Who inspires you?

[greenhill]

Salaams to all!

I'm a product of the 60s. My biggest inspiration was the great boxer Muhammad Ali. He had everything. The smarts. A convert to islam. Supreme athlete like nothing the world had ever seen before. He even had a single the 'Black Superman' on the charts! Of course he was off his prime by the time I got caught in the hype.

He showed great will. Full confidence and cuttingly gets his points across. A boxer he is, he can play it up for the cameras better than actors that were trained for the cameras. He wasn't shy to say things as it is. And then back up his statement if challenged.

Then, in his profession, his ability to largely predict the rounds his opponents would go. I mean who could do that? Not for one, two or three but umpteen fights! That's ridiculous!!! To this day, nobody would dare make predictions.

Of the many quotes he says that I try to instill in myself will be one that goes something like 'its not the distant mountain but the pebble in your shoe that becomes the biggest obstacle..' but you get the idea and the other one about 'you can't get knocked out if you see the punch coming.' Be prepared for all eventualities, be alert.

I'm not saying Bruce Lee 'be like water'... didn't have impact on me. He was a movie star/martial artist. He would be next, because he also contributed towards the philosophy of life.

But Muhammad Ali in his conduct during his latter years. His humility, acceptance to his condition and displaying his islamic beliefs is humbling..

This was somebody I don't know, but lived in my life time. But amongst all the headliners from artists, musicians, writers, philanthropists, leaders, actors, athletes etc, Muhammad Ali stood out clearly. He was no pretender. A spokesperson without needing to be a leader. Stood up for his rights even if it meant taking on the government but pretended to be knocked out by a small boy to make his day. A great example to all.

Of course, as I grew older, I read the detailed life of our prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and it inspired me and keeps me inspired. Reading the various books about him (pbuh) almost makes me feel like I could have been living with him (in my mind's eye) and I would empathize and try to incorporate his ways in mine. For Muslims, our prophet should be our inspiration.

I am glad I took the opportunity to read the book on our beloved prophet and develop a better connection with him, to try mould my own self towards what he displayed in all his affairs. Humility, kindness, fairness, forgiveness, integrity etc...

At least when I do meet my Maker and asked who inspired me, I pray I won't be replying some rock guitarist

[Eric H]

Peace be with you greenhill; good to have you back again; and thanks for starting an interesting thread;

Muhammad Ali is also one of my inspirations. He went to jail rather than join the army, his faith was important to him, he said, the Vietnamese are not my enemy, they have never harmed me, why should I fight them. He said his enemies were more in his own country. blacks were not allowed in many public toilets, cafes and buses. It takes real courage to stand up against authority, even with the fame Mohammad had at the time.

Rosa Parks is another inspiration from about the same era in America. She refused to stand up in the black section of the bus, when there were empty seats in the white section. She was arrested for sitting in the white only seats, her action sparked change, with the help of Martin Luther King, another great inspiration.

Nelson Mandela is a great hero of mine, after spending nearly thirty years in prison, he is released, and becomes the leader of South Africa. He now had the power to seek revenge/justice against the people who put him in prison, instead he strived for peace and the unity of his country.

Mahatma Gandhi had a similar story suffering much injustice from the hands of the British. Despite having overwhelming numbers on his side, he strove for peaceful confrontation as a means to try and heal his country.

William Wilberforce, he fought for about twenty years in parliament for the abolition of slavery, and lost every time. The following year he came up with one sentence in his two hour speech, that changed everything. At some point you will all have to stand before God, how will you justify your stance on slavery. The victory was a landslide U - turn, 269 for abolition, 19 against.

I am also inspired by the prophets.

May Allah bless you on your journey,
Eric

[WarriorNew]

Respectfully I disagree with you Eric H. Ghandi was being peaceful because he did not have power. I think his preaching message of "forgiveness" is a bad signal. His enemies will see it as weakness when a man forgives. I once had an Indian friend who was appalled when a store clerk whose son was the victim of a brutal crime actually forgave the shooter. As he said it, forgiveness is decadent, and I agree.

I would say a better role model would be that blind imam who was drone struck years ago. After he died, the people in Afghanistan paraded his body through the city because they respected his bravery. I do not remember his name offhand, but he truly inspired me. He was a blind crippled man and he was still able to fight for what he believed in. Ghandi did not have that strength.

[greenhill]

Thank you @WarriorNew for your input. Blessings in this holy month.

Who inspires you? I guess why, if we can elaborate further still....

I have issues still regarding Ghandi forgiving his shooter. I still cannot decide ... That decision is so big!!!

Ghandi and Mandela went on to lead their respective nations.

