The Divine System

The Divine System

1989 11 November 12 The Divine System (344) No rose without a thorn “The dogs keep barking,

but the elephant goes on its way”

If, in plucking a beautiful rose, a man pricks himself so badly on its thorns that his hands start bleeding, should he blame the rose bush? Would it be right to do so? Anyone with even an ounce of sense would know that it is pointless to complain about the thorns, because nature has decreed that every rose bush shall have its share of them. Hence the saying, ‘No rose without a thorn’. So, since there is simply no way of getting rid of thorns, if a man plucks roses, he should take good care to avoid the thorns, rather than tear his skin on them and then start blaming the rose bush.

Things are as they are because the system of life was made by God. And God had His own reasons for having thorn as well as flowers. This holds true of human life also, for wherever there are good people, there will also be bad. Along with the angels, we have to accept that there will always be the Satans.

This system of creation can only remain harmonious if people do not become hostile to each other, if one group refrains from plotting against another and if no one feels he has the right to be aggressive. How is this to be achieved? The solution, according to the Quran, lies in patience and avoidance. That is to say, man should steer clear of manmade thorns. And if, in spite of having taken all precautions, he still manages to prick himself, he should regard this as a mere accident, and continue to follow the path of patience and forbearance, rather than pursue an all-out collision-course.

There is a saying that runs, “The dogs keep barking, but the elephant goes on its way, “How different from a dog barking at another dog. An almost certain result of that would be a dog fight. When the dog barks at the elephant, however, the latter does not turn his head. We should always remember the elephant, even in the face of the most severe provocation.