Being Gentle...like a butterfly

The idea of being a stoned face, mysterious individual with a sense of firmness sounds appealing to some; when this type of character exudes from a person, a sense of dominance can emanate from within the heart. This eventually leads one to become ill mannered and arrogant which in turn changes a person into a prideful being. As a result, this firmness which seemed to be awe inspiring has now taken a person to the banks of Jahannam. It is for this reason that Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam said, "Harshness does not exist in something except that it makes it repulsive. Indeed Allah is compassionate and He love compassion.”


Unfortunately, we live in very rough society; such an environment has almost nurtured us to be hostile naturally. I understood this perfectly when I recently went to Madinah. I had left the hotel to go to the Prophet’s salallahu alayhi wasallam Mosque for Iftar when a brother suddenly grabbed my arm 20 meters away from the mosque. I instantly took him to be a trouble maker but I soon realised he was actually calling me to sit and break my fast with him. I watched him and found his courteous behaviour to be ever so pleasant. I then began to question myself as to why I had been so firm with him. I realised that it was the society that I had come from which told me to be defensive and sceptical as opposed to being gentle and friendly.

The sunnah or Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam teaches us differently. It teaches us to be gentle and soft to every living and lifeless thing. During the battle of Uhud, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam commanded the archers to remain on a hill close to the battle until the war was won. Due to a misunderstanding, they left their positions which resulted in the death of 70 companions. However, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam was not harsh to them, nor was he aggressive. Rather, he was understanding and sympathetic; he accepted their reasons and pardoned them. He himself states in one hadith, “Forgive right-acting people for their mistakes.” Such behaviour brought about the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala and He notably mentions in the Qur’an,

“It was a mercy of Allah that you were soft and gentle with them. If you were rude, harsh, hard hearted, then they would have fled away from you. Pardon them, seek forgiveness from Allah for them and in future, consult them in the matter”

Softness is truly a characteristic which we must inculcate into our life. However, this does not mean that we become naive. If we live in such a place where there is much trickery and deceit, then it is not an act of piety to be forbearing. On the other hand, this is foolishness as a person is asking to be hoaxed.

Being gentle should be within us naturally. When a person is gentle, it beautifies him as a person and also wins the heart of people. Rasulullah salalallahu alayhi wasallam said, “Softness does not exist in anything except that it beautifies it.” However, in order to bring this characteristic within ourselves, we must aim to become tolerant. A person can only learn to forgive and be soft to others once he has subdued his nafs to such an extent that he does not become angry at petty things. When a person is able to blow away his annoyance, signs of compassion may then prevail in him.

Showing kindness to animals is enough for Allah Ta’ala to forgive a person. Imam Bukhari rahimahullah relates a narration in which a person fed a thirsty, ailing dog water which cured him. As a result, Allah Ta’ala forgave his sins. On the other hand, the hadith that Imam Bukhari rahimahullah brings thereafter shows the state of a woman who treated her pet so poorly that it was completely malnourished. As a result of her hard heartedness, Allah Ta’ala entered her into the fire. If this is the case with regards to animals, then what can be said for humans and especially our Muslim brothers and sisters?

There are some misinformed people who try to use Hadhrat Umar radiallahu anhu as their justification to being harsh. Such people quite simply do not know who Hadhrat Umar radiallahu anhu was. He was a soft, loving, caring man who shed tears for the sake of this Ummah. Such people who claim that he was harsh and stern know very little of him. His firmness was to those who had disobeyed Allah Ta’ala and caused pain to the Muslimeen but besides that, he was merciful to the believers as well as the non believers. Many narrations can be put forth of his softness. Let it be remembered, that he was a person about whom people used to say prior to his acceptance of Islam, “There is more chance of Umar’s donkey accepting Islam!” However, his heart was thereafter nurtured by the one who has been titled as the Mercy to Mankind; surely then, such characteristics would have been found in him also. Finally, I conclude with the hadith:

"Whoever has been given his portion of compassion has been given his portion of good. Whoever is denied being given his portion of compassion has been denied his portion of good. Good character will be the weightiest thing in the believer's balance on the Day of Rising. Allah hates a coarse, foul-mouthed person."

May Allah Ta'ala bless us with such characteristics. Ameen.

