FROM MAULANA'S DESK

FROM MAULANA’S DESK 1. The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2012, Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, Jordan. Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, born in 1925, in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is an Islamic spiritual scholar who is well-versed in both classical Islamic learning and modern disciplines. The mission of his life has been the establishment of worldwide peace. He has received the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honour in India, and the Demiurgus Peace International Award. He has been called ’Islam’s spiritual ambassador to the world’ and is recognised as one of its most influential Muslims1. His books have been translated into sixteen languages and are part of university curricula in six countries. He is the founder of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality based in New Delhi. I F you seek to know what is the most common issue faced by people all over the world, you will certainly reach the conclusion that it is 'living in unhappiness'. Rich and poor, powerful and powerless, popular and unpopular, almost all people are living in a state of unhappiness. In terms of degree, there may be a difference, but in reality, everyone’s case is one and the same. Now the question is, what is the reason behind this universal unhappiness? The reason is very simple. Man is born with an 'explanation-seeking' nature, but is compelled to live in a world that appears unexplained to him. It is this contradiction that creates the problem. Experience shows that everyone tries to overcome this contradiction one way or another, but fail to arrive at the required result; that is, to explain the world around them in a satisfactory manner. During my youth, I too was involved in this quest. After years of long pursuit, I finally discovered the answer in a verse of the Quran. This Quranic verse reads: Surely, in the remembrance of God, hearts can find comfort. THE QURAN 13: 28 Here, remembrance of God does not mean a repetitive recitation of the word God. It is in a profound sense the constant realisation and acknowledgement of God. It means that, one who discovers God and His scheme of things regarding creation, will consequently ROAD TO HAPPINESS