We all see dreams, work hard for them and make them come true. However, when despite working hard, we can not realize our dreams; we feel disappointed and frustrated. A sense of depression is bound to come when our hard work does not bring the desirable fruit and we are left with our shattered dream. It is something which happens to most of us at some point of time in our life. We make the best move; use best available resources, utilize our time & energy in the best possible manner and make our plan foolproof. Then suddenly came a twist of fate and we find ourselves at loss. Our most calculated and thought over plan results into an absolute failure. It makes us totally exhausted, bereft of any confidence in our abilities and takes us into depression.
Is there any way to cope with this problem? Can we really withstand the twist of fate and bounce back? Can we still make a comeback when all that we put our hopes on is gone?
We can learn a lot from the life of John Milton, the famous English poet, who had to face this situation in his life. Milton was a highly talented youth. He was learned in the Classics. He had enormous faith in God. And he had a noble ambition to create in the English language a great epic. He was not yet clear as to what the subject of the epic would be. But he was determined to write that epic. He believed that he was born to do so. It was to this end that God had blessed him with poetic talent, he felt. In short it was his most cherished dream to write an epic in English.
But his fate was not on his side. Even as he was exploring possible subjects for his epic, the misfortune struck. , Milton lost his sight and became visually impaired. This was not only a great personal loss, it was also a probable end of his dream. This sudden misfortune raised important questions in his mind. He did not know how he should respond to this sudden twist of fate. The mental conflict that he experienced and the how he resolved it has been documented by him in a sonnet titled On His Blindness.
One question that deeply tormented him was, now that he had been rendered blind, was he still required to vindicate the talent he was born with? Or did his incapacitation exonerate him from his duty to create what he wanted? Was he free from accountability now as new hurdles had been set on his path? With all his talent turned useless because of the blindness, when he faced God empty-handed, would He feel betrayed? In his cryptic style, the question
Milton asks in the sonnet is:, “Does God exact day labour, light denied?”
Milton considers the issue from a regal (Belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler) perspective. God is the Supreme King and we are all His servants. God is not dependent on any individual’s work. Obedience is what He values. The servant standing his attention at the door is serving God as well as the prime minister or the general.
Hence Milton‘s great realization: “They also serve who simply stand and wait”.
What the above points to is the importance of surrender to God’s will. This is at the core of the Holy Qur’an. In fact, the word ‘Islam’ connotes ‘surrender’. Subordinate your personal agenda in life to the Agenda of God. Strive with zeal, but with the firm faith that everything is subject to the will of God.
The above sentences is so powerful that I would like to repeat it once again :
Strive with zeal, but with the firm faith that everything is subject to the will of God.
A majority of Muslims, the world over use a particular word in their conversation. You must have heard of. I often hear it while watching any Pakistani Cricket player speak.
The word is : ‘Insha’ Allah’
Insha’ Allah means God-willing. It simple means : I am doing all that I can and if God is willing, I’ll get what I want.
Insha’ Allah or ‘God willing’ is the principal core that must underlie any personal agenda. This is the gist of Karma Yoga of Bhagavad Gita. : to work is in your scope; to bring forth the fruits of your work belongs to the jurisdiction of God. Does it matter then whether your personal agenda stands or falls? Does it matter that your dreams are shattered ?
The very fact that Milton could successfully write his immortal epic Paradise Lost despite his handicap confirms the truth that with God’s grace the challenged can cross mountains, the mute sing, and the blind see.
The humanity is proceeding at a particular pace in this word thanks to collective creative activity of billions of living creature on this planet. If we adopt a cosmic perspective of life, we’ll find that we all have some roles to play in it. If we analyze our role from our own individualistic perspective, this role may appear small or insignificant. However, if you see this role from a cosmic perspective, you’ll find that all roles are just roles. No role is important or better than other roles. Ultimately what matter is the will of the God (or call it the will of the Universe.) We are here to do whatever we can within our limited capacity. However, the result of our work may not come in the exact manner we have hoped for. God has his own ways to develop the real you. With our limited wisdom, we can’t fathom his unlimited wisdom.
Once I read somewhere :
“Failure does not mean God has abandoned you; it does mean God has a better idea.”
Your dream will come true. Insha’ Allah !