91. Be brave and start from now! (cont.)

After the Prophet’s death, the companions – the Muhajiroon and the Ansaar – gathered together in the quarters of Banu Sa‘idah to decide on a Caliph. ‘Umar accompanied Abu Bakr on Use the right flavour his way to the quarter. ‘Umar said, “We arrived at the quarters of Banu Sa‘idah. When we sat down, a man from the Ansaar affirmed the testimony of faith, praised Allah as He should be, and then said: ‘To proceed: we are the helpers of Allah and the vanguards of Islam, and you, O Muhajiroon, are a part of us. Some of you have shown hastiness and want to take possession of leadership from us.’ “When he finished, I wanted to speak. I had thought of some words that I would say, and I liked what I had prepared, and I wanted to say it in front of Abu Bakr, but I knew that he could be stern at times. However, Abu Bakr  said: ‘Relax, O ‘Umar!’ “I did not want to upset him and hence, he spoke and was definitely more knowledgeable and sedate than me. By Allah, he said everything I had thought of saying, and even better! Abu Bakr said: ‘As for what you mentioned of the good that exists in you, then that is true. However, the Arabs have only known the Quraysh as leaders. They are the most judicious of Arabs in terms of lineage and tribe. I have chosen one of their two men here, so give allegiance to the one you like. “He took my hand and that of Abu Ubaydah, who was sitting with us. I didn’t detest anything he had said except this. By Allah, I would rather that my neck was struck off without me committing any sin than for me to be a leader of a people that included Abu Bakr. “The people fell silent, and then a person from the Ansaar said: ‘I am of those by means of whose counsel people seek relief, and I have a family that will aid and defend me. How about if we have a leader from amongst ourselves, and you have a leader Use the right flavour amongst yourselves, O Quraysh?’ “There was much clamour and voices were raised, which we feared may result in discord. So I said: ‘Stretch out your hand, O Abu Bakr!’ “He stretched forth his hand and I pledged allegiance to him. Then the Muhajiroon gave him the pledge, followed by the Ansaar.” Yes, everyone has a special key to open his heart, earn his love and influence him.We notice this often in our lives. Perhaps you have heard work colleagues say that if you want to get the manager to agree to something, then so-and-so is the key, or if you want anything, ask so-and-so to speak to him on your behalf. Why not then use your skills to open up people’s hearts and be a head instead of being a tail? Yes, be special and look for the keys with which to open up the hearts of your mother, father, wife and children. Find the key to the heart of your manager at work and your colleagues. Knowing the keys to their hearts helps them accept good advice when it is offered, that is if the advice is presented in an appropriate manner, as people do not all react the same way when advised. Once, the Prophet  was sitting in a blessed gathering of his and speaking to his companions, meanwhile, a man entered the mosque, looking to his left and right. Then, instead of sitting in the Prophet’s circle, he headed for a corner of the mosque and began to undo his lower garment. The people were left in suspense as to what he is going to do next. Then, to their horror, he raised his lower garment, sat down quite calmly and began to urinate! Use the right flavour The Companions were shocked and exploded upon seeing him urinate in the mosque. They were about to rush towards him, but the Prophet  asked them to stay seated and keep their calm; he said, “Do not interrupt him!” The Companions watched as he urinated and perhaps he wasn’t even aware of them looking on! The Prophet , as he witnessed the scene – a man urinating in the mosque – continued to calm his Companions down. How forbearing he was! When the Bedouin had finished and stood up to tie his garment around his waist, the Prophet  called him gently. The Bedouin came and stood in front of the Prophet . The Prophet  said, “The mosques are not built for this purpose. They are only built for prayers and reading of the Qur’an.” This was end of his brief advice. The man understood the Prophet’s words and left. When the time for prayer came, the Bedouin came and prayed along with them. The Prophet  initiated the prayer with his Companions by saying “Allahu Akbar”. He then recited and bowed.