Category Archives: Till sunset and beyond

In line with all the divine texts revealed over the ages, the last testament-the holy Quran says- if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity. (5.32)

I was watching the story of Abu Musa last night on TV. He was 4 years old. His mother was struggling through the endless barren lands of Somalia, laid to waste by the great drought. She had a 2 year old baby in her arms and little Abu Musa wobbling behind her, hanging on to her arms. She squinted her eyes as she stared into the vast expanse of scorching harshness before her- for the relief camps were still days away. She then glanced at the malnourished faces of her dearest ones. As the last droplets of energy dribbled away from her, the emaciated mother took the decision.

She dropped Abu Musa into the hot sand and limped away, hugging on to her baby. The howling wind resisted the boy’s tired whimpers from restraining her. But as she told the interviewer amidst sobs, she had turned back repeatedly, scanning for signs of life in her child. It seems that she saw him quiver at times before he gave himself up to the fangs of hunger and thirst.

Brothers and SistersThere is no doubt.God almighty will hold us responsible for the deaths of Abu Musa and thousands like him. We will all be questioned for our inaction and apathy. Let us do everything possible right away to prevent these unfortunate deaths. I recommend this site- Somalian Crisis. This is a very trustworthy and reputed site which allows you to make contributions online with your credit card. While you can contribute as less as USD 100, kindly note that.

• $71 provides a month’s worth of food packs for a family of eight
• $210 provides a 30-day supply of water for 42 people
• $1,413 supplies essential medicines to a health center serving 80 children

In this holy month, you can ensure that each of your family members can amass the benefits equivalent of saving the whole of the human race. So start with your children and save one Abu Musa each on their behalves.

So stop what you are doing……. And click that link NOW!!!!!!!! and stop one more child from dying.

As the prophet of god confirms “One who advices others to do good, gets the same reward of the one who heeds his advice and does good”. So apart from donating, send this article to all your contacts by sending them this link-Soulversesto them

May god almighty accept all our deeds as righteous ones…………

Yearning for a problem free and perfect life was one of my favorite past times. To be fair, life hasn’t till date thrown any colossal problems at me.(Thanks to the almighty). But even the slightest tinge of discomfort had the capability to unseat me from my comfort throne and that lack of ease would forever play in my mind like an incessant migraine making me lose hope, happiness and even my disposition which is generally upbeat and enthusiastic.

I have changed a bit recently thanks to the wisdom found in some very inspirational and soul stirring articles that I came across. Now I am able to give my problems the size, position and importance that they deserve and is able to belittle them against the backdrop of this immense blessing called life.

Today, let me try to share with you the very thoughts that cured me of this malaise……Hope they will also help you put things in perspective

Consider these……….

Problems are an indicator of a person’s importance. The higher you climb, bigger and more will be your problems.

Problems are tools by which ordinary people evolve into extra ordinary souls

Take any problem in the world-lack of health, wealth, good looks, connections…. You will find umpteen examples of people who braved and battled these issues and made it really really big. So problems are not excuses to live lives of scarcity. They are opportunities that can lead you to lives of abundance.

Anything bad that happens to you is a substitute for something really worse that could have happened. So be thankful…

Do these……

Ask Him. He Listens…
Turn each anxiety, each fear and each concern into a supplication. Look at it as another reason to submit to the will of the almighty. When you awaken in the morning, thank god for giving you life after that short death called sleep. When you step out of your home, remember him. Start every action with a small prayer. At night, fall asleep with His praises on your lips. Once you have established a plan to deal with a specific issue or problem in your life, put your trust in the most Wise and the All-Knowing.

Remind yourself that human responsibility is limited

While we need to carry out our duty to the best of our abilities, always remember that we don’t control the outcome of events. Once we have done our duty, leave the results to god. Regardless of the results of our efforts, we will be rewarded for the part we have played. We are Not Running the World, God is

Seek help through Patience and Prayer

Patience and prayer are two oft-neglected stress busters. Patience includes self-control, perseverance, endurance, and a focused struggle to achieve one’s goal. Being patient gives us control in situations where we feel we have little or no control. We cannot control what happens to us but we can control our reaction to our circumstances. Patient striving is the essence of Proactiveness.

Connect with our brothers and sisters

We are never alone. We must think of our brothers, talk to them and connect with them. Through our connections, we will break the chain of isolation that leads to depression and anxiety. Pray with other people instead of alone. Praying in congregation is a great morale booster

Pray for Others to Heal Yourself

Praying for others connects you with them and helps you understand their suffering. This in itself has a healing component to it. And whenever we sincerely pray for others, god hears our prayer and blesses both of us.

