Why Can We Not Practice What We Know Is Right? Ambition, Effort, and Trust
11 July 2021
Why Is Knowing Not Always Enough?
Sometimes we know what we need to do. We know we should be honest, know the harm of deciding in anger, and know the importance of respecting others’ rights. But when faced with pressure, we may act differently from what we know. Then we ask ourselves: I knew this, so why did I do the same thing again? This lesson invites us to look at the distance between knowledge and behavior. Hearing a truth matters, but for it to take its place within our decisions, reflection, repetition, and practice are also needed.
As we proceed through the first verses of Surah Al-Qalam, we try to consider learning’s connection with good moral character. People may explain many things, recall many concepts, and give others good advice. Still, they may struggle when faced with their own interests. So let us not apply what we read solely to others’ lives. What changes in my promises, work, and approach to a person? Where do I forget the principle I say I know? These questions are asked so that what we learn truly reaches our lives, not so that we see ourselves as worthless.
The Pen, Learning, and Humility
The lesson recalls the pen in Surah Al-Alaq and people’s being taught what they did not know. The pen does not remain merely a tool held in the hand; it also calls to mind learning, thinking, and expressing knowledge. When we say we understand something, can we explain it in our own words? Can we connect it with another situation? Or do we merely repeat what we heard? Writing sometimes enables us to see this distinction. While trying to explain a thought clearly, the aspect we have not yet understood may emerge.
To learn, we need to accept our own limits. Tomorrow we may learn something more detailed about a subject we know today. This does not mean our previous effort was entirely worthless. It is the development of our knowledge. But if we close every question by saying, “I already know,” development stops, too. Giving thanks to Allah also includes recognizing the knowledge we are able to learn and the opportunities offered to us. When describing our success, let us not forget teachers, people who helped us, and the conditions that gave us an opportunity to learn. Humility does not diminish knowledge; it helps us use it more responsibly.
Good Moral Character Does Not Remain Outside Our Explanation
The beginning of Surah Al-Qalam contains support and an emphasis on good moral character in response to accusations directed at the Prophet. The lesson connects this passage with how we stand while explaining the truth. Speaking a truth someone dislikes may be difficult. Facing a reaction, being belittled, or not being listened to can weary a person. But considering a statement right does not mean we can say it in any manner. Our style, patience, and justice are also within our responsibility. Belittling someone we advise may damage our intention to benefit them.
Sometimes someone else tells us our mistake. This time, we are the listener and want to defend ourselves. We may change the subject by listing the speaker’s faults. Yet we can first look at what is being said. Is there a truthful aspect to this warning? If I accept it, what will I need to correct in my life? Evaluating a criticism does not mean endorsing everything said. It means taking what is right and distinguishing what is wrong with due measure. Whether explaining or listening, let us try to regard truth as more important than our own pride.
Let Us Not Confuse Determination with Greed
One of the central distinctions in the lesson is between determination and greed. A determined person tries to establish the necessary means for a right goal. They learn, make an effort, remain patient, and correct their mistakes. When greed becomes dominant, however, the outcome may grow so large that the path used falls into second place. The thought “I will get this job no matter what; I absolutely must win” may make it harder to see someone else’s rights. What distinguishes the behavior of two people pursuing the same goal is often not the goal’s name but how they move toward it.
We can see this distinction at work, within the family, and while trying to solve a problem. Wanting to pay my debt does not make it right to give a customer false information. Wanting closeness with someone does not allow me to disregard their boundaries. Wanting to succeed does not allow me to misrepresent my own capacity. Determination is an effort committed to what is right. Sometimes it moves more slowly, but it tries to preserve honesty while proceeding. Let us ask ourselves: Can I stand behind the method I used even when I do not obtain the result?
Making Concessions for the Sake of Pleasing Everyone
One warning in Surah Al-Qalam concerns attitudes that demand concessions from truth. In daily life, we may sometimes say contradictory things to get along with everyone. We tell one person, “You are right,” then go to the other and say they are right on the same matter. Instead of resolving the issue, we merely reduce the immediate tension. But this comfort built by concealing the truth may not last. Reconciliation is valuable, but it should not become an exchange that removes honesty and someone else’s rights.
If we are asked to sell a product using false information at work, responsibility cannot be dismissed by saying, “What does it have to do with me?” According to our duty and ability, we need to point out the wrong, give accurate information, and explain what we cannot do. Setting boundaries sometimes creates fear of losing an opportunity. But saying yes to every offer does not protect us either. Being able to state clearly the conditions under which we will work is part of trust. Courtesy and compromise are not the same thing. We can speak without hurting, yet refuse a wrong we know.
The speaker’s example concerning product sales also enables us to distinguish immediate gain from long-term benefit. A product may look beautiful at first glance but be unsuitable for where it will be used. If we know this, we should tell the customer. Instead of looking only at whether it sells today, let us also consider the problem that may arise later. Which need is the customer trying to meet? Does what we offer truly fit that need? Explaining another option when necessary means considering a person’s benefit before the sale. Let us use our professional knowledge not merely to persuade but to help the right decision be made.
