Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I Speaking Tree Website I June 23, 2014During the lifetime of the Prophet of Islam many of his fellow men opposed Islam and engaged in plotting against Islam and Muslims. The Quran has mentioned this at several places. But the counter strategy advocated by the Quran was not to unearth their plots and launch movements to defeat them, or even finally to wage war against them. On the contrary, the Prophet and his companions were enjoined to place their trust in God alone. That is to say, ignoring the plots and antagonism, trusting only in God and rising above circumstances, they were to continue all activities which were of a positive nature. This was an extremely important injunction. By giving this guidance, God set them on a course of positive thinking, which left no room for negative thinking. In short, this Quranic teaching encouraged the early Muslims to live in a self-sufficient way, free of baneful influence of their opponents. If you have this obsession that others are plotting against you, and that everyone has turned your enemy, it will result in your starting to suspect everyone, to the extent that even if a member of your own community underscores the importance of tolerance and avoidance, you will take it in a negative light and dub him an agent of the enemy. In this way, you will weaken yourselves by turning your own people away from you. One harmful aspect of such negative obsession is that one loses all objectivity in thinking. One's entire outlook becomes partisan and prejudiced. One is unable to see reality as it is. One becomes like the man who can see only the thorns in a garden of roses or the colourblind person to whom a garden blossoming with flowers will appear in melancholy shades of grey. [Highlight1]
Related Articles
Article
Soulveda
जीवन में हर दिन हम किसी-न-किसी तरह के बड़े या छोटे – बुरे अनुभव का सामना करते हैं, जिससे बचा नहीं जा सकता। हमारे पास दो विकल्प होते हैं : या तो अनदेखा करना या फिर दूसरा रास्ता ढूँढने का प्रयास करना। पहला विकल्प…
Article
Speaking Tree
According to Quranic teachings, revenge is not an option. Revenge only increases the problem. The chapter Al-Nahl (Bees) of the Quran gives practical advice on this point. The translation of the relevant…
Article
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Sunday Guardian I October 20, 2013 I Page 12Why do people react so strongly to criticism? The reason is that criticism is taken as an insult. If they were to take criticism as a mere…
Article
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I The Sunday Guardian I 23rd June 2013 I Page 12If an engine driver is to set his locomotive in motion, he has to stand before the fire and endure its fierce heat. Thus, a huge and complex…
Article
He had reached old age and was still unmarried. When asked his reason for remaining a bachelor, he said that he had always been looking for a perfect spouse. "But in all this time, did you not find one?" he was asked. "…
Article
Mr. J. Krishnamurti, 90, is a well-known Indian thinker. When he is on a public stage, he folds his hands and says, "Sir, I am a nobody," or, "Sir, I am just a passer-by." Are we all nothing in reality? His answer is, "…