Whenever a misfortune befalls us say loudly with conviction: ‘Surely we belong to god and to Him shall we return’
God is the only One who gives and it is He alone who takes away. Hence let us be grateful for whatever we receive. Let us also patiently endure during times of turmoil and pain. For everything happens for a reason…. good reason.

It is reported that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “When a son of a servant of Allah dies, Allah Says to the angels, ‘Have you taken the son of My servant?’ They say, ‘Yes.’ Then Allah Says, ‘Have you taken the fruit of his heart?’ They say, ‘Yes.’ Allah Says, “What has My servant said?’ They say, ‘He has praised You and said, Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un (To Allah we belong and to Him is our return). Then Allah Says, ‘Build a house for My servant in Paradise and call it the house of praise.’

May the all powerful god give us the strength to change all that we can change and accept all that we cannot change and give us the wisdom to differentiate between the two………………………

There is something very very special about love letters. They both surprise and thrill the recipients. The lucky ones who receive them feel so warm and loved that they can hardly wait to return the love to us. They create a matchless feeling when the reader realizes that we cared enough to take the time to get the stationery, write and post the letter.

Don’t wait for the opportune date and time. Send them every time you can. When someone is packing, hide the letter somewhere- in the pocket, purse or a shoe. Imagine the heart beats of the person when he discovers it… far away from you. Hide your message among the long list of grocery items that your wife has made. She will stand transfixed amidst the other busy shoppers who aren’t as lucky as her. Leave small post it notes with your messages in your child’s lunch box or in one of his books. Each time, they stumble upon one, they will be reminded of how much they are loved and appreciated.

As a bonus, save a copy of your love letters and Iam sure that you will relish reviewing them some day and cherish the memories they evoke.

The most endearing letters are the ones that you can write to our older parents or grandparents living far away from us in the fading twilight of their years. Most of these people do suffer from umpteen diseases. But they almost always also suffer from broken hearts. Most of their friends would have passed on and they have few connections left with the fast and apathetic world around. They may be waking up in the middle of the night feeling totally alienated and depressed and lying awake… waiting for yet another meaningless day.

It is at times like these that they slowly get up and take out that letter that we would have sent months earlier that has already been read a hundred times. They read every word again and get transported to the wonder world where their grand children are playing merrily, where we sit next to them, cuddling them and telling how much we love them. I am sure that our letters would be tear stained, tattered and taped from incessant reading and pondering.

Come…. let’s do it. Don’t worry about syntax and grammar. Our readers don’t care. Just write from your hearts to theirs. They will know what we mean……

Let me write mine……

Dearest Uppa and Umma

From Miles and Miles away, as my family lies sleeping peacefully in the other room, I am writing this letter to tell you once more that I love you more than anyone in this world………………………………..

This post is heavily inspired by an article by a brother who prefers to be unnamed. May god almighty accept his inputs and the inspiration it provides as righteous deeds.

“So do not weaken and do not grieve, for you will indeed be superior if you are truly believers.”
[Al-Quran 3:139]

This verse was revealed to prophet Muhammed (PBUH), soon after the believers suffered a stunning defeat in the Battle of Uhud at the hands of the transgressing tribes of Makkah . It was revealed as an encouragement and reminder to the defeated pious. As a student of Self Improvement and actualization, I see it as the greatest success secret of all times.

This is what Umar bin Al-Khattab (RA) had to remind Saad bin Abi Waqqas (RA) before the battle of Qadisiyyah- “Fear your sins more than you fear the enemy as your sins are more dangerous to you than your enemy. We believers are only victorious over our enemy because their sins outnumber ours, not for any other reason. If our sins were equal to those of our enemy, then they would defeat us due to their superior numbers and resources.”

Let us restate the obvious here. Victory and defeat, gains and losses, and successes and setbacks are not decided by money, resources, numbers or skills. Rather, they are decided by the degree of obedience that we show to the will of the almighty. The more we obey him, both individually and collectively, the more we hasten His Victory. The more we disobey him, the more we delay the arrival of His Victory. The sin of just one of us can delay victory for the entire community. It is very easy to blame external factors for all the injustice happening around us. It has become our second nature to blame “them” for our woes and worries. But the truth is that we have only ourselves to blame.

