Page 181 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd

Quranic Wisdom

whether good or bad. Then, after a complete examination, if you
are satisfied that its results will be beneficial, go ahead and fulfil
your desire—but with great care and planning.

Don’t run after your desires. Even if you are following your
desires, check and re-check them again and again. Don’t wait for
the end result, but keep evaluating and re-evaluating them as you
go along. It is also very important to turn back if you find that
you have taken a wrong step. Stop your journey before reaching
the point of no return.

Right desires are helpful for the development of your
character. But bad desires are detrimental to your
personality.

Then there are different kinds of desires, some of which are
improper. You have to distance yourself from desires of this kind.
Other desires are quite proper and you may entertain them.
But always keep this fact in mind that every desire must remain
within certain boundaries. Even good desires are useful only in
a limited manner.

Right desires are helpful for the development of your character.
But bad desires are detrimental to your personality. If you follow
your bad desires, they can ruin your future to the extent that you
cannot ever recover from their effects. You must therefore live a
life that is reason-based and not desire-based.
Never judge a desire for its own sake: always judge it in terms
of the result of its fulfilment. This result is the only criterion by
which it may be determined whether a desire is good or bad for
your life. Desire cannot be eliminated, but it can certainly be
controlled. Don’t become a victim of your desires. Prove to be
well in control of your desires.

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