character building
The writer, Ayyad Dilawar Padhani is in Marketing at his family optical practice. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Marketing and related support services. He has been rendering community services from a very early age.
H
umans were created in this life to be tested, to be raised, to be challenged and struck like the iron smith strikes the piece of metal to forge it into a sword or purified as the goldsmith does with gold. This life is one of trials and tribulations as mentioned in 30:2 : ‘’He is the One? Who created death and life in order to test which of you is best in deeds. And He is the Almighty, All-Forgiving’’. In order to help us with this great task, Allah (swt) sent us a guide with the best way to treat those around us, whether fellow humans, or the environment, or even animals.
The Holy Prophet has been mentioned as ‘Uswatun Hasanah’ (Excellent Example) in the Quran as in 33:21 ‘’Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for whoever has hope in Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often.’’ He (saww) is our teacher and guide in terms of how to worship Allah (swt), as well as how He (swt) best sees we should treat others.
How did the Holy prophet treat those around him? What did he say about how we should take care of animals and the environment? How did he (saww) respond to things like war, peace treaties, losing close family, upbringing of children and much more? We all know some story or the other that elaborates on such incidents, however, we often forget to respond appropriately at the exact time we are faced with a challenging situation, during a heated argument for example.
My understanding is that we are often forgetful, and because of Shaitan, therefore we must make an effort to keep conscious and at the forefront of our minds how the Holy Prophet (saww) would have reacted to different situations. Furthermore it helps alot to read more on his (saww) life and the uncommon stories which may illuminate a variety of situations that we come across on a daily basis.
We often see fans of famous movie stars, sports personalities but not for the Prophets or Imams. If we investigate slightly into why such fandom is created for other personalities we come to find a story of theirs that people relate to, an underdog, a nobody, works hard to achieve accolades, and manages to push through great hurdles to reach a place of high competence and achievement. Then following that personality throughout their career, seeing their best and worst moments, keeping up to date with minor and major developments in their personal life as well. The only way we dont fall in love with the Holy Prophet and his beautiful lifestyle is if we don’t put effort into deeply learning about his (saww) life history, the challenges he faced, the victories on and off the battleground, his compassion with the orphans, the poor and those who had wronged him even.
Finally, making dua to Allah (swt) to help us improve our akhlaq, whether through Dua Makarimul Akhlaq, or other duas, helps to mention out loud the attributes our 4th Imam has mentioned as the praiseworthy attributes.
The journey of character building is one where we strive to purify our heart and therefore our actions from treating others harshly, polluting the environment, and being cruel to animals. Patience in hardship, humility in success, and generosity with what we have, whether it is time, knowledge, or resources. Through each act of kindness and each lesson in patience, we grow closer to embodying the character of the Holy Prophet (saww).
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