Look at us and our pathetic state. We have abandoned prayer. We are too stingy to give even obligatory charity. We prefer to go on holidays than on pilgrimages. We drink alcohol, we use and supply drugs ,we cohabit outside wedlock, we steal, we lie, we cheat. We are quick to spend on fashion and luxuries but slow to spend on orphans and the needy. We fail to utter a single word, let alone raise a finger, when we see our fellow beings being tyrannized. We waste our lives watching television and clicking “I like” icons on Facebook. We are too busy to fulfill our responsibilities as vicegerents of almighty god on Earth. And after all this (and more), we have the audacity to wonder why justice and truth doesn’t win over aggression and evil.

Every sin we commit delays the arrival of Victory of truth over falsehood, good over evil. Every prayer we delay extends the agony of an innocent somewhere. Every drug we take allows another sister or daughter to be brutally dishonored. Every hour we waste allows the poor and needy to be exploited more. Every time we even gaze at something forbidden, we place an obstacle in the path of victory of good over evil. Let us understand this clearly. A sin is not a ‘private matter between us and god’ but one sin can make the difference between victory and defeat for Truth and Justice.

Le us remember God’s Promise: “So do not weaken and do not grieve, for you will indeed be superior if you are truly believers.” He promises relief, assistance, superiority and victory on the condition that we are true believers. If untruth and evil prevails today, it is not because God has gone back on his promise, it’s simply because we have ceased to be believers.

While browsing through the plethora of articles and the accompanying comments of the often partisan and abusive readers about the veil ban recently enforced by the French Government, one word that repeatedly came up in every post was “Oppressed”. Through the print and electronic and social media, the whole world was unanimously lauding the righteous decision of the French Government to oppose the very obvious symbol of oppression- the act of forcing hapless women to cover their faces- an inhuman custom owing its origin to the oh so chauvinistic values of a medieval religion.

Let me be honest. I personally respect women who wear veils. Maybe it is simply because these women have the courage to withstand all the cynicism, condescension and sometimes patronizing sympathy that comes along with every packet of naqab. And I deeply respect people who follow their hearts, who like the lighthouse that stood defiantly before the honking warship choose to stay steadfast even when whirlwinds of negative energy swirl around them all the time. And it also shows another face (pun intended) of women hood. Search for “French first lady” in Google and you will see the other end of the continuum. If my own son wasn’t a reader of my blog, I would have posted a picture of that epitome of women’s liberation right here. These words wouldn’t satiate his curiosity. We have the safe search feature turned on in every search engine (Thank god).

I have nothing against the French Government. But I badly wanted to validate the word “oppressed”. So I decided to meet up with and interview a colleague of mine who wore the veil…proudly that too.

Since I didn’t want my own prejudices and preconceived biases to lead to a pathetically one sided interview, I called up a Modern, generation Z friend of mine and requested him to give me a few questions. The fact that he was one of the most vociferous supporters of the veil ban automatically ensured that the interview maintained a sense of balance.

Here we went…

Q: Who forced you to wear this veil and when?
A: No one ever forced me. I decided to wear it myself. One fine day while I was at the university, I just decided to go to the shop and buy one. And I have been wearing one ever since.

Q: Where you studying at a religious seminary or something?
A: No. I was pursuing technical education in one of the prestigious institutions in the region. The University had students from every nook and corner of the world and the faculty members were mostly European.

Q: What do you feel when you look at yourself in the mirror?
A: I feel proud of myself. I am happy that I am able to stand by my principles and stick to my decisions.

Q: Don’t you feel that you are demeaning yourself by putting a shroud like cloth all around you?
A: On the contrary, I feel very very valuable. If you go to branded Jewelry shops, you find that the most precious diamonds are kept carefully under multiple protective wraps. They are handled delicately only by people who have the skills, luck and who have earned the right to handle them. On the other hand you find cheap stones sold even on the pavements where every passerby can pick them up, try them on and toss them back into the box.

Q: Did this sudden conversion to veil hood during studenthood affect your social life?
A: Not at all. I continued getting awards for making the best presentations and projects. My grades improved. I made more friends over time and we had all the fun and frolic that students of that age indulged in. It has also made me a better and more careful person. A man sporting a beard and a cap wouldn’t be able to drink in public. Similarly I have over the years become more patient, more generous and helpful since I am subconsciously reminded of the fact that I am a striking ambassador of a great religion.

Q: If you are transported to a part of the planet where no one knows you…away from your culture and its rituals, will you still wear the veil?
A: when my husband and I went to Thailand (of all places), he posed the same proposition to me. He was trying to lure me to take it off, stating that no one knew me in that foreign land. I told him that this attire was part of me akin to my own skin and would stay with me wherever I went.

