The prophet of Islam said: “The honour of the believer is greater than that of the Kaaba.”

The value of an action is determined by the amount of sacrifice involved in performing it. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the reward from God.

The Kaaba is the House of God, hence it has to be revered by all the believers. In the same way every Muslim is required to respect other Muslims. But there lies a great difference between these two actions because of their very nature.

The Kaaba is made of lifeless stones. It bears no grudge against anyone, it harbours no ill-will towards others, because it has to deal with no one, hence no one has any cause for complaint against it. One does not face any challenge in revering the Kaaba as no emotions of anger, jealousy or prejudice stop one from showing respect to it, whereas the situation is altered when one comes to dealing with someone like oneself. One is repeatedly faced with so many causes for complaint against others which result in ill-will towards them. Therefore, showing respect to men like oneself demands greater sacrifice. One has to overcome all bad feelings, to bear the losses incurred by others ungrudgingly, to overcome all prejudices voluntarily, to forgive and forget and to move ahead. □

Cooperating with one’s
rivals is the best way to advance

The British aero engine manufacturers Rolls Royce and the American firm General Electric were until recently keen rivals for the international airplane engine market. In February 1984 these two rivals decided to cooperate with one another and amalgamate their interests. Both companies are expected to reap far-reaching benefits from this move. Rather than compete for every potential client separately, each one will now be able to concentrate on a single important engine market for future sales. Large engines, which both companies were unable to afford on their own, will now lie within their reach. They will also have access to one another’s market. By combining their skill and know-how both manufacturers expect to be able to develop a new engine in future.