Don't be a victim of circumstance: Make the best out of what you have.

Case Study : Nafi', Imam Malik, ibn Umar 

One of the most prominent teachers of Imam Malik ibn Anas was in fact a 'slave' - by the name of Naafi' ibn Sarjis, the freed slave of companion Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab (radhiAllahu 'anhuma).
 
Some scholars of hadith consider the "golden chain" of narration - the best and most authentic narration - to be that of Malik, Naafi', ibn Umar, and finally the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam).

Amazing! Think about it : Nafi' was a slave - and yet Allah has honoured him throughout the channels of history until the Day of Judgment, in playing a major role in the establishment and preservation of the Shari'ah - the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam).

What we can learn from these great individuals:

1) Nafi' didn't have the defeatist attitude in his state of being a slave - he made the best out of it. He recognized that his master, ibn Umar was one of the prominent companions of the Prophet, so he made most of the opportunity to learn from the best of the best. As a result of his dedicated efforts to learn, he was eventually the teacher to the great scholar Imam Malik, teacher to Imam Ash-Shafi'i.

How many of us are making full opportunity of what we have? How many of us are quick to blame our situation on circumstance and surroundings? How many of us are making full use of Qur'an and Hadith at our fingertips, and classes around us to enrich ourselves and those around us?
If a slave could take initiative, what are we doing?

2) Ibn Umar was a great coach! Imagine if ibn Umar had thought "oh you're just a slave - go do your other chores; this knowledge is for us elites".
How badly do we treat our 'maids' today? Do we even have any consideration of their betterment and improvement?

Ibn Umar developed this individual who would eventually be part of the golden chain of hadith. Now, if this was the level of development his slave had, what more his own children? How much effort have we gone into raising and nurturing our youth?

Children these days are more likely to take Astro, YouTube, and iPads as their coaches and shaykhs, more than their guardians.
Parents today need to re-establish the good old days where they placed importance on values and passing down their legacy and skills, and take a hands-on approach in nurturing the future leaders.

3) Imam Malik, the great scholar and faqeeh of Madinah, would learn from a slave. Imagine it's like a CEO of a great corporation learning values from his office janitor.

While this was very common back then, it's a forgotten virtue in our modern world today - Focus on the MESSAGE, not the Messenger. Whatever agrees with the Truth, if it's good advice, we take it, regardless if the person is an 'ustaz' or not, or whether he regularly appears on TV.

In any case, all three individuals shared one common trait and lesson for all of us - make the best of what you have. You never know where the blessings and barakah of Allah are.
Your circumstance may present opportunities which you never realized - seize them and make the best of them!