RECOGNIZING ONESELF

Recognizing Oneself ~ 209 ~ RECOGNIZING ONESELF God has a special purpose for every individual human being. To be born into this world is to make a promise to God that one will spend one’s life fulfilling the purpose that God intends for one. The worth of every human being lies in his faithfulness to this promise. God has endowed every individual with certain talents. These talents may be inborn, or they may develop at a later stage in life. It is for every human being to recognize where his talents lie, and then make use of them, thereby enacting the role that God has singled out for him. One who recognizes himself in this way has taken up his true place in God’s pattern of creation, while one who fails to do so will find himself at odds—not only with himself—but with the whole of creation. This can be illustrated by the respective cases of two companions of the Prophet Muhammad. Abu Huraira was one of the companions, and Khalid, the son of Walid, another. No less than 5,374 traditions (sayings of the Prophet) have been related on the