For me, if we can delve slightly deeper rather than to agree or disagree with the names suggested, to think a little and tell what about what aspects of your life changed as a result of someone else's actions, thoughts and ways.


Peace ✌

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[Eric H]

Peace be with you WarriorNew; welcome to the forum; and I have no problems with you disagreeing;

Respectfully I disagree with you Eric H. Ghandi was being peaceful because he did not have power. I think his preaching message of "forgiveness" is a bad signal. His enemies will see it as weakness when a man forgives.

Forgiveness is a profound subject.

Can I mention another inspiration; Bertha Lucia Fries; I met her last year. She spent years in hospital after being an innocent victim in a bomb blast in Columbia. She spent years being angry and wanting justice, but when she came out of hospital, she wanted to track down Rodrigo Londoño, the leader responsible for the bomb. This link shows Bertha and Rodrigo hugging, after many meetings together. The two former enemies are now working together for peace and reconciliation.

Bertha is a woman of great courage. She receives death threats from people on her own side; who still want justice/revenge, rather than peace and reconciliation.

https://uk.rodeemoseldialogo.org/202...n-in-colombia/

There has been over fifty years of conflict in Columbia, true justice can never happen. About five million have been forced out their homes, about 250,000 murders, plus rape, violence, theft etc. If you were to draw a line today, and catalogue every victim that has never received justice, the number would be several million. Imagine one of your relatives getting shot. You know justice is unlikely to happen, so you, and your relatives get together with guns, go to the place you think the shooters came from, and you shoot a few people. There are now more victims, they will get guns and dish out their idea of justice. The trouble with civil war; is your neighbours and enemies don't live too far away.

The conflict has gone on for three generations, should the conflict be passed forwards to the next generation of children and grandchildren. Why should innocent children and grandchildren be dragged into a conflict, that was nothing to do with them? How can a lasting peace happen between neighbours, when so much injustice has already happened?

Three of Allah's names are the forgiver, he is also merciful and compassionate. The prophet, pbuh, forgave his enemies.

May Allah bless you on your journey.
Eric

[WarriorNew]

Allah bless you too, in this glorious month of Ramadan. I should advise you that sometimes the media is not always trustworthy. Rodrigo Londoño did not deserve forgiveness, and if this woman forgave him, it is a betrayal of her own principles. I respect people who forgive their enemies because that is a freedom they can do. My opinion is different. I would not forgive someone who harmed me if I was in my right mind. I know I said this before, weeks ago a woman yelled at me and said I was a sand n-word. I still cannot get over that, which is why I keep saying it. That is why Ghandi bothers me. He accomplished a lot, but do you not think he would have done more if he resisted the British by force?

[greenhill]

Revenge is a right. Forgiveness is heavenly. That is precisely what should be happening, forgiveness to end revenge related actions.

Still it's hard to wrap my head around the concept of forgiving my killer. But I am guessing that Ghandi wanted to avoid further unrest by forgiving his killer?

.. He accomplished a lot, but do you not think he would have done more if he resisted the British by force?

On this, Malaysia resisted the British peacefully and got their independence without bloodshed. They learnt from India...

[Eric H]

Peace be with you greenhill;

On this, Malaysia resisted the British peacefully and got their independence without bloodshed. They learnt from India...

I wonder how much Malaysia learned from India, and how much did they learn; by turning to the Quran and Allah? As you said, 'revenge is a right. Forgiveness is heavenly'. Any peace that is taken with a gun, can only be kept with guns. Any peace that is made using non violence, has more chance of diversity living together in peace.

Apparently, if you put a hundred red ants and a hundred black ants in a jar, they will get on peacefully. If you shake the jar, the red and black ants will attack each other, thinking the other side is responsible for the chaos. Same with us humans, I want to live in peace with my family and neighbours, go to work, educate my kids, etc. As do all my neighbours, we are no different, until someone shakes the jar and sets us apart.

I believe we should fear God, more than our neighbours, so we should search for heavenly solutions.

Eid Mubarak, May Allah bless you on your journey.

Eric

[Eric H]

I have been a Street Pastor for fifteen years, we wonder the streets of our town until around 3 - 4 am, to listen, care and help others when we can. I look at other volunteers in their eighties and nineties who inspire me. They have reached a time in their lives where they can justifiably put their feet up and enjoy life. They can also be the people who voluntarily do the little things in our communities to help others. I am now 74, and I look to these people for inspiration to keep trying to make a difference. God willing, I hope to be out on our streets for many more years yet.

Recently, we met a lady in her early twenties, she said, don't ever stop what you are doing, you don't understand the affect you have on people. She was also an inspiration to keep going.

May Allah bless you on your journey,
Eric