Posted by Rasulullah states: التدبير نصف العيش
The above-revered words of Rasulullah SA emphasize the importance of planning in life. If, to complete any task a certain amount of time is required then according to the above saying, half of the required time should be invested in planning. The proportion should be fifty percent planning and fifty percent work.
Once I had a discussion on board a plane with a crew member of Egypt Airlines. He said that before take-off, the crew members along with the pilot and aircraft have to undergo several check-ups. Only once the aircraft is declared fit and required maintenance work is completed, aircraft are permitted to fly. He cracked a joke, “because work stations are not available in the sky”. By this conversation, I realized that sometimes we ignore necessary check-ups for vehicles when we travel by road, relying on the available workstations on the highways. This ignorance sometimes becomes an invitation to unprecedented obstacles in the journey. We can infer from the above examples, that, for completing even a regular and diminutive day-to-day task, we require proper planning. And if we are looking to accomplish a mammoth task we can realize from the above examples how important planning becomes.
In every field, proper planning plays an integral part; for teachers, lesson planning is important, for architects creating blueprints is necessary. At times we see that the alterations in the original plan are done many times that the final product doesn’t resemble the initial drawings. Planning doesn’t mean just paperwork. However, the most important point in this regard is how much effort and quality time is invested while planning. Nowadays, planning is presumed to be something where paperwork and presentation should look appealing, whereas, the ground reality is totally converse to what is placed forth. A very good example to understand it more deeply can be taken from the saying of Abraham Lincoln: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
History harbors many examples and lessons for Us.
Taking the above discussion to the next level, let’s take an example from the prominent chemists who started to classify the elements. Many theories were suggested for classifying the elements but the most fascinating theory was suggested by Dmitri Mendeleev who left few empty spaces in his classification and predicted that few elements which are unknown currently when it comes into existence will be placed into the empty spaces. When these elements were discovered they were placed in the leftover spaces as suggested by Dmitri Mendeleev. This intriguing fact raised the eyebrows of all the chemists for his notable study in this regard. As I started this section by pointing towards raising the discussion to the next level, we can understand that planning the future is not restricted from a person’s birth to death only. Few giant tasks require more than one life to be accomplished and it takes utmost courage to realize this fact and work on it knowing the consequences of it. Above all planning is related to accomplishing the task. Sometimes it happens during the lifetime of the planner and big revelations sometimes give results after a long time. We sometimes don’t give
Let’s take another example in this context. It is possible that one person can spend his whole life in planning without yielding the fruit of his efforts and another person sometimes, without any endeavor, can receive the benefit of it. This situation is profoundly seen in battles whereas one emperor spent his whole life fighting for safeguarding his territory and the successor yielded the fruit of it. We can take the example of Martin Luther who opposed and challenged the teachings of the church and said that most of the preceding are corrupt and against the teaching of the Bible. He, therefore, brought forth his ninety-nine theses challenging the teachings of the church. His efforts are studied as a remarkable renaissance in history. He was the reason to bring an end to the atrocities faced by his people.
While pondering over the above examples we should also plan something better for mankind. The bliss and comfort we are receiving in our life is undoubtedly the result of the consistent and resilient planning made by our ancestors. Though they are not here to experience the joy of what they toiled for they surely must be ecstatic to realize that their strenuous and constant planning is helping someone. Here a great moral lesson is learned that “it is our duty to strive hard and make this earth a better abode for the coming generations as our ancestors have done for us”. I want to cite here the revered guidance of Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS (excerpts from Maula’s Bayan Mubarak): “It’s the duty of the son that when he takes over the charge of his father’s traditional business, to respect his father and consult him as required. Because it is his father who has thrived hard to enhance this business and owing to his constant efforts, his son is relishing what he’s relishing.”
Planning is a divine virtue.
We are privileged enough to experience the live sermons of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA, He always expressed his gratitude towards His revered father Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA. When he came to the throne, He first traveled to Cairo for the inauguration of Zareeh Mubarak of Ras al Imam al Husain SA. This move was a clear indication for showing us the exalted stature of Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA in His continued endeavors and constant planning towards the betterment of mankind. The same attribute is witnessed in Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS; HE never misses to express HIS gratitude towards His predecessor Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA.
Realizing the importance of the planning made by Duat Mutlaqeen RA for our betterment and prosperity we should never miss the opportunity to show our gratitude towards them.
Apprehending the importance of planning we can attempt to realize the lofty caliber of Rasulullah SA and His ability to plan anything not just for His era but till the day of resurrection. We can observe His towering stature in His every minute and substantial step.
Every parent is eager to plot a successful future for his child. Parents try to look every possible way for making a brighter future for their children. However, according to religious studies, the best way to cultivate a better future for children is by nurturing and inculcating better virtues and characters in children. As Rasulullah SA stated: ما نحل والد ولده، أفضل من أدب حسن. Each accomplishment is like a child of a planner. Good products require good intentions. Integrity and honesty is also the best policy for planning.
Planning reduces uncertainties
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Planning gives an insight into a roadmap from the beginning till the end. It also helps to predict the possible obstacles and hurdles which are expected to arise during the course of action.
A famous politician and Prime Minister of America and who led his side during the Second World War, Wilson Churchill said: “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. The saying looks wired if not presumed in proper context as we know nobody plans to fail in life. But lack of planning and improper utilization of recourses make the situation awful which shows that it’s intended planning to fail.
Let’s conclude by pledging to plan for our lives. Planning is required as per our goals. If the goal is big, a lot of planning should be done accordingly. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Writing the assignment just one night before and trying too hard that very night is not an example of proper planning. Planning has stages, E.g.: if two people are planning for a project; first selects to work eight hours one night just before the submission of the project and second prefers to work seven hours distributing properly and evenly in the course of the available time period in hand and not just before the deadline; the latter has more chances of triumph compared to the former one. However, multiple factors are involved in diverse situations. But the most common one is discussed here. Trial and demo are also a part of planning.
An example of demo work in planning.
When Israeli citizens were kept hostages at Entebbe International airport and the secret Israeli agency Mossad denied surrendering to the conditions placed by the group; the secret agency created the replica of the Entebbe airport and studied all the exits and entry points of it keenly. Then Mossad planned an operation to release their citizens and to everybody’s surprise they carried out this operation successfully.
The point highlighted here is: the agency created the replica or model of the airport before making an operation. This kind of framework is important while planning anything and executing any project. If, from where to start and where to end is not apparent and clear then failure becomes inevitable. And this kind of failure is often observed when planning is not taken seriously.
Students try to study hard at the last moment of the exams but that’s the time they are advised to take proper rest and stay relaxed. They invest their energy in the last moment preparation in the wrong way. Only a few are informed about this fact do their necessary preparations prior to appearing for the exams.
How fragmenting the task helps.
Planning is like the digestive system of our human body. The complex compounds consumed by the body are broken down into simpler compounds with the aid of enzymes. And this process is responsible for the proper metabolism of our body. Metabolism is the objective behind all this process. When we compare planning with the human body’s digestive system; here also if a big project is broken down into small chores with the help of proper planning, the outcome of it will be achieved successfully. So breaking down of project into smaller parts is utterly required.
In the end, we can say that improper planning can result in loss of money, time, resources, etc. A person is regarded as naïve if knowingly he wastes his finances and resources in the quest of achieving his goals omitting the preparatory planning phase. If a person is experimenting for the sake of learning then the lesson learned becomes the capital to invest further. The Islamic principles and virtues can be practiced in this regard to spending a peaceful life. Rasulullah SA states ما عال من اقتصد“Whoever is moderate in his expenditure (economizes his expenses) will not be reduced to poverty (can avoid impoverishment)”.
The above-revered words of Rasulullah SA are a good lesson to plan our expenses. In the current era when all are complaining of less income and uncontrollable expenses; this, lesson is an epitome we need to work out a proper household budget. May Allah grace us with His blessings which can help us to optimize the use of resources available to us by proper planning. The perfection in Allah’s creation is unfathomable; our duty is to ponder into His creation to realize His supreme authority over this world. All His planning right from the creation of celestial bodies to human beings or even the smallest creation is just for the benefit of mankind. He doesn’t ask for any favor in return. However, we can’t even pay an iota of it. The only thing we can do is to preserve what we have and plan what we can, for the benefit of mankind.