THE SECRET THE SECRE OF SUCCESS THE SECRET A person will succeed if he follows the principle of management rather than confrontation. Non- confrontational methods always yield positive results, T while confrontational methods only aggravate OF SUCCE OF SUCCESS matters. In human life the most important thing is the will The Art of Unleashing Your to act. The people who ultimately succeed are those Potential, Conquering Adversity who are undaunted by adverse circumstances, who waste no time in lamenting over their disadvantages and Achieving High Goals and who give their attention instead to overcoming whatever difficulties they face. SS Maulana Wahiduddin Khan is the founder of MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN Centre for Peace and Spirituality, New Delhi, an organization dedicated to presenting Islam to the world as a complete ideology of peace. The Maulana is the author of numerous best-selling books on Islam. He has been internationally recognized for his contributions to world peace. ISBN 978-93-86589-45-3 Goodword Goodword cpsglobal.org goodwordbooks.com MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN THE SECRET OF SUCCESS MAULANA WAHIDUDDIN KHAN Translated and Edited by: Prof. Farida Khanam Dr. Naghma Siddiqui Maria Khan This book is the translation of the Urdu book, Raaz-e-Hayat. First published 2020 This book is copyright free Goodword Books 1, Nizamuddin West Market, New Delhi-110013 Tel. +9111-41827083, Mob. +91-8588822672 email: [email protected] www.goodwordbooks.com Goodword Books, Chennai Mob. +91-9790853944, 9600105558 Center for Peace and Spirituality 1, Nizamuddin West Market, New Delhi-110013 Mob. +91-9999944119 email: [email protected] www.cpsglobal.org Printed in India Contents Foreword 5 When One is Broken 41 A Taste of Honey 8 The World is Not a The Example of Nature 9 Typewriter 42 The Life Force 10 The Creation Plan of God 43 The Teacher Tree 12 The Present World and An Easy Solution 13 the Next World 45 Reading the Signs 15 The Purpose of Man’s Per Ardua ad Astra 16 Trial 47 The Need for Flexibility 18 The Divine Scheme 49 Perseverance Pays 20 Why Suicide is Not an A Spur to Improvement 21 Option 50 Teaching the Teachers 23 Doing One’s Bit 51 Learning from Long-term Planning 53 Our Mistakes 25 Try, Try, Try Again 54 Motion and Direction 27 A Realistic Approach 56 Simply a Matter of Time 28 No Second Chances 58 Ease After Hardship 29 False Pride 60 An Inevitable Evil 31 Instant Response 61 The Evil of Ignorance 32 On the Ground of Ducking Below Patience 63 the Waves 34 No Vengeance 64 There is No End Hasten Slowly 66 to Opportunities 35 The Talent for Survival 67 Before Receiving 37 On Pride and Arrogance 69 The Order of Nature 38 The Price of Unity 70 The Law of Nature 40 The Secret of Unity 71 The Secret of Success A Fitting Response 73 Life’s Labours are Admitting One’s Faults 74 Never Lost 107 The Message of Life 76 Fighting Frustration 108 The Scientific Temper 77 Wise Use of Money 110 He Was Expelled from Making Concessions to School 79 Circumstances 112 Wise Management of Before Beginning, Anger 81 Predict the Ending 113 Challenges of Life 82 How to Find Happiness? 114 You Are Not Poor, The General Good 117 You Are Rich 83 To Act or Not to Act 118 The Handicap that The Wise Course for Helped 85 Recovering Loss 120 Have No Regrets 87 No Second Mistake 123 The Making and Every Cloud has a Silver Breaking of History 88 Lining 125 Leaving it All Behind Us 90 A Purposeful Life 126 A Position of Honour 91 Total Involvement 128 Giving Way to Others 92 Having a Purpose in Moral Inheritance 93 Life 129 Our Homage to the Past 97 All the Blood in One’s Body 132 Overcoming One’s Limitations 99 The Determination to Achieve 133 A Message of Perseverance 101 Gerard of Cremona 135 The Advantage of Prior Not a Minute to Spare 137 Knowledge 103 Something More to be Uncomplaining Done 138 Endurance 104 Proceeding with Viewing Things from a Caution 140 Positive Angle 105 4 The Secret of Success The Strength of Every New Morning 176 Character 141 Endeavour is What Trust is Golden 142 Counts 177 Determination Plus No Frustration 178 Diligence 144 Failure: An Analysis 179 Beyond Road Blocks 146 Failure Turned to Reward for Capability 147 Success 181 Utmost Devotion 149 Going Against the Age 182 Idleness 150 Through Fire and Water 183 In the Nick of Time 151 Look Before You Leap 184 Making the Best of Learning on One’s Own 185 Things 153 A Simple Formula for Moon Mission 155 Success 187 Starting from Scratch 157 Sharing and From Strength to Cooperation 188 Strength 158 Fighting Off Despair 190 The Top Position is Having One’s Share 191 Vacant 160 Success through The Cause Lies Within 161 Hard Work 192 Dreams and Success 163 Interest and