SELECTIONS FROM MAULANA'S DIARY
October 30, 1985
A verse from the Quran is: So that you may not grieve for what has escaped you, nor be exultant over what you have gained. God loves neither the conceited nor the boastful. (57: 23)
While discussing this verse, Abdullah ibn Abbas, a Companion of the Prophet said: There is no person who does not get gloomy or does not feel happiness. However, a believer exercises patience in the face of adversity, and he offers thanks to God when the going is good.
When grass enters the body of a cow, its internal system converts it into milk and the grass comes out of it as milk. Similarly, a believer has a special psychological system. This system turns trouble into patience for God and relief into gratitude for God. In this way, both conditions become a blessing in his favour. In this narration, the act of conversion expressed in the words ‘exercises’ and ‘offers’ are very meaningful, that is, a believer converts his grief into patience instead of putting it on a negative path.
August 16, 1985
The American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) wrote: Build a better mousetrap and the world would beat a path to your door.
The most important thing to people is quality. Everyone wants their products to be of high quality. It should be the best in every way when used.
This temperament of the people is the biggest stepping stone for a man in today’s world. Anyone who wants to have a place of honour and progress in the world should do only one thing. Whatever he does, he should do so keeping a high standard. The world itself will be forced to give him the place he wants.
September 11, 1985
The most important thing for man is ‘discovery’. Discovery brings progress in this world and discovery brings progress in the Hereafter.
The man desired by the Quran is the one who believes in the unseen. The words of the Quran in this regard are: Those who believe in the unseen. (2: 3) What is believing in the unseen? It is to make the unknown known. This is exactly what is called ‘discovery’ in modern times.
God has hidden the secrets of worldly progress in the heavens and the earth. These secrets are called the laws of nature. In science, these secrets (or laws of nature) are discovered. The nation that discovers these secrets goes beyond others. Today, we are looking at Western nations or Japan in Asia. Developed nations have made all the progress based on their discoveries.
In the same way, God has hidden the world of the Hereafter from the eyes of man. Now, man has to discover it. What is in the unseen must be brought to light. This discovery is called faith. The farther one goes in this faith, the more progress and success one will have in the Hereafter.
September 19, 1985
The human brain has 86 billion neurons. The potential of the human brain is immense, but no human being has ever been able to use more than ten percent of his brain.
The fact is that man has tremendous potential. But the present world, with its limitations, is insufficient to realize this potential. An infinite and wider world is needed for the manifestation of human potential. This is the world of Paradise. Paradise, in a sense, has been created for man’s potential to be fully manifested there.
October 26, 1985
Moving away from the field of confrontation gives man a break. This break is the period of respite. It can be used for constructive work. And in this world, getting a constructive break is the greatest achievement of a man. The greatest need of a backward group is to find such a break for themselves. The only imperative to achieve this break is that the backward group removes itself from the scene of the conflict.
In this world, man is always between two things—problems and opportunities. The wise man is the one who puts problems into the future and puts all his energy into using the present opportunities. He will lose both by getting involved in problems. While using the opportunities, he will eventually find both. This is what a thinker has said in these words: Starve the problems, feed the opportunities.
