APPEARANCE AND REALITY

upon their own army and the other elephants followed suit. It was now the turn of the Iranians to be crushed by their own elephants. There are two great lessons to be learned from this event. One is that whenever something malevolent is said about other, it should not necessarily be believed without further investigation. Often, after enquiries have been made, the true state of affairs emerges as being quite other than one at first imagined. Believing in something which denigrates others without taking the trouble to ascertain the validity of the allegation runs counter to the spirit of Islam. Another lesson is that of the obedience demonstrated by the Arab warriors at Qadisiyya. In spite of the fact that their leader was far from perfect, they did not turn against him or refuse to do their utmost to win the battle. They had major grudges against him but they still fought as dauntlessly as ever. Such are the people who make history. Those who are lacking in this spirit will inevitably turn success into failure, victory into defeat. It is only magnanimity, loyalty and obedience which can shore up the prospects of life’s major initiatives. o It is only magnanimity, loyalty and obedience which can shore up the prospects of life’s major initiatives.