God is in No Hurry

God is in No Hurry

1992 1-2 January-February 15-16 God is in No Hurry (550) A Muslim went to see a Christian friend of his and found him pacing up and down. When he asked him why he looked so worried, his friend replied in all seriousness, “I am in a hurry, but God isn’t!” Then he pointed to a dried-up mango tree in his garden and said, “I planted that tree with great expectations only a week ago, and now it is dead.” “This tree is quite big, yet you say it was planted ‘only a week ago.” “That is the crux of the matter,” replied his friend. “I wanted a tree overnight, so 1 brought a five-year old tree to plant instead of a sapling. 1 wanted to achieve in one day what it usually takes five years to do. And the result is before you. 1 had temporarily forgotten that there is a law of nature which regulates growth, and that it must be respected. If we ignore it, we shall only have dried-up trees in our gardens – no blossoms, and certainly no fruits.”

Just think of how a boat is made. Without waiting for years for suitable trees to grow to maturity, the boatman would never have logs big enough from which to cut the plants to make his boat. Nature must run its course. The tree must grow to its full height. Only then can it provide the timber from which sturdy ships, fit for long voyages, can be made.

This fact is well-known, and acted upon at the level of the individual. But where the community is concerned, the impatient and the overambitious always want to set up its structures post haste, like the man who tried to transplant a fully-grown mango tree. The result is much the same as trying to go on an ocean voyage in a boat made of paper and string.

It must be remembered that this universe is the creation of God, and runs according to His rules. It is only if we stay in tune with His schemes that we can build up our lives. If we are out of tune, we shall achieve nothing.

Like a tree, life progresses in stages. If you want to build up your life, you must understand the law of gradation in nature and go along with it. There is no other way to success. All other paths lead to failure and destruction.

The Quran has repeatedly told us to exercise restraint. Restraint is not a state of inactivity, but properly planned action. The impatient man acts in a hurry, without thinking – more as a kind of reflex. On the other hand, a man with patience thinks dispassionately. He assesses himself and the enemy. He reviews the situation. He understands the law of nature, and then takes steps accordingly within its bounds.

One’s emotions have to be kept strictly under control if one’s thinking and planning are to be both moral and efficient. This is what the Shariah means by restraint. Others would call it acting according to plan. Any action carried out in a restrained manner will always have a better chance of success than one executed in haste, and without any due consideration of consequences;