Let Success Come In Bits And Pieces

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 13 April 2024 What's Come To Perfection, Perishes. Robert Browning Saari Bulandiyan Ek Hi Din Mein Na Haasil Kar Mere Dost, Kal Ke Liye Bhi Kuchh Bacha Ke Rakh Afsar Merathi (Don't achieve all the heights so fast and so early/ My friend, spare something for tomorrow as well) Robert Browning's quote, "What's come to perfection perishes," and Afsar Merathi's famous couplet capture a profound truth about the impermanence of things that have reached their pinnacle. It highlights the paradoxical nature of achievement and the subsequent downfall that often follows. Robert Browning and Afsar suggest that when something or someone has reached its full potential and reached a state of 'perfection,' it's susceptible to decay and eventual demise. This quote as well as the couplet serve as a reminder that nothing in life is eternal, and even the greatest accomplishments and achievements are subject to the passage of time and the inevitability of change. It encourages us to appreciate the fleeting nature of 'perfection' and to find beauty and fulfilment in the ongoing process of growth and improvement, rather than solely focusing on the end result. Hakim Sanai says, "I slowly travel towards my destination because I'm worried, if I reach early, what'll I do after that?" This is a beautiful and most sagacious apprehension, if at all you want to call it an apprehension. "Where'll I go and What'll I do after achieving so much, so early?" There's no conceit or arrogance here. Life needs constant motivation to march on. To quote Nida Fazli, "Duniya Na Jeet Paao Toh Haaro Na Khud Ko Tum/ Kuchh Na Kuchh Zehan Mein Naarazgi Rahe" (Even if you can't win the world, don't get disheartened/ Let a sense of mild exasperation remain in the heart). This smouldering sense of exasperation eggs us on to surge ahead in life's sojourn. Once we achieve something, saturation point invariably comes. On the top of the world's highest peak, Everest, Edmund Hillary asked Tenzing Norgay: What's left for us to achieve? What begins with a bang, often ends with a whimper. Too many promising careers have gone kaput because success came too fast and too early. To quote Seemaab Akbarabadi, "Zarf Chahiye Har Kaam Ke Liye/ Kamzarfon Ko Aksar Kaamyaabi Hazm Nahin Hoti" (One needs to have a sterling character for everything/ Lowly people often cannot digest success). So very true. Ergo, success must come steadily to keep us constantly engaged in life's varied and myriad upheavals. The train of life gets derailed if success comes all of a sudden. Let it come in bits and pieces. Remember, Hazrat Moosa Bhi Taab-e-Tajalli-e-Ilahi Na La Sake (Legend has it that even Moses couldn't withstand sudden effulgence of Allah). ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/success-bits-pieces/d/132128 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism