Allah Almighty says: {And those who restrain anger and who pardon the people - and Allah loves the doers of good.} [Āl-‘Imrān: 134] He also says: {Take to clemency, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant.} [Al-A‘rāf: 199] And He says: {And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon, the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was an intimate friend. But none is granted it except those who are patient, and none is granted it except one having a great portion [of good].} [Fussilat: 34-35] And He says: {And whoever is patient and forgives – indeed, that is of the matters [worthy] of resolve.} [Ash-Shūra: 43]
Forbearance: self-restraint at the time of anger.
Deliberateness: opposite of haste.
Gentleness: treating people in an easy and lenient manner, for those who deserve that.
1) A forgiving person deserves to be forgiven. But an evil one who only increases in evil when he is forgiven should rather be punished. Indeed, the commendable forgiveness is the one that leads to reform.
2) Taking to clemency means adopting what is easier with regard to people’s conditions. Enjoining what is good: commanding the things that are regarded by people and the Shariah as good. Turning away from the ignorant: those are the fools who have no knowledge about the rights of others, and so they neglect them.
These are three commands issued by our Lord. If we observe them, we will find much good.
3) Enduring harm patiently and pardoning it is one of the matters that require resolve and indicate a person’s firm determination and wisdom.
632/1 - Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said to Ashajj ‘Abd al-Qays: “Indeed, you possess two traits that Allah loves: forbearance and deliberateness.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) It affirms Love as an attribute of Allah Almighty, in the sense that befits Him.
2) Traits are varied; some are innate and others are acquired.
3) Traits are changeable; otherwise, preaching and advice would be meaningless.
4) We are urged to carefully consider matters and their consequences. Deliberateness on problematic matters is good.
633/2 - ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah is gentle and He loves gentleness in all matters.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
634/3 - She also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Indeed, Allah is gentle and He loves gentleness. And He gives for gentleness what He does not give for harshness and what He does not give for anything else.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) We are urged to be gentle in all matters. Gentleness is dear and pleasing to Allah Almighty, as well as to people.
2) Gentleness occupies a high rank among good manners, given its good outcome and the great reward.
635/4 - She also reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Verily, gentleness does not exist in anything except that it adorns it, and it is not removed from anything except that it makes it defective.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) It is necessary to be gentle, for gentleness makes us more beautiful and adorns us in the eyes of people and raises our value in the sight of Allah Almighty.
2) We are instructed to keep away from violence and harshness, for these are character flaws that spoil a person’s good deeds.
636/5 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: “A Bedouin man urinated in the mosque, so the people rose towards him to scorn him. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘Let him be and pour a bucket of water onto his urine. You were sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult.’” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
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1) It shows that a person can be excused for his ignorance, if it is difficult for him to seek knowledge; and it instructs us to teach the ignorant.
2) It highlights the Prophet’s good manners and guidance in teaching the people in a gentle manner. Indeed, gentleness brings forth good, and harshness brings forth evil.
3) It demonstrates the core of the Prophet’s mission: to make things easy, not difficult, and to make people hopeful, not averse.
There is an Islamic rule that says we should ward off the greater of two evils if we cannot ward off both.
The two evils mentioned in the Hadīth are:
First: the Bedouin carrying on urinating, which is a lesser evil.
Second: interrupting his urination, and this is a greater evil, for this would cause harm to this person and spread the urine in a broader area of the mosque, as well as on his clothing.
But, if he is made to complete urination, this would lead to a lesser harm. So, if a number of evils are there and they cannot be removed all together, we should ward off what is greater.
637/6 - Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Make things easy and do not make them difficult; and give people glad tidings, and do not repulse them.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) What is easier is better, unless it involves a sin. Hence, whenever the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was given a choice between two things, he would always choose what is easier, unless it was a sin.
2) It is recommended to give glad tidings and hope, for this brings joy to the heart of Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
3) A caller to Allah Almighty should wisely consider the way of conveying the message of Islam. He should make things easy, not difficult, and give people hope and not repulse them.
638/7 - Jarīr ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) say: “Whoever is deprived of gentleness is deprived of all goodness.” [Narrated by Muslim]
1) It commands gentleness and urges us to be gentle, for Allah gives for gentleness what He does not give for anything else.
2) A seeker of good should be knowledgeable and gentle in his pursuit, so that he can reach his goal.
639/8 - Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that a man came to the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “Advise me.” He replied: “Do not get angry.” The man repeated this several times and every time he replied: “Do not get angry.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri]
1) Anger is an ember that Satan throws into a person’s heart. So, he should seek refuge with Allah Almighty from the accursed Satan and rush to ablution to make Satan’s insinuations go away.
2) When angry, a person should turn to methods that help him alleviate his anger and restrain himself and not let himself get carried away with anger.
640/9 - Abu Ya‘la Shaddād ibn Aws (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah has prescribed good conduct for everything. If one of you kills, he should do so in a good manner, and if one of you slaughters, he should do so in a good manner. He should sharpen his blade and comfort his sacrificial animal.” [Narrated by Muslim]
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1) We are required to do everything in a perfect manner and to show kindness and compassion towards all creation.
2) Giving comfort to the sacrificial animal is not limited to merely sharpening the blade, but we should also sever the jugular veins powerfully.
Part of the slaughtering method that comforts the animal is that you put your leg on the animal’s neck and let its legs move freely. This is easier for the animal and it causes stronger outflow of the blood.
641/10 - ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) reported: “Whenever the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) was given the choice between two things, he would choose the easier of the two, unless it was a sin. If it were a sin, he would be the farthest of people from it. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) never took revenge for himself, but when the prohibitions of Allah were violated, he would take revenge for the sake of Allah Almighty.” [Narrated by Al-Bukhāri and Muslim]
1) Islam is a religion that revolves around the principle of facilitation, removal of difficulty, and adopting what is easier and compliant with the Shariah in all worldly and religious matters.
2) We should keep away from sins and evil deeds and not make the facilitation of the Shariah a reason for abandoning our duties or engaging in prohibitions or taking the sanctities of the Shariah lightly.
3) We are urged to show forgiveness and forbearance, endure harm patiently, and support the religion of Allah when the sanctities are violated. Allah Almighty loves such jealousy on the part of His servants.
4) Imāms and judges and all those in authority are recommended to assume this noble manner. They should not take revenge for themselves nor neglect the rights due to Allah Almighty.
642/11 - Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Shall I inform you of he who is forbidden from Hellfire or he for whom Hellfire is forbidden? It is forbidden for anyone who is accessible, lenient, tender, and easy to get along with.” [Narrated by Al-Tirmidhi; and he classified it as Hasan (sound)]
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1) Noble manners are a means of salvation from the punishment of Allah.
2) The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) instructed us to be lenient and tender and to associate with people and bear their harm patiently.