An Abundance of Words Does Not Replace Trust
The lesson considers attitudes that continually use oaths to make themselves believed. In daily life, let us not confuse a statement’s being delivered forcefully with its being true. People may speak very definitely, but their past behavior may not support their promise. Trust is not built solely through enthusiastic expressions. It requires consistency, openness, and responsibility. When evaluating an offer, let us look at how it will be fulfilled as well as what is said. Let us not hesitate to ask about what we do not know or discuss a condition openly.
Let us apply this standard to ourselves, too. Instead of continually using grand expressions to strengthen our words, let us honestly state what we can do. We can explain when we can finish a task, where we may struggle, and which part we do not yet know. Speaking this way is not weakness. It gives the other person the opportunity to make a more realistic decision. When our promise is not fulfilled, let us not cover it with new words. Let us explain what happened, accept our responsibility, and make whatever amends are possible. Trust is repaired through behavior again.
Looking for Faults and Carrying Tales
Helping someone correct a mistake and continually seeking faults are different. In one, there is a desire for a solution; in the other, a habit of devaluing the other person may grow. The lesson also recalls the danger of carrying tales and accounts that set people against one another. Before taking something I heard from one person elsewhere, I can stop. Was this information entrusted to me? Is passing it on truly necessary? Will I help resolve a problem, or increase the hurt? Words can carry an entirely different meaning when taken out of context.
When discussing a disagreement with someone close to us, let us also consider what we tell and to whom. Seeking support from someone trustworthy and complaining angrily to many people are not the same thing. Continually disparaging others in front of children also makes us question the language we teach them. When addressing a problem, we can discuss the behavior without blackening the whole person. We do not need exaggeration or slander to explain a matter we know to be right. The necessity and consequences of saying something belong to our responsibility as much as its truthfulness.
Being Careful without Obstructing Goodness
The lesson also considers attitudes that obstruct goodness. Every doubt we hear when wanting to help someone should not leave us completely inactive. On the other hand, we do not have to accept everything offered in the name of help without investigating. We can try to understand the real need, seek reliable information, and contribute according to our means. There is a difference between being careful and continually belittling and discouraging. If we discuss the possibility of something wrong, let us also be open to seeking a better way to help.
Sharing is not merely giving large amounts of money. Giving time, easing someone’s work, or supporting them with our knowledge are also contributions. Amid abundance, let us not disregard someone else’s need. Instead of thinking of what we have solely for our own consumption, let us ask how we can use it more beneficially. The answer may not be the same for everyone. Our means differ, but trying to help while preserving another person’s dignity is a shared standard. Let us strive to do good without turning it into display or expecting personal superiority in return.
Honesty May Not Immediately Bring the Outcome We Want
People want their best effort to be seen. They work consistently, take responsibility at home, and support those close to them, yet may not find the response they expect. The lesson dwells at length on this hurt. In such a situation, let us consider whether we have tied our values entirely to someone else’s appreciation. Someone’s not seeing us does not mean our effort has disappeared. Still, this does not mean we must silently accept unjust conditions either. We can discuss our rights, evaluate the conditions, and seek change when necessary.
What matters is that hurt does not carry us to the point of saying, “Then I will do wrong too.” We may not be able to control another person’s attitude, but we can work on our own choice. Speaking more openly, sharing responsibilities, or setting boundaries may be needed. We do not have to abandon honesty while doing these things. Trusting Allah does not mean claiming that we will receive the return on all our effort at the time and in the form we determine. It means doing what we can without making the outcome absolute. In this way, even within disappointment, we can seek the right step again.
Uprightness at the Beginning and at the End
The lesson recalls the supplication in Surah Al-Isra for entering and leaving with truthfulness. Let us not leave it merely as a supplication for a particular event. Let us consider the intention with which we act when beginning a day, a task, or a relationship. At the end, let us also look at ourselves: Did I remain faithful to my promise? Did I diminish someone’s due? Did I conceal my mistake? Such self-examination is broader than merely counting our successes. It values how we behaved on the way to an outcome as much as the outcome.
When we recognize a mistake, we are not necessarily too late to correct it. We can pray, apologize, and try to make amends. The lesson also particularly mentions the balance between continually blaming ourselves and seeing our own part. Responsibility for an injustice committed by someone else belongs to them. We, however, can investigate whether there is something to learn in our own decision. Seeing a deficiency does not mean declaring ourselves entirely bad. It is an opportunity to act more carefully. Instead of closing off this opportunity through fear, let us try to use it sincerely.
Let Us Not Neglect Small Steps
Just as habits do not form in one day, changing them may take time. A great wrong sometimes grows through accumulated small concessions. Turning toward what is right can also become stronger through small but continuing steps. Speaking truthfully today, not passing on gossip, or openly stating a product’s deficiency matters. The time we set aside for learning is similar. Reflecting on a verse, researching a question, and carrying what we understand into our behavior can, over time, make a clear difference in our life’s direction.
May our Lord give us the understanding to distinguish determination from greed, courtesy from compromise, and self-examination from wearing ourselves down. May He grant us the ability to become more careful, just, and beneficial as our knowledge grows. When we struggle despite knowing what is right, let us ask for help; when we do wrong, let us return without losing hope. While awaiting people’s appreciation, let us not forget our own responsibility. Let us strive to begin every task with uprightness and end it with uprightness. Even one small action of ours today pointing in the same direction as a good principle we have learned can be a real beginning of this effort.