Talking Tall

A group of sightseers around Delhi zoo in the

winter of 1985, looked at various animals in turn

then paused in admiration before a great rarity—a

solitary white lion which was pacing up and down

outside its den.

“This is the only white lion left in the whole world!”

exclaimed a member of the group. “You see, the

Maharajah of Rewa owned two white lions, both of

which he handed over to the Indian government

after independence. One of them died, and we are

now looking at the one which was left—the sole

survivor of its species!”

If this gentleman had cared to walk a little further,

he would have seen a board attached to the white

lion’s cage on which the zoo authorities had given

detailed information, namely, that 69 white lions

still exist in the world today, 25 of which are to be

found in India alone. Yet just a few yards away

there was a gentleman who claimed that there was

just one white lion left in the whole world, and that

was the one in the Delhi zoo.

How ignorant people can be of established facts,

and yet how keenly they feel the urge to expound

their views as if there were nothing in the world

that they did not know.

Before holding forth on a subject, one should make

a thorough study of it, for opinions based on

inadequate research are bound to mislead the

unwary. Empty utterances may impress the illinformed,

but to the knowledgeable, intelligent

listener, they are simply a proclamation of the

speaker’s ignorance.

Sadly it is often the greatest if ignoramuses who

make the weightiest of pronouncements (111:18).

                                                                   Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Capability and Alertness

Raja Mohinder Pratap (1886-1979) was one of those

Indians who went to Russia and met Vladimir

Lenin (1870-1924). He was one of a delegation of

freedom-fighters who met the Russian leader in

1919. He tells how, when he entered the room of the

first ruler of communist Russia, Lenin rose to his

feet, and went himself to fetch a small armchair

from the corner of the room. Raja Mohinder Pratap

took his seat on the armchair and Lenin sat next to

him on a sofa. The revolutionary leader’s first

sentence was:

“In which language should I speak: English,

German, French or Russian?”

It was finally settled that the conversation would be

conducted in English. Raja Mohinder Pratap offered

Lenin a copy of his book ‘The Religion of Love’. “I

have read this book,” Lenin said, as soon as he took

hold of it. Raja Mohinder Pratap was astonished.

Where on earth could Lenin have obtained the

book? The previous evening, Lenin explained, when

Raja Mohinder Pratap had met his secretary to fix

the time of appointment, he had given the secretary

a copy of the book. “I took it from him and read it

during the night, in order to familiarize myself with

the thought of the person I was going to meet the

next day.”

Lenin was the founder of modern Russia. He was

an extraordinarily gifted man. Two of his qualities-

—capability and alertness—are illustrated in the

above incident. He had studied so assiduously that

he knew four different languages and was able to

converse fluently in each one of them. Then so alert

and on the ball was he that—despite his enormous

preoccupation with affairs of state—he read the

book of an unknown Indian at night, just so that he

could have some prior knowledge of that person’s

thought when he met him the next day. Lenin made

every effort to cultivate this natural talent; he made

the most of the opportunities that were provided

him; that was how he rose to the ranks of

triumphant world leaders.

These two qualities—capability and alertness—are

required for any kind of work. They are

indispensable for the service of the Islamic cause,

just as they are essential to one working in some

other, secular field.

Firstly one must be fully equipped with

contemporary knowledge, and secondly one must

show oneself to be absolutely prepared in whatever

one does. Lenin showed how one, equipped with

these qualities, can achieve success in the secular

field. If people who show capability and alertness of

this nature apply themselves to the service of the

Islamic cause, then they too will achieve the desired

goal.

                                                                   Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Unforeseen Circumstances

A woman belonging to Lima in South America,

having failed to find a satisfactory job made up her

mind to try her luck in North America, an affluent

country. Too poor to afford an airfare, she

conceived the notion of shutting herself inside a

suitcase and having herself despatched as a piece of

luggage. The plan was carried out.

