Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
Social life in this world is like living in a bush where there are beautiful flowers side by side with harmful thorns. You have to be cautious enough to be able to pluck the flowers without becoming entangled with the thorns. This is a bit like tight-rope walking, which requires great skill if one is not to overbalance. Without this skill, no one can achieve his higher goals. p. 134
People of evil character are not entirely worthless people. They can also have a positive role, provided you deal with them with a positive mind. If you can inculcate this positive quality in your personality, then bad people can prove to be good teachers for you from different points of view. p. 134
Having a mixture of opposites in one’s personality is not beyond one’s capacity. It is neither unnatural nor impossible. It is quite natural and completely achievable for a sincere person. Describing this human capacity one Western scholar has rightly said: “I am large enough to contain all these contradictions.” p. 134original + quote
People of evil character are not entirely worthless people. They can also have a positive role, provided you deal with them with a positive mind. p. 134
No animal has this quality; it is a unique characteristic bestowed upon man by his Creator. All that is needed is to unfold this quality hidden in every human personality. Being a mixture of opposites is a feature of personality development. p. 134
It is not a problem: it is rather an opportunity. A mixture of opposites means having diverse qualities, the most important of which is the wisdom of difference management. It is, moreover a sign of principled behaviour. It is a proof of a person’s maturity. The mature person adopts the formula of ignoring the problems and availing of the opportunities. He has the ability to act in a selective manner. He possesses the virtue of high morality. It means that his behaviour is a friendly towards all mankind. He is able to deal with both friend and foe alike. p. 134
Political Power: A Responsibility p. 135
Solomon, an Israelite prophet as well as a king, was the ruler of Palestine and Syria. While engaged in trying to win over the Queen of Sheba in both the political and religious sense, he asked for the throne of the Queen of Sheba to be brought to him. The queen and her throne were hundreds of miles away at that time, but because he had been endowed with special powers, he expected his order to have immediate effect. The Quran refers to how Solomon responded to his order being instantly complied with in the chapter Al-Naml (The Ants) of the Quran. The relevant verse is as follows: p. 135original + quote
But one of them who had some knowledge of the Book said, ‘I will bring it to you in the twinkling of an eye.’ When Solomon saw it placed before him, he exclaimed, ‘This is by the grace of my Lord, to test whether I am grateful or ungrateful. Whosoever is grateful, it is for the good of his own self; and whosoever is ungrateful, then surely my Lord is self-sufficient and generous.’ (27:40) p. 135Qur'an
This verse illustrates the Quranic concept of political power, i.e. it is not a kind of a worldly blessing; it is a test set by God. Just as everything that one possesses in this world is a test paper, so also is political power a test paper. God Almighty is constantly watching the behaviour of the ruler to ascertain whether he is just or unjust in performing his duties. A king is accountable before God just as the common man is. p. 135