Beginning from the Minimum

Beginning with the minimum or a small objective is always possible, while beginning with the maximum is almost always impossible and impracticable.

The Prophet of Islam was born in Makkah in 570 AD, and died in Madinah in 632 A D. He received his first revelation in 610.

At that time Makkah was faced with many grave problems. For instance, there were the 360 idols which had been placed in the sacred Kabah. Dar al-Nadwah, the centre of social decisions, was in the possession of idolaters. All kinds of sinful behaviour, like adultery, drinking and gambling were rampant in Arab society. Arabs were under the subjugation of the Roman and Sassanid empires.

But the first revelation the Prophet was given in such circumstances did not refer to any of these problems. He was simply asked to “read in the name of your Lord, who created, created man from a clot (of blood). Read! Your Lord is the most bountiful one who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know.” (The Quran 96:1-5)

It would be correct to say that, in relation to the magnitude of the problems of that time this commandment could be described as minimalistic. But had the Prophet been commanded to take action against all those evils, it would have resulted in severe conflict and confrontation with the Makkans.

The benefit of beginning with a very low key objective is that each small step will more surely take one to one’s destination. Whereas beginning with the seemingly highest priorities would in most cases prove counter-productive.

The conditioning for achieving success regardless of this issue lies in beginning at the right starting point. And the right beginning is only that which lies within the realms of the possible. Beginning with the possible is the only right starting point.

It is a fact that the minimum is always possible. Whereas beginning with the maximum is almost always impossible and impracticable.

Beginning with the minimum does not mean beginning with something inadequate. It just means beginning with what is feasible. Similarly, beginning with the maximum does not mean beginning with something more advantageous. It means rather beginning with the impossible.