The following excerpts are taken from a presentation given by Professor M Riaz Khan on Thursday, October 19, 2000, at a lecture series entitled: “If This Were The Last Lecture I Would Give, What Would I Say?” sponsored by the Multi-faith Council of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The full transcript was extracted from the sponsor’s website.
Nobody gives a lecture on the last day. If anything, it’s a frank conversation, heart to heart talk, some reflections on the past memories, and an expression of feelings about having some shared, hopefully, good time. Also it depends on who your audience is. If it is a group of younger people or students, for example, my conversation would be motivational. It would be about work habits, goal orientation, vigorous pursuits, and the like. I would discuss with them my experience. Most importantly, a distinction between facts of life and the myths must be made clear. Life is not a bed of roses nor is it a hell. It is both challenging and rewarding. Rewards are not always quick, obvious, or tangible, nor are they always in the desired form. Failures, frustrations, and disappointments are part of life that makes one stronger. Persistence makes success sweet and precious.
Life is not about fun and pleasures either, nor is it merely for material possessions. Its meaning is much deeper and more comprehensive, and must be understood clearly to be constructive and progressive. One has to live longer than one’s life by contributing to the wellbeing of the society and leaving a favorable impact on it in whatever small way possible.
The key to success is hard work, perseverance and self-discipline. Objectives and success, however, must be defined in a realistic way, consistent with your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the external conditions that are not in your control.
It is important to be at the cutting edge and to keep pace with changes that continuously occur in order to remain in the forefront, dynamic, effective and competitive. Though the path of least resistance is alluring, don’t go with the flow in terms of your values and behavior, nor become part of the crowd. Don’t let others define you. Use your good discretion and judgement intelligently, because you are defined by your own values, perspectives, and pursuits.
Find out who you are. Know your value system. Take pride in your identity by keeping your standards under all circumstances, particularly the challenging ones, and rise above all temptations and short cuts for fast gains. If you don’t respect your own dignity, nobody will.
If my conversation is with mature people, on the other hand, my approach would be a bit philosophically oriented and inter-disciplinary in a global context. People are limited to a great extent by their surrounding conditions. Those in the United States are the luckiest on this planet in many ways. Affluence, opportunities, and freedom of expression with security and political stability are only a dream for most people in this world. Their handicaps are many. In a land of opportunities and freedom of choice, there is no excuse for going wrong. We must be grateful for all what we have and the best way to do that is to make this world a better place for everyone, and not just for a select few. Those who have more, have more to share. Their increased responsibilities to raise others are to elevate them in honor, not to burden them.
From the perspective of humanity, we must have a global view. Despite differences in our shades, faiths or ethnicities, we are members of the same extended family. We share the same planet and our long-term interests are also common. These differences should not be the basis for judging or ranking one another. On the contrary, we are to get to know one another and to cooperate in worldly affairs for mutual growth and progress. In fact, our peaceful co-existence depends on our understanding of this connection and outreach. The only criterion for evaluation is good conduct governed by the principles of civility and moral excellence, because it is only our nurtured attitude and behavior that we can control.
We live in an interdependent world. My actions and choices have impact not only on my life, but on the lives of others as well – my family, my neighbors, my colleagues, my community members, and the society at large. Therefore, I cannot make my decisions in a vacuum; instead I must be sensitive to the implications they might have for others.
Self-discipline is extremely important for goal achievement and our basic goal should be the fulfillment of our obligations which is the source of real happiness in life. These obligations fall in three categories: toward the Creator, toward one-self, and toward one’s fellow humans. All these areas have to be taken care of and integrated in a balanced way. The most difficult thing in life is to maneuver all activities of life to strike this balance and then maintain it. The life itself is about sustaining this balance by managing all competing demands. The establishment of a just and balanced society, in which everyone’s rights and obligations are respected and delivered, is the ultimate goal that we all must seek in whatever meaningful way we can.
