Six Magic Words | The Sunday Guardian | November 13th, 2011 | Page 15

The Quran gives a description of how God Almighty created the universe. In one such statement the Quran, in the chapter entitled Al-Sajdah (Prostration), tells us that God created the Universe in six days: "It was God who created the heavens and the earth and whatsoever is in between in six Days, and then He established Himself on the throne. You have no patron or any intercessor besides Him. So will you not pay heed?" (32:4) The word "six" in the Quran is given with reference to creation, but it also gives us an important clue for life building. This formula again comprises six words: ignore minus, avail of the plus. In fact, God has created this world in such a way that it is full of possibilities. Every time you find yourself in a situation where you are facing unwanted minus points, rest assured that there will also be some plus points that are favourable to you. So, do not despair or be disappointed, but concentrate rather on discovering those plus points. Very soon you will find that, clearly, the plus points outnumber the minus points. Life is a test for everyone, with each problematic situation calling for reflection. Every such situation presents an intellectual challenge in that it awakens your mind and compels you to ferret out the plus items from the jungle of minus items. Every man and woman should be made aware of nature's formula for dealing with life's problems, i.e. ascertain in advance that challenges are temporary and not permanent in nature and then try to overcome the obstacles they place in your path with wise and careful planning. You will soon discover that such challenges are only stepping stones in your life.