The Book of Life

pages of wisdom War may be called heroism, but it has no positive outcome. Peace may seem like nothing, but in reality all the greatest achievements come only through peace. ONE EVENT, TWO OUTCOMES Jamil Akhtar Khan, a reader of my books, is working in a city in Saudi Arabia. In a letter dated January 24, 1992, he described an incident he personally witnessed: This incident, in his own words, is as follows: “It was an evening in July 1991. The call to prayer for Maghrib had already been made. I was leaving my room. Outside the gate, a few boys were seen teasing a passersby. When they saw me, the boys rushed toward me. One of them was holding a wild animal, resembling a rabbit. They kept trying to scare me. One even wanted to throw an iron rod at my shoulder and watch the spectacle. I sensed that if I engaged with them, things would go wrong. So, I decided that, no matter what foolishness they did, I would not react. I walked quickly toward the mosque. Seeing my indifference, the boys left me alone, and I reached the mosque safely. After finishing my prayer, when I was returning to my room, I encountered another scene. The same boys were now fighting with a Pakistani Muslim. They had thrown the wild animal on his body, and he became furious. He hit one of the boys. This was