Monday, August 21, 2006
Planning, Preparation, and Plotting
There’s much that needs to be done on every front, much that needs to be decided, much that needs to be plotted and planned. There’s a phase for everything in life and certain things can only be accomplished under specific circumstances. Once the right time has passed, it takes an almost Herculean will to go against the odds.
That’s why I need to work feverishly over the next year and a half insha Allah. I don’t like being off guard in anything, least of all life. Anything and everything has to be expected, calculated, planned, and decisive in that very order.
Yes, uncertainties will occur because only Allah knows the true plans but that’s no excuse to sit back and relax. Allah does not change the condition of the people until they change themselves.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) is the best example. Ever wonder why the first 3 years of the call were private and the next 10 lacking in retaliation to the Makkan oppression? Why did the battles of Badr and the Trenches have meticulous planning to thwart the enemy? Yes, the Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his hand in supplication before the start of Badr but did he claim that prayer only would only lead to victory?
And this is the man who was guaranteed to be a victor and yet he took all the necessary steps.
Islam is not just about prostrating in prayer and handing out money to the poor. We don’t need to look any further than the tafseer (Prophetic biography) and the sunnah to realize that the concept of thorough preparation is not a modern day invention.
That’s why I need to work feverishly over the next year and a half insha Allah. I don’t like being off guard in anything, least of all life. Anything and everything has to be expected, calculated, planned, and decisive in that very order.
Yes, uncertainties will occur because only Allah knows the true plans but that’s no excuse to sit back and relax. Allah does not change the condition of the people until they change themselves.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) is the best example. Ever wonder why the first 3 years of the call were private and the next 10 lacking in retaliation to the Makkan oppression? Why did the battles of Badr and the Trenches have meticulous planning to thwart the enemy? Yes, the Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his hand in supplication before the start of Badr but did he claim that prayer only would only lead to victory?
And this is the man who was guaranteed to be a victor and yet he took all the necessary steps.
Islam is not just about prostrating in prayer and handing out money to the poor. We don’t need to look any further than the tafseer (Prophetic biography) and the sunnah to realize that the concept of thorough preparation is not a modern day invention.
Faraz Ahmed 9:50 a.m.