Page 143 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd

Quranic Wisdom

avoid unnecessary controversy. At that time, the Jews were a
dominant community in Madinah (then known as Yathrib). For
centuries they had been using the Dome of the Rock (Jerusalem)
as their qiblah for prayer. It was sacred not only for the Jewish
community but also, because of the Jewish influence, for the
non-Jewish community.
In such a situation, adopting the Kaaba as the qiblah was
rather exceptional. In the early months, the Prophet had wanted
to avoid unnecessary controversy, so he adopted the Jewish qiblah
for his prayers five times a day. From this prophetic event we can
derive a general principle, not only with regard to prayers, but in
other spheres of life also.

A man with a mission always perseveres and avoids
hindrances.

This principle is very important; it saves you from unnecessary
conflict. It gives you the opportunity to continue your mission
in society without a break. It saves you from wasting your energy
and time in futile quarrels. It shows great practical wisdom. And
without practical wisdom, you cannot achieve any worthy goal in
this world.
A man with a mission cannot afford to engage in unnecessary
conflict. As a man of dedication, he is determined about achieving
his target. He always starts his activities in properly selected fields
and never behaves like a grasshopper, jumping from one thing
to another. A man with a mission always perseveres and avoids
hindrances.
The above example set by the Prophet is an extreme example
of this kind. People are not generally ready to be flexible about
matters such as prayer, but the Prophet adopted this formula
when dealing with this very sensitive issue of prayer.
This formula is applicable to all the affairs of human life—wife

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