Two friends, Ahmed and Iqbal, both lived in the same city. Ahmed was a graduate, while Iqbal’s education had not gone beyond the eight standard. It happened once that Iqbal had to go to an office on business and was accompanied by his friend, Ahmed. When the business had been transacted, and they were both coming out of office, Ahmed said to Iqbal, “You were speaking such horrible English! With such bad English, I would never have dared to open my mouth!.”
| Anas, the servant of Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ واٰلہ وسلم said : I served the Prophet for ten years, and he never said to me, “Uf” (a minor harsh word denoting impatience) and never blamed me by saying, “Why did you do so or why didn’t you do so?” (Bukhari) |
Iqbal was not the slightest bit disconcerted at being so roundly criticized. Exuding confidence, he said, “Speak wrong so that you can speak right!” Then he added, “Although you are a graduate and I have not got any degrees, you will soon find that I will start speaking in English and you will never be able to do so.”
That was 20 years ago. Now Iqbal’s words have come true. Ahmed is still at the stage he was at 20 years ago, but Iqbal, astonishingly, has made great progress. He now speaks English quite fluently and no one can fault him on grammar and pronunciation.
The daring attitude on the part of Iqbal certainly proved to be of great advantage to him for, at the outset of his career, he just owned a small shop in the city, whereas today, he runs a big factory.
The motto, “Speak wrong so that you can speak correct” obviously in his case been the key to success. This principle on which Iqbal operated has a bearing not only on language but on all practical concerns in life. In the present world, the potentially successful are those who are possessed of courage, who advance fearlessly and take the initiative in the face of risks. Only those who have the courage to err will accomplish anything worthwhile in life. Those who are afraid of making mistakes will be left behind in the race of life, and their ultimate goals will recede further and further into the distance.
(Author: Waheed ud Din Khan, Translation: Dr. Farida Khanam)
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Think about it!
—– Why did Iqbal make a great progress in his life whereas Ahmed failed to do so?
—– Why people are afraid to commit mistakes? How can we help them to get rid of their fear?