Involvement The Psychology of in Work 194 Success 164 Plan the Best Use of The Principle of Give Your Resources 195 and Take 165 Having the Courage The Spirit of Selfless to Err 197 Devotion 166 “Peccavi” 198 Proving One’s Worth 168 An Ordinary Step 200 A Distinctive Capability 171 Problems and Seize Every Opportunity 172 Opportunities 201 In the Entrepreneurial A Lesson from a Tiger 202 World 173 5 The Secret of Success The Importance of the Accepting Defeat 233 Foundation 204 After Being Broken 234 Winning Over Others’ Unwavering Confidence 205 Self-Sacrifice 236 Admitting One’s Fault 207 Talking Tall 237 A Business Secret 209 The Virtues of Super Performers 210 Dependability 238 Exceeding Expectations 212 The Bigger the Better 239 The Price of Success 213 No Acknowledgement 240 To Achieve Something Mistake after Mistake 242 Big 214 Supreme Success 243 Overcoming Arduous Complaining against Situations 215 Others 244 Shaping One’s Own The Human Personality 246 Personality 217 Social Behaviour 247 The Fire of Revenge 219 Consistent Character 251 No Double Standards 220 Working on the Living with Individual 254 Contentment 221 The Need for The Asset that Wins Self-Appraisal 255 Affection 222 Know Your Initial Preparation 224 Shortcomings 257 The Result of Being Patience, Perseverance Impatient 226 and Compassion 259 Staying Cool 227 The Secret of Keeping Calm in the Harmonious Living 260 Face of Adversity 229 A Practical Solution 262 Responding to Social Solidarity 263 Criticism 231 Changing Times 264 The Positive Side of Non-Acknowledgment Danger and Insecurity 232 of Truth 266 6 The Secret of Success Handling Rough An Economic Pearl Situations 267 Harbour 300 Thorough Investigation 269 Education: The Science Encouraging the Young 270 of Life 303 Group Loyalty 273 Negligence: A Moral Deficiency 304 The Inverted Pyramid 274 A Nation’s Stability 306 Remove Suspicion 275 Ethics and Technology 308 Healthy Criticism 277 Dealing with the Young 309 Solutions to Social Problems 278 Working One’s Way Up 311 All to Play a Role 279 Perseverance and Will Power 312 Working Together 281 How to Win a Nobel Prior Knowledge Aids Prize 313 Comprehension 282 Impartiality: The Secret Setting Aside Differences of Success 314 and Grievances 284 Working in Unison 316 The Cementing of Society 285 In Giving We Receive 317 Character Builds The Creative Impulse 318 the Nation 287 Flexibility of Approach 319 Building a Strong Sacrificing Oneself for Nation 288 Humanity 321 Having a Constructive A Nation’s Progress 322 Temperament 290 Dedication to a Noble The Japanese Cause 324 Experience 291 Taking Account of Our Potential is Our Unforeseen Wealth 294 Circumstances 325 Don’t Harm Yourself 296 The Awakening of the Rise Like the Phoenix 298 Conscience 327 Planting the Tree of the Nation 328 7 The Secret of Success Foreword lfred Adler (1870-1937) the renowned psychologist, A focused principally on individual psychology. One observer made the following comment on Adler’s chosen field: After spending a lifetime studying people and their hidden reserves of power, the great psychologist, Alfred Adler, declared that one of the wonder-filled characteristics of human beings is “their power to turn a minus into a plus”. God has created human beings with extraordinary capabilities. This quotation is a succinct acknowledgement of God’s work as expressed by a psychologist. Indeed, one of the greatest features of human capability is that a person can see the bright side to things—even in darkness. He finds it possible to change unfavourable situations into favourable ones. Even in defeat, he can find new opportunities to achieve success. It is a fact that a human being is by nature well equipped to turn his minuses into pluses. But there is a condition attached to this—He shall have to opt for the way of management and abandon the way of confrontation. An individual ought first of all to study the situation he is faced with and then plan his course of action objectively. A person will succeed if he follows the principle 8 The Secret of Success of management rather than confrontation. Non- confrontational methods always yield positive results, while confrontational methods only aggravate matters. In human life the most important thing is the will to act. The people who ultimately succeed are those who are undaunted by adverse circumstances, who waste no time in lamenting over their disadvantages and who give their attention instead to overcoming whatever difficulties they face. It is not, after all, the one who has never had to face any kind of difficulties, who is necessarily the most successful in life. The truly successful person is one who can carry his ambitions into effect no matter what hurdles he has to surmount.