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.
NOW OR NEVER
I met an intelligent and educated young man who had developed a bad habit due to some reason. I advised him to get rid of the habit, saying: “This habit is constantly destroying your health, it has also halted your intellectual development. In all aspects, it is disastrous for you.” I advised him to urgently do something to get rid of the habit. After a pause, he replied: “I will do it.” I said: “No, you should say, ‘I have done it’.”
In life the principle that works is ‘now or never’. We do not have time. ‘I will do it’ is a kind of luxury which we cannot afford. We have to take decisions at once. Every day is the last day for you, so you have to decide in the very first moment, otherwise you cannot do anything. Time is running fast, it does not wait for anyone.
In life the principle that works is ‘now or never’. ‘I will do it’ is a kind of luxury that we cannot afford.
I told him that the mind has an enormous capacity. There are some windows in the mind. These windows open up only when man takes an urgent decision. For example, if in reality you come face to face with a cobra, you will react with great speed. The reason is that the fear of the cobra activates your mind and the result is that some of these closed windows of your mind open up instantly.
Every human mind has this potential, but generally people utilize this capacity of the mind only during moments of fear. A wise man is one who can utilize this opportunity for positive planning, and opens up the windows of his mind in normal circumstances. Fear even activates an animal. However, what differentiates a human being from an animal is that man should be able to activate the potentials in his mind without fear.
Problems are of three kinds.
If a problem is related to the present,
you can solve it through wise planning.
If the problem is related to the past,
then a simple solution is: forget it,
and the problem will
instantly disappear.
If the problem is regarding the future,
then it is not a problem at all,
it is simply a baseless fear.
When you fail in your life, take it as a result of lack of planning.
So, in such situations, try to do re-planning and
you will certainly attain success.