Change of Value with the Change of Point of View

Idiomatically ‘point of view’ means one’s opinion about a particular subject or stance on an issue. But here I take it in its literal sense. The vision while viewing a thing from a specific side changes if the position of looking the same thing is changed. A small child makes the mental picture of his father as the mightiest person of the world but after growing up and after looking the things from a different angle when he gets his knowledge more increased then he comes to know how many and much more powerful beings than his father there are in this world. At one stage of their age most of the children generally feel amused to see the drubbing and fighting scenes in the movies but after securing some maturity they start liking the meaningful and useful things rather than the brawling pictures.

Just a change of point of view makes some very important things valueless and the thing previously thought to be trivial and worthless become worthwhile. Having a firm belief and being out of faith makes different visions. For understanding the idea it will be appropriate to take an example.

Omer bin Abdul Aziz, RA, deemed to be the fifth Guided Caliph, led a luxurious life as a prince in Banu Umayyah Empire. As the governor of Madinah he had Rujaa’ bin Haiwah as his most trusted private secretary, enjoying the position equal to a minister and responsible to take care of personal requirements of the governor. Once he was asked to buy a piece of cloth for Omer bin Abdul Aziz, RA. The piece of cloth he chose for the governor cost 500 Dirham. Omer touched the piece and said: “Good thing but only defect is that it is so cheap.” A piece of cloth worth 500 dirham and still cheap! It was the point of view of a man who was living a princely life and the heavy amounts were so light in his sight. Why? He had only the worldly life in his view and nothing beyond it.

And then there came an unprecedented change in the point of view. Omer bin Abdul Aziz, RA, crossed all the material limits and started viewing far, far ahead, the life hereafter, the Day of Resurrection, where the most precocious things of the earthly life have no value. Omer becomes the caliph, with the thinking entirely different from his ancestor and also successor caliphs who actually lived like emperors. A pious and righteous Omer bin Abdul Aziz was totally changed. He had started viewing the things from a point extremely different from the materialism. The worldly things lost their worth in his sight.

Rujaa’ was still his private secretary. Again he was asked to buy a piece of cloth for Omer, RA. He came from the market with a piece of cloth of only 5 Dirham and showed it to Omer bin Abdul Aziz, RA. He touched the piece of cloth and said: “Good but the problem is that it is so costly.” Only 5 Dirham and still costly! Why so it was? When his sight was far away from this worldly life then why 5 dirham on his carnal need seemed too much? The point of view had changed the value of a material thing. A strange journey of the changing desires!

He said: “O Rujaa’! I am proceeding ahead with my accomplished desires. I wished to marry my cousin Fatimah, I succeeded. Then I dreamed for governorship and I got the post. Then the desire of caliphate rose in my heart and I became the caliph. Now my utmost desire is only the Paradise and I am trying my best to qualify for achieving that goal. This was Omer’s journey with his desires moving ahead from inferior to superior. And nothing was worthwhile for him than pleasure of Allah and Paradise in reward.