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

The Prophet then prayed for more blessings in his wealth and business, hence he was blessed. 'Abd ar-Rahman said while describing his livelihood and business, "If you saw me then, you would have known that if I were to have turned over a stone, I would have found gold or silver underneath it!" The Prophet had an observant, caring personality, even with the weak and poor. He would make them feel valued. He would make them feel that he was aware of them, that they were important to him, and that he valued their efforts, no matter how insignificant they were. When he missed them, he would remember to mention them with good and praise their work, Be observant and complimentary which would encourage others to do the same. There was, in Madinah, a black lady who was a righteous believer. She used to clean the mosque. The Prophet would see her every now and then, and marvel at her keenness. Later, several days went by and the Messenger of Allah did not see her. When he asked about her, his Companions said, "She has passed away, O Messenger of Allah." He replied, "Why did you not inform me about this?" They then began to minimise the importance of her death, saying that she was a poor and obscure person, and not worthy enough for the Messenger of Allah to be informed about her death. They also said, "She died in the middle of the night, so we did not want to wake you up." The Prophet was then very keen to pray over her, for her work - even if the people deemed it insignificant - was great in the sight of Allah. But how could he pray over her whilst she was dead and buried? "Lead me to her grave," he ordered. The Companions then went with the Prophet , until they reached her grave. The Prophet prayed over her and said, "These graves are filled with darkness for their dwellers, but Allah illuminates these graves when I pray over them." Tell me, in Allah's Name, how would they feel, those who saw the Prophet value such a small deed by a weak woman? How great would their zeal be to do what this woman used to? Allow me to whisper this in your ears: We live in a society where such skills are not valued, so pay attention to this! Let not your enthusiasm die out due to a group of cumbersome and antagonistic people who, no matter how much you admire their good qualities, or praise them with soft and beautiful words, Be observant and complimentary would not be affected. They respond to your politeness with dull and boring words, with no taste, colour or smell! One noteworthy story concerning such people concerns a young man I know who was once invited to a great wedding ceremony where very important people were invited. He passed by a marketplace on his way and entered a perfume shop and pretending that he wanted to buy perfume. Hence, the shopkeeper welcomed him kindly and began to spray various expensive and sweet-smelling perfumes on him, so he may choose whatever may suit him best. However, when this friend of ours managed to cover his entire garment with perfume, he kindly said to the shopkeeper, "Thank you, very much! If any of these perfumes impress me, I might return to you." He then rushed off to the ceremony, hoping to arrive before the scent wore off. He finally arrived and sat next to his friend, Khalid, but Khalid did not notice the scent or even pass a comment. This friend of ours then said in astonishment, "Can't you smell the beautiful scent?" Khalid said: "No." Our friend said, "Your nose must be blocked!" Upon hearing this, Khalid instantly responded, "If my nose was blocked, I would not have smelt your odour!" An acknowledgement… No matter how successful one becomes, he would irrevocably remain human, and dance to words of praise. Be observant and complimentary (28) Only pass comment on what is good Some people are overzealously in making observations and passing comments. They do not seem to ever stop praising or being complimentary. However, as the old saying goes, "When something transgresses the limits, it becomes its opposite", or "whoever hurries for something before its due time, is often punished by being deprived thereof." Do praise things that are beautiful and charming − things over which a person feels happy when they are noticed, where he expects admiration and is moved upon hearing words of praise. As for things that people usually feel embarrassed about, or feel mortified upon noticing, then close your eyes to those. For example: you enter your friend's house and notice that the chairs are very old. Be careful that you do not become an irritating person who cannot cease to offer his unwanted advice.