Lesson from Flowing Water

E very form of knowledge is knowledge – anything that has wisdom and is useful, must be learnt. We should look at knowledge and learning not by virtue of being a Muslim, but by virtue of being a human being. There is only one thing which is wrong according to Islam, that is, hatred or violence. Everything needs to be look at from the spirit of enquiry. Why is the first step towards intellectual development? T he first step is to say: ‘I was wrong’. When you say ‘I am right’, you remain stagnant, but when you admit your mistake, you gain something in return. That is, you realize where you were at fault and thus show willingness to correct yourself and learn that which is right. How to cope with the loss of a parent? G od shall make one meet one’s pious parents in the Hereafter. This is like giving a positive turn to the event of their death. Those who lose a parent have been given a goal that if they keep working towards making themselves righteous, God will join them with their parents in Paradise in the Hereafter. How do we know if by following religion we have become hardliners? Hardliners are a result of religion, but a result of erroneous interpretation of religion. When you only define religion in terms of form, it makes you a hardliner. If you define it in terms of spirit, you will not become a hardliner. I have a 15-year old son who is very short-tempered. How should I convey the importance of patience to him? Y ou do not have to change the boy, you have to change yourself. All children become so as a result of the pampering of their parents. You and your spouse should stop pampering your child. All parents without doubt and without exception pamper their children. Even my father used to pamper me when I was a child and whenever my uncle used to stop my father from doing so, the latter would say that he did not do any pampering at all. My father died when I was six years old and I was a pampered boy until then.