YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
The remedy for ignorance is asking questions. (Prophet Muhammad) The spirit of enquiry is the hallmark of an open society and the above saying of the Prophet aptly illustrates this principle. A culture of curiosity and open-mindedness will foster development in any society by motivating its members to learn enthusiastically and enrich their knowledge. This is because awareness of one’s ignorance is half of knowledge, as it becomes a stepping-stone to seeking and finding answers. A questioning mind is like a flowing river that is replenished with fresh thoughts and ideas and continues on its journey.
What should be our response when people mistreat us?
The outside world knows you as you have introduced yourself to it. It sends back its reflex responses according to the picture you have given it. This being so, when you find others mistreating you, do not seek the fault in them. Seek rather the fault within yourself. By recognizing your own shortcomings and doing your best to remove them, you can better safeguard yourself against the mistreatment of others.
I have many regrets for lost opportunities. What can I do now to save myself from sorrow about this?
When the sun rises and night ends, it is a silent announcement by nature that the earth’s rotation on its axis has been completed. Now its second rotation is about to begin. Anyone can start his journey in its light and reach his destination. The sunrise each morning makes a person stand between two things: one is the opportunity which has passed and the other is the opportunity that now presents itself. One who can avail of these opportunities will surely attain his objectives. Success, in other words, depends upon making the best of available opportunities. No one can start his journey from the day which has already passed. Forget about lost opportunities; take stock of the opportunities which are on offer today and utilize them. Always remember that a day once passed never comes back for anyone. It is not therefore, going to come back for you either.
I am afraid of failure. How can I overcome this fear?
Success very often follows failure. In this world success is only for the person who has the courage to accept defeat. Everything has a price tag and acceptance of failure is the real price of success. Those who do not pay this price will never be able to reach the destination of success in this world.
There is only one way to success in this world, and that is thinking of failure as something temporary. Without losing one’s patience, one should devote oneself to converting one’s failure into success.
Do you think preparation will reduce the risk of failure?
Certainly. In a world where everyone is vying for position, one has to be fully prepared for whatever venture is to be embarked upon. If one is caught unprepared, the outcome is inevitable―failure!
Whatever preparation we make, it should be thorough and completely in accord with the demands of the times we live in. If we fail to keep pace with modernity, we can never hope for success in a society which is so preoccupied with innovation. We must at all times keep a finger on the throbbing pulse of life so that we may remain attuned to the imperatives of the day. It is only in this way that we shall understand exactly what ways we need to be prepared, and can take the appropriate steps while the time is ripe.
Do we need to have big resources to achieve success?
The secret of success lies in following simple rules. People generally think that success is something which can be achieved only by doing something great, or by utilizing great means or resources. But you can reach the peak of success just by your polite words, hard work, making good use of your limited resources and patiently doing your work, with perseverance. None of these things are too big or difficult for the common man to achieve.
Do the problems in this world prevent us from making use of opportunities?
"Starve the problems, feed the opportunities”, so goes an old saying. Simple words, but imbued with great profundity. One who understrands the message of these words and acts accordingly will find the doors of success opening to him, while one who lives in ignorance of them will find all the doors closed to him. The crux of the matter is that an individual in this world is forever caught between problems and opportunities. And herein lies the test for people. One person, seeing only the problems that confront him becomes caught up in them. Such a person is bound to miss his opportunites. On the other hand, one who concentrates on using the opportunities available to him as best as he can will not find much time to worry about the problems afflicting him.
Experience shows that, far from helping anyone, becoming caught up in problems just leads to gloominess and depression and from the practical point of view is a waste of time. It is better to concentrate on making the best use of one’s opportunities. Not only will new avenues open before one, but the problems that so afflicted one will gradually pale into insignificance.