ON MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The Prophet (upon whom be peace) had always told us “Wisdom is the lost property of the believer…”, permitting us, in essence, to adapt, adopt and own any piece of wisdom, science or technology created by others for, ultimately, the real owner of all wisdom is the Wise, Allah. That is why we remember, for […]

The Prophet (upon whom be peace) had always told us “Wisdom is the lost property of the believer…”, permitting us, in essence, to adapt, adopt and own any piece of wisdom, science or technology created by others for, ultimately, the real owner of all wisdom is the Wise, Allah.

That is why we remember, for example, Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian statesman. It is reported that Gandhi was boarding a train one day with a number of companions and followers, when his shoe fell from his foot and disappeared in the gap between the train and the platform. Unable to retrieve it, he quickly and calmly took off his other shoe and threw it down by the first. Responding to the puzzlement of his fellow travellers, Gandhi explained that a poor person who finds a single shoe is no better off – what’s makes a difference is finding a pair.”

And then we remember our own Great Caliph Haroun al Rashid. It is narrated that one day the Caliph was walking through a date palm plantation when he saw a hunched old man planting date palm saplings. The Caliph greeted the old man and asked him what he was doing, to which the old man replied, “As you can see, I am planting date palms.” “How many years does it take for a date palm to bear fruit?” “Ten, twenty, thirty years. Some take as long as a hundred years.” “Will you be able to eat the fruit of these palms you are planting?” “No, I may not live to see that day,” said the old man, “but we eat from those our forebears planted. So let us plant, so that those who follow us may eat in turn, that way we make a difference as our forefathers made a similar difference.”

The old man’s words so impressed the Caliph, and he tossed him a purse of money. The old man took the gold pieces and said, “I give praise to Allah, for the saplings I planted have borne fruit immediately!” The Caliph was pleased to hear him say this, and he gave him another purse of gold. Said the old man again, “I give praise to Allah, for trees normally bear fruit only once a year, but mine have produced two crops in one year!” Throwing him yet another purse of gold, the Caliph turned to the servant at his side and said, “Quick, let us get away from here before this old man leaves us penniless.”

We also adopt this story about a man who was walking along the beach at dawn one day. He noticed a young man ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them back into the sea. Finally catching up with the youth, the man asked him why he was doing this. The young man replied that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun. “But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of stranded starfish,” said the other man. “How can your efforts make any difference?” The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to safety in the waves. “It makes a difference to that one,” he said.

And then there was Mother Teresa of Calcutta. She is said to have hung a copy of this poem titled ANYWAY on a wall of the orphanage she founded in Calcutta, India. Though the poem’s source is unknown, it is all about making a difference:

People are often unreasonable,

illogical and self-centred;

Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,

People may accuse you

of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,

you will win some false friends and

some true enemies;

Succeed anyway.

If you are frank,

people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,

someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,

they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,

people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,

and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,

it is between you and God;

It is never between you and them anyway.

And then our good friend, Mullah Nasruddin, really knew how to make a difference. The Sultan had grown very fond of the Mullah and often took him along on his travels. Once, while on a journey, the Royal caravan approached a small nondescript town in the desert. On a whim, the Sultan said to the Mullah, ‘I wonder if people would know me in this small place. Let us stop my entourage here and enter the town on foot, and then we’ll know if they can recognize me’.

Accordingly, they dismounted and walked down the main road of the town. The Sultan was surprised to see that many people smiled at Nasruddin but ignored him completely. Irritated and a trifle angry, he said, ‘I see that the people here know you but they don’t know me!’ ‘They don’t know me either Your Highness’, replied the Mullah. ‘Then why did they smile at you only?’ questioned the Sultan. ‘Because I smiled at them first.’ said Nasruddin, smiling.”

If someone doesn’t greet you, you should greet them. You won’t lose anything. In fact, the Prophet of Islam Muhammad (upon whom be peace) has said: “If you have nothing to give, give a kind word or even just an affectionate smile.” Go on, make a difference.