Earlier today, I was sitting on a bench, watching a young man trying to repair a small stone wall near a garden. He was struggling, rushing, trying to make the stones fit by sheer force. I smiled, feeling the vibrant energy of his youth—it reminded me so much of my own days studying chemical engineering, when I thought complex problems could be solved just by applying more pressure.
I walked over and whispered to him what my late father, the old merchant of Muri, used to tell me: “A heavy stone rests secure only when it finds its true place on the foundation, not where you force it to stand.”
We began to talk. He is a young university student, full of doubts about his future, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. We spoke for an hour about life, purpose, and the grand design. After he left, I felt a deep stir in my soul. I realized how much our modern world focuses on the visible structure — the height of the building, the status, the noise — while completely neglecting the quiet, unseen foundation of the spirit.
The Architecture of the Soul
In my 75 years on this earth, through 50 beautiful years of marriage to my late wife, and now watching my own children build their lives, I have learned that human existence is a chemical reaction of sorts. If the elements of the heart are not pure, the result will always be unstable. We must look inward to grow outward.
True growth does not demand that we all look alike, think alike, or even pray alike. Just as a magnificent palace requires different materials—wood, stone, metal, and mortar—the Worldwide Family requires the beauty of our differences.
The great contemporary Indian thinker and philosopher, Dada J.P. Vaswani, beautifully captured this essence when he wrote:
“The passport to the Kingdom of God is non-possessiveness, non-attachment. To look upon all things as the property of the Divine.”
When we realize that we own nothing, we stop fighting over the stones and start focusing on the foundation. We begin to see that every human being, regardless of their ideology or religion, is a sibling in this cosmic household.
The Divine Resonance Within Us
To my fellow Muslims, and indeed to every seeker of truth reading this, I say: do not let the dust of the world blind you to the Realm of the Divine that resonates within your own chest. We are often so busy defending our boundaries that we forget to expand our horizons.
We must learn to listen to those who oppose us. In the silence of understanding, enmity melts away. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, in the timeless Tao Te Ching, offers us a profound blueprint for this inner peace:
“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.”
When we quiet our egos, we realize that the spiritual study we pursue is not meant to make us right; it is meant to make us kind. It is meant to make us excellent. The highest form of worship is to improve oneself so thoroughly that your very presence becomes a sanctuary for others.
Raising the Next Generation
As I look back on the work of my foundation for rural development, I see the faces of the hundreds of young students we have supported. They are the true engineers of tomorrow. But I always tell them: do not just strive to be a successful engineer, a brilliant doctor, or a wealthy merchant. Strive to be a human being who reflects the light of the Creator.
If you are facing a storm today, if your stones are falling apart and you feel overwhelmed, stop forcing the pieces. Step back. Breathe. Reconnect with the Divine Foundation.
Let us leave the world a little better, a little wiser, and far more united than we found it.
What about you, my friend? What foundation are you building upon today?
