The honourable teacher drew a line on whiteboard and asked students: Is there anybody who can shorten this line without touching and erasing it?
One student humbly said: We need to erase some of it for shortening it whereas you are forbidding us to touch and erase it. So it cannot be shortened.
When the honourable teacher looked at other students questioningly, they also nodded their heads in agreement.
Now the honourable teacher drew a bigger line next to it and asked: Now tell me whether the first line has shortened or not without touching and erasing it?
The students became surprised and were glad to see it!
Thereafter the honourable teacher put marker on the table and said: Today, we have learnt a very important lesson of the book of life that how to outdo someone without causing harm to him and how to earn more respect without degrading him.
Psychologically, everybody has the desire to excel his counterpart whether he is a student, trader, employee, sportsman, doctor, lawyer, professor, writer, or anyone else and no matter what field it is. In order to outdo others, if one indulges in cheap tactics and degrades others, then it is a negative approach. On the other hand, if one excels by hard work and by improving his ‘skills and performance’, then he can reach his desired destination. Regrettably! It is a tragedy of our society that the former disgusting method has become the integral part for achieving the goal, for example:
٭ To flourish business, a businessman tries to damage the repute of other businessman and defame him.
٭ For gaining promotion, an employee discredits his counterpart and even tries to get him sacked from his job indulging in evil activities.
٭ For gaining position in exams, a student uses different inappropriate methods and even hides notes and other needful objects of his competitor for affecting his school result.
٭ For running clinic successfully, a doctor tries to prove some other doctor in his area incompetent and ignorant.
٭ To excel in Na’t reciting, a Na’t reciter tries to tarnish the character and reputation of some other Na’t reciter.
One disadvantage to this negative approach is that the one who sets a trap for others falls himself into it, and second disadvantage is that for weakening others’ position, when someone makes false accusations, finds faults, backbites or hurts them, he gets piles of sins in his own record of deeds without even realising it because he makes up his mind to outdo others in one way or another. When, in the first place, someone does not even realise about accumulating sins in his record of deeds, how can he make up his mind to reform himself and repent for his misdeeds? How will he be able to save himself from the torment of the Hereafter?
Bell rang for the next period. Before leaving the classroom, the honourable teacher urged the students: My dear students! Never adopt any negative approach to achieve success in your life. May Allah عَزَّوَجَلَّ keep us away from the acts that incur His displeasure!
صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيۡهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّماٰمِيۡن بِجَاهِ النَّبِيِّ الۡاَمِيۡن
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