An Example of Noble Character

THE WAY OF A BELIEVER Towards the end of his life, Maulana Shibli Nomani (18571914), an Indian Islamic scholar, poet, and historian, during the British Raj, suffered a serious accident: a loaded gun in the house went off and severely injured one of his legs. Eventually, doctors had to amputate it. Poets responded with a variety of tributes. One wrote, “He planted his foot of courage firmly on the earth,” while another remarked, “The biographer of the Prophet has already sent his foot ahead to greet the houris.” But Maulana Shibli’s own feelings were quite different. Reflecting on the incident, he composed this couplet: “Shibli’s black deeds demanded only this— They took his foot, but a voice cried: It’s the head we need.” This is the way of a true believer. A believer is never deceived by the praise of others. Even at the moment when people are admiring him, his inner conscience reminds him of his own shortcomings. When honoured publicly, he becomes inwardly immersed in self-accountability. To measure one’s worth by the praise of others is a sign of superficiality—and a believer distances himself from such shallowness. A true believer evaluates himself in relation to God, not in relation to people. And one who judges himself by divine standards can never be misled by flattery. Praise only increases a believer’s humility. By contrast, praise inflates the ego of one who lacks true faith. To