The plane which carried her landed at the Los

Angeles International airport. All the bags of the

passengers were unloaded from the aeroplane for

collection. All but one suitcase was uncollected. The

police, therefore, intervened to open this abandoned

suitcase and take into custody the goods inside, so

that it could be handed over to the claimant

whenever he turned up. Much to their horror, they

unlocked it to find the corpse of a woman.

Detectives were called in to investigate the case.

They said:

“The woman may have been crushed by the weight

of other luggage” (UPI).

This incident serves to illustrate one of life’s truths:

taking whatever steps we feel are necessary does

not, in itself, ensure our success. This is because

there are so many external and unforeseen factors

involved which determine the course of our actions.

We must take them into account whenever we are

deciding upon a course of action. It is only when

these factors are in consonance with the steps taken,

that we can hope to reach our destination.

This state of affairs takes a more critical turn when

the offender is a leader and he goes wrong in

framing a policy which involves the whole nation.

This is bound to cause widespread misery, if not

total destruction. It is, therefore, imperative that a

leader be as discreet and careful as possible in his

decision-making. He should consider all of the

possible pros and cons. He should look before he

leaps. His failing to do so would amount to an

unpardonable offence. It would be far better for him

to take no action at all than to plunge the whole

nation into strife and torment.

                                                                   Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Working in Unison

US shipbuilders take sixteen months to complete a

50 thousand ton tanker. The Spaniards take even

longer to produce a ship of similar tonnage—24

months. But Japanese shipbuilders do the job in just

eight months.

What is the secret of this Japanese miracle? A

survey conducted by western experts shows that

the deciding factor is teamwork. Japanese workers

and management function together in complete

unison. At no stage during the work processes is

this bond disrupted. The result is the production of

high quality goods within an amazingly short time.

Group harmony is something which is part of the

whole fabric of Japanese culture and work methods.

Whether in the home or in the factory, in large

institutions or small, the will to be cooperative

manifests itself as the truly distinctive feature of the

Japanese character. William Ouchi, an expert in

Japanology writes: “Every activity in Japan is group

activity and not a springboard to individual glory

and personal advertisement.” (The Hindustan Times,

February 16, 1986)

It is to this specialty that Japan’s greatest secret of

national progress can be traced. The willingness of

large numbers of people to work together with

good grace is a prerequisite for success in any

venture. The only flaw in this system of joint effort

is that the personality of the individual has little

opportunity to flourish. But it is only a nation which

is made up of individuals who are prepared to

make this personal sacrifice which can ever aspire

to success. Where individuals keep pulling in

opposite directions, no substantial progress can

even be made at the national level.

When work is cooperative in spirit, well coordinated

in organization and blessed with an

atmosphere of harmony, the sky is the limit in

quality and quantity of production. It is unity then

which is the true key to success.

                                                                  Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Perseverance

The following story; written by Mao Tse Tung,

former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party,

is one which should set us all thinking.

In olden times, there was once all old man from the

northern part of China who lived on the side of a

mountain range which always lay in shadow. The

problem was that there were two high mountains in

front of his door which prevented the sun from

entering his house. One day, the old man called to

his young sons and said to them, “Let us go and

remove these mountains by digging, so that the

sun’s rays may fall upon our house unhindered.” A

neighbour of the old man’s, hearing of this plan,

made fun of it. He said to the old man, “I knew that

you were foolish, but I never realized that there was

just no limit to your foolishness. How on earth is it

possible to remove these high mountains just by

digging them?”

The old man replied in all seriousness, “Yes, you

are right. But when I die, my sons will dig, and after

their death, their sons will dig. The digging-process

will thus continue for generations. The mountains,

as you know, will not go on increasing in size,

whereas each digging is bound to reduce them in

size and, in this way, there will come a time when

we shall have finally succeeded in removing these

obstacles.” The power to solve problems is always

more significant than the problems themselves, and

while problems are invariably limited, their

solution is unlimited, there always being a number

of different approaches which naturally vary, in

scale and complexity. This story is a beautiful

illustration of how a major feat necessitates not only

long-term planning, but the willingness and

determination to carry that planning into effect.

For a people who have the fortitude, to carry on

their schemes from one generation to the next,

working consistently and steadfastly, there is no

mountain or river on earth which they will not be

able to conquer.

                                                                   Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

No End to Possibilities

The sun was setting in the west over the mountains.

Half of the orb had already dipped beneath the

ridge. In a few minutes, the whole sun disappeared

behind the still-glowing mountain range.

Then darkness began to set in on all sides. The light

of the sun was gradually receding, and it seemed as

if the whole area would be plunged in pitch

darkness. But just then, another light began to

ascend. It was the full moon, ascending in the east

as the sun set in the west. In a short while the whole

scene was lit up again. Not long after the eclipse of

the sunlight, the earth was illuminated anew.

“This is a sign of nature,” I thought to myself.

“When one possibility ends, another begins. When

the sun set, the moon came to give light to the

world.”

So, for individuals and nations, there is always

hope. If once one falls a victim to the hand of fate,

there is no need to be discouraged. There is no

cause for despair in this world of God. By grasping

fresh opportunities and utilizing them one can arise

again. All one has to do is go about one’s task in an

intelligent manner, and never give up trying.

God has created this world full of wonderful

opportunities. Here, when matter perishes, it

becomes energy; when darkness comes, a new light

emerges from its depths; when one building falls, it

leaves a place for another construction. So it is with

events in the life of man. From every failure

emerges the chance of new success. The same

applies to rival nations. If one nation becomes

advanced, while another remains backward, this is

not the end of the matter. When this happens,

another process begins: the advanced nations

develop a love of comfort and luxurious living,

which is likely, in the long run, to bring about its

decadence and downfall while a new spirit of

struggle and endeavour rises in the backward

people to lead them on to greater heights.

This means that no one need lose heart in this world

of God. However uncompromising circumstances

may seem, they contain, somewhere or another, the

possibility of triumph for man. What one should do

is seek out this possibility, and use it to turn one’s

defeat into victory. Just remember that every dark

cloud has a silver lining.

                                                           Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Admitting One’s Faults

A young player who had participated in a big

football match for the first time, wrote to his father

after his team had been defeated:

“Our opponents discovered a great gap in our

defence line, and that was me.”

Such acceptance of one’s shortcomings is rare, for it

requires great courage. Without it, we cannot make

social progress. Since every defeat is attributable to

a gap in the line of defence, the best remedy is to

accept it, for in so doing, one is well on the way to

solving the problem.

                                                                   Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                       - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Starting from Scratch

“I have reached my present position by climbing a

ladder and not by coming up to it in a lift.” This

observation was made by a tailor who had started

with nothing but his own two hands and the will to

work, and who had become eminently successful in

his line of business. “Making a good coat is not

child’s play. The whole process is so complicated

that without detailed information as to how to

proceed, long experience and a high degree of skill,

it is almost impossible to accomplish. It is only after

a lifetime of hard work that I have succeeded in

running a prosperous shop in the city.”

The tailor went on to explain how he had served his

apprenticeship under the guidance of an expert

tailor. Just learning the art of cutting and sewing

had taken him five long years. When he opened his

own little shop, he discovered that he had difficulty

in giving his customers a good fitting. This was

because during his apprenticeship he had never

really grasped the fact that people could be of such

different shapes and sizes. He therefore set himself

to the task of studying human anatomy, but it was

only after many years of effort that he could make a

coat with an absolutely perfect fitting. He

eventually became so expert in this that he could

even give perfect fittings to those who

unfortunately suffered from deformities—such as

hunchbacks. “In any type of work, there are many

things which one has to learn on one’s own. Often

one cannot foresee these things at the outset, and

each obstacle has to be overcome by hard work and

ingenuity”

The tailor talked of many things of this nature

concerning his skills, and it seemed to me as though

I were listening to a lecture on the building of the

nation by some very experienced person.

