Ek gareeb kisaan tha jo ek ghane aur bade jungle ke bilkul kareeb rehta tha. Uski zindagi bahut simple thi. Roz subah uthkar mehnat karta, lekin phir bhi do waqt ki roti mushkil se naseeb hoti. Kabhi kabhi jab raja ko mahal ke liye khaas lakdi ki zarurat hoti, to wahi kisaan jungle jaakar ped kaat kar laata. Jab bhi raja us ilaake ka daura karta, kisaan apni haisiyat se badh kar mehmaan-nawazi karta. Uske dil mein izzat thi, shikayat nahi.
Raja ne dheere dheere us kisaan ki zindagi ko bahut qareeb se dekha. Uski imaandari, uska saaf dil aur uski majboori raja ki nazar se posheeda nahi rahi. Kisaan ka ikhlaaq, uski khamosh mehnat aur uski be-zubaan pareshaani raja ke dil ko chhoo gayi. Ek din rehmat aur hamdardi ke jazbe ke saath raja ne apne sevakon ko hukm diya ke jungle ka ek hissa us kisaan ke hawale kar diya jaaye, taaki woh apni zindagi ko behtar bana sake. Jungle ka woh hissa nihayat hi keemti tha, jahan chandan ke ped ugte the, jo apni qeemat mein lagbhag sone ke barabar samjhe jaate hain.
Ab kisaan roz usi jungle ke hissa se lakdi kaatne laga. Lekin saalon beet gaye aur uski zindagi mein koi khaas badlav nahi aaya. Gareebi waisi hi rahi, pareshaaniyan waisi hi bani rahi. Kisaan mehnat karta raha, lekin uski kismat jaise uska saath nahi de rahi thi.
Ek baar phir raja us ilaake mein aaya. Usne hairaani se poocha, “Maine tumhe itna keemti jungle diya tha, phir bhi tumhari haalat kyun nahi badli?” Yeh sunkar kisaan khud bhi soch mein pad gaya. Jab sach samne aaya, to uski aankhen khul gayi. Usey ehsaas hua ke woh anjaane mein chandan jaise anmol pedon ko aam lakdi samajh kar jalane ke indhan ke daam par bech raha tha. Jo cheez uski zindagi badal sakti thi, usey woh roz saste daam par gawa raha tha.
Us din ke baad kisaan ne apni soch badli. Usne samajhna shuru kiya ke har cheez wahi nahi hoti jo dikhai deti hai. Usne chandan ki lakdi ki asli keemat pehchani aur sahi jagah, sahi daam par bechna shuru kiya. Dheere dheere uski zindagi badalne lagi. Gareebi peeche reh gayi aur mehnat ka phal milna shuru ho gaya.
Yeh kahani sirf ek kisaan ki nahi, balki hum sab ki zindagi ka aaina hai. Hum mein se har insaan ke paas koi na koi chandan ka ped hota hai, lekin afsos, hum aksar uski qadr nahi pehchaan paate. Kabhi apni salahiyat ko mamooli samajh lete hain, kabhi apne waqt ko bekaar, aur kabhi apni zindagi ko hi be-maayne maan lete hain.
Waqt sabse anmol nemat hai. Jo lamha guzar gaya, woh sirf yaad ban kar reh jaata hai. Us par na afsos ka koi faida hota hai, na pachtawe ka. Zindagi humein baar baar mauka nahi deti, lekin jab bhi deti hai, woh sirf ek sawal poochti hai: kya tum ab apni qeemat pehchaanne ke liye tayyar ho?
Past se seekhna hikmat hai, lekin uske bojh tale dab jaana kamzori. Yeh zaroori nahi ke aapne pehle kya kho diya, asal baat yeh hai ke aap aaj kya sambhaal rahe hain. Jo waqt abhi aapke haath mein hai, wahi aapka asli sarmaya hai. Agar aap neeyat aur yaqeen ke saath har din ko ek tohfa samajh kar jeena shuru kar dein, to wahi din aapki taqdeer ka rukh badal sakta hai.
Yeh sach hai ke waqt parindon ki tarah ud jaata hai, lekin yeh bhi utna hi sach hai ke is parwaaz ki lagaam aapke haath mein hoti hai. Hausla, sabr aur khud par yaqeen, yehi woh taaqat hai jo insaan ko zameen se utha kar bulandiyon tak le jaati hai.
Apni zindagi ko halki nazar se mat dekhiye. Aap koi aam lakdi nahi, balki chandan hain. Bas zarurat is baat ki hai ke aap khud apni khushboo ko pehchaan lein.
Allah kare aapki zindagi mein sukoon ho, dil mein itminaan ho aur har aane wala din aapke liye roshni aur kamyabi lekar aaye. Apni qadr pehchaaniye, apni parwaaz ko pehchaaniye, kyunki jaise Iqbal ne kaha hai:
Khudi ko kar buland itna ke har taqdeer se pehle,
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Yeh sher sirf alfaaz nahi, balki zindagi jeene ka ek daawatnama hai. Jab insaan apni khudi, apni pehchaan aur apni zimmedari ko samajh leta hai, tab hi woh waqt, halaat aur taqdeer ko bhi apne maqsad ke mutabiq modna seekh jaata hai.
Aur isi silsile ko aage badhate hue Iqbal humein yaad dilate hain ke zindagi sirf guzarna nahi, balki khud ko paana bhi hai:
Apne mann mein doob kar paa ja suraag-e-zindagi,
Tu agar mera nahi banta, na ban, apna to ban.
Yeh sher insaan ko khud se rubaru hone ki daawat deta hai. Jab aadmi apni pehchaan, apni zimmedari aur apni qeemat ko samajh leta hai, tabhi zindagi sirf bojh nahi rehti, balki ek maqsad, ek amanat aur ek khubsurat safar ban jaati hai.