5. Would you like to meet him outside the institution? (cont.)

Maybe he hurried because he needs to tend to something else, too.” How indebted would the son feel towards you? And if this is the case with the young, then how about with those who are older? What if you were to praise a colleague in a gathering after others had bitterly and mercilessly condemning him, or praise a brother after your family members unanimously turned against him? A young man was made to feel embarrassed when a person asked him publicly, “Give us the good news, dear so-and-so! What marks did you get at university?” Tell me in the name of Allah, does any intelligent person ask such a question in public? The man’s face turned red, so I gently saved him by saying, “Dear so-and-so, why are you so interested in his results? Are you going to marry him off to someone? Or do you have a job to offer him?” Upon hearing this, everyone laughed and the question was forgotten. If a person criticised another for a low average, you should say to him, “Dear brother, do not criticise him. The topic he is specialising in is difficult. InshaaAllah his grade average will be better next time.” Intelligent people are always hunting for opportunities to earn people’s love. Once ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud – may Allah be pleased with him – was walking with the Prophet , and as they walked by a tree, the Prophet  asked him to climb the tree and break off a twig to clean his teeth with. Ibn Mas’ud climbed up the tree, since he was very slim and small, and began to break off a twig. Meanwhile, the wind blew, blowing his garment and exposing his shins that were very thin and bony. When people saw this, they laughed. At that point, the Prophet  said, “What are you laughing at, Take them out of the ditch the thinness of his shins? By Allah, they are heavier than Mount Uhud in the Scales!” (Ahmad, Abu Ya’la - Sahih) How good must ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ud have felt when the Prophet  defended and praised him after the people had laughed at him? Point of view… Intelligent people are always hunting for opportunities to earn people’s love. Take them out of the ditch (67) Looking after one’s appearance Once, Abu Hanifah was sitting amongst his students in the mosque, giving them a class. He had a pain in his knee, due to which he had stretched out his leg and was leaning against a wall. Meanwhile, a man with a majestic appearance came to him wearing a nice garment and a fine turban. He walked in a very dignified manner.When the students saw him,they made way for him so that he could sit next to Abu Hanifah. When Abu Hanifah saw his appearance and sedateness, he became embarrassed of the way in which he was sitting, so he bent his leg and endured the pain in his knee. Abu Hanifah continued to deliver his lecture as the man listened. When the lesson finished,the students began to ask questions.The man raised his hand to ask a question, so Abu Hanifah turned to him and said, “What is your question?” He said, “O Shaykh! When does the time for the Maghrib prayer enter?” Abu Hanifah replied, “When the sun sets!” He said, “What if the night falls and the sun still hasn’t set? What should we do then?” Abu Hanifah then said, ‘”It’s time for Abu Hanifah to spread his leg…” and spread his leg he did! He refused to answer such an absurd question, for how could the night fall when the sun has not set? They say that the first look makes up for 70% of a person’s impression of you. To me, it seems upon contemplation that the first look makes up for 95% of the impression, until you speak or introduce yourself. Then this percentage either increases or decreases. If you walk through a passageway in a hospital or a company and next to you there is a man wearing nice clothes who is walking sedately, you will notice that you – perhaps subconsciously – would turn to him upon reaching a door and say, “Please, you first!” In contrast, if you were to enter a car of one of your friends and saw that its interior was in complete chaos with a shoe lying here, takeaway bags there, a tissue here, and audio cassettes there, you would have the immediate impression about the person that he was chaotic and uncaring about arranging things. The same applies to the way people dress and how they generally appear. What I mean here is to be concerned with one’s appearance and not extravagance in clothing, cars, furniture, etc. The Messenger of Allah  would give much consideration to these aspects. He would wear a beautiful robe which he would only wear on the two ‘Eids and Fridays. He used to have a special robe he would wear when receiving envoys.