Renowned Islamic scholar and recipient of Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan, 96, died days after getting admitted to a private hospital in New Delhi. Maulana was a prolific writer who wrote more than two hundred books including a commentary of Quran and its translation in modern English.
The Prophet of Peace, Quranic Wisdom, Islam and World Peace, A Treasury of Quran, Islam Rediscovered: Discovering Islam from its Original Sources, Islam: Creator of Modern Age, are some of his prominent books.
Maulana put himself for the cause of world peace and inculcated positivity in the society through his lectures and writings. He was a staunch critic of radical thinking and always stressed reinterpretation of Islamic teachings so as to get the proper guidance in contemporary times.
The Maulana believed that peace and spirituality are two sides of the same coin: spirituality is the inner content of peace and peace is the external manifestation of spirituality. He founded The Centre of Peace and Spirituality, New Delhi which is recognized for interfaith dialogues and spreading the message of peace.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan stressed that ‘we must strive to attain the positive spirituality which has the potential to get us to our best versions rather than just content with the passive spirituality, which though offers momentary peace of mind, is just a shallow level of spirituality’.
Besides Padma Vibhushan, Maulana was conferred with many other awards and honours, both internationally and nationally, including Demiurgus Peace International Award and Padma Bhushan.
Since Maulana emphasized on positivity throughout his life, let’s read a few of his passages which offer some respite from the prevailing distress:
-The best formula in life is not to concern oneself with what has been lost, but by wise planning, to avail of what is still extant. Sooner or later, you will emerge as a super-achiever. This holds true for both nations and individuals.
-Challenges come into our lives in order to train us, to increase us in wisdom and strengthen us. The difficulties that we face in life are experiences, and without going through such experiences one cannot become more complete.
– Converting revenge into forgiveness and anger into peaceability is the highest form of spirituality.
-Success brings you contentment, and this eventually brings to a halt your thinking process. On the other hand, failure makes you discontented, and discontent is the greatest source of continuous effort in life.
(With inputs from Maulana’s book: Leading A Spiritual Life)
(Shams Khan is contributing editor at TheNewsWeb)
