The Book of Life

pages of wisdom receive about the same amount as a disability allowance. Raj Kumar, who lost all five fingers of his right hand, is now learning to write with his left hand. (The Times of India, April 28, 1988) Lilli Thamma had lost everything. At first glance, it seemed likely she might take her own life, or spend her days weeping with her son. But she did no such thing. She put the past behind her and began to plan positively for the future. The reason was that in working for her disabled son’s future, she had found a purpose for her own life. A person with purpose is never truly deprived; in this world, the only one deprived is the person who has lost all sense of purpose. WRONG WAY ROUND I magine a man who wants his son to become a doctor, but tells him: “First rent a shop in the market and open a clinic. Then you can study medicine.” If a father gave such advice, people would call him mad, or at the very least, not serious. Everyone knows medicine is studied first, and only then is a clinic opened. Strangely, however, our leaders do exactly this backward act. And yet, no one calls them unserious. Instead, they are honoured with titles like “thinker” and “leader.” In modern times, nearly every Muslim leader has offered this kind of futile advice to the community: First win