Q: Has the veil affected your career prospects?
A: I am aware of the fact that many organizations don’t recruit women who wear the naqab. I have been refused a few jobs because of the same reason. But opportunities, jobs and careers aren’t decided by humans. I will get what is destined for me through hard work and prayer because it is the creator and not his creations that make decisions. Moreover I would be happier to work in a role where my competencies and commitment are valued more than my facial features.

Q: What would you do if your own daughter refuses to wear the Veil?
A: Well I will ensure that she wears the Hijab for sure. Regarding the veil, through her reading and reflections she will one day realize that there is a huge difference between a CEO and a Manager and I am sure that she will also adopt this symbol of freedom loved and cherished by millions of believing women the world over. A symbol that says that a woman’s beauty is not something to be exploited and exhibited on billboards and silver screens to sell cheap wares or to rake in money.

After the interview, this colleague of mine moved on……. And soon got immersed into the many challenging projects that she was leading. Interacting confidently with her colleagues from both genders, fighting assertively for her team’s rights over some issue, and negotiating ardently with her boss over some complicated proposal. Soon the day would end and she would drive off home , smoothly making the transition from an effective executive to a loving home maker.

By the way, the dictionary meaning of oppressed is “To keep down by severe and unjust use of force or authority: a people who were oppressed by tyranny”.

I think we are the ones who are oppressed, by our own prejudices and inabilities to understand, respect and celebrate differences.

Great news!!!!!

So you are cruising ahead in full steam with occasional cursory glances at your compass (Read the previous post), just to make sure that the tracks envisaged and negotiated are one and the same. Lets now take the second travel aid from the kit- The Speedometer.

How do you know that you have spent the erstwhile hours effectively eating up the miles that lie between you and your goals? Before setting out, had you clearly defined targets in terms of Milestones that you aim to conquer, then it’s simply a YES, NO, or ALMOST question. So have clear Milestones marked on your map. You could have Financial, Spiritual, Career, Relationship , Achievement and Health Markers. Make sure that you force yourself to make the targets challenging. Let them sit there and tease you, mock at you till you drain out every drop of gas into your engines…. And let the exhilarating feeling of having beaten the targets wash you over…. Making you feel alive over and over again.

You want an example?. Here is one – “I shall have 2 million dollars saved up for a project by 4.00 P.M on the 22nd of December 2012”. Also sure that you break it down into smaller chunks that make them seem manageable.

You tried your best. Stayed on course and revved the engines till they groaned in agony. Still you missed that all important Milestone. That elusive target is still waiting for you with a sarcastic grin miles away. What do you do?

This is where Sincere and unshakeable Faith comes in handy. As true believers, we believe the following….

If god has ordained something for you, no power on earth and in the universe can stop you from getting there.

If god has ordained otherwise, no power can take you there either.

Anything bad that happens to a believer is a substitute for something worse that could have happened.

So if you cross that milestone, Thank the almighty lord and drive on. If you missed it, thank him nevertheless, tell yourself that it is for good. Be patient , pray for success and try harder. You may hit a bypass that can bring your target closer to you than you ever imagined.

And as you stare through the windshield with your hands firmly on the wheel , keep a keen lookout for god given opportunities that may give yourself turbo boosts. Some unknown wayfarer stranded in the middle of nowhere….looking out for directions. Some hapless brother caught in the suburbs of life seeking a lift to the next junction. Don’t let the speedometer distract you and stop you from pulling over. Let not the enticing milestones make you forget your true destination.

Success in this world is important. Let us seek it desperately and win it by all means. But let us also have the faith to abandon it on the waysides of time, for the sake of our true goals.

It is said that Prophet Ibrahim (who was called by the name- friend of allah) used to own hundreds of goats. His goats would fill up the valleys and the mountains while they grazed. The Angels in heaven went up to the almighty and posed the question- “Why do you love Ibrahim so much? All he is interested is in his goats”. God almighty challenged the angels to test Ibrahim. One of them went up to him disguised as a man and recited a beautiful verse praising god. Ibrahim stood mesmerized for a minute and then pleaded to him to repeat the verse. The angel asked for something in return. Ibrahim gave him half of his goats. Even after hearing the verse once more, Ibrahim wasn’t satisfied. He requested again, offering the other half of his goats in return. But even after relishing it twice, he wasn’t satisfied. He requested again. The angel scoffed- “You have nothing in this world to offer me now. Why should I oblige? ”. Ibrahim, who had all the wealth in the world just minutes before pleaded thus –“You will need a shepherd to take care of your goats. I will be your servant all your life. Just recite that verse once more”

So let us by all means focus on everything that this world has to offer and gun for it. But let us also have the faith to attach the apt value for all our conquests and misses….

