← Quranic WisdomQuranic Wisdom
Here is a Silver Lining
English · 6 min read
Challenge makes a man a superman. When you
meet a challenge, you enhance your process
of intellectual development.
The answer to this question is very clear. This kind of prayer is not in accordance with the spirit of the Quran because it is against the creation plan of God. Any prayer that goes against the creation plan of God can never be accepted, even if the person continues to pray. The Quran in the chapter Fatir (The Creator) clearly declares:
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No burden-bearer shall bear another’s burden. (35:18)
The above kind of prayer reflects that parents have made their family’s worldly betterment their sole concern. While according to the Quran, parents should make their family’s other-worldly (akhirat) betterment their concern. According to the Quran, a believer must adopt an akhirat-oriented or hereafter-oriented thinking and life for himself as well as for his family. Going against this will only invite divine wrath. A verse in the chapter Al-A‘la (The Most High) from the Quran that points towards this is:
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But you prefer the life of this world, although the Hereafter is better and more lasting. (87:16-17)
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Moreover, such a prayer goes against wisdom. According to the law of nature, difficulty is not a problem, it is instead a blessing. There is a well-known saying: ‘It is not ease but effort, not facility but difficulty that makes men.’ This saying is based on the law of nature. According to the law of nature, difficulty is the only course of building a true personality. Difficulty is not a curse, rather it is a stepping-stone towards success.
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The problem is that people take difficulty as difficulty, while, in fact, it is a challenge. ‘Difficulty’ is a negative word, while ‘challenge’ is a positive word. Challenge motivates you, unfolds your potentials, and enhances your creativity. In short, challenge makes a man a superman. When you meet a challenge, you enhance your process of intellectual development. It is intellectual development that leads to all kinds of greater achievement.
Take the difficulties of life as a challenge, and soon you will discover that what you had considered as an evil was actually a blessing.
God Almighty is With Us
The Prophet of Islam started his mission in 610 AD in Makkah. After thirteen years he was forced to migrate from Makkah and settle in Madinah. It was an unpleasant journey of about 400 km. During this risky journey he was forced to hide in a cave, the Cave of Thawr. There was only one companion with the Prophet at that time. He was Abu Bakr Siddiq. The Prophet’s enemies managed to reach the cave. On seeing this, Abu Bakr fearfully exclaimed: “They have reached this place too.”
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If you adopt a divine mission with complete sincerity and dedication, God Almighty will certainly provide His help to you. In such a situation, God will not
leave you alone.
The Prophet’s response is mentioned in the chapter Al-Tawbah (Repentance) of the Quran in these words:
If you do not support him [Muhammad], know that God did support him when those who denied the truth expelled him [when he was] the second of two. When they were both in the cave, he [Muhammad] told his companion, ‘Do not worry; for God is with us.’ (9:40)
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This is not simply a prophetic story, but it is more than that. It is an example for all the people of faith. It means that if you adopt a divine mission with complete sincerity and dedication, God Almighty will certainly provide His help to you. In such a situation, God will not leave you alone.
If you are trying to involve yourself in the divine mission, then do not see the external factors, but examine your own spirit. If you are sincere about this mission, you should place complete trust in God. You should believe with conviction that God will certainly provide His succour to you against all odds.
The British historian Arnold J. Toynbee (1889-1975) is best known through his 12-volume work, A Study of History, which was published from 1934-61. In this book he has developed a theory regarding the growth and disintegration of civilizations. He has examined the rise and fall of 26 civilizations through the course of history.
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According to his analysis, history is governed by a law of nature. This law is based on what he terms, ‘challenge-and-response’ mechanism. According to this theory, all the civilizations were created by a minority group.
Minority always comes under the influence of historical factors, which deeply motivate it. This motivation enhances the minority community’s ability and finally it emerges as a creative minority. All civilizations were the result of the efforts and struggle of some creative minority.
This law of nature itself is not enough to make the minority a creative minority. It requires wise leadership. It is a fact that the minority is always under pressure from the majority. This is but natural and there is no exception to this rule. It is a very critical situation. At this juncture, the leadership of the minority community is put to the test. If the leadership of the minority takes the pressure from the majority as a negative experience, and follows the course of complaint and protest, the minority community will end in disaster. Such leadership plays a negative role for its people. It is this kind of leadership that is referred to in an Arabic poem thus: “If the crow becomes the leader of a nation, it will certainly lead its people to a disastrous end.”
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This law of nature means that the minority is always in an advantageous position. It can overcome the majority. Every minority is potentially in a position to give a gift to the world, that is,
a new civilization.
The opposite of this situation is that when a minority comes under pressure from the majority and faces some problems, however, its leadership plays a positive role. The leaders of the minority community tell their people that the situation they are facing is not a problem, rather it is a challenge, and that they should try to meet the challenge with all their might. This kind of positive leadership gives the right direction to its people: they adopt the course of struggle rather than the course of lodging complaints. It is this kind of positive leadership that leads its people toward playing a healthy role, and thus giving rise to a new civilization.
This law of nature means that the minority is always in an advantageous position. It can overcome the majority. Every minority is potentially in a position to give a gift to the world, that is, a new civilization.
It is this law of nature that is mentioned in the chapter Al-Baqarah (The Heifer) of the Quran in these words:
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How often has a small group prevailed against a large group by God’s command. (2:249).
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In this Quranic verse, “command” refers to a universal law of nature. It is this law of nature that stimulates a minority to become a creative minority, provided its leadership is wise and plays a positive role.