Honour is Always Earned

Mankind was created from dust and to dust we all return. Along this journey from one nothingness to another, we can either leave behind glorious trails of sparkling deeds or bequeath meaningless impressions after we are no more. In our heart of hearts, we know that such an insignificant legacy is not intended for the “crown of creation” by its Maker. The mind’s eye can see that such an ordinary plot and debasing end could not be Adam’s story. The jewel of creation cannot live and die as an insignificant, lowly creature. We have been blessed with the freedom of choice. We can choose to do actions that reverberate across eternity and stand accepted and appraised in the golden scales of heaven. We are all bound by divine Will whether we acknowledge it or not. By virtue of being human we can choose to do the right actions which can carve a niche for ourselves amidst the highest angels, preserve a place in perpetuity for our otherwise puny beings, and evidently exhibit that honour is a rarity which is always earned, not freely bestowed.

Human life is meant for creating its own sense of meaning and obtaining a reward for its struggles. For some, the cry of a newborn may encompass the whole world; for others chaos and nothingness are the only realities. It is up to us to try to make our actions worthy of being honoured in the sight of God. The promise of God also testifies that a man earns what he struggles for. The hope of heaven is also predicated on faith and right actions. According to Islamic belief, heaven is the highest honour which is awarded to a human being. This highest honour is not granted without effort. It, too, has to be earned. Therefore, it is in the essence of ‘honour’ that it is always earned.

Here, a distinction can be drawn between worldly standards of honour and the divine criteria of honour. The worldly formulae dictate that wealth and power determine one’s honour and prestige. On the other hand, the criteria of faith along with merit and right action have been set as divine determinants of one’s honour.

History can testify that those who lived up to this divine measure of honour truly earned ever- lasting honour and prestige. The shores of Spain welcomed Tariq bin Ziyad, a new convert to Islam and a famous military commander, who ordered his troops to burn their boats. They were 7,000 men against King Roderick’s 100,000 soldiers. With courage, determination and utmost trust in God, Tariq bin Ziyad stood victorious and marked his place in history as an honourable man forever. Another truly honorable man who courageously stood his ground against heavy odds is Tipu Sultan. He defeated the British repeatedly so much so that the enemy was forced to call him the iron wall between them and the golden bird, India. He is forever remembered as the ‘Tiger of Myssore’, whereas the traitor Mir Sadiq who sold Tipu’s life to the British for a paltry sum is cursed as a dishonourable creature forever. Yet another glorious example is that of Muhammad Ali Jinnah who was offered the governorship of united India by the viceroy Lord Wavell if Jinnah gave up his demand for Pakistan. Jinnah stood up and left the room. The viceroy ran after him and Jinnah’s reply was: My Lord! I have not come here to sell my nation. This is honour and it is earned with integrity, sincerity and sacrifice.

Today, Pakistan and the Muslim world are reduced to a lowly, despicable, weak and miserable position. We sell our collective unity, self- respect, honour and faith in return for trivial benefits and acknowledgement by the powers-that-be. This is not the way of becoming an honourable and strong nation. Honour will have to be earned with courage, determination, sincerity, integrity and sacrifice. This is the price one must pay for receiving lasting acknowledgement in this world and the hereafter because honour is always earned, not begged for.

There is a great message in this for us as individuals and as a nation. As individuals, we need to maximize our strengths and minimize our weaknesses. We need to reach the destination of self-actualization to truly earn honour. As a nation, we shall have to let go of our begging bowl, our laziness, indiscipline, extremism and a host of other crippling characteristics to become a nation worthy of being called ‘honourable’. We need to become steadfast on our journey of earning honour, maintaining self- respect and acquiring prestige. In the words of Emerson:

Not gold but only men can make

A people great and strong;

Men who for truth and honor’s sake

Stand fast and suffer long.

Brave men who work while others sleep,

Who dare while others fly…

They build a nation’s pillars deep

And lift them to the sky.