Dare to be Great

By Imam Abdullah El-Amin

Each of us has obstacles and roadblocks that we face every day. This is no rose garden. Things are going to pop up every day that will require our attention. Sometimes they are small obstacles; and at other times they seem insurmountable. There’s and Eastern fable that says, “If someone throws a knife at you there are only two ways to catch it: either by the blade or by the handle.”

If you catch it by the sharp blade, it will cut you, or maybe injure you so severely you will be unable to defend yourself. But if you catch it by the handle you can use it against the very force that threw it at you and defeat that adversary. Clearly, it pays to decide how to respond to attacks on you. We have to grab hold of those obstacles and use them to our advantage – not let them destroy us as our adversary intended.

What is the best way to go about removing obstacles from our path? First of all, you must realize who and what you are. It is known that the average person lives all their lives and then dies without ever knowing their full potential and unleashing it so they may prosper in this world. We might spend more time focusing on what those who hate us have and how they may use it, (this is catching the knife at the wrong end). The easy way to do this is to focus on the power that ALLAH has created in you. The primary knowledge you need to possess is the knowledge that you have what it takes to overcome all obstacles.

ALLAH didn’t create a problem that He didn’t give you the ability to solve. Accept the fact that ALLAH already gave you what you need to overcome it. Next, stand up to the obstacle unafraid. If the going gets tough, get going on the tough.

A great man wrote a book once called I Dare You. You see, as a boy he had been told by doctors that he probably wouldn’t live beyond 20. Because he believed that, he did not exert himself to do anything positive for himself. The title came to him from his teacher, who dared him to be the healthiest boy in the school. He told the teacher, “But they say I’m going to die soon. I can’t be healthy.” She told him to “pay no attention to them. I dare you to be the healthiest boy in the school. Some light turned on in his head and he believed her. This gentleman lived to be 86 years old and became president of a major corporation. But more importantly, he lived a rich, full life because he saw hope instead of death and despair.

So let us let our “Greatest Teacher” (Almighty ALLAH), inspire us to knock down obstacles that attempt to impede our progress. You already know what ALLAH says – now believe it and live it.

You should start every morning with the simple words “I believe.” Believe in what? I believe in ALLAH. I believe in myself and the abilities ALLAH gave me. And I believe I will be successful. Put that thought in your mind, let it grow, and amazing things will happen for you. Guaranteed.

With ALLAH’S name, the Merciful Benefactor, Merciful Redeemer

As Salaam alaikum
(Al Hajj) Imam Abdullah Bey El-Amin

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