Fazl-e-Umar — Page 35
Fazle Umar 35 accept good training. Not only did he not mind being admonished, he developed so strong a passion for gratitude that after a passage of several years, entering youth and then becoming old, its intensity did not wane. This sentence makes one deeply anxious: “When I recall that incident, prayer for him rises automatically from within my heart. ” H I S Ow n E F F ORT S TO I M P RO v E H I M SE L F A large part of one’s training is played by the admonition that he hears from his well-wishers. A part is played by the taunts and criticism unleashed by his antagonists, not with any good intention but only to inflict wounds. Another part is played by the follies committed by the fools around him. Yet another part is played by one’s own mistakes after which an immediate or delayed feeling of regret begins to probe one’s heart and mind. In addition to all these agents, man’s general habit of pondering over his surroundings also plays an important role in his upbringing. The verse of the Holy Qur’an “They ponder over the creation of the heavens and the earth” (3:192) refers to this very habit. Such a line of thinking has two aspects. Firstly, as a result of this habit of reflecting over his surroundings, man dives into his own self and continu- ously searches for ever new pearls of knowledge and wisdom. Secondly, he should not accept whatever ancestral beliefs, customs and practices he has habitually received as heritage. He should not adopt them until they appeal to his intellect and become instilled in his heart. For the one who develops this practice, it is as though he has been granted an inner counsellor that stays with him throughout his life and continues to be his helper in the development of his noble thoughts. Such line of thinking also needs mental integrity without which it is not possible to reach the right conclusions. Hadhrat Sahibzada Sahib [ra] was also granted this counsellor, as he was accus-