogue, it might weaken their commitment to their own faith and
identity. How do you see this argument?
There is no single Muslim cultural identity, just as there is no single
Hindu cultural identity or Christian cultural identity. This notion of
completely separate communal cultural identities has been used as
a ploy to keep communities apart from each other and to minimize
interaction between them.
One’s identity should be determined by one’s piety or Godconsciousness,
and not by the dress one wears or the food one eats or
the language one speaks. Some people think that a Muslim’s cultural
identity is determined by the supposed ‘fact’ that he uses a pot with
long spout for his ablutions and that a Hindu’s identity is determined
by the fact that he, supposedly, uses a round pot without a spout! This
sort of thinking is stupid, to say the least. And it is also a meaningless
claim. In south India, for instance, it is often difficult to distinguish a
Muslim from a Hindu, because there, many Hindus and Muslims are
almost identical in terms of language and dress. Despite not having a
clearly and completely separate cultural identity that sets them apart
from the local Hindus, many south Indian Muslims, are, I think, perhaps
better Muslims than many of their north Indian counter parts. There is
a valuable lesson that we need to learn from this.
Now, as for the Hadith which you referred to, my argument is that it
applies only to copying the religious symbols of other religions, such as
the Christian Cross and the Hindu Janeu (Holy thread). Other aspects
of material culture are not forbidden, provided, of course, they do not
violate Islamic teachings.
Another issue is the negative images that many madrasa students
and teachers might have of people of other faiths. Perhaps that is a
major barrier to interfaith dialogue?
There are negative stereotypes on both sides. I think this is largely due
to lack of interaction. Positive interaction is a great killer of negativity.
A Hindu who has no Muslim friends but has only read about Muslims
in the media will probably have a very negative opinion about them.
On the other hand, a Hindu who lives in a mixed or in a Muslim locality
will more likely have a more positive appreciation of Muslims. Positive
interaction is the basis of the process of removing misconceptions, and
for this you do not need any artificial schemes or programmes.
Let me give you an instance of the power of constructive interaction
in removing stereotypes. In a village in Himachal Pradesh there was
a small Muslim community which had set up a madrasa. The Hindu
villagers had all sorts of negative feelings about the madrasa and the
maulvis who taught there. One day, some Hindu houses caught fire.
Seeing this, the madrasa students rushed to the spot and helped put
out the flames. After that, the attitude of the Hindu villages towards
the madrasa changed completely. They became as positive in their
appreciation of it as they were negative about it before! This miracle
was a result of interaction.
Would you recommend that madrasas also teach their students about
other faiths? May be that will also help them become more interested
in or open to interfaith dialogue?
Yes, madrasas could also consider teaching their students the basics
of other religions. This will enable the students, as would-be ulema,
to relate more comfortably with people of other faiths. The teaching
of other religions should aim at providing students an objective
understanding of these faiths. The earlier, polemical, approach of
denouncing other religions must be given up. You must learn to
understand your neighbour even if you do not agree with him. I think
polemics are against the ethos of Islam. So, for instance, in my case,
when I visit Hindu, Sikh, Christian shrines and other places of worship,
I try to empty my mind of prejudices, and I have learnt a lot from this
process. My intention in going to such places is to learn, not to debate
or to denounce others as inferior. The Quran asks us to be sympathetic
well-wishers of others
Plan of Nature
Innumerable processes are at work in
the world, all in accordance with nature's
equilibrium. The earth moves in its orbit
and revolves non-stop. The sun continues
to shine its light on the world. The winds
blow, the rains come, the rivers flow, the
plants and trees grow. All processes continue
without interruption in a peaceful manner
without any violence or confrontation.
Human beings should act in a balanced way
in this world, without distorting the balanced
pattern of nature. If we distort the plan of
nature it will lead to chaos.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan (1925-2021) was an Islamic scholar, spiritual guide, and an Ambassador of Peace. He authored over 200 books and recorded thousands of lectures giving the rational interpretation of Islamic concepts, prophetic wisdom, and the spiritual meaning of the Quran in the contemporary style. His English translation, The Quran, is widely appreciated as simple, clear and in contemporary style. He founded Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPS) International in 2001 to re-engineer minds towards God-oriented living and present Islam as it is, based on the principles of peace, spirituality, and co-existence. Maulana breathed his last on 21 April, 2021 in New Delhi, India. His legacy is being carried forward through the CPS International Network.
What God most earnestly desires from human beings is worship. The Quran says: “I have not created jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” ( 51:56 )
