Clemency, Tolerance and Gentleness

Ibn Mas`ud (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Shall I not tell you whom the (Hell) Fire is forbidden to touch? It is forbidden to touch a man who is always accessible, having polite and tender nature.'' [At-Tirmidhii].


Commentary:

The Hadith throws light on a kind bearing which is rooted in Faith and saves man from Hell-fire. The second lesson is that prior to discussing something important with somebody we should make him attentive and receptive, so that he may take interest and put faith in what we tell him.

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`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Allah is Forbearer and He loves forbearance, and rewards for forbearance while He does not reward severity, and does not give for any thing besides it (forbearance).'' [Muslim]


Commentary:

Mildness is the opposite of harshness. Allah enjoins softness and dislikes stiffness in human relations. Allah assures of reward for gentle behaviour in society, not for unkindness or anything like that. However, inflexibility is preferred to flexibility when there arises a question of religious matters and the limits set by Allah.

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Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Make things easy and do not make them difficult, cheer the people up by conveying glad tidings to them and do not repulse (them).'' [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

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`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) said,

"Whenever forbearance is added to something, it adorns it; and whenever it is withdrawn from something, it leaves it defective.'' [Muslim].

Commentary:

To be soft-spoken is such a quality that by virtue of which a man is not only endeared to people but also to Allah. And by being bereft of it, he not only becomes a contempt incarnate in the eyes of people but also with Allah.

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Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: A bedouin urinated in the mosque and some people rushed to beat him up. The Prophet (PBUH) said, "Leave him alone and pour a bucket of water over it. You have been sent to make things easy and not to make them difficult.'' [Al-Bukhari].

Commentary:

This Hadith brings into light the fact that leniency is also vitally needed in the sphere of education and discipline. This is particularly true in the case of ignorant and ill-bred people. This is so because if they are treated unkindly, they will become more indocile on account of their wild temperament and foolishness. A kind handling is indispensable for putting them to discipline, even if they make desperate blunders. This Hadith is very beneficial with regard to the way of Da`wah, guidance and practical education. Another point this Hadith discloses is that the flow of water can wipe out dirt and impurity, and make the place free from its effect.

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`Aishah (May Allah be pleased with her) reported:

Whenever the Prophet (PBUH) was given a choice between two matters, he would (always) choose the easier as long as it was not sinful to do so, but if it was sinful he was most strict in avoiding it. He never took revenge upon anybody for his own sake, but when Allah's Legal Bindings were outraged, he would take revenge for Allah's sake. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

Commentary:

The two things between which Messenger of Allah (PBUH) would make his choice could be religious or worldly. For instance, if he were asked to award one of the two punishments to somebody, he would choose the milder one. And if he had the liberty of choice between two obligations, he would opt for the easier one. Between war and peace he would always go for peace, provided it involved the interest of Islam and Muslims. Moreover, in all matters he used to take the line of least resistance, in case it went without the disobedience of Allah. In this Hadith, a principle has been defined for Muslims in general as well that they are free to take to an easy way but this must not entail a loophole in respect of the Shari`ah. Secondly, the most excellent character of Messenger of Allah (PBUH) also comes to our view that he never retaliated for personal reasons. His extraordinary concern for the sanctity of Islamic Law is also displayed by the fact that he could never brook the transgression of Allah's limits, and the transgressor was sure to be punished by him.

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Abu Ya`la Shaddad bin `Aus (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "Verily Allah has prescribed Ihsan (kindness) for everything. So when you kill, you must make the killing in the best manner; when you slaughter, make your slaughter in the best manner. Let one of you sharpen his knife and give ease to his animal (in order to reduce his pain).'' [Muslim].

Commentary:

By killing is meant the killing of a harmful animal, or the killing of a murderer as retribution and the killing of the enemy in the battlefield. All these situations warrant killing but with a stress on moderation, thanks to Islamic teachings. A believer is told not to let his passions of enmity go wild, and even an enemy or a criminal ought not to be put to a torturous death. In the Pre-Islamic Period of Ignorance it was a prevalent practice that the limbs of a victim were mutilated before he was finally killed. Islam has forcefully forbidden this inhuman custom, stating that the victim should be beheaded with the one swing of sword. Similarly, there are specific instructions regarding an animal's slaughter. First, the knife should be sharpened. Second, the animal must not be slaughtered from its nape, because in both ways it will suffer pain. This Shari`ah rule ensures quick death of the animal. In modern Europe, an animal is slaughtered with one stroke of a cutting-machine. Apparently this method seems to be easy and smooth, yet in this way the animal's blood doesn't flow out from its body completely. So the consumption of the meat of such a kill is injurious to human health. Due to this reason, Islam considers the discharge of blood as a prerequisite to Halal (lawful). Certainly, only the Islamic way of slaughtering an animal is more sound, scientific and wholesome.