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From Darkness to Light

Quranic Wisdom — 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.

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

Those who will be selected for this promotion will be allowed to settle in the Paradise of the next world, where all the desires they had in this life will be fulfilled. This paradise is free of all kinds of disadvantages and limitations, and the eligible entrants will be able to enjoy all the good things it offers for all eternity. p. 207

Then there is a rule in government service that is called ‘break in service’. Anyone who does his job for up to ten years and more but then absents himself from his office without prior permission shall have to pay a heavy price for this, this being considered a ‘break in service’. Such is the case of those who have failed to utilize the opportunities that were given to them in the present world. This failure will be treated as break in service and the ruling will never be overturned. Defaulters will therefore enter the next world without any kind of favour and they will never have another chance to start their life again. p. 208

There is a verse in the Quran which says that the present world is very similar to Paradise. (47:6) Why is there this similarity? It stems from divine planning, for God Almighty wants only those who are truly deserving to find a place in the eternal Paradise. He therefore created the present world with many similarities to Paradise, so that He should know who measures up to the required paradisiacal standard in the way they live their lives in the present world. Then He will select those who pass the divine test in this life for settlement in the coming paradise—that is, the ideal paradise. p. 208original + quote

This is an idea which makes one very prudent about one’s behaviour in this world. p. 208

From Darkness to Light p. 208

According to the Quran, truth is light and falsehood is darkness. One who lives a life of falsehood and then discovers the truth, has the experience of travelling from darkness to light. This fact of life is described in the Quran in the chapter Al-An‘am (The Cattle). The relevant verse of the Quran is as follows: p. 208original + quote

Can he who was dead, to whom We gave life, and a light whereby he could walk among people, be like him who is in utter darkness from which he can never emerge? Thus the deeds of those who deny the truth have been made fair-seeming to them. (6:122) p. 209Qur'an

What is falsehood? According to the Quran, falsehood is that which is alien to human nature, and the truth is that which is just according to human nature. This is the criterion by which to judge between falsehood and truth. According to the Quran, everyone is divine in nature when he is born. In other words, truth is the religion of everyone’s nature. There is no difference between true nature and the real truth: both are one and the same. Everyone is destined to follow the truth or his divine nature. If there is no obstacle or cause for deviation, everyone will be true—as he lives and as he dies—to his divine nature. Divine nature is a powerful teacher for everyone, for both men and women. When a person follows his divine nature, he becomes an enlightened person. He is able to see things as they are. He is able to distinguish between right and wrong. If he follows his own natural urges, he is bound to follow the voice of his divine nature. p. 209original + quote

According to the Quran, falsehood is that which is alien to human nature, and the truth is that which is just according to human nature. p. 209

In this sense everyone is born as Mr. Right or Ms. Right. But in life—in family life or social life—there are distractions everywhere and he who allows himself to be influenced by these distractions deviates from the divine norm. He falls into darkness, now seeing everything in an artificial light. He loses his ability to see things objectively. What is the criterion of whether a person has found the truth or not? The criterion is nothing other than the person himself. If a new personality has emerged in the concerned person, then it is a sign that he or she has achieved the truth. This revolutionary change is evident in his or her thinking, speech, behaviour, dealings, habits, and so on. The personality of one who has found the truth is not identical to that of one who has yet to find the truth. It is a fact that all these things must reflect in the life of the concerned person. If a person was previously insincere, and has now become sincere; previously he was emotional, and now he is a realist, previously he was negative and now he is positive, previously he was a speaker, and now he is a listener, then you can safely assume that he has found the truth. One who finds the truth becomes like a tree that is planted in its proper habitat. Truthfulness serves as a habitat for both men and women. Truthfulness provides an atmosphere in which they can flourish forever. p. 210