HUMILITY, SINCERITY AND COMPASSION
Dr Suhaib Ashraf Bhat
The basic foundation for success in social relationships is love for people, and being kind and polite towards them. Man is a social animal and to live and survive in life, humans have to interact and rely on each other. This is the reason why humans have the gift of being born with relationship and throughout their lives they go for new relationships or try getting rid of the ones that don’t contribute positively to their lives. If something bad happens to a believer, he either bears it with patience or panics. If he is patient he earns a great reward and accepts the will and decree of Allah swt, because he knows that it comes from Allah swt, so he feels content with it and accepts it. So what reason is there to panic and feel stressed?On the contrary, if he is not patient and he reacts to what befalls him of sin with panic and anger, and worry and stress, he will lose the reward that Allah swt has promised to those who are patient. Allah says (interpretation of the meaning):“Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning” [al-Zumar 39:10]One of the salaf said: “Believers and unbelievers alike may have patience at a time of adversity, but only people of strong faith can have patience at a time of ease.” Therefore Allah warned against the fitnah of wealth, wives and children: “O you who believe! Let not your riches or your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. If any act thus, the loss is their own.” (al-Munâfiqûn 63:9) “O you who believe! Truly, among your wives and your children are (some that are) enemies to yourselves: so beware of them!” (at-Taghâbûn 64:14)The enmity referred to in these aayat is not that which results from hatred and conflict, but that which results from love and care, that might prevent parents from religious duties such as hijrah, jihad, seeking knowledge and giving sadaqah.Trouble is inevitable in the life of this world; this is how Allah swt has decreed it and He has made it a place of trials and tests, and a bridge to the Hereafter. Even the best of His creation, the prophets, were never free of troubles. Life is never plain sailing for anyone, young or old. You may have reason to rejoice one day, then reason to feel sad for many other days; this is how it always is in the life of this world and this is how people are all the time. Who among us has not felt grief and sorrow as a result of the calamities we see befalling the Muslims, day after day? Who among us has not lost interest in this world and everything in it, because of what we hear or see? But when these feelings of sadness and loneliness or bad moods persist and prevent us from living a normal life or carrying out the duties that are required of us, or fulfilling the rights of others, or they cause us to neglect the blessings of Allah swt which He has bestowed upon us and fail to give thanks for as we should, at that point sadness moves from being something natural to being a case of weakness and sickness that needs to be treated.The point to be noted is soft-hearted people are not fools, they know what people did to them but they forgive again and again because they have beautiful hearts.We live in a time when qualities like humility, sincerity and compassion have become considered as weak and useless. They say the nice people finish last and that soft-hearted people are the ones who get knocked down and are often mistreated in the society. What will save us on the Day of Judgement? Are we favoured based on our race or colour? No. Then what is it? It is the place in our body which Allah swt made the location of the most valuable possession of a human being: (faith). It is your heart. What favours you in the sight of Allah swt is the state of your heart. What will save you on the Day of Judgement is a sound heart.
When you say the word ‘Think!”, most of us point to our heads, right? How many of us point to our hearts when we say “Think?” The Messenger of Allah swt Muhammmad (Peace and blessings of Allah swt be upon him) said, “Taqwa is here,” and he pointed to his chest. [Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, Ahmad]
Subhan Allah, one of the functions of the heart is understanding. Allah swt gave us a heart to comprehend, to reflect, and to reason. That brings us back to the central ayah: and have hearts by which to reason.
Ibn Taymiyyah (Rahimullah) said that many doctors and philosophers have said that the mind is in the brain, so we think and understand with our brains and not with our hearts. He then said that the centre is actually the heart. Ibn Katheer said: The arrogant philosophers say that the mind is in the brain. [Tafsir ibn Kathir vol 4 p.508] To believe, to disbelieve, to understand, to comprehend, to have tranquillity, to feel confusion, to have tawakkul and to have khushoo’ are all functions of your heart.
The state of your heart will decide what you do with your knowledge. Will you benefit from it by practicing it or not? For example, if you hear an ayah of the Quran or a hadith, does it make you feel you want to practice it straight away or does it not have much impact on you? Whatever the answer is, it will tell you about the state of your heart. Sins have an effect on your heart; they can cause your heart to be sealed so that the light of knowledge doesn’t reach it anymore and the ayaat of Allah swt don’t affect you anymore. May Allah swt protect us from this. There are many diseases we find in our hearts, like jealousy, envy, greed, lust, and showing off. Our aim should be to strive to purify our hearts and turn back to Allah swt with a sound heart.
Ibn al-Qayyim, (may Allah swt have mercy on him), said, “In the heart are disorders that cannot be remedied except by responding to Allah swt. In it is a desolate feeling that cannot be removed except by intimacy with Him solitude. In it is sadness which will not leave except by happiness with knowing Him and truthfulness in his dealings. In it is anxiety that is not made tranquil except by gathering for His sake and fleeing to Him from His punishment. In it is a fire of regret which cannot be extinguished except by satisfaction with His commands, prohibitions, and decrees, and embracing patience with that until the time he meets Him. In it is a strong desire that will not cease until He is the only one who is sought. In it is a void that cannot be filled except by His love, turning to Him, always remembering Him, and being sincere to Him. Were a person to be given the entire world and everything in it, that would never fill the void.” Madārij al-Sālikīn 3/156
How beautiful are those hearts which are enlightened and are very soft:Pain and agony is what we see everywhere, on different media. And it can be exhausting. We start to wish that it wasn’t there. But instead of only wishing for better time, you can find a soft-hearted person trying to make your world seemingly distant from the pain. Their positive spirit overshadows the despair and offers light, belief and hope. With so many selfish people in the world, the soft-hearted ones are the ones still willing to offer support. Although some may run to a soft-hearted person not only for support but to take advantage of them, the soft-hearted person still offers a shield to anyone who needs assistance. When you run for support to a person with a soft heart, you will never be rejected. People who are still willing to help others are who hold this world together. It may seem weighty and appear to make them weary, but soft-hearted people are not overwhelmed by the task of carrying lots of responsibility. They appreciate the burden and the treasure that was given to them to carry. No matter how the world sees it, they find this task easier than everyone will think. Philanthropy is never a burden to them.
Conclusion: It would be better if soft-hearted people were in abundance. To have only a few soft-hearted people seems to be a problem on the surface. But on the other hand this offers every soft-hearted person out there an opportunity to showcase their wonderful gifts of love, compassion and kindness. suhaibbhatt85@gmail.com