This requires that we live in this physical world with moral excellence and strive to reach the highest level of perfection possible. Our dealings and transactions with other human beings must be just and fair. This is possible only if we have a sound moral foundation and a sense of accountability. Except for the fear of accountability, all fears are demoralizing and functionally paralyzing. The fear of accountability intensifies a sense of responsibility and stimulates an urge for excellence in doing our duty. No barriers remain unsurmountable.
The concept of accountability is basic to our performance in all functions of life. Without this we cannot exist as a society. In a larger context, without accountability, life has absolutely no meaning, which is absurd, to say the least, and insulting to a rational mind. Our belief is that this life will continue beyond the existing one, and the success and failure in the next life will be determined by our conduct in the present one. Therefore, it is critically important for us to know what our status in this world is and what the relationship of this universe is to us.
Briefly, each one of us has been given freedom of choice. We have the capability of becoming righteous or wicked. The faculties and the resources placed at our disposal are to facilitate us to follow our chosen path. Our test is to see whether we exercise our freedom responsibly with loyalty to our Creator during this span of life, or we become arrogantly defiant to Him. The result will be declared after the test is over at the end of this phase of life, resulting in a lasting reward or punishment. This is a onetime opportunity and we must do our best to make good on it by living a life guided by our moral compass. This does not mean depriving ourselves of the treasures and pleasures of this life, rather organizing and disciplining our lives by the notion of accountability. Otherwise, all things in this world are created for our benefit. This will secure a life of peace and piety right here, leading to a lasting happiness with honor in the life to follow.
The strategy for success at both places is to work hard honestly in this world as if you will live forever, but prepare for the accountability as if you are about to leave tomorrow. That is, on one hand, don’t let your age or the fear of dying, for instance, impair your ability to initiate and carry on constructive things energetically. On the other hand, don’t get attached so much to the pomp of this world that you are caught unprepared to leave. Always be the best you can be whatever you choose to be. Whether it is a carpenter that you wish to become or a rocket scientist, exhibit professionalism and become an icon of diligence and proficiency with honesty and transparency. Life is not about transactions; it is for transcendence through interactions. Be your own judge and keep on self-monitoring.
On a personal note, I came to this country to pursue my educational interests. I was on a graduate assistantship. I had a young family to raise on a meager stipend in a foreign land and, at the same time, had to meet the demands of a doctoral program. My wife was also a doctorate student on a graduate assistantship. The increased challenge made the struggle even more rewarding as we walked together the uphill climb holding our infant. Help comes from corners unknown if you stick to your path. I successfully completed my education in record time. I then entered the teaching profession and taught at the University of Maryland, Clark University and Boston University. I have taught in Europe, South America, and my native country Pakistan. I have been at the University of Massachusetts Lowell for quite some years. I am very fortunate and, with a sense of humility, feel very accomplished in my profession. Socially I am well integrated in the University community and outside as well.
But my real source of satisfaction is that I have been able to maintain my moral principles and my identity as a follower of Islam. I have tried not to compromise in these areas, nor have I ever found it compelling to do so. I am very strict in the Islamic way of life for myself and my family, and I am very proud of it. I am guided by these principles in whatever I do in my private and public life, or as Justice of the Peace commissioned in Massachusetts. Besides my profession, I speak, I write, and I publish from this perspective about issues that are important to all of us. I also try to practice these principles to the best of my ability. How closely I measure up to the Islamic standards, however, is not for me to judge. My only job is to dutifully strive for continual improvement in my manners, behavior, and interactions persistently.
What it suggests, as a piece of advice to my students and younger generation, is that you too can live by your aspirations and convictions, whatever they may be, in any environment you find yourself in if you are truly committed to them. In many ways, it is much easier here to practice the deeply cherished values than perhaps anywhere else in the world. Anybody who tells you otherwise, is a copout. This also speaks for the strength of this society. Realistically, you can be whatever you want to be in terms of your conduct and behavior, and blame none but yourself if things go the other way.
A question is often asked whenever I am invited as a guest speaker by any college, church or other organizations: “Have you found any difficulties in this country to live as a practicing Muslim?” With deep sense of humility, my answer has always been “none whatsoever;” but if there was anything, it was because of my own fault.
Islamic Point of View 