Solutions

Solutions

1986 3 March 10 Solutions (229) Mr. Malcolm Forbes has, with great pertinence, made this observation about problem-solving: “It’s so much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem.”

Facing a problem in even the most ordinary of social circumstances can be like having your shirt stuck in a thorn-tree. The more you pull it, the more it gets stuck. Even if you do succeed in extricating it, it gets torn to shreds in the process. It is then that patience is of the essence, for such situations require in-depth study, and attempts to solve such “thorny” problems should be done with great discretion.

Unless one is on the spot, one cannot understand the delicacy of certain situations and it is pointless to offer solution after solution.

Social life is, indeed, a complex affair. It is seldom desirable to take the initiative without at least having the tacit consent of others. The power and influence of others should never be ignored or under-estimated.

All possibilities as well as all known factors should be taken into account and, having done this, one should learn to wait patiently for the opportune moment before taking any action. Confrontation should be avoided at all costs.

One who is truly sensitive to the complexities of societal existence will hesitate a hundred times before offering solutions which may offend the sense of delicacy of his fellow-men.

Their longing for people to believe

1986 3 March 10 Their longing for people to believe (52) Abdullah Ibn Abbas had great knowledge of the Qur’an. He possessed unusual ability to penetrate to the very depths of Qur’anic teachings. One day, when he was explaining the Qur’an in his own inimitable style, one of his audience exclaimed: “Even if the pagans of Daylum heard this they would accept Islam.”