AN ESSAY ON DIGNITY

THIS ESSAY IS FOR MUSLIMS . 

Self-respects and dignity both in thoughts and actions have been the main traits of great personalities. History preserves the names and deeds of such men in golden words as led their lives in a dignified manner. They fixed some goal for themselves and then with an unflinching determination, perseverance and diligence tried to achieve that goal. They passed through many tests and trials but faced each ordeal with a smiling face without begging for mercy or seeking any dishonest means.  You can earn heaps of money by using dishonest and illegal means but this money can never earn you respect and dignity. A poor laborer who earns his living with his own hands is far more respectable than the millionaire who accumulates money through unfair means.  Peace is the lot of only the person who believes in the purity and dignity of work. Our Holy Prophet (PB UH) was the king of the kings. He could get every comfort and luxury of life without doing any work himself. But he chose for him a dignified way of life. He worked as a shepherd and then as a merchant and earned his living by working with his own hands. Not only this but he also used to mend his clothes himself, clean his room and does other domestic errands. His style of life lent dignity and importance to work. He advised his followers to work hard and not to feel shame in doing any kind of manual or menial work. An idle person has no self-respect and so other people too do not respect him.  Some people consider manual work insulting and below their standard. They forget that it is the manual work that translates mental work into a reality and gives it a concrete from. Work whether it is manual, menial or mental is sacred if it is done with a good intention using honest means. Such work gives dignity, sobriety and gravity to our personality and leads us from one success to another.