Lesson from Flowing Water

for a student union. The only step which shall take our country forward is to create a sustainable infrastructure of quality education in India. If you could give me one advice, what would that be? M y advice would be to become a positive thinker, one who does not succumb to negative thinking, saves oneself from environmental storm and can live on one’s own without becoming affected by the external world. What would you choose from these three: money, health or peace? T he first choice is health. By birth, man is a weak creature. He cannot tolerate even a minor disturbance to his health. A person who does not enjoy good health cannot do anything properly. It is therefore rightly said, ‘Health is wealth’. One who has good health, can accomplish all tasks in life. According to a hadith, the Prophet said: Ask God for pardon and health, for verily, none has been given anything better than health after faith. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, hadith no. 3558) According to another hadith, the Prophet is said to have remarked; And in God’s eyes praying for good health is dearer to praying for anything else. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, hadith no. 3548) Some people believe that by giving higher education to a Muslim girl, makes her rebellious and takes her away from the Muslim tradition. What is your opinion on this? I strongly disagree with this. The women in my family, for example, have received higher education. My granddaughters have either completed or are pursuing their doctorates and have been an integral part of my mission to spread peace and spirituality. My daughter, Professor Farida Khanam, has tirelessly worked for translating my works into English including the Quran and its commentary. A large number of learned women are mentioned in history as authorities on various Islamic sciences such as Hadith, Islamic jurisprudence, Seerah (biography) of the Prophet, commentary on the Quran, and so on.