As I said in the previous post… may the great guide lead us forward on the right path, at the right speed.

Just around the corner is the RADAR KIT. Till then………………….

As you drag yourself and crawl through the crowded by lanes and frustrating junctions of life, dying to ease into that free way where you can finally press hard on the gas pedal and zoom to your dream destination, you need to have three tools in your travel kit. Never ever venture out without them. Or else you will end up getting stuck in the dusty suburbs of depravity, miles away from the dream retreats of success.

They are…A Compass, A Speedometer and A Radar kit.

The first one tells you whether you are on or off course. Even a one degree deviation over time can take you miles away from your destined disembarkation gate.

Some of the good compass brands available are…..

A Great set of values
A Sincere friend

The first one is a simple list of unambiguous resolutions like… I will never lie, I will never cheat, and I will always help my fellow wayfarers all the way and so on. These statements must be posted on the notice boards of your heart and whenever you get stuck at any of the cross roads of life, they will guide you to the routes that you should take and also strictly forbid you from even venturing inches on to the tracks that you should never take.

Akin to the two roads mentioned in Surah Fatihah… The path of those who have been blessed by the Almighty or the path of the ones who have earned his wrath. This compass will lead you to the right path and as the famous poem goes… Two roads divulged into the woods and I took the one that was less travelled by…. And that has made all the difference….. between reaching and getting stranded.

After all, what is the point traveling for ages and reaching tired and way worn at some place where you never ever wanted to be in the first place?

Instead of buying a compass, you can even try making one yourself. Write down 5 sentences starting with “I will always……..” and 5 more with “I will never……””. Now think about the journey that you are about to undertake and complete these sentences with actions that you will either always do or refrain from doing at all costs. Even if you have a cocked gun held against your head or a mountain of gold offered to lure you instead. Think about the inspiring words of our leader who said “Even if you give me the sun in my left hand and the moon in my right I will continue on my journey till either the will of god prevails or I perish on the way”

The other brand of compass is a Sincere believing friend. As the hadith says-A believer is a mirror for another. So share your travel plans and routes with him regularly and take his advice even if it contradicts your own decisions. When sincere brothers give you feedback, you have three options. Disregard it and move on…. Hit back at them and argue or simply follow. But make the choice only after ensuring that you so have a trust worthy compass with you – one whose arms always steadfastly point to the one and only true direction…anywhere…anytime.

If you a compass that meets the above conditions, then you are one of the lucky ones indeed. If you dont, seek and find one as soon as possible. And lets also hope that at least one person in this planet considers us as their own treasured compass.

Work on your Internal Compass during this week end and put it up at a place where it can remind the traveller’s soul every day. Call up that external compass and have a long heart to heart talk. Listen… Understand…..Accept…..and if required change your route map.

Do that… and I will come back to you with the Speedometer and the RADAR KIT soon…. Insha allah

My dreams would have laughed at me,

If they could have

“The arrogance of ignorance”, is how a success story scoffed

when I told him what I would be

But deep inside I knew, Where the last laugh would be from

The strains of my old man’s lullabies have almost been forgotten

Except for that line that said-”You will touch the stars one day”

So I believed…..more surely than anything else

That I will hold haughty success by the scruff of his neck one day…

To move me from where I stood to where I would be

Had much to Learn, do and acquire, I knew

So I took toddler steps every day

A couple of feet and I would fall, flat on my back

till my soul bled and will almost cracked

But before unforgiving life could finish his condescending countdown

I was back on my legs again

When conquered tracks gave up their journeys before me

I retraced and sought new directions

Till I crisscrossed the whole terrain In a frantic search for my destiny…

And standing where I do today, I can almost get the whiff of arrogant victory

He is hiding somewhere around

Our rendezvous could be in the next minute or even eons away

But that expert evader and I would meet

And stare at each other

Till his eyes give away those shades of respect

And I will hold him up for all those to see

Whose pens were out to write me off…

Let them quickly unscramble their well rehearsed lines

Or rewrite their versions of the rules of life….

Till they dissuade no one no more.

Then sitting on the mountain top I would look out for any soul

Who hasn’t started yet

Or who dared to give up on the climb

Or hopelessly lost his way….

I would call out these lines to them

Till every valley echoes them around

And my song shall guide them up….

