A Random Thought
By Abdul Wahhab Azzam
(From Egypt. From his book in Arabic about his random
thoughts written in Karachi during his stay in Pakistan as an Ambassador in
year 1952-1953).
Translated by Dr. Suhaib Hasan
I used to have a friend during my youth. Once we prayed
together and I saw him praying the obligatory prayer only without offering his
Sunnah. So I recited to him a line of ‘Al-Mutanabi’, the poet:
“I have not seen among the defects of the people a thing
like those capable people who fail to complete.”
He used to say to me later, “Whenever I intended to leave
Sunnah prayer, I remember the line of your man. So I always prayed it.”
This is a very wise saying of Abu al-Tayyib (i.e.
Al-Mutanabbi) and deserves to be comprehended by the people. They fail to
complete either because they are satisfied with imperfect actions and they stop
before reaching the goal or because of laziness, fear or any other impediment.
If every person looks at that stage where perfectness lies
and then strives hard to reach that goal, he would definitely get what he
wanted without anything missing.
Similarly, if the nations act upon the wisdom of Abu
Al-Tayyib, they would have advanced a lot more than what they have achieved.
No wonder that one of the biggest defect - among the defects
of the people entirely – is that a man agrees to have imperfectness in his
sayings, actions or thoughts while he is able to reach the level of
perfectness. This is indeed a great defect. Because it is a collective defect
which makes a man pleased with a lower level of his action, a lot lower than
the goal and which makes the community always pleased with such a lower status
in all its affairs.
And what is the community? Nothing but individuals. Every
man is invited in this life to engage himself in action to achieve an increase
for himself and for his group until he reaches at the summit or very near to
it. You cannot achieve perfectness except by exercising to reach it by a lot of
effort and a lot of patience. It is true that a man faces unexpected obstacles
during his journey but if he keeps on advancing with effort and patience, he
would certainly overcome them either today or tomorrow. But if he stands still,
by his own will, then there is no way for him to reach his goal, his actions will
not gain perfectness which make a man perfect in his life.
