UNDERSTANDING ISLAM

The Urdu poet Ismail Merathi (1844–1917) beautifully expressed this truth: Yoon hi phoonk phoonk kar bharta hai jheel taal Yoon hi kodi kodi hua jama maal A lake is filled slowly, drop by drop. Wealth is collected, little by little. This couplet speaks a universal truth that applies to every aspect of life. Consider the Ganga River. In the plains, it looks like a wide and mighty stream. But at its source in the mountains, it begins with tiny trickles—small drops flowing from snowcovered rocks. These streams merge to form a larger flow and eventually become the powerful river we see. If someone expects the Ganga to gush forth as a river from the very first step, it won’t happen. Because even the Ganga begins not with a flood, but with many tiny sources of water. Balanced Life There is a man in Japan named Shigechiyo Izumi (d. 1986) who is considered the oldest living person in the world. He was born on 29 June 1865, and even at such an extraordinary age, his physical condition remains remarkably good. He lives a simple life on Tokunoshima Island, located in southern Japan. Due to his exceptional From Grain to Mountain