Countering Evil with a Better Deed

Interacting with others in life is necessary, as a person is
surrounded by neighbors, relatives and colleagues in institutions of
study and workplaces. Due to this dealing with different types of
people, it is natural to be made susceptible to harm from some of
them. Suppose that every such act one is subjected to, is met by an
evil one in its like, in return; regardless of whether this harm is
slight or great, or intentional or not, the communities would turn
into a jungle. People will abandon good traits and live without
regulations or rules. To prevent the Muslim community from this
detestable scenario, Allaah The Almighty commanded His believing
slaves to resist evil with something good, when He Says )what
means(:}And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel ]evil[ by
that ]deed[ which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you
and him is enmity ]will become[ as though he was a devoted
friend.{]Quran 41:34[
Undoubtedly, the ultimate act that is superior to countering evil with
its like, is to pardon and be compassionate, or at the least, to turn
away and avoid further embroiling oneself. Dear brother and sister! By
adopting this noble moral, you are safeguarding your own self-respect
and rationality. Therefore, you have to keep yourself away from the
provocation of foul people in order to be one of the true servants of
Allaah The Almighty. He describes them Saying )what means(:
·}And they who turn away from laghw )anything from falsehood, and that
includes association, other minor sins and all useless speech, actions
and concerns; furthermore, busying oneself with that which does not
concern