The Beginning

Where? When? Why?

Where, when, and why are three of the most important words in existence. They might seem like simple words we use on a daily basis, but these words have been turning points for countless minds throughout the centuries. Never underestimate the power of your mind or the importance of your questions. They could be turning points in your life.

There is a meaningful tale from A Story of Faith, a book by the mufti of Tripoli. It is about a young man who questioned his existence, his reason for being on earth, and how the universe is connected to all of that. Where, when, and why were words he pondered for years while trying to find answers to the questions he yearned to have answered.

Then on a day that seemed ordinary, the doors of his mind opened to a greater width. He asked himself these questions:

"Am I the creator or creation?"

"Am I the provider or the bestowed upon?"

"At birth, did I choose to be a male or a female?"

"Did I choose to be born at a certain spot of the earth and not the other?" "Did I choose my parents?"

"Does my brain have the power to order my heart to pump blood in my veins to keep me alive while I sleep at night?"

"Does my brain have the power to order my stomach to digest my food and nourish me?"

"What is the power behind my brain?"

"Do I order the sun to rise every day?"

"What am I compared to the multitude of water in the oceans or the distance between the earth and the sun?"

"Why did I come to this world?"

The answers were coming fast to the young man. He felt as though he saw himself and the universe in a different light.

"I did not create myself in my mother's womb, so that means I am a creation."

"I did not feed myself in my mother's womb, so that means I am a bestowed upon creation."

"I did not choose my genitals at birth, I did not choose my parents, I did not choose where I was born, and I did not choose the first language I spoke."

"And I most certainly do not order my heart to work in my sleep, nor do I order my stomach to digest the food I eat. I do not make it rain, and I do not have the power to turn any rain into a flood."

"If I am a creation, then there's a creator. So why did I come to this world?"

The meaning behind this story is that all the questions we could ask ourselves boil down to "Why are we here?" It is a valid question that each of us has asked, and it is the core of why humans create and change history.

Some studies and sciences approach this vital question from different perspectives. Some could make you question your faith rather than restore it with the scientific findings. But there is no denying that there is a tight connection between faith and inner peace. We can make our lives and others' lives better only if we know who we are and what we are capable of. Your mind is more powerful than you think! By having faith in the creator, ourselves, and people around us, we can change lives and history. Anyone can. You can! You just have to believe that you can!

However, it is important that you benefit from the generations of thinkers in human sciences in order to know the secret code to live the life you want. You do not come with a handbook to this world. No one is born knowing how his or her life is going to turn out. But with education and utilizing all the knowledge you learn, you most certainly will live the life you want. This is how humans develop. This is how human development became a science.

Human development is a science that can help anyone shape the course of his or her life through the power of the brain.

Human development is about you, me, everyone, and everything in our lives.

Human development is the foundation for religion, politics, economies, sports, health, and production.

Human development should be the foundation of your career, marriage, your relationship with your parents, and the rearing of your children.

Human development is the pursuit of making our lives better and more meaningful. It is the wisdom that comes with the years the elderly have accumulated, and it is the alphabet our youngsters are learning in order to communicate ideas that could in turn lead to a better humankind and a better world.

Human development is what decision makers in any place or time go back to, whether they are managing a country, a corporation, or a small football league.

Human development is an applied and tried science that has changed lives all around.

It all starts with having faith that you can change circumstances and change situations. It all starts with faith that there is a beginning and there is a purpose for each of us before we reach the end of our lives.

It really is the natural medicine that humanity gives itself in times of grief and sadness.

As you are reading these pages, you could be wondering: How will this change my life and help me achieve a lasting inner peace?

What is different about this book is that it not only shows you the way and guides you with examples from history but also tempts your brain into looking for answers to questions that have to do with every aspect of your very existence.

This book will unlock your hidden strengths and unleash the power that you have been reluctant to use to make yourself happy and successful. This book is not going to be a boring narrative or a detailed scientific thesis. It is a conversation from a heart to another heart, and a soul to another soul. It is a conversation that will leave you thinking about the more important questions in life. It will guide your path without imposing on the road.

A wise person once said, "Happiness is the journey, not the road." Think of this book as your first step toward real, long-lasting happiness. Happiness and inner peace go hand in hand, after all.

Now that you have reached the first step on this journey, we are going to walk together through the pages of this book. Let me give you a hint that the "beginning" starts with you. Just your existence on this earth is all you need to make a difference in your life and others' lives. But you should not just exist; you have to be all there.

Ask Yourself

1. Write down some of your special skills:

(a)

(b)

(c)

2. How do you utilize your skills to better and empower yourself?

(a)

(b)

(c)

* * *

Do not underestimate any sin. A lot of smaller sins could weigh as much on the soul as the weight of one big sin. That is how sins burden our souls.

— Ali Ibn Abi-Talib

* * *

Stimulate Your Brain

1. Do you feel the existence of God (the Creator)?

(a) Yes.

(b) No.

(c) I am not sure.

2. Do you believe in a higher power?

(a) Yes.

(b) No.

(c) I am not sure.

3. If you answered yes to the previous...