Not all people are sharp and
intelligent and
not all are good looking. Not all are born with a silver spoon in their
mouth and not all achieve fame. However, the yearning to be intelligent
and the desire to be good looking, the wish to be wealthy and the thirst
for fame can cause sadness in a person because these are not always achievable.
To brood over what one does not have is one of the most common causes of
depression and frustration. A person loses interest in life and becomes
the victim of inferiority complex if he is persistently overwhelmed with
feelings of deprivation. His desire to become superior to others persistently
haunts him.
The Qur’an corrects our approach
by pointing out that the real contest among human beings lies elsewhere:
the sphere in which they should strive to outdo others, is not the sphere
of ordained circumstances and inherent traits: it is the sphere of virtue
and piety in which each person has equal opportunity to excel and surpass
others. It is just as open to the ugly, the poor and the ordinary as it
is to the good looking, the rich and the intelligent. Wasting one’s effort
in the wrong sphere only instills a negative approach towards life. If
one really wants to test his mettle and enter into a contest with others,
he must select the sphere of piety and virtue. The Qur’an says:
And in no way desire those things in which God
has bestowed His favors on some of you over others: to men is allotted
what they earn [in the sphere of piety], and to women what they earn [in
the sphere of piety]. And ask God of His bounty. For God has full knowledge
of all things. (4:32)
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