Learning Lessons

Badges mark quoted or attributed material (Qur'an, hadith, another author, an opposing view). Unbadged passages are Maulana Wahiduddin Khan's own words.

Contents (184 chapters)

1. Introduction
2. The Best Story
3. Honesty and Hard Work
4. The First Murder
5. Charity is a Duty
6. The Forbidden Tree
7. Education Matters
8. All Men are Equal
9. Animals as Teachers
10. Social Etiquette
11. Verify and then Accept
12. The Supportive Role
13. Avoid Confrontation
14. From Potential to Reality
15. A World Full of Friends
16. Like a Good Tree
17. Self-Correcting Mechanism
18. The Importance of Time
19. Only Givers Remain
20. The Advice of a Wise Man
21. Successful Dialogue
22. The Formula of Co-existence
23. How to Face Problems
24. Submission to God
25. The Rise and Fall of a Nation
26. Practical Wisdom
27. After Night there is Day
28. The Real Achiever
29. Actions Matter
30. Law of Success
31. Blame Thy Self
32. Do not Provoke Others
33. How to Avoid Tension
34. No Discrimination
35. Waste of Money
36. Setting a Tradition
37. Anger Management
38. Hopeful Beginning
39. Peace of Mind
40. Mission and Profession
41. The Value of Silence
42. Right Use of Speech
43. The Complex-free Soul
44. The Art of Acceptance
45. Spiritual Partners
46. De-condition the Mind
47. Negative Remarks
48. Conspiracy: Not a Problem
49. The Best Way of Settlement
50. Sound Speech
51. Universal Brotherhood
52. Man and Nature
53. The Importance of Interaction
54. The Creation Plan of God
55. Making the Right Choice
56. The Value of Differences
57. A Course in Self-Control
58. The Phenomenon of Degeneration
59. The Prophet's Life was an Open Book
60. Respect All Cultures, Do Not Discriminate
61. No Conflict Between Prayer and Commerce
62. When You Make a Mistake
63. It is Quality that Matters
64. Just Speech and Correct Conduct
65. Discrimination is Alien to the Quran
66. Political Status Quoism
67. Jihad in Quran: A Peaceful Ideology
68. The Consequences of Wrong Deeds
69. Let there be no Vain or Sinful Talk
70. The Importance of Playing a Secondary Role
71. Needed, a Mixture of Opposites
72. Political Power: A Responsibility
73. Conscience Serves as a Corrective to Ego
74. The Opening Chapter of the Quran
75. Avoid Unnecessary Conflict
76. Understand Things in Correct Perspective
77. Two Sources of Knowledge
78. Intellectual Partners
79. A Predictable Character
80. Greater than Political Victory
81. Faith is a Discovery
82. Freedom and Determinism
83. Don't Live in Suspicion
84. Waiting for a Better Future
85. Wish Well, Be Honest
86. The Quran: A Book of Contemplation
87. The Human Personality
88. Successful Leadership
89. Learning Lessons
90. Character Assassination
91. A Sense of Accountability
92. The Role of a Woman
93. Speech Management
94. Don't be a Slave to Your Desires
95. The Money Culture
96. Learning from Everyone
97. Six Magic Words
98. No Double Standards
99. Widening the Horizon
100. The Quran as a Book
101. No Pollution
102. The Gist of the Quran
103. From One to One Hundred Fourteen
104. High Thinking
105. Asking the Blessing of God
106. Ignore them Politely
107. Life in a State of Urgency
108. Crux of the Quran
109. From Darkness to Light
110. Say no to Double Standards
111. The Philosophy of Peace
112. A World of Competition
113. Mutual Consultation
114. Make Angels Your Companions
115. Focused Thinking
116. Individualism versus Collectivism
117. The Importance of Reason
118. Justice for the Sake of God
119. Sensitivity as an Inner Check
120. No Aggression
121. The Voice of Nature
122. The Purpose of Man's Trial
123. Spirituality versus Politics
124. Accept, Introspect, Make Amends
125. Difference: A Part of Creation
126. Leave the Problem Pending
127. Better than Revenge
128. The Religion of Nature
129. De-condition Your Mind, Introspect
130. The Limitations of Human Knowledge
131. Leniency at all Times
132. The Importance of an Intellectual Audience
133. Spiritual Journey
134. The Beginning and the End
135. The Principle of Bossism
136. The Art of Desire Management
137. A Duty Conscious Society
138. In Spite of Old Age
139. Illogical Attitude
140. Action Before Action
141. Double Measurement
142. Spiritual Food
143. Avoiding the Useless
144. Every Person is Born on the Path of God
145. Modesty Stems from Realization of God
146. Read the Quran with a Positive Mind
147. Troubles Help Self-Development
148. The Young are a Great Force for Good
149. The Process of Purification
150. Violation of Reason
151. Human Life is a Blessing of God
152. The Concept of Nskh in the Quran
153. The Minority-Majority Equation
154. The Abel Culture
155. All Credit Goes to God Almighty
156. Between Contentment and Discontentment
157. Between Rational Choice and Emotional Choice
158. The Crow as a Teacher
159. Divine Food
160. Don't Follow the Dog Culture
161. Every Choice is the Best Choice
162. The Family of a Believer
163. The Importance of Promise
164. Life and Death
165. Living in the Great Blessings of God
166. Missing Link Found
167. Paradise: The Ideal World to Live In
168. Patience for the Sake of Personality Development
169. Positive Aspect of Negative Event
170. Adjustment—A Golden Principle
171. Being God-Conscious
172. Deserving Candidate for Paradise
173. Difficult Times: A Blessing
174. God Almighty is With Us
175. Here is a Silver Lining
176. Journey towards Final Destination
177. Life after Death
178. The Miracle of Positive Response
179. Miraculous Nine Days
180. Ready to Respond Every Moment
181. Real Worship
182. Remembering God Much
183. Triggering the Mind
184. The Missing Item of Creation

The true leader is born and not made. His principal quality is his decision-making ability. In this he is aided by his foresight, unwavering determination and his capacity for organization. Another major virtue is his lack of any desire for personal glorification. He is a man of vision, a man of integrity with no private agenda. All these qualities make for a successful leader. Any such leader will have a good reputation among his people. p. 168

But these qualities in themselves are not sufficient to ensure a successful leadership. Successful leadership depends fifty per cent upon the leader and fifty per cent upon his followers. Without a combination of the two, no leader can function successfully in either the secular or the religious sphere. p. 168

The true leader is born and not made. His principal quality is his decision-making ability. In this he is aided by his foresight, unwavering determination and his capacity for organization. p. 168

A successful leader needs material power, but power by itself does not guarantee the success of a leader. People must be aware of the benefits of unity and the pitfalls of disunity. They must bear in mind the maxim: United we stand, divided we fall. p. 168

One difference between a successful leader and an unsuccessful leader is that the former knows his followers as well as he knows himself, while the latter is one who knows himself but has no knowledge of his followers. Without having a good understanding of his followers, no leader can prove to be successful. p. 168

It is said that a successful leader is one who is also a successful pleader. Often there are occasions when you have to induce people to follow you, but there are also sometimes circumstances in which it is better to follow others. It is an appreciation of this fact that contributes to the success of the leader. p. 168

Learning Lessons p. 169

One of the major concerns of the Quran is to inculcate in every man and woman the spirit of contemplation. In the chapter Al-Hijr (The Rocky Tract) the Quran refers to certain historical phenomena and then says: p. 169original + quote

There are certainly signs in that for those who can learn a lesson. (15:75) p. 169Qur'an