Ch 9 — Shaping the Family and Society / Mother as a Role Model
Women In Islam — Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.
Akash Ambani, 24, the son of Mukesh Ambani, had his first media interview published in ‘Hello’ magazine of The Times of India on July 20, 2014. During this interview, Akash Ambani spoke of some of the healthy traditions of his family. For instance, during his school days, his mother, Nita Ambani, gave him very little pocket money, a pittance compared to what his friends got. Second, there was the advice given to him by his grandfather, Dhirubhai Ambani: “Money lost can be earned again, but lost time is lost forever. So use your time judiciously.” These two items are basic to a successful life. p. 253
A small amount of pocket money means a simple life. It serves as a regulator in that it restrains you from going astray and indulging in unwanted activities. It becomes a compulsory check that saves you from developing bad habits, engaging in distractions, having an easy-going life, and ending up with an unhealthy character. It prevents you from following that pattern of life in which you pursue only your self-interest. p. 253
Thus, less pocket money saves a person’s nature. It saves a person from ruining his natural qualities. It makes one Mr. Nature rather than Mr. Artificial. There is no doubt that being true to one’s nature is the source of all good, and turning away from one’s nature is the source of all evil. Less pocket money prevents you from leading an unnatural life for the simple reason that you are unable to pay its price. The truth is that adhering to one’s nature develops good character while turning away from it develops bad character. p. 254
Nature, as described by the Creator Himself, is the right framework for any individual. For any human being, the secret of life is following one’s nature. Doing so leads to the right development. A person who departs from his true nature cannot correctly develop his personality. p. 254
The second important principle is: “Money lost can be earned again, but lost time is lost forever.” After his nature, the greatest asset of a person is time. Success comes to one who utilizes his time. One who wastes his time will fail in life. p. 254
But adopting this way of life is not very simple. It requires a wise teacher to instruct one. Akash Ambani found that teacher in his mother. His mother serves as a role model for other women. Everyone is born with two great assets. Internally, it is his God-given nature, and externally, it is that precious thing called time. One who recognizes these two divine gifts can ensure success. p. 254
When you follow the path set by nature, the cogs on your wheel will connect with those of nature’s wheel. So you move along smoothly. If you deviate from the course of nature, you will fail to connect your cogs with the cogs on nature’s wheel. Such a person is left unsupported and can never be successful. The same is true of time. Time is the prime asset that is required for successful planning. If you fail to make good use of your time, you will be deprived of that sole basis, after which there is no other basis for success. p. 255
Success is the outcome of the right planning. There are two basic factors in right planning: internally, it is the nature with which you are born, and externally, it is that period in which you organize all your activities. If you are lacking in either of these, it will lead to disaster. p. 255
Success comes from planning, and planning is the wise utilization of these two gifts—natural wisdom and time. p. 255
Akash Ambani learned these lessons by discovering his mother as a role model. His mother serves as a role model for other women. p. 255