TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE
We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. Peace is deeply linked with the entirety of human life. Peace is a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion for both—man and the universe. It is the master-key that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour. Without peace, no positive action—small or big—is possible.
NUGGETS OF WISDOM
THIS is a selection of nuggets of wisdom written by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan. The common thread that runs through these quotes is ‘peace’. Peace within and peace without was a topic most dear to Maulana. He wrote a number of books and lectured throughout the world on the subject of peace. The conciliatory approach always minimizes the problem, while the confrontational approach aggravates matters, leaving the initial problem unsolved.
There is a saying: “If all think alike, no one thinks very much.” This aptly explains the value of difference. Diversity, and not uniformity is part of the scheme of nature.
An act of avoidance appears to be benefiting the other party, but its actual aim is to save us from the futility of confrontation, thus enabling the journey of our life to continue without encountering any obstacle. Any justification for violence is invalid. Whenever an individual or a group engages in violence, they have the option of a peaceful method. When a peaceful opportunity is available, then violence must be in principle discarded absolutely and peace must be adopted absolutely. The act of tolerance is not a matter of compulsion. It results naturally from the elevated moral calibre of a person.
In a towering rage, a man is not in control of himself. He takes a wrong step and destruction follows in its wake. It becomes too late for regrets. He is unable to save himself from his own wrong action.
Observing silence is a great act. When someone is silent, his attention is diverted more to ‘heavenly’ matters than to ‘worldly’ ones. He eschews superficiality and engages himself with deeper realities.
In this world, every man sometimes loses and sometimes gains. Losing and winning are not in themselves important. What is of actual importance is how people conduct themselves while facing these situations.
Patience will ensure that whenever an individual has some bitter experience, he will opt for the way of tolerance rather than that of reaction to provocation. It will enable him to absorb shocks and to continue undeterred on his onward journey. Difference of opinions can be turned to one’s advantage. Difference of opinions invites discussion, which gives you a good opportunity to remove misconceptions. Moreover, difference gives you an opportunity to turn an enemy into a friend. While one short emotional outburst is all that is needed for violence to be indulged in, a peaceful action requires serious thought and strong justification. Patience is no retreat. Patience gives the strength to restrain one’s emotions in delicate situations and use one’s mind to find a course of action along result-oriented lines.
In everyday matter, where there is none of the stress and strain of opposition, no one has difficulty in being tolerant. It is only in situations fraught with conflict, that the truly tolerant man will prove his mettle. You are more precious than everything else. So always try to save yourself. If in any situation, you have lost something, even then you have something, and that is yourself. So, forget what is lost and take that which still exists for you.
While revenge may open a new chapter that is revenge after revenge, forgiveness ends this chain. Forgiveness means that you have put a full stop, while revenge in this case means that you have put commas. The great secret of life is realism, and there is no form of realism greater than accepting defeat. To do so is to acknowledge the fact that, far from being ahead of others, one is behind them. In other words, it is to know where one stands in life.
A peaceful course of action is not just one of the possibilities. It is the only feasible and result-oriented option.
Overcoming the enemy by power is half a victory; whereas overcoming the enemy by love is a complete victory.
Violence and peace both have wide connotations. Violence includes everything from hatred to war. Peace includes everything from tolerance to love. Both violence and peace are the results of human thinking.
A peaceful person is one whose inner self is so deeply immersed in peace that no outward event can disturb his emotional balance. He takes pity on those who are easily angered. Where ordinary people become provoked, he remains blissfully serene.
The Quran is a book of God, enshrining the wisdom of nature. A source of divine secrets, it has to be rediscovered every day.