“Four men entered a Mosque and each busied himself in Salaah, humbly begging and prostrating before Allah. Each one said the “Allahu Akbar” after first having made his intention, and began to pray with humility. Meanwhile the Mu’adhdhin came in and gave the call to Salaah.
The first man blurted out to the Mu’adhdhin, “Are you calling to the prayer? Is it the right time?” The second spoke on the spur of the moment, “You have wasted your salaah by speaking during prayers”. The third retorted, “Why did you speak? Tell yourself how to behave!” The fourth mumbled calmly, “Praise be to Allah! I wasn’t a party to their arguments.”
Thus all the four broke their salaah and wasted it. The fault-finders went more astray than the one who made the original mistake”.
(Story taken from: Tales from Rumi. (1997), London: Ta-Ha Publishers, p. 16.)
(image from clker.com)
I’ve added this story here to remind us that there’s a time place, and manner in which we can correct others when we think that they are at fault. Respect can never be underestimated and the way in which you approach a situation can determine the outcome. We have to remember that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the most tactful and respectful person. He never made anyone feel insignificant and took the time out to truly understand each person’s situation. We should try to become like this. Openly talking about peoples’ faults will get us nowhere, and it will not help the person in any way either. We are told in the hadith something to the effect that if we hide the faults of others then Allah (SWT) will hide our faults (and we all fault in some way and at some time)! It is better for us to approach the person themselves in a respectful manner, if we think that it’s our duty to say something, and if someone approaches us with respect and good intention when they think that we are wrong, then we should appreciate their concern instead of take offence.
Remember, nobody’s perfect!
May Allah guide every single one of us (myself included) Inshallah.
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