It is said that there was a woman who was very intelligent and wise. She had a great passion for exploring the wonders of nature. Sometimes she would be traveling around lakes, and other times she would be wandering in the forests and deserts. One day, she was trying to reach the top of a mountain when she met a stranger there. The stranger was also trying to reach the top of the mountain but had run out of food and water. He asked the woman if she had any food to spare. The woman opened her bag and took out some food to give to the stranger. When the stranger peeked into her bag, he found a precious stone inside.
After receiving the gift, the stranger thanked the kind woman and also made another request. “Thank you, kind lady! I liked the stone in your bag. If you give it to me, I will be grateful.” The woman, with great generosity, opened the bag again and placed the stone in front of the stranger. He was very pleased and began to appreciate its value, which was evident in his expression.
The foreigner was very happy and began to value the stone in his heart, which was worth a large sum of money. He started dreaming of the future. He thought, “I have faced many hardships, but now the time has come to change my life.” He attached the stone to his chest and descended from the mountain.
Several days passed before he returned to the mountain and began searching for the woman. Fortunately, he found the woman sitting a short distance away. The woman smiled and asked, “What do you want now?” The foreigner replied, “Kind lady, please take back this stone.” The woman asked, “But why?” The foreigner looked at her with questioning eyes and said, “You were saying that you liked this stone very much, so why are you giving it back?” The foreigner said, “I asked you for this precious stone, and if it had been another person, they would never have given it to me. But you gave me this stone without any hesitation. It shows that you have a greater wealth than this stone, and it will surely have some knowledge and grace.
Just give me that wisdom, give me a big heart and a big mind like yours. I don’t need this valuable stone.” When Allah blesses a person with knowledge and wisdom, it enlarges his heart. He wants to share that knowledge with others, and this gives him peace and contentment, while the worldly matter is the opposite. When someone becomes wealthy, he cannot find happiness and peace, but rather more fear and insecurity. He worries that someone might become wealthier than him, fears that someone might steal all his wealth, and this keeps him awake at night. I remember the saying of a wise man, he said, “Never stop learning, because life never stops teaching.” The truth is that when a person is ready to learn, the whole universe becomes a book for him. The rising sun becomes a guide for him. Every turn in life reveals things that enlighten him from new perspectives. All it takes is a seeing eye, a heart full of feelings, beautiful thoughts, and a thinking mind.
You and I are alive, which means that the best wealth of life is still with us, but how to use that wealth is up to us. Many people wake up in the morning, but the fresh morning sun does not stir their emotions. Despite the pleasant air, they still have a sense of discontent in their hearts. Why? Because they are disappointed with life. They do not value life, nothing is new for them in life, and that is why they do not learn from life.
What does an intelligent person do? He does not just live life, he lives it fully. He captures every moment in his senses and enjoys it to the fullest. He thinks through every step of life. He invests his time and energy in himself. When he includes someone in his life, he thinks whether it will be beneficial or harmful for him. When he sits in a gathering, he thinks about what benefit his thoughts will get from that gathering. He picks up a book and thinks whether it will increase his knowledge, hope, and positivity. Even if he watches a movie, drama, or video, he tries to benefit fully from it, while an ignorant person does not weigh life on that scale. He just chooses things for fun and entertainment and remains unaware that, like sand, life is slipping through his fingers, and the reserve of his breaths is running out.
Research shows that in today’s world, 75% of people do not like to read books, only 25% of people have a book in their hands, while the number of active users on social media is 71 million. What do these people do on social media, the answer to this is known to every one of us. The result of distance from books and knowledge is that intolerance, violence, hatred, and discrimination have increased in society, which is hollowing out our roots. For a better, peaceful, and useful society, we will have to move towards learning, and we will have to see that what we are learning is giving us three things.
Thinking:
After three thousand years of human history research, experts have concluded that the best gift from God to humans is the power of thought. This is a great achievement for humans, as it is a powerful tool that has brought humans out of caves and enabled them to reach the moon. This power of thought is so potent that a decision to change can completely transform a person’s life. The advancements in modern civilization and progress are all due to this human thought. Today, powerful and heavy aircraft are flying in the air, which was considered impossible until 100 years ago. However, the Wright brothers’ change in thinking led them to believe that they could fly in the air, and they proved it.
Another incident of the power of thought is that of the American President John F. Kennedy. In 1961, he announced that he wanted to go to the moon. This important goal was written in NASA’s records, and the world saw that just ten years of effort later, America had planted its flag on the moon. Although at that time, the earth had not been fully explored, it was the power of human thought that had enabled humans to reach the moon millions of miles away. The famous trainer Roy Kant says that after spending 60 years, a person should not regret that their house is not big enough, they do not have a car, or they did not build any property for themselves. Instead, they should regret not reading the books they should have read. They should have met people with the highest minds, so that they could hear their stories and learn from them.
Belief:
When thinking changes, a person’s belief also becomes firm. Belief is a magical wand that creates a rock-like strength in a person’s morale. Even in the darkest times, a bright tomorrow is visible to them. Even if the circumstances are at their worst, the hope of better days gives them the strength to fight. A person’s belief in God saves them from wrongdoing and forbidden acts.
I remember once during a training session, I told an officer that in professional life, if there is a turn where you feel that you have come across a hurdle and have complete control over it, then look up once and say, “I am leaving this for you for your sake, so give me more halal.” Almost a month later, the officer came to me and said, “I have tried your formula three times. By God! God has given me many times more halal than haram.”
Action:
The whole philosophy and wisdom of the world are of no use if they do not force a person to act. Action brings a lot of knowledge even if it is brief. Allah also prefers the action that, although short, is done with discipline. If there is no action, then why should libraries be filled everywhere, everything is useless. Allah also helps those who choose to act, and even if they are weak in numbers and resources, Allah sends angels to help them. But if there is no action, then no matter how strong the power is, why should there be piles of resources, the defeat is always for those who are inactive.
In our society, people talk a lot but unfortunately, we have to say with regret that we are empty of action, and this is also the fundamental reason for our decline. A scholar’s saying is that if you claim that your belief is the best belief in the world and your religion is the best in the world, then it is also your responsibility to prove your claim right through your actions. But if your actions are contrary to your claim, then you have no right to claim superiority.
