Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
This means that whenever there is any controversy, the outcome is in your own hands. If you provoke the ego of the opposite party, you are bound to taste the bitter results of your action. Your negative action will be followed by a negative reaction, and you shall have to pay the price for your own uncalled for initiatives. The best way to confront controversial situations is to be cautious and to try to activate the conscience of the opposite party. This policy will definitely work. The verdict of your rival’s conscience will certainly go in your favour. This is a simple formula for a better life. p. 138
No one is a born enemy. Enmity is a relative phenomenon of a personality. It is your own negative action that turns a person into your enemy. If you avoid negative action, the apparent enmity will disappear. Enmity is the product of your own wrong behaviour, and through good behaviour you can make people your dear friends. p. 138
The conscience checks you from indulging in any evil practices, and if you do indulge in any kind of misdemeanour, the conscience becomes alive and compels you to repent and amend your behaviour. p. 137
The ego and the conscience are both good and healthy parts of the human personality. The ego, in the positive sense, gives you determination; it helps you to build a strong personality and, being one of your greatest strengths, it gives you the courage to face challenges. Learn the art of ego management, and the ego will prove to be a blessing for you. p. 138
The conscience is also very important for the development of your personality. The conscience instills in you the spirit of mercy and enables you to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong. Above all, the conscience serves as the moral keeper of your personality. p. 138
The Opening Chapter
of the Quran p. 139
There are 114 chapters in the Quran, some long and some short. The opening chapter, Al-Fatihah (The Opening), which serves as a preface to the Quran, comprises of only six short verses. The translation of this chapter is as follows: p. 139
All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Universe; the Beneficent, the Merciful; Lord of the Day of Judgement. You alone we worship, and to You alone we turn for help. Guide us to the straight path: the path of those You have blessed; not of those who have incurred Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray. (1:1-6) p. 139Qur'an
The first verse of this chapter is: “All praise is due to God, the Lord of the Universe.” This is the gist of the Quran. The basic message of the Quran is that man must be grateful to God, man must acknowledge God Almighty. Man must adopt a life that is God-oriented. Alhamdulillah covers all these spiritual values. p. 139
God Almighty has created man as the superior form of life. He has provided him with all those favourable things that form the life-support system. He created the earth, which is the only planet favourable to human life. He gave man a mind with enormous potential. It is the miracle of the mind that man was able to create a civilization. All the sciences are but a product of the workings of the mind. p. 139