Patience is a great virtue without which a person’s aim to lead his life in this world with high ideals can seldom be achieved. The reality is that at every step an individual is faced with experiences so unpleasant and so provoking that they divert him from his true purpose in life—to the point of making him lose sight of his ideals. This being so, if he allows himself to be provoked at every turn and becomes embroiled in every unpleasant issue, he will cease to be able to surmount the hurdles in his onward journey. He will just keep frittering away his time and energy in irrelevant matters.
The sole solution to this problem is the exercise of patience. Patience is that prolonged self-control which enables the individual to tread the path of restraint when he has bitter experiences, instead of allowing himself to be provoked into vengeful or retaliatory behaviour. It makes it easier for him to face life’s vicissitudes with equanimity and forge ahead on the path of truth. The exercise of patience, on the one hand, is a solution to the problems faced by the individual. On the other hand, it is a major aid in the building of a superior personality. Those without patience fall prey to negative influences, while those who are patient develop positive personalities.
Source: A Simple Introduction to Islam
My message for youth is that they must singularly focus on education and stay away from all distractions like student politics and student unions. Education leads to self-discipline and is the only way to bring about positive social change. This method seems to be very long-term, but according to the law of nature, any substantial result is achieved only by long-term planning. Short-term planning cannot produce any valuable results. Social construction or nation-building is like growing trees of oak. If we perform this task in the right way, a time will come when nation-building will become a reality. However, if we do not adopt the right method to carry out this task, then even after thousands of years of effort we will not be able to achieve our target.
Student-level politics has adversely affected our educational system. Educational institutions must have better management and infrastructure to allow feedback to come in without the need for a student union. The only step which shall take our country forward is to create a sustainable infrastructure of quality education.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
I feel that education—both formal and informal—is the very foundation of nation-building. Acquiring formal education is not a means of outperforming one another in material wealth, rather it is a means of strengthening character and becoming a responsible member of society. Such a society, which is an aggregate of virtuous individuals, becomes the first unit of a peaceful nation. An important guiding principle for nation-building was given by Mahatma Gandhi in these words: “Duty before Right.” In my opinion, this is not merely a Gandhian formula, rather it is a historically tested formula applicable to every country. The best society is a duty-conscious society. The worst society is a right-conscious society. This is a universal principle, and there is no exception in this regard.
Informal education is a means of making the citizens of a country duty-conscious and, thus, able to follow unilateral ethics. It aims to make people understand that enjoying one’s rights does not happen simply by demanding them. Rather, obtaining one's rights is an outcome of hard work. Complaining or protesting for your rights is like crying in a desert where there is no one to hear your voice. On the other hand, when you perform your duties, you become deserving of obtaining your rights. Performing one’s duty is like sowing a seed in fertile soil. Such a seed is destined to produce fruit according to the eternal law of nature. Abiding by one’s duty always results in becoming able to access one’s rights, but merely demanding your rights cannot bring you any positive results. Saint Francis of Assisi has rightly said in his famous prayer: “For, it is in giving that we receive.” If you are a duty-conscious person, you give something to the society and nation. And, according to the law of nature, you certainly deserve its return. But if you are a right's conscious person, you give nothing to society. And so, you do not deserve to receive any favour from society and nation.
Source: The Spirit of Islam Magazine
Happiness is the cherished goal of every human being. However, it is a fact that the majority of people fail to achieve happiness. They begin their day with unhappiness and end it with unhappiness. It is a sad aspect of almost every human being. So, what is the solution to this widespread problem? Margaret Lee Runbeck (1905-1956), American author, teacher and humanitarian has said: “Happiness is not a state you arrive at, but a manner of travelling.” This means that the secret of happiness is in contentment—contentment in what God has given us. If you are living in contentment, then you will be happy. But if you are discontent with what you have achieved, then you are bound to live in a state of unhappiness. Both happiness and unhappiness are states of the mind. If you are aware of this fact, you will easily be able to manage your ambitions and instantly achieve happiness. Happiness is an internal phenomenon; it is not an external achievement.
Source: The Spirit of Islam Magazine
The only master formula that I would advise is to adjust with other people. Here, adjustment means refraining from reacting, not trying to change others, not becoming negative, and not imagining issues to be insurmountable, but rather managing the situation with aplomb. In every situation you have two options: either to adjust with others or remain at loggerheads with them. If you decide not to make any adjustments, that will only aggravate your problems. You will go on living in a state of tension, feel mentally disturbed and will waste your time and energy. On the other hand, if you opt for adjustment, you will be able to instantly relax mentally and will be able to save yourself from all kinds of negativity. Adjustment gives you a chance to proceed with your own affairs. Adjustment is a form of accommodating or palliative behaviour that you adopt—ostensibly towards someone else, while it is actually for your own benefit and your own peace of mind. Once equable adjustments have been made in undesirable situations, one may live in a state of mental equilibrium and continue to proceed towards your positive goals undisturbed.
Source: Living in Hope
Nowadays stress is a common concern. Despite the use of all kinds of de-stressing techniques, it remains unrelieved. The reason for this failure is that people are going against nature and that is why they are unsuccessful. Stress is a normal part of life which you should not try to eliminate. Instead, you should learn the art of stress management. Most often, stress is caused due to complaints against another person. Instead of developing a complaint, we must take it easy. Taking it as a complaint would turn it into ‘crippling stress.’ Taking it normally would turn it into a ‘non-crippling stress.’ Crippling stress causes problems whereas non-crippling stress keeps the mind active. I would like to share an example of how one can live a stress-free life. During a visit to the US, I stayed for a few days with a businessman who had been living there for forty years. I found that he remained stress-free at all times. Upon undergoing an unwanted experience, he would promptly say, “Chalo ye bhi theek hai!” (This is also okay!) Every one of us should follow this formula to remain stress-free.
Furthermore, stress is a healthy sign. The only condition is to detach it from complaints and take it as a normal phenomenon. Stress is an integral part of nature and a positive activity. Our body needs movement. If there were no physical activity in the body, it would be rendered lifeless. The same is true of the effect that stress has on the mind. Stress is an intellectual activity. It is a sign of a healthy mind. It is only if one is intellectually awakened that one can treat stress as a normal phenomenon, just like physical movement. It is stress that makes one’s mind alive. Without stress, intellectual processes come to a halt and this results in intellectual stagnation.
Source: Living in Hope
Depression is a common problem in modern times. Both the rich and the poor suffer from it. According to the World Health Organization, by the year 2020 depression will become the second leading cause of disease in the world. Many solutions have been prescribed for the problem of depression but have proved to be ineffective. They may offer temporary relief but fail to resolve the problem permanently.
Depression is the result of non-acceptance of reality. The real solution to this problem is the acceptance of reality. While non-acceptance creates the problem, acceptance of reality will solve it. Our world is a world of freedom, competition, challenge and clash of interests. This nature of human life is bound to create problems. No one is exempted from this process. This being so, there is only one formula for de-stressing—learn the art of stress management rather than trying to eliminate the stress.
Source: Living in Hope
Anxiety is a form of distress, sometimes occasioned by the sad memories of losses suffered in the past and at other times by uncertainties regarding the future. Anxiety is a common phenomenon. Most men and women have lived in a state of anxiety at one time or another. Anxiety is not a real problem. It is a product of a way of thinking. Change your mental habits and adopt a positive pattern of thinking, then you will have no anxiety.
Problems are of three kinds. If a problem relates to the present, you can solve it by wise planning. If the problem relates to the past, there is always a simple solution: forget it, and the problem will instantly disappear. If the problem concerns the future, it is not a problem at all, it is simply a baseless fear. In other words, it has no valid existence. And if something is non-existent, how can it create a problem for you? Discover the genesis of anxiety and you will easily be able to rid yourself of it. Anxiety is not a physical problem. It begins in the mind and it is only in the mind that it can be buried.
Source: Living in Hope
I have spent significant time on this topic and my conclusion is that nature has instilled a special mechanism in a person by which he can control his anger. When angry, all one has to do is observe silence. Anger incites a psychological fire within a person and in the resulting rage, he is not able to control himself. But when one becomes silent in moments of anger, the rage instantly begins to take a downward trend. So, when someone provokes us, we must simply become quiet.
At all such times, I myself do not react and I have experienced that anger takes no time in subsiding. Reaction leads to chain reaction and not reacting stops the chain reaction, but in order to stop the chain reaction, one needs the power of self-control. Only the spiritually strong can break the chain reaction in a situation involving provocation and rage. It is a sign of great strength. As per a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad:
“The strong man is not one who is good at wrestling, but the strong man is one who controls himself in a fit of rage.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 5763)
In moments of rage when our natural tendency is to speak or react aggressively, we need to instantaneously change the direction of our flywheel and remain silent. Without a doubt, the anger shall dissipate and we shall be in a position to prudently handle the situation. Even I used to get angry in my early days; by following the above advice, my anger led me to self-thinking, which made me realize that anger yields no result. I then concluded that it was futile to waste energy on anger.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
If you happen to be in an open field when it starts to rain, you hasten to find shelter. This is not cowardice. This is realism. Similarly, when there is an earthquake, you immediately rush out of your home and look for an open space. This, too, is not defeatism, but an acknowledgement of the reality of nature. Where some difficulty arises between man and nature, the solution to the problem lies only in acknowledgement of the issue, and not in confrontation with it. The great secret of life is realism. Acceptance of defeat is the greatest form of realism. To do so is to acknowledge the fact that, far from being ahead of others, one is behind them. In other words, it is to know where one stands in life. Then we can plan our journey ahead realistically. While acceptance of defeat is very important; however, people find it difficult because they are not ready to accept the role of the law of nature in deciding a result, be it success or failure. Man is often governed by his ego and whims, which makes him a case of failure. The logo of ‘The Times of India’ bears the following inscription, ‘Let truth prevail.’ On the same lines, I would say in real life, the principle to be followed is: ‘Let the law of nature prevail.’ If, however, we desire that our ego prevails, it would be hard for us to accept failure and defeat and draw a positive lesson from it. On the contrary, if we accept our shortcomings, not only are we able to accept failure but also work towards self-improvement.
Source: The Spirit of Islam Magazine
In life, we face situations of both defeat and victory. There are experiences of loss and experiences of triumph. For someone ready to accept every situation, no loss is truly a loss, and no defeat is truly a defeat. For such a person, even defeat becomes a form of victory. Temporary situations of apparent hopelessness may arise, but the prospect of hope is never permanently closed for them. Refusing to accept defeat fosters negative thinking while accepting defeat generates new strength. Essentially, accepting defeat means preparing oneself to search for new opportunities after losing one, and by seizing the next opportunity, one can turn their loss into victory.
Source: Al-Risala Magazine
Success and failure are the outcomes of our own efforts. No outside force is responsible for our success or failure. The law of the world is that everything is given to you in the form of potential. It is up to you to discover that potential and, through personal effort, turn it into reality. For example, the fruit of a tree is not obtained automatically. Instead, you must plant a sapling in fertile soil, nurture it, and help it grow. Eventually, the tree matures fully and begins to bear fruit. The same applies to human beings; every person is born with immense potential. We need to realize our potential in such a way that we do not consider ourselves superior or inferior to anyone. We have to understand that success is just another name for actualizing our potential, while failure means that we have not actualized our potential.
Source: Al-Risala Magazine
Why does despair take place? Despair is a result of a lack of deep introspection and analysis. In my own experience, there are several instances which led me to despair. Today when I look back and think that whatever happened was best for me. Why does this happen? This occurs because man has limitations and does not have knowledge of the future. When I think in retrospect, those situations that led me to despair turned out to be the points from which I gained greater success. The best solution is to keep faith in God and remember what Caliph Ali said: ‘Whatever happened, happened for the good.’
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
Developing right thinking is both easy and difficult. It is easy if one introspects, but if one does not introspect, then it becomes difficult. If one realizes that a situation is not in one’s control and would be subject to some external factors, this mindset will inculcate patience in him and he will be able to tackle the situation in a positive manner. However, in order to do so, one must stay alert and save oneself from negative reaction. The only way to develop right thinking is to be ready to introspect at all times. At all times, one should feel, “Maybe, I am wrong!” Only a person with such an attitude will study and discuss. If a decision is arrived at with this process, it will be right thinking. A person must examine and re-examine his ways in order to detect his mistakes. This is equally applicable to both religious and secular areas. Without this, one cannot develop right thinking.
Source: The Seeker’s Guide
The universe of facts is so vast that no person can ever fully encompass it. However, to grasp these facts and find solutions to the issues we face, having a brilliant mind is not enough; perfect humility is also essential. Perfect humility ensures that there is no full stop in one's learning process. It is a psychological reality that arrogance halts the process of learning, while humility continuously keeps it going. From my own experience, I believe the most essential condition for mental growth is that a person is always ready to say, “I was wrong.” Acknowledging a mistake immediately increases one’s knowledge. Conversely, a person who is unwilling to admit their mistakes will fall into intellectual stagnation, and their journey of mental growth will never continue.
Source: Al-Risala Magazine
People often struggle to manage their lives despite making considerable efforts on their part. One remarkable aspect of human beings is their ability to turn a minus into a plus, as noted by Alfred Adler. By harnessing this ability, individuals can convert unfavourable circumstances into favourable ones, and in the process manage situations in life. Even amidst defeat, new opportunities for success can be uncovered and availed. The art of life management refers to two things—one is to understand oneself and the other is to be aware of the world around us. Understanding oneself refers to knowing one's capabilities, and being aware of the world around us refers to knowing about human nature and the creation plan of God for humankind. With this knowledge, one may plan one's life in a realistic manner and make improvements whenever and wherever required. To have successful relationships one should give precedence to using reason over emotions. Even in blood relationships, rational management is important. Rational management has to be cultivated through conscious efforts.
Source: The Spirit of Islam Magazine
If you can develop positive thinking in yourself, no failure can stop you on your journey toward success. It is your positive thinking that matters and not the negative experience. History tells us of many individuals who emerged as heroes after their failures. Failure simply enabled them to re-plan their lives and then to touch new heights of success. Almost all super-achievers were super-losers in the beginning. The journey of great achievement begins with great failure. In its final stage, success is an external phenomenon. But in its primary stage, it is the result of an internal decision. It is said that no one can reach the heights of success if he has not experienced failure. If you maintain your positivity, then failure gives you a good vision, new ideas for planning, and new ways to proceed on your journey. This is the lesson of the whole of human history. Super-achievement is everyone's dream, but super-achievement does not suddenly knock at your door. It requires hard labour, continuous effort, well-considered planning, the utilization of full energy on a single focus, and, most importantly, unshakable positive planning. Success always comes to those who are true seekers of success. Make yourself a true seeker of success and you will certainly reach your destination.
Source: Leading A Spiritual Life
Every human being is bound to live in society and much as anyone wants to change society, no one has the power to do so. Then, what to do? Rather than complaining about problems, you simply have to think positively, even in negative situations. What is positive thinking? Positive thinking means having a positive mindset which is free from all negative emotions. The opinions of one who thinks positively are formed purely based on the reality of the situation, rather than through complaints or protests. Positive thinking is devoid of pride and prejudice. Positive thinking is reality-based thinking.
Source: Leading A Spiritual Life
The best way to cope with the problem of complaints is to take them as challenges. When you take a problem as a challenge, you do your best to meet it. You try to deal effectively with it, rather than try to eliminate it from society. This course of action is quite possible. For example, if a bird is sitting on the wall of your house and you throw stones at it, it will fly away from your house, sit on a nearby tree and continue its chirping. The bird always lives in a non-compliant culture. If this culture is possible for a bird, then why not for man?
Unpleasant experiences are not an evil. They cause you to think realistically. They enhance your ability to make correct judgements, increase your creativity and make you sympathetic towards those who have adopted a way of proceeding that is unfavourable from your point of view. This is the positive outcome of an unpleasant situation. It all depends on how you look at things. Problems arise when you look at things from the wrong angle. Adjust your viewpoint and very soon you will find that everything will turn out to be in your favour. Constant complaining is the greatest enemy of spirituality. Therefore, the formula, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan gave was:
“Rather than trying to change society, change yourself. Make negative experiences grist to the mill of your personality development.”
Source: Leading A Spiritual Life
Human beings are born within a system of nature that dictates the necessity of constant activity for progress. Movement fosters growth in an individual, while stagnation leads to inertia. Therefore, the Creator has decreed that humans will continually experience shocks and hardships. As a result, the method of 'shock treatment' has been prescribed for human development. Such shocks and negative experiences generally give rise to complaints. And when the mind becomes exclusively taken up with complaining, there can be no spirituality. Spirituality and complaints cannot go together. Considering that there is no escape from such negative experiences, what should one do? The answer is that if you want to live as a spiritual person, you have to install a ‘shock absorber’ in your mental makeup. With this ‘shock absorber’ taking every shock upon itself, your spirituality will remain intact. This 'shock absorber' is referred to as the attribute of patience (sabr) in Islam. A spiritual person is someone who, after understanding God's creation plan, develops an innate 'shock absorber.’ Such a person can experience any undesirable event he faces without any disturbance either to his emotions or to his thinking processes. For such a person there will frequently be problems and unpleasant situations that he shall have to face, but because of his ‘shock absorber,’ his mind will remain unaffected. In a world which is constantly administering shocks of one kind or another, he can live in a state of perfect equanimity.
Source: Leading A Spiritual Life
