SENSE OF DISILLUSIONMENT

The Second Caliph, Umar ibn Khattab, often expressed his sense of disillusionment with people he had come to like, when on further acquaintance with them he discovered them to be idle. His feelings have been expressed in this saying: “On learning that he does not work, he appears to me of no value [he has debased himself in my eyes]”. Whichever way you look at idleness, there is no gainsaying the fact that it is a great evil. It causes one to fritter away one’s best talents and leaves one unqualified to face life. A student who is too lazy to study cannot ever hope to acquire knowledge or have his critical faculties sharpened in any way. His failure in his examinations will leave him without the qualifications required to obtain a good job. Without the necessary groundwork, he will find himself leading a vacant existence, simply drifting from pillar to post. Even people who have managed to qualify themselves suitably cannot afford to rest on their laurels. When their period of formal education is over, it is equally necessary to be consistently hardworking. 

Sometimes, one inadvertently slips into idle ways because there are no economic pressures in life. Those who inherit legacies or have property or investments which bring them some return are an easy prey to idleness. But this is no existence for a human being. Anyone who allows the poison of idleness to creep into his system might as well be dead. 

One must opt for a regular job which brings one a suitable income and keeps one mentally healthy, so that he never becomes a financial or emotional burden on anyone else. Or, if one is financially independent, one should turn one’s attention to higher things, pursue noble ends, serve worthy causes and keep oneself fruitfully occupied every day. A person with no sense of commitment is only living on the fringes of existence. He is out of touch with reality and will soon lapse into utter degeneracy. No really superior being has ever been found among the ranks of the idle. As the old saying goes, the devil finds work for idle hands. 

COVID-19 : TIME TO EVALUATE LIFESTYLES

We are living in extraordinary times. The world is in the grip of a pandemic and world governments are making wide-ranging efforts to control spread of the disease and ensure the safety of their citizens.

According to a Hadith, the Prophet of Islam advised, "Those with contagious diseases should be kept away from those who are healthy" (Bukhaari, 6771).

A person of faith is also a responsible citizen. He upholds the law of the land and follows what is good for his fellow citizens. Complying with government-formulated rules and medical advice of experts are essential obligations, incumbent upon each one of us.

These precautions are to secure the safety and health of all citizens. No one has the authority to override them. More than ever, it has become imperative in today’s times to be resilient, abide by all regulations and use the time at hand to reflect and pray for the common welfare.

News reports say that more than one hundred countries worldwide are observing either a partial or full lockdown in an attempt to flatten the curve. While this is affecting billions of people across the globe, and some are critical of it, even flouting it, lockdown is currently seen to be the only measure to slow spread of the disease, as there is no cure or vaccine available. Lockdown entails stringent restrictions and cessation of movement of people only for a temporary period, during which time all essential services are being made available.

While the lockdown is adversely impacting livelihoods of some people, it is also an opportunity for contemplation and reflection. For those whose basic needs are being met, this period could be a time to evaluate lifestyles and re-adopt the maxim, “Simple living, high thinking”. As we are forced to stay indoors and away from outdoor and industrial activities, it is time to work on our spiritual quotient and do some introspection.

This is a good time to acknowledge the truth that a healthy body is a divine gift. Let’s also acknowledge that life-sustaining resources, including the air we breathe and the water we drink, are divine gifts, too – they are not made by us human beings. Becoming aware of our powerlessness to survive without nature coupled with the realisation of our inter-dependencies, of the need to support each other, of observing regulations and complying with rules that benefit all of us, will ensure that together, we ably meet the current challenges.

The government has put together a set of guidelines to prevent rampant spread of disease. Clear instructions have been laid out to follow personal hygiene standards and practise social distancing. According to a Hadith recorded in Musnad Ahmad, the Prophet of Islam said, “The plague (contagion) patient who remains in his home with patience and expectation of reward, knowing that nothing will befall him other than Allah’s decree, will attain the reward.”
 

KEEPING CALM IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

When Napoleon Buonaparte (1769-1821) escaped from the Island of Elba after his first term of imprisonment, he was accompanied only by a small group of loyal soldiers. Once dethroned, he now again aspired to the throne of France. But in the very first encounter, he found himself face to face with 20,000 French soldiers.

