A Fitting Response

Once in a mosque, an elderly gentleman noticed a person of modest appearance, dressed in western attire, wearing a Gandhi cap and sporting a beard trimmed shorter than the length prescribed by the shariah. He had never seen him in the congregation before, and, intrigued by his appearance, he approached him and introduced himself. In the course of conversation it emerged that the newcomer was very religious and had many books on the Quran and Hadith to his credit.

The elderly man remarked that judging by his appearance, he would not have thought so. The stranger felt offended by this comment but managed to control his feelings. Then after a few moments of silence, he said, “You are right. But the Almighty sometimes gets his work done by the sinners as well.”

This even-tempered response made such a powerful impact upon the elderly man that he was left speechless.

This is an example of the right way to answer when provoked. Whenever anyone criticizes you, or says anything harsh about you, and you become incensed, you want to hit back at your critic. The right thing to do is to absorb the bitterness of the shock. It is better to do that than throw it back. When you act in this way, you will gain new strength.

You will realize that answering harsh words with polite words is a far more hard-hitting and effective response. And it shows wisdom.

The truth of the matter is that one who, when enraged remains patient and is able to forgive one who offends him, feels, ultimately, that he is in no need of revenge.