Looking to the Future

Looking to the Future disagreement and immediately prepare for the final battle, you are a “poor soldier.” You won’t achieve much success in life by approaching every challenge with that mindset. The reason is that, in many situations, a person is not able to fight effectively on the “first day.” Therefore, the wise person avoids confrontation initially. Instead, they focus on strengthening and stabilizing themselves away from the battlefield. This way, either their opponent becomes so weak that they surrender without a fight, or they themselves become so powerful that they can win every battle successfully. The best example of this principle can be seen in the history of Islam. Prophet Muhammad () spent more than half of his prophetic mission in Makkah. During this period, his opponents subjected him to every kind of oppression. Still, he did not fight back. He stayed patient and endured quietly. After migrating to Madinah, when opponents waged war on them, he organized his army and fought them in defence when all peaceful options failed. Later, at Hudaybiyyah, he again chose to avoid war. Soon after, the enemy, without a battle, conceded defeat and laid down their arms. On the “first day,” the Prophet demonstrated patience in the face of his enemies. On the “second day,” he met them in battle and achieved victory. However, the case of Hudaybiyyah was different: there, the “first day” was marked by patience, and on the “second day,” there was no need for battle at all—the enemy surrendered without resistance and laid down their arms.