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

He used to perform the night prayers only to stop doing so." Yes, the Prophet would use these methods with all people, and especially with the noble. In the early period of the prophethood, there were those who accepted Islam and those who rejected it. There was a man in Madinah known as Suwayd bin as-Samit. He was a noble man amongst his people and considered a very intelligent poet. He had memorised many quotes of wise men, so much so that it was said that he had memorised everything that has been related from Luqman the wise. On account of this, people used to refer to him as al-Kamil (i.e. the complete man) due to his excellent poetry, nobility and lineage. One day, Suwayd bin al-Samit came to Makkah to either perform Hajj or 'Umrah. News of his arrival spread amongst the people and everyone wanted to see him. When the Prophet heard about him, he visited him and called him to Allah and Islam. He began to discuss with him monotheism and the message of Islam, and informed him that he was a prophet who had received the Quran in revelation, and that this Quran was the word of The key Allah containing admonitions and laws. Suwayd said to him, "Perhaps what you have is similar to what I have?" The Messenger of Allah said, "What do you have?" He said, "I have the wisdom of Luqman." The Prophet , upon hearing this, did not scold or belittle him, even though he was comparing Allah's speech to that of a man. He was instead gentle with him. The Prophet said, "Let me hear some." Suwayd then began to read whatever he remembered of Luqman's wisdom, whilst the Prophet listened to him attentively. When Suwayd finished, the Prophet said to him, "This is very good." He then said, in order to get Suwayd more interested, "What I have is even better. It is the Quran which Allah has revealed. It is all guidance and light." The Prophet then recited the Quran to him and called him to accept Islam as Suwayd listened attentively. When the Prophet had finished talking, it was obvious that Suwayd was greatly affected by it. He said, "This is very good." Suwayd then parted from the Prophet after being greatly affected by what he had heard. Thereafter, he left for Madinah, and it wasn't long until war broke out between the two tribes, al-Aws and al-Khazraj. Suwayd was from al-Aws and he was subsequently killed by al-Khazraj. This happened before the Prophet migrated to Madinah. It is not known whether he accepted Islam or not, but some men from his tribe have stated that when The key he died he was a Muslim. Think about how the Prophet treated him and how he captured his heart by his manners without being harsh. In short... Flatter generously. Criticise scantily. The key (79) The emotional bank balance We dictate how others think of us. If a person were to see you in the market and frown at you, then see you at the grocer's and frown at you, and then you bump into him at a wedding party and see him frowning at you, you would form a picture of him in your mind. If you were to see him again, or even hear of him again, his frowning face would instantly come mind. Isn't that true? If a person meets you with a smile, then he meets you elsewhere with a smile, and so on, there will be a positive smiling picture of him imprinted in your mind. This is concerning someone with whom you have no relationship and only meet with every now and then. But as for those whom we meet all the time, like a wife, children, work colleagues and neighbours, then we don't always deal with them in the same manner. Yes, they will see us laughing and joking, but no doubt they will also see us sometimes angry, frowning, argumentative or even insulting because we are, after all, human beings. Consequently, their love for us is governed by our good or bad conduct towards them. If you wish, you can say that their love for us is in proportion to the emotional credit that we may have in our accounts with them. How so? When you show good conduct towards a person, you are in reality depositing fond memories about yourself in his memory register. In other words, it is as if he has opened up an account for you in his heart where he keeps safe his love and respect for you. Thereafter, your bank balance either increases or decreases. Hence, each time you meet him with a smile, your emotional bank balance increases. Each time you give him a gift, it also increases. Every act of courtesy increases it further. Similarly, each time you offend, insult or curse a person, you make a withdrawal from that emotional bank balance.