FROM MAULANA’S DESK
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the Demiurgus Peace International Award and Sayyidina Imam Al Hassan Peace award for promoting peace in Muslim societies. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognized as one of its most influential Muslims . His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi.
DIFFERENT IS BEAUTIFUL
EF SCHUMACHER authored a book ‘Small Is Beautiful: A Study Of Economics As If People Mattered’. It is often used to champion small, appropriate technologies that are believed to empower people more, in contrast with phrases such as “bigger is better”. Paul Taylor wrote the book, ‘Black is Beautiful: A Philosophy of Black Aesthetics’ In the same vein, I would like to say, ‘Different is Beautiful’.
I am specifically referring to differences of opinion which should be used as a stepping stone rather than considering it as an obstacle. There is an example from Islamic history to illustrate this: The Kabah was built in the shape of a rectangle by Prophet Abraham, four thousand years ago. It transpired that for some reason, the Kabah had to be re-constructed, but in the process of construction the Makkan people made it square-shaped. Consequently, about a third of the area of the former rectangular building was missing from the newly built Kabah.
The Prophet of Islam was later advised to restore the Kabah to its original shape, as built by Prophet Abraham. But the Prophet did not do so. The long, rectangular shape of the Kabah was earlier required, as it had been built as a house of prayer. Later, since it was needed only for circumambulation, a square-shaped Kabah could be used just as well. Therefore, the Prophet letting the Kabah continue in its square shape was an example of re-planning on the basis of what was already there. His doing so meant that the Kabah could be immediately used just as it was, otherwise in the struggle to rebuild it and recover what was lost, precious time would have been wasted.
There are several examples that convey that planning on the basis of what remains with one is the best form of planning, as it reduces losses by not causing any further delay. The same principle could have been applied to the re-building of Palestine. If, after the Balfour Agreement in 1948, the Arabs had planned on the basis of the part of the country that remained with them, Palestine would have been a story of success.
Palestine is situated at a strategic location in the Middle East, and it was enriched not only by its natural oil reserves but also by its historical monuments. If the leaders of Palestine or the rest of the Arab world had known the secret of planning with what was left to them, they would have restored and developed these monuments of historic value in order to attract visitors, thereby making it a great tourist hub. In this way, they would have converted Palestine into ‘Palestine Plus’. But Arab leaders did not realize this secret of success. Consequently, Palestine has been a story of failure, despite the innumerable sacrifices that have been made.
‘Different is beautiful’ is undoubtedly a comprehensive formula, which has several aspects to it. For example, if there are differences of opinion among people, it paves the way for dialogue. This dialogue becomes the stepping-stone to new thoughts and ideas, which in turn foster creative and intellectual development.
Human beings are born with unlimited capacity, which usually remains in a dormant state. To convert this potential into actuality, a trigger is needed. For example, Newton saw an apple falling from a tree. This caused him to wonder why the apple did not go up. This type of thinking is actually what every occasion of difference has the potential capacity to yield. It is only once the mind has been triggered that it becomes creative and looks beyond limitations to discover hitherto unknown facts and ideas, just as Newton did.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
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