After Ramadhan

"Imagine a plain, like a vast empty field and rain is pouring down upon this field. After a few days the soil will dry and it will seem as though it never rained at all. After a few weeks or months you will start to see plants grow on that same land due to the rain that fell. The field is us, the Muslims. The rain is Ramadhan. Our bodies soaked up the water of Ramadhan and just because the blessed month is over do not think that there is no change or benefit in our condition. The fruits and vegetables which we planted in the month of Ramadhan will be harvested in Jannah and that is when you will see the rewards for your efforts in this month." (Shaykh Maseehullah Khan)

The month of Ramadhan went as quickly as it came. Whether we will be alive for the next Ramadhan we don't know but do not think that any of your ibadat or duas that you made in this blessed month were not accepted or counted. Some people tend to go back to how they were before this month started and then they lose hope in Allah Ta'ala and think that Allah Ta'ala hates them or is angry with them and because of that their condition didn't change and that their whole month of fasting went to waste along with all their tarawih and other acts of ibadat that they did, but this is not correct. Ramadhan wasn't just for the pious people to benefit from, it was there for everyone to benefit from. No matter how small your ibadat was you will see the reward of it in the hereafter.

A muslim should always keep good thoughts of his Creator. In our minds and hearts we should say, "Allah Ta'ala is happy with me, Rasullulah sallalahu alayhi wasalam is happy with me, my parents are happy with me, the ulama are happy with me, my ustaadhs and teachers are happy with me and the mashaaikh are happy with me." Why? because if a person keeps good thoughts like these flowing in his mind it will create a desire to keep on progressing in his Deen and Islam no matter what. If you keep commit a certain sin, then make taubah, some sort of repentance and istighfar and have hope that Allah the Most Merciful has accepted your repentance each time. Even if you think you don't know how to do taubah properly then just still do your taubah whatever way possible and explain to Allah Ta'ala that you don't know how to do taubah properly and to accept your efforts. Allah Ta'ala is The Most Patient and Most Forgiving. If you have still been given time to live after commiting a sin then you have also been given the time to make taubah and stay away from that which Allah Ta'ala dislikes.

If a person commits a sin and thinks that Allah Ta'ala is angry with him and won't forgive him then he will lose hope and to him it won't make a difference if he misses his salaah or doesn't pay his zakaat because to him he will think that it won't make a difference and that Allah Ta'ala won't accept whatever he does anyway. So eventually he will lose any interest in doing good deeds of any sort because to himself he will view his bad deeds as soo great that to himself he will think, "How can Allah forgive me after all that which I have done? What difference will it make if I miss another salaah when I missed my fajr this morning?". If you actually think about it really and truly we shouldn't even be alive at this moment of time because of the amount of sins we commit on a day to day basis are soo great in number that we deserve to be destroyed or punished straight away. But no, by the Mercy and Patience of Allah we are still alive and breathing so by His Mercy we will also be forgiven. Therefore, we should try and make use of whatever time we have left and seek forgiveness from Allah Ta'ala for whatever mistakes we commited and also give thanks to Allah Ta'ala by doing good deeds for giving us the time to live and the chance to make taubah about the things which we may have done.

May Allah Ta'ala grant us all steadfastness and taufeeq to do good deeds. Ameen.

To end this post I will write a qoute that crossed my mind whilst writing this peice.

"...It is only by the Mercy of Allah that you are alive and well today,
...and it will only be by the Mercy of Allah that you will enter Jannah tommorow..."

Poetry - Your Mercy

I have heard that there is a river, an endless river

and that inside it flows Your Mercy? A river of Mercy..

And that whomsoever travels on this river ends up finding You?

And that whomsoever drowns, will be covered in Your Kindness?

Im confused now... I want both.

I continue to beseech and You continue to forgive,

You continue to bestow for aslong as I live.

What more can I say to the One who loves to forgive?

A doctor cannot be taught how to perform an operation by an ignoramus.

It is only his job to trust the doctor and hope he will be cured.

Like this, it is not my job to define mercy for you, I am blind to the word.

Yet I trust and I hope that You will not leave me void of it.

"Say (on My behalf), 'O servants of Mine who have acted recklessly against their own selves, do not despair of Allah's mercy. Surely, Allah will forgive all sins. Surely, He is the One who is the Most-Forgiving, the Very-Merciful.'"