← Quranic WisdomQuranic Wisdom
After Night there is Day
English · 3 min read
Practical wisdom means: opting for the less than ideal when the ideal is not achievable.
This kind of act was not surrender, but a good example of practical wisdom. Practical wisdom means: opting for the less than ideal when the ideal is not achievable. King Solomon was very strong in terms of military power, while the Queen of Sheba was not nearly so strong. Moreover, the interests of her people lay in trading and not in developing their homeland into a military power. So by the strategy of a political surrender, which was of a partial nature, the Queen of Sheba was able to save her regime as well as her trade.
This practical wisdom is indispensable not only for rulers but for every individual, for controversy is a part of life. In the midst of controversy, everyone tries to produce an ideal solution. But the fact is that, in most cases, the ideal cannot be achieved. The best formula, therefore, is for everyone to opt for the possible. Don’t run after what is clearly impossible or likely to have a disastrous outcome. That is what is meant by practical wisdom.
In the early period of his mission, when the Prophet of Islam and his Companions were in Makkah, they were facing great hardships that led to despair and frustration. It was a grim situation. The Companions started asking whether their mission had strayed into a blind alley. At this critical time, God Almighty revealed the chapter Al-Duha (The Glorious Morning Light). It reads:
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The glorious morning light is a witness; and the night when it darkens is a witness that your Lord has not forsaken you, nor is He displeased with you, and the future will indeed be better for you than the present. (93:1-4)
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These Quranic verses refer to a phenomenon of nature. Due to the rotation of the planet earth on its axis, there is a constant succession of day and night. This natural phenomenon gives us a great lesson for our life. The succession of day and night symbolizes the succession of positive experience and negative experience.
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In our life also there are dark nights and bright mornings, despair and hope, obstacles and ways out. These show that one should not become the victim of frustration by looking only at one’s present. One must be hopeful about the future.
The present is temporary, like the night, and it is certain that after some days there will be a bright future. So, the best policy for a person is to work in the present and be sure that some day success will come and bear him aloft.
In the case of the Prophet of Islam and his Companions, this principle proved to be true in the complete sense of the word. In their present, they adopted this Quranic formula and then, in the later days, they achieved an unprecedented success in their mission.
The present is temporary, like the night, and it is certain that after some days there will be a bright future.