Hazarat Umar has said: رحم الله امرأً أهدى إلي عيوبي  “May God bless the person who sends me the gift of my shortcomings.” (Sunan al-Darimi 675) If someone tells me about my defects and shortcomings, he sends me a gift. Hazarat Umar considered this a gift! These days people think gifts are packets full of sweets. Hazarat Umar believed that the greatest gift is when a person criticizes you and informs you about your shortcomings. You have to develop this determination. When someone criticizes you and tells you about your mistakes, you should listen with great interest. I do this every day. In the morning, I was doing intellectual exchange with my daughter Dr Farida Khanam. In such an exchange, new points come to the mind. I listen as though I am a stupid person.

When I exchange with a person, I believe that I know nothing at all, I am an ignorant. Only then do I draw benefit from the discussion. If I believe that I already know a lot, I will not benefit at all. Someone had said that modesty is the door of knowledge. If you are modest, you will attain high levels of knowledge. Arrogance is the worst trait. Living in narcissism is the worst condition to be in. You should learn to live in reality. You should take yourself to zero level and say, I am nothing. When you take yourself to zero level, you will benefit from reading, discussions and observations. If you see a glass full of water, when you put anything additional, it will fall out. Because it is already full. The glass is full of water. It stops anything else from being added and taking up space. You should become an empty glass and not a glass full of water. If you become a glass full of water, there will be no development in you.