THE SECRET OF SUCCESS

The Secret of Success ~ 101 ~ placed upon religious activities). This freedom, however, carries with it a tacit proviso, i.e. that propagation of the faith must not take place by coercion, but by gentle persuasion. One reason for this is that so long as one does not use force, there will be no serious opposition to such activity. Perhaps a more important reason is that everyone should enjoy the same freedom of belief; the forcing of beliefs upon others is tantamount to encroaching upon that freedom, nay, destroying it. Failure to respect this condition means misusing the opportunity which presents itself; Dawah activity carried on in this way would eventually prove counter-productive. After such an abuse of another’s privilege, there would be nothing to stand between us and God’s punishment, for it is He who has provided us with this unique opportunity to bring other people within the fold. It is an opportunity to be seized, not wasted. Missed opportunities spell ruin. That is the way of the world. And that is the will of God. (114:10-11) At the Olympic Games held in Los Angeles in July August 1984, about 62 Indian sportsmen participated. When the games were over and they returned to New