Forty Gems of Beauty — Page 130
130 inappropriate person, party or people], he sees to it that he is not ‘bitten’ the second time. In other words, he becomes alert after his very first experience and is saved from further injury, refusing to give the other party another chance to hurt him. By means of this observation, the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has enjoined on Muslims to remain exceedingly alert and on guard, and described it as a characteristic of the true Muslim, that, because of his inherently trustful disposition, he may be deceived once but is never deceived twice by the same person or in the same affair, and that profiting by each bitter experience, he tends to further strengthen his position and thus goes on opening for himself further avenues of progress, one after the other. This observation of the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be on him) applies with equal force to all the phases and opportunities of one’s life. If, for instance, a Muslim has been cheated once by a dishonest businessman, this Hadith is there to warn him to beware of giving the crook another chance to swindle him. If a professional thug cheated a Muslim once, this Hadith warns him against being swindled a second time by the same crook. And if a person cheated a Muslim by posing as a friend, this Hadith alerts him to beware of playing into the hands of that cheat again. In short, this Hadith is of a very wide scope. Even in cases when a man does something believing it to be innocent, or, knowing it to be sinful but failing to realise its gravity and realising its harm only after the practical experience, this Hadith serves him as a torch of guidance, warning him against repeating his mistake. In fact, it will not be in keeping with the insight of a Muslim if he is bitten twice in the same hole. In short, this beautiful Hadith cautions every Muslim to live with his eyes open in this world and to make every fall a means of further