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I am sure we have all been subject to discouraging words at some point in our lives. These words may have been said by a sibling, a friend, a neighbour, or even a peer. I would like you to try and recollect those moments; how did you feel at the time? Intimidated, demeaned, or maybe even demoralised?
Everyone is going through their own distinct struggles in life and we, as Muslims, are instructed to offer kind words in hope of being a ray of hope for others during their testing times!
Rooms in Paradise
In fact, the Prophet (ﷺ) would regularly offer incentives to his companions with the aim of encouraging them to convey kind words to one another.
إِنَّ فِي الْجَنَّةِ غُرْفَةً يُرَى ظَاهِرُهَا مِنْ بَاطِنِهَا وَبَاطِنُهَا مِنْ ظَاهِرِهَا فَقَالَ أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ لِمَنْ هِيَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ لِمَنْ أَلَانَ الْكَلَامَ وَأَطْعَمَ الطَّعَامَ وَبَاتَ لِلَّهِ قَائِمًا وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ
“Verily, in Paradise are rooms whose outside can be seen from the inside, and whose inside can be seen from outside.”
Abu Mūsa said,
“Who are they for, O Messenger of Allah?”
The Prophet (ﷺ) said,
“For those who speak kind words, feed the hungry, and spend the night standing for the sake of Allah, while people sleep.” [1]
In this report, a series of actions that warrant lavish rewards in Paradise are listed.
Alongside the mention of well-known acts of righteousness like feeding the hungry and engaging in worship throughout the night, the Prophet (ﷺ) also acknowledged the significance of kind words.
Action plan
Everyday is an opportunity to offer kind words that will bring about a positive change in people’s lives. The fact that we are currently in the month of Ramadan makes this action even more rewarding.
Here are a few things that we can do to make our words more thoughtful:
- Before speaking, assess whether our words are going to uplift the person or drag them down;
- Remind others of their strengths, not their weaknesses;
- Speak to others in a way that we would like to be spoken to.
Coming up
While we work on conveying kind speech to others, let’s keep an eye out for Part 16, where we will explore alternative ways to uplift others.
In the next article, we will shed light on the effects of praying for one another. Do you regularly pray for those you love?
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Source: Islam21c
Notes
[1] Musnad Ahmad: 6,436