Every note shall inspire

Every rhythm shall lead

To the place my old pappy used to say

From where

They can all touch the stars one day.

Now those were my verses…now listen to the Creator’s

And we will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient

And perhaps you hate a thing and its good for you, and perhaps you love a thing that is bad for you, and allah knows, while you know not

And victory is not except from Allah, the exalted in might, the wise

And take provisions, but indeed the best provision is fear of allah

And seek help through patience and prayer

So do not weaken and do not grieve, and you will be superior, if you are true believers

Verily, for those who have Taqwa, there will be success

If allah should aid you, no one can overcome you, but if he should forsake you, who is there that can aid you after him

Don’t take my words for it… Michael Hart, George Bernard Shaw, and of late, even Deepak Chopra has conferred this title on him- The Leader of Leaders.

And this legend once told his loyal followers that he was yearning to be reunited with his brothers.

Upon hearing these words, the companions said: “O Messenger of God! Are we not your brothers?”

He answered:

“You are my companions. My brothers are the believers who will follow me without even seeing me. He continued-“And I really look forward to welcoming them on the Day of Judgment”

He was referring to us– Every human being who chooses to follow the practices of this exemplary role model.

In addition to being showered with the blessing of meeting the leader himself, being his follower will also improve your leadership skills phenomenally which will help you to win over every challenge that you face today in every area of your life.

Skeptical? Let me try to give you a few examples. I don’t have the luxury of time. But if you can invest ten minutes and read through to the very end of this post, you will get 11 solid tips that can awaken and/or develop the leader in you.

1) Set the most challenging targets for yourself: This leader taught us to seek the highest honors in this world and in the hereafter. He taught us to crave and pray for nothing less than the highest ranks in heaven.

2) Keep trying till you succeed: In the 23 years that he took to realize his mission, he would have failed a hundred times. But he learnt from his mistakes and improved his approaches to get the result he wanted. Even when he met god almighty, he went back to him repeatedly to get the decrees that he wanted. His famous message to Ali was- Keep fighting till god gives you victory

3) Be the most positive person in the world: This comes through submitting completely to the will of almighty god. He braved tremendous odds and took up unbelievingly challenging projects with absolute faith in god. Every win and failure was seen as a blessing and steps forward.

4) Build a team: He took decisions only after consulting with his team. He changed decisions when his team disagreed. He empowered even the youngest of them by giving them responsibilities and he supported them all the way. Even after winning back his motherland, he preferred to stay back with the team that supported him. Even when it came to fleeing for his life, he started only after all his followers were safe.

5) Show integrity: Whatever he preached, he practiced. Be it fasting, praying, simplicity, he was miles ahead of his followers. Even his worst detractors had to appreciate his truthfulness.

6) Forgive!!!!!: He was a leader who forbade revenge. Though he was hounded and wounded by his enemies and though countless followers were killed in unprovoked attacks, he chose to forgive all the perpetrators after he won over them. From positions of extreme strengths and invincibility, he showered forgiveness on his enemies, converting them to followers instantly.

7) Be Fair: When it came to appointing people or distribution of wealth, he made sure that the best man for the job was appointed regardless of race or position. He said that unfairness is a sin against god, his prophet and all humanity.

8 Give !!!!: Though he became the undisputed lord of Arabia, he died as a pauper as he had given away everything that he had. He and his family used to go hungry after giving away even the little morsels that they had.

9) Communicate effectively: Even when he was faced with criticism, he would patiently listen and explain his position. In his life, he never showed aggression. Though he was provoked a million times, he never ever became angry. He would always be the first to appreciate and the last to criticize. He was so persuasive that his detractors used to cover their ears in his presence, fearing that they would be convinced as well. It was this ability that made him the beloved leader of a nation that rebuked him for ages.

10 Be Humble: He was always the first one to offer his hand and to greet others. In any gathering, he would never sit in a conspicuous position that signifies authority. He forbade people from getting up to honor him.

11) Be a 360 degree success: He was supremely successful in every role that he played- professionally as a spiritual leader, political leader, judge, army general and a plethora of other roles. Personally as a father, husband and son he has given examples that would guide each and every one of us. Even years after the death of his wife Khadija, he would visit their relatives. He found time to play games with his wife and fondle and caress his grandchildren. He would visit his friends if they were ailing and would be available for anyone who wanted to see him at any time.

I could go on and on. But the point is this. Read about this leader. Follow him. And you will succeed in your job and in your relationships. You will attain peace of mind and contentment. And what is more- you will get to be with him- in soul and spirit for ever…..in the hereafter.