In truth, the only way to solve our economic and

social problems is to follow the example of the

tailor. After this initial apprenticeship, he had gone

ahead and done things on his own. He had gone up

by the stairs and not by the lift. There are no

buttons which you can just push and then

automatically reach your goals. You can only make

progress step by step. Progress can seldom be made

by leaps and bounds. By means of the ladder you

can progress even to the stage of owning the lift, but

you cannot make a success of your life by starting

with the lift and expecting it to do everything for

you.

                                                      Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                  - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Teacher Tree

The tree-trunk forms one half of a tree and the roots

the other half. Botanists tell us that there is just as

much of a tree spread under the ground as there is

standing above the ground. The top half of a tree

can only stand erect and verdant above the ground

when it is prepared to bury its other half beneath

the ground. This is an example which trees show to

mankind; a philosopher puts it this way:

“Root downward, fruit upward, that is the

divine protocol.”

The rose comes to a perfect combination of colour,

line and aroma atop a tall stem. Its perfection is

achieved, however, because first a root went down

into the homely matrix of the common earth. Those

who till the soil or garden understand the analogy.

Our interests have so centred on gathering the fruit

that it has been easy to forget the cultivation of the

root.

A tree stands above the ground, fixing its roots

firmly beneath the ground. It grows from beneath,

upwards into the air; it does not start at the top and

grow downwards. The tree is our teacher,

imparting to us the lesson of nature that if we seek

to progress outwardly we must first strengthen

ourselves inwardly; we must begin from the base of

our own selves before we can hope to build society

anew.

                                                     Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                  - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Aiming Directly at the Target

The American writer, Charles Gafield, who has

made a thorough, psychology study of peak

achievement, says that “in a study of 90 leaders in

business, politics, sports and arts, many spoke of

‘false starts but never of ‘failure’. Disappointment

spawns greater resolve, growth or change.

Moreover, no matter how rough things get, superachievers

always feel there are other avenues they

can explore. They always have another idea to test.”

Reader’s Digest, October 1986

The writer emphasizes the fact, however, that these

high achievers are neither superhuman, charismatic

nor even singularly talented. What they do have in

common is an “uncanny knack for increasing the

odds in their favour through simple techniques that

almost anyone can cultivate.” He delineates five

major areas of concern. First and foremost, one

must have a great sense of mission, and a strong

desire to turn everything that comes one’s way to

good account. Secondly, one must be resultoriented,

so that one is not just preoccupied with

unceasing activities, but with a definite outcome of

one’s efforts. Thirdly, one has to take stock of

whatever knowledge and skills one has and bring

out whatever is latent and waiting to be used, so

that it can be tuned up to a peak of perfection. Very

often, it is not so much a question of adding to one’s

knowledge and skills as of developing what is

already there—capacities of which we are

sometimes barely aware. Frequently, it is one’s

initial sense of mission which taps these hidden

resources.

Sometimes it is impossible to achieve distant goals

without the aid of one’s fellowmen, in which case,

one has to develop the capacity to inspire the team

spirit in others. Particularly in highly competitive

situations, it is essential to be able to encourage

other competent people to make a significant

contribution to one’s own performance.

But no one sails through life without bumping into

obstacles and suffering a variety of setbacks. This is

when one must beware of lapsing into passivity.

Then one has to take oneself firmly in hand and

decide to look upon such things not as great gulfs

from which one will never emerge, but simply as

hurdles which have to be surmounted if one is to

finish the race. One’s initial feeling of

disappointment should quickly transform itself into

a great determination to try harder, to alter one’s

approach, to seek different and better ways of

achieving one’s goal, and to channel one’s energies

more effectively towards their ultimate target.

                                                      Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                  - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

Reading the Signs

With the increase of traffic in modern times, the

danger of accidents has also increased. To obviate

this danger, various forms of road signs have been

erected for the guidance of motorists. One such sign

reads: “Lane driving is safe driving.” Keeping to

one’s lane is an effective safeguard against

accidents, averting the danger of colliding with

other motor-cars, and ensuring that one’s journey

does not end in disaster.

