THINK GOOD OF OTHERS
Be Realistic and Positive
WILL Durant (1885–1981) was an American writer, historian, and philosopher. While talking about the relevance of history, he said: “The present is the past rolled up for action and the past is the present unrolled for understanding.” It means that human behaviour has remained same throughout the ages. Therefore, it is quite natural that we can learn a great deal about the human response to various situations.
Caliph al-Mansour of the Abbasid caliphate (714-775) founded the city of Baghdad. During the Abbasid era, Baghdad developed so much that it became the largest city in the world.
Building a city like Baghdad was a costly project. Therefore, a few days after the commencement of the project, Caliph alMansour began to feel the burden of high price for the undertaking. Seeing this, one of his courtiers, Abu Ayyub Moriani, advised the Caliph to demolish the palaces of Iranian kings, some distance from Baghdad, and use their bricks and stones in the construction of Baghdad.
We must look at someone’s advice as advice, we should not necessarily consider it as arising out of ill-will. It is quite possible that our guess is wrong and the counselor really gave the best and useful advice
When Khalid ibn Barmak, a minister of Caliph Mansour, heard about this, he said, “O leader of the believers, do not do this. The palaces of the Iranian kings are a symbol of the victory of Islam. Seeing them increases the belief in the greatness of Islam in our people. Moreover, the cost of demolishing it is more than the benefit that we are expecting.”
However, Caliph al-Mansur did not follow the opinion of Khalid ibn Barmak. He said, “You are opposing the demolition of these palaces because you are still prejudiced against the Arabs.” Khalid ibn Barmak was an Iranian. The Calpih looked at the racial background of Khalid and thought that he was opposing the demolition of kings’ palaces because he wanted the mark of Iranian kings’ greatness to remain.
Caliph al-Mansour ordered the demolition of these palaces. An army of labourers and workers set out to demolish the palace and load its stones on donkeys and mules and bring them to Baghdad. But soon al-Mansour understood that an exorbitant amount was being spent on demolition, and the amount of building materials that could be procured was way less in proportion to the amount being spent. So he stopped the work of demolition in the middle.
This event from history teaches us that we must look at someone’s advice as advice, we should not necessarily consider it as arising out of ill-will. It is quite possible that our guess is wrong and the counselor really gave the best and useful advice.