Napoleon, although considered one of the most courageous leaders the world has known, avoided a direct confrontation with his opponents. He did not make the mistake of foolishly ignoring his own military weakness. At the crucial moment, when he and his little band of men stood face to face with this enormous army, he stepped forward, completely unarmed and stood calmly before his enemies. Then with great composure he unbuttoned his coat and bared his chest. In a voice now charged with emotion he addressed the great throng of soldiers – many of whom had served under him in the past: “Which one of you is willing to fire at the naked chest of his father?” The battlefield rang with shouts of ‘No one! Almost all of the soldiers belonging to the enemy camp rushed to the side of Napolean, who emerged victorious and once more ascended the throne of France. If, in the destitute state he was in at that time, he had attempted to do battle with the French army, he would surely have been slaughtered on that very battlefield.

Whatever a man’s resources, if he has to deal effectively with a situation, he must be able to make a proper assessment of it. And this he will not be able to do if he panics in the face of danger. It is only if he does not lose his nerve and keeps his mind open to what is practical that he will be able to overcome the obstacles in his path. Inevitably, his success depends upon his being able to make a well-considered choice of whatever material and mental resources are available to him and then putting them to proper use. History abounds in instances of the weak overcoming the strong, simply by strategic deployments of resources. The reason for such success is not far to seek: often the enemy is not as strong as he appears to be. Everyone has his Achilles’ heel. It is just a question of finding it and then ruthlessly exploiting it. Just as Napolean exploited the French troops’ old and sentimental loyalty to himself – that being his only mainstay – so can ordinary individuals take advantage of their enemies’ vulnerability in order to gain their point without the kind of confrontation which could be disastrous to both sides.

AWAKEN THE SENSES

The power-supply used to be plentiful in the Ivory Coast. The country had at one time been called the “Showcase of Africa” due to its glittering array of houses and shops. In December 1983, everything suddenly changed. People were forced to eat by candlelight in luxury hotels, while houses and offices were lit by lanterns. Hydroelectric stations which had supplied ninety two percent of the Ivory Coast’s electricity were brought to a standstill by a severe drought which reduced the water flowing through the dams to a trickle. The turbines simply stopped running, and the electricity supply fell so low that at times there would be no power for up to 18 hours. Industrial production was reduced by 65%. Computers, electric typewriters, refrigerators and other gadgets ceased to operate.

                 For fear of being caught in the lift, many businessmen gave up going to their offices. One commuter explained his situation to a New York Times correspondent: “For years I had gone from my air-conditioned villa to my air-conditioned car to my air-conditioned office. I never realized how hot it really is here.” This businessman, dwelling in airconditioned surroundings in the heart of Africa, was living in an artificial world. When the electricity failed him, he realized that in reality things were very different from what he had supposed.

                     The same is true, on a larger scale, of all humankind. People consider themselves free in the present world. They think of everything they have as their own property. But when death comes, it will dawn on an individual, all of a sudden, that he had just been fooling himself: he had been given freedom as a test whereas he had thought it was his right; he had taken what was God’s to be his own; he was responsible to God for his actions, but he lived under the misapprehension that, whatever he did, he would never be taken to task for it. 

SELF DEVELOPMENT

Harry Emerson Fosdick has explained one fact of life in these words: “No steam or gas ever drives anything until it is confined. No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunneled. No life ever grows until it is focused, dedicated, and disciplined.”(Living Under Tension by Harry Emerson Fosdick)

 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. In this world one has to sink before one can rise; one has to resign oneself to loss before one can gain, to backwardness before one can advance; one has to be able to accept defeat before one can claim victory.

The world in which we live has been created by God, not by us. This may appear to be a simple fact, but it is one that a person usually forgets in his everyday life. Since, we are living in God’s world, we have no alternative but to understand the principles He has set for the world and follow these in our lives. There is no other way we can make a place for ourselves in the world. Trying to follow our self-styled principles for achievement will only lead to failure and frustration.

It is important to draw lessons from the lives of those who have gone by and heed the guidance given by prophets and messengers in order to know the way to lead life in this world. Those who wish to advance and be successful in life without passing through the necessary stages, will have to build another world for themselves—one which satisfies their own requirements; for in the world that God has created, their dreams can never come true.

 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.

Only after a long period one's efforts reap true rewards.

EVERY DEATH GIVES A MESSAGE

It looks like just the other day everyone wished each other a Happy New Year and one month has already gone by. New year resolutions,analysis of the past year, plans and programmes for the new year are a regular part of the beginning of the new year both amongst the common folk, the celebrities and the organizations all over the world. It is time to check enthusiasm levels and to introspect about two things:

First, about our sincerity in making the best use of time and the second is about pursuing our goals without clashing with others.

At the very outset it would be of great importance to reflect on death. From the beginning of the year until now many people have died. Every death gives a message. One who dies has availed of his chance and it does not exist for him any longer. For those who are alive, every death gives a message that they still have their chance and therefore must avail of it. There are two ways to lead your life. One is to simply pass your time. The other is to use time meaningfully. If you fall into the first category, you are just wasting your life. By spending your days meaningfully, you are truly living and making proper use of this amazing blessing that is life.

Never waste a moment of your available time. By availing of your moments you can be the possessor of your months and years. Wasting minutes will cause you to lose months, if not years.

If you are wasting, daily, just five minutes of your hour, this will amount to wasting two hours in twenty-four hours. This will eventually come to 60 hours in a month, and 720 hours in a year. This is how the majority of people have been wasting most of their available time. A man whose life span is 80 years hardly makes full use of 40 years of his time.

Time is your greatest asset. Be meticulous about saving it. All great success ultimately boils down to an accumulation of small successes.

Once you are ready to achieve a small success, a big success will come your way by itself. Every new day that dawns brings with it many opportunities. These opportunities do not loudly announce themselves. It is for us to recognize and use them in a fruitful manner that can spread benefit to others. You need to skilfully discern the opportunities that come your way. Recognize those that are truly for you and those that are not. Learn to appreciate these opportunities and avail them in the best and most realistic way, but be aware of the limits within which you must remain. You need to be sensitive so that in the process you do not transgress into another’s territory.

The many opportunities that come your way are not exclusively for you. There are several others who are equally motivated. Success in your life can happen only by cooperating with others, never through conflict. Develop the skill of navigating your life without clashing with others. Just as you have some interests, others do too. A smart person carefully avoids clashing with other people’s interests and sails ahead to attain his life goals. To sum up one should be very cautious about making correct use of time and to move ahead in life without getting into conflict with others. Adhering to these two principles will ensure one’s success in life.

One who dies has availed of his chance and it does not exist for him any longer. For those who are alive, every death gives a message that they still have their chance and therefore must avail of it.

 

All great success ultimately boils down to an accumulation of small successes. Once you are ready to achieve a small success, a big success will come your way by itself.

  

SECOND CHANCE BETTER THAN THE FIRST

Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727), the well-known British scientist, was born in a farmer’s family. Initially, his mother wanted him to pursue the family vocation of farming.

She started him on the job to learn the techniques of farming but he failed. Later, Newton was sent to school where he started his education, excelled and soon emerged as one of the greatest champions of modern science.

This story has a great lesson. And that is, if you are not successful at first, it should not dishearten you; because there may be a second chance waiting for you that may prove to be better than the first. Recognition always comes after rejection. It is a law of nature. If you find that one door is closed for you, don’t stop your journey,try to know the other door. And, you will happily find that there was one who was ready to receive you.

PEACE IN PLURAL SOCIETIES

After a long struggle, in August 1947 the Indian subcontinent won independence from the British. This independence came along with the Partition, which was on the basis of ‘two nation theory’. It led to the partition, not just of territory, but of entire communities as well. 

Prior to the Partition, the conflict was between two communities that lacked political power. With the Partition, it now became a conflict between two sovereign countries.

Mahatma Gandhi had, from the very first day, perceived how sensitive this situation was. And so, he stressed that Hindus and Muslims should learn to live together in peace and harmony. He said that he would give up his life in order that this should happen. However, shortly after India became independent, he was shot dead. This was undoubtedly a very big tragedy. Because of this, India lost its tallest leader who was committed to peace and unity.

The Partition was accompanied by horrific communal violence on both sides of the newly-created border. This violence continued unabated for many years thereafter. In order to address the issue, the first Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, called a national-level conference in New Delhi in October 1961. At this conference, it was unanimously decided to set up the National Integration Council to deal with matters related to communal harmony.

The second conference of this Council was held in June 1962. Speakers delivered their speeches on the occasion, suggesting various measures to promote communal harmony. Yet, no action was taken on their suggestions. Moreover, no more meetings of the Council were held during the rest of Jawaharlal Nehru’s life.

The third meeting of the Council was called by Indira Gandhi inSrinagar in 1968. It called for making it a cognizable offence on the grounds of promoting hatred between communities. Some other steps were also mooted. A few laws and rules were also passed. But still, nothing practical came out of this. And so, even today, the situation in the country is about the same as it was in 1947 as far as the issue of communalism is concerned.

What was the reason for this failure? The basic reason is that thisissue of communal conflict has been treated simply as a law and order problem. However, the nature of the issue is actually quite different. It is not essentially a law and order problem. Rather, it has essentially to do with the lack of intellectual development and social awareness.

To solve the problem, what is basically required is to properly educate people and promote proper thinking and discernment. People should know what to do and what to abstain from. They should learn to think before acting. Only this sort of an 'aware' society is one where communal harmony can flourish.

MERA KUCHH SAMAAN

The incident attached to this song has become more famous than the song itself by now. When I read this song to Pancham, he thought it was a scene, and appreciated the poetic dialogue. Itr's not a scene, I said, it's a song.

Hah! he reacted, 'you will bring a column from the Times of India tomorrow, and ask me to tune it. You are the "limit" yaar And he pushed the piece of paper away. 

Ashaji smiled. She was present in the music room. A few minutes later, she hummed something under her breath. They were lovely notes and Pancham asked, What is that?' She hummed the last phrase of the line.. mujhe lauta do'. Pancham picked up the piece of paper again, added a few notes and completed the line: 'mera who saaman mujhe lauta do'.

Soon he got engrossed in the song and, believe me, he went on to complete the song in that very sitting. The song is a part of history now. Ashaji says she can never finish a concert now without singing this song. The listeners insist.

PEACE AND JUSTICE

It is generally held that peace and justice are interrelated, that is, peace is dependent on justice. According to this assumption, where there is peace there is justice, and where there is justice there is peace. This oft-repeated formula has never been realized in society. This negative result proves that this formula, although grammatically and theoretically correct, is practically not possible. Peace and justice are not interconnected. In fact, both are quite different subjects.  

According to the law of nature, one must try to establish peace at any cost, even at the cost of justice. Peace is a desirable goal in itself. Peace will then open the doors of opportunities. And, by availing these opportunities, one should work towards achieving justice or one's rights. Everything is possible in this world. The only condition is that a person should discover the law of nature and plan his goal accordingly. 

If you put the horse before the cart, you will certainly reach the destination. But, if you put the cart before the horse, you will never be able to reach your destination. Our world is controlled by the law of nature, not by our wishes and desires. Don't simply follow your desires. Discover the law of nature and set your plans accordingly. You will certainly achieve success this way. 

The fact is that the world we live in was not created by us. It was created by the Creator. 

We can achieve what we want to achieve only by following the laws set by the Creator. Going against this fact will only lead to disaster.

RESET YOUR PRIORITIES

We are living in a world of profession. In the present world, it is one’s profession that defines one’s identity.The profession oriented life is the generally accepted lifestyle of every person.

Having a profession means living according to the dictates of the ‘money market’. And everyone tries to develop a professional skill that enables them to be a sharing partner in the flow of money in the market.

This culture has resulted in a new phenomenon that was absent in former times, i.e., living in accordance with external requirements and setting aside internal requirements, that is, what is required by one’s inner nature. The result is that while everyone is a developed personality in terms of his profession, in terms of his own nature, everyone is an underdeveloped personality.

Talk to anyone at random and ask him about his profession he will readily give you specific answers. If you speak to him about his professional subject, he will give you a detailed answer for every question. But, if you ask him about those issues, which pertain to human life that is, non-professional issues, you will find that he is not mentally prepared to discuss this subject.

Upon enquiry with a lady from Europe in a meeting about her profession it unraveled that she was well-disposed in sharing information about her professional field. But, in her personal life she was unhappy with her spouse and said that she had decided to separate from him. The main reason she cited was that her husband was an adamant person and she did not like this. She knew the science of her profession but was quite ignorant of the science of life.

This is true of every person. Each one is living in a culture of duality. When it comes to their profession, everyone is well-equipped. But, as far as the science of life is concerned, everyone is ill-equipped. This is so common that finding an exception is very difficult.

It is not a question of balance, it is a question of priority. Everyone should set or reset their priorities right. The problem with this is when you try to reset your priorities, you fear that you are going to damage your commercial interests, because when your mind is engaged in intellectual issues, it will not be able to engage in money-related issues. You gain one thing, but at the same time you lose another. But, this is not a genuine excuse. You should think in terms of intellectual development and not just in terms of material development.

Intellectual development is so important that no excuse for neglecting it is acceptable. Adopt a simple formula: make intellectual development your first priority and then try to manage all other aspects of your life.

A lack of intellectual development is not a simple matter. It is the lack of intellectual development which has resulted in all those problems that are common in our present age, for example, tension, unnecessary lifestyle diseases, lack of peace of mind and losing that very thing that man so desperately wants—happiness.

We are living in a culture of duality. When it comes to their profession, everyone is well equipped. But, as far as the science of life is concerned, everyone is ill equipped.