An article in a British motoring magazine by an

expert on driving gives some indispensable rules of

thumb for drivers. If one is speeding down a main

road, for example, and suddenly a ball appears

from a side road, one must realize that there is

probably a child not far behind it. If one sees the

ball, but fails to see the child, one cannot count

oneself a good driver. The really good driver stops,

not on account of the ball, but on account of the

child that he sees with his mind’s eye running

behind the ball. It is the quickness of his

imagination which saves the child from being run

over.

The principles we are required to keep in mind

while driving are the same as those we should keep

in mind on our journey through life. If one wishes,

one can learn from the “highway code” the

principle that one should follow in the vaster arena

of life.

Always confine your activities to your own sphere;

if you infringe on the sphere of others, you are sure

to clash with them: your progress will come to an

abrupt halt. When certain signs appear on the

horizon of society, try to make out what these signs

imply. Do not just go by outward signs; try to reach

the meaning behind them. If one just goes by what

one sees and fails to see what lurks in the

background, one will not advance in one’s journey

through life. Others, more farseeing than oneself,

will forge ahead, while one falls victim to dangers

that could have been avoided, if one had read the

signs properly (116:4).

                                                     Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                  - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan 

The Secret of Success

Eighty per cent of the information received by a

human being from the outside world comes to him

through his eyes—provided he keeps his eyes open.

There is an abundance of oxygen in the air, but if it is

to do him any good, he must assiduously breathe it

in. If, however, we are to benefit from our

environment, it means rather more than just

depending upon our own spontaneous biological

functioning. It means that we must have the will and

ability to seize the opportunities given to us by God

and to learn to grapple with whatever their built-in

conditions may be. We cannot expect the world—of

its own—to lay its gifts at our feet.

This concept is of the greatest importance in the

sphere of Dawah work. The spreading of the Islamic

message is not something which is going to happen

automatically, and, if it is to come about, it will

depend upon our grasping whatever opportunities

come our way. In modern times the greatest

opportunity that has presented itself is the

widespread freedom of belief enjoyed all over the

world. (Only in a few communist countries are curbs

placed upon religious activities). This freedom,

however, carries with it a tacit proviso, i.e. that

propagation of the faith must not take place by

coercion, but by gentle persuasion. One reason for

this is that so long as one does not use force, there

will be no serious opposition to such activity. Perhaps

a more important reason is that everyone should

enjoy the same freedom of belief; the forcing of beliefs

upon others is tantamount to encroaching upon that

freedom, nay, destroying it. Failure to respect this

condition means misusing the opportunity which

presents itself; Dawah activity carried on in this way

would eventually prove counter-productive. After

such an abuse of another’s privilege, there would be

nothing to stand between us and God’s punishment,

for it is He who has provided us with this unique

opportunity to bring other people within the fold. It is

an opportunity to be seized, not wasted.

Missed opportunities spell ruin. That is the way of the

world. And that is the will of God. (114:10-11)

At the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles in July

August 1984, about 62 Indian sportsmen participated.

When the games were over and they returned to New

Delhi on August 16, 1984, they received a chilly

welcome, as they had failed to win a single medal,

neither gold, silver nor bronze.

What was the reason for this failure? According to a

report published in the Times of India (August

17, 1984), “Lack of scientific and systematic training

was the main reason for India’s poor showing. We

did our best but that, unfortunately, was not good

enough. The entrants began their training just three

months beforehand.”

What has been said about the Olympic Games applies

to all walks of life.

In this world of competition it is necessary to enter

the field fully prepared. If you enter it inadequately

prepared, little else but failure will await you.

Your preparation should conform to two

requirements: it should be organized and it should be

consistent with the standards of the times. If it is not

so, you will fail to make your mark and you will be

unable to keep in step with modern developments.

                                                      Ref - The Moral Vision

                                                                                                  - by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan