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

I recall that a prominent preacher who had been blessed with sound intellect and eloquence would frequently deliver lectures and sermons. Whether it was a Friday sermon, a Fatwa session, or a university lecture, he would continuously be speaking. Peo85 The art of listening ple would watch him on satellite television channels and always look forward to listening to his words. Except, that is, for his wife. Whenever he was with his wife, instead of listening to her story, he would be continuously speaking non-stop, as usual. She would often complain about him but he wouldn’t know why she would do so. Everyone would respect and praise him except for her. So, one day, he decided to take her with him to one of his lectures to appreciate what she had not heard before. He said to her, “Would you like to come with me?” She said, “To where?” He said, “To a lecture by a preacher. Perhaps we will benefit from it.” She got into the car with him. When they arrived at their destination, they got out of the car and walked until they reached the door of the mosque. A huge crowd had turned up to listen to this excellent lecturer. She went into the women’s section whilst he walked through the crowd, sat on the chair and began his lecture. The people were listening to the lecture attentively, and even his wife was probably amazed at his performance. When the lectured finished, he went out to his car, pleased with his performance. His wife came and sat in the passenger seat, and as they sat in the car, he gave her no opportunity to speak, as usual, and began to talk about the crowds, the beauty of the mosque, etc. He then asked her, “What do you think of today’s lecture?” She said, “It was good and very effective. Who was the lec85 The art of listening turer?”’ He said, “Strange! You didn’t recognise the voice?” She said, “Well, with all the crowd and the poor loudspeakers, I couldn’t pay much attention.” He said, with all pride, “I was the lecturer!” She said, “Ah! I was thinking to myself all through the talk when will he ever stop!” Therefore, to listen attentively to others is a skill in and of itself. Some people forget that Allah has only given them one tongue while he has given them two ears - so that they may hear more than they speak. Some people, if given the choice to balance their speaking and hearing, would opt for having two ears and two tongues, due to their obsession with speaking! Train yourself to listen to others attentively. If you do have criticisms to make, then do not be hasty in making them. During the early days of Islam, the Muslims were few in number. The disbelievers would reject the Prophet  and discourage people from listening to him. They would spread rumours about him that he was a soothsayer, a liar, a madman, or even a magician. One day, a man called Dhuman came to Makkah. He was a wise man with knowledge of medicine who would also treat people with mental illness or problems with magic. When he began to mix with the people of Makkah, he heard some of the ignorants saying, “Then the madman came... We then saw the madman...” Dhumad said, “Where is this man? Perhaps Allah will cure him by my hands.” The art of listening The people directed him to the Messenger of Allah . When he saw the Prophet  and reflected upon his face, he found it to be bright. Dhumad nevertheless told the Prophet  the reason why he had come, “O Muhammad, I am an expert on incantations. Allah cures whoever He wills by my hands. Come to me and I will treat you.” The man began to speak about his treatments expertise as the Prophet  listened attentively. What was he listening to so attentively? He was listening to the words of a disbeliever who had come to treat his ‘mental illness’! And how wise he was! When Dhumad finished what he had to say, the Prophet  said very calmly, “All praise be to Allah, we praise Him and seek His help. Whoever Allah guides cannot be misled. And whoever He sets astray then there is none to guide him. I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah alone, with no partner.” Dhumad trembled and said, “Repeat these words to me.” The Prophet  repeated the words. Dhumad said, “By Allah, I have heard the words of soothsayers, magicians, and poets, but I have never heard the like of these words, which reached the depths of the sea.