The Times of India
The Quran tells us:
“Whatever misfortune befalls you is of your own doing.” (42:30)
This Quranic verse describes a fundamental fact—that this world is based on the principle of causality. As the cause is, so the result will be. This verse teaches us that whenever we face any misfortune, we should discover its cause within our own selves, and not start searching for it outside ourselves.
If a person realizes this fundamental truth and remains deeply aware of it, he will never blame others for his woes and start inflicting violence on them. Instead, the only thing that he will do is to engage in a self-examination of his own life. He will discover his own mistakes, so that by rectifying them he can save himself from further problems. To blame others for one’s problems is like a sick man blaming his neighbour for his illness and then going about fighting with him.
Suppose in a certain town the traffic rules require you to keep to the right. Now, if you start driving on the left you are bound to have an accident. Some car or the other is bound to collide with yours.
On the face of it, it would seem that this accident was caused by another car crashing into yours. But you certainly would not have the right to claim that it was not you, but, rather, the driver of the other car, who was at fault, and that it was he who banged into your car and injured you! You will have to admit that the fault was yours—because you were driving on the wrong side of the road—and that it was not the mistake of the other person, who was driving on the right side.
The same principle holds true in all aspects of our lives. Whenever you face any loss or misfortune in life, you ought to know in advance that whatever has transpired is because of your own wrongdoings. This is the right way to deal with life. If you think in this way, you will reform yourself and save your future. But if, on the contrary, you go about blaming others for your woes, you will only ruin your future. And, as for your past and your present—well, they have already been ruined!
Source: Islam and World Peace
