Kids not listening to you? Parents say you need to watch out your attitude? People think you are stuck up? This maybe a problem with your attitude of being rude and unkind when you should be gentle as a Muslim and a human.

Think about someone being rude to you and think about someone who was gentle to you, you obviously know what I’m trying to imply. The same way you should try to be gentle as well. A little gentleness goes a long way; your gentleness with a frightened stray dog will eventually convince her to let you feed and pet her.

Allah is Gentle and loves gentleness. Allah says in the Holy Quran:

“So speak (O Moses & Aaron) to him (Pharaoh) gently; perchance he may take warning or fear (God).” (20: 44)

If Pharaoh, the worst of all people, the most tyrannical and arrogant, deserved some gentleness then don’t our other fellow humans too deserve our gentleness? Indeed they do.

The Prophet said, “O Aisha, Allah is gentle and He loves gentleness. He rewards for gentleness what is not granted for harshness and He does not reward anything else like it.” (Sahih Muslim)

When the prophet was treated harshly by the people of Taif, he didn’t curse them but prayed to Allah for their guidance. Also when the Prophet was greeted by some Jews saying Death be upon you, and Aisha replied the same to them, the Prophet Muhammad told her to be gentle and not harsh in her approach. And there are other numerous instances from the prophet’s life and his life is an example for us to follow.

Abu Ad-Darda reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “whoever is given his portion of kindness has been given his portion of goodness, and whoever is deprived of his portion of kindness has been deprived of his portion of goodness.”

Gentleness shown when you are badly treated is the real test of gentleness.

Being gentle comes with tremendous rewards:

Ibn Mas’ud reported, The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Shall I not tell you for whom the Hellfire is forbidden? It is every person accessible, polite, and mild.”

Therefore we should always be kind and gentle with Muslims and non-Muslims, young and old, humans and animals. This will make our character a beautiful one and will do good to the people and our society.

Fatima Damad,