“Tie your camel”, the first time I encountered this proverb, quite unexpectedly, was at the end of an old movie, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973) aired recently on TV.
The truth is that I’ve read this proverb before, but in my own language, and have never aware that Hollywood has the knowledge of it. The source of the proverb itself is actually a hadith*, recorded by Al-Tirmidhi, an Islamic scholar:
“One day Prophet Muhammad, p.b.u.h. noticed
a Bedouin leaving his camel without tying it.He asked the Bedouin,
“Why don’t you tie down your camel?’
The Bedouin answered,
“I placed my trust in Allah,’
At that, the Prophet said,
“Tie your camel first then place your trust in Allah,’”
The message is simple yet the meaning is deep: we’re obliged to put in the efforts toward our goals, but let God decide on the best way for us to achieve it.
Hence efforts might fail, but the learning remains and it will play part in our growth. With this concept then, hardships are just a vehicle to drive us closer to our goals, because God deemed we’re lacking a specific quality to move ahead, the quality that will be granted through the hardship we experienced.
That’s why the faster we accept our current hardship as an upskilling process, then by rigorously pursuing possible way outs, the way forward will soon reveal itself.
This concept itself, I believe is similar to the phrase “Ora et Labora” from Catholic practice — do let me know if I’m wrong.
So, to my fellow pandemic affected workforce, keep on exploring and keep the confidence! (byms)
(*) Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), sayings, actions or permission (what he doesn’t object)