Maulana Wahiduddin Khan I Quranic Wisdom I P.53
During the time of the Prophet of Islam, two battles took place in Arabia-Badr (624 AD) and Uhud (625 AD). In the Battle of Badr, the Prophet and his Companions were the winners but, in the Battle of Uhud, they were defeated by their opponents. After the defeat at Uhud, some Muslims fell into despair. They said: "We were following the true path, so why did we suffer a defeat at the hands of those who had adopted falsehood in their lives?" At that time, God Almighty revealed the following verse in the Quran:
"And do not become faint of heart, nor grieve-you will have the upper hand, if you are believers-if you have suffered a wound, they too have suffered a similar wound. We bring these days to men by turns, so that God may know those who believe, and choose witnesses from among you; and God does not love the unjust," (3:139 - 140)
This observation set forth in the Quran at that time, also has a general application. It tells us of a universal law of nature, according to which success is not the monopoly of a single person or group. According to the law of nature, everyone is bound to experience both success and failure, sometimes one and sometimes the other.
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It is usual for everyone to become happy when experiencing success and to become despairing when experiencing defeat. This kind of fluctuation is unrealistic. We must face both situations with a normal mind. We must accept both the situations as being in the usual course of things.
This law of nature is not a random law. It is useful for every man and woman. It means that when you have success, you must be grateful to God. And when you fail, you need to learn some lessons and re-design your plan after making a reassessment of the situation.
These twin experiences are common to all human beings, both as individuals and as groups. Those who are unaware of this law of nature fail to learn any lessons from either experience. But those who are aware of this fact, will surely learn from these experiences, and then lead a life that is free of tension and negative thinking.
The ups and downs in life are subjects of management. Learn this art of management and both these experiences in life will prove to be good for you.
