Page 163 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd
P. 163

Quranic Wisdom

                 person. This quality is also vital to the betterment of social living.
                 The best society is one whose members are entirely trustworthy
                 and responsible.

                    Trustworthy individuals make  trustworthy societies, and
                 trustworthy societies make trustworthy nations, and trustworthy
                 nations provide the basis for better international relationships.

                    The criterion of  well-wishing  and  honesty has a two-fold
                 impact. On the one  hand, it is the only  source of  individual
                 development; it reflects the best individual character. Individuals
                 for their own benefit need many qualities, but the essence of
                 all these qualities can be summed up in these two words: well-
                 wishing and honesty.
                    The other aspect of these two qualities is that they are the
                 sole basis  on which  a better society may be built.  This  is  the
                 only  right  starting  point, if you  wish  to have a better society.
                 Start the process from the individual character, try to condition
                 individuals along the lines of well-wishing and honesty, and you
                 will find that on the culmination of the process, you will have
                 reached your social goal.


                   Trustworthy individuals make trustworthy societies,
                  and trustworthy societies make trustworthy nations,
                  and trustworthy nations provide the basis for better
                                 international relationships.


                    Well-wishing  and  honesty are both  positive qualities.  If
                 negative thinking is the source of all evil, positive thinking is
                 the source of all kinds of goodness. So, well-wishing and honesty
                 are not just two qualities: they include more than two thousand
                 qualities. One who has the qualities of well-wishing and honesty
                 will certainly possess all kinds of other good qualities.

                    Well-wishing and honesty are two pillars of character building
                 and it is on these two pillars that the whole edifice of social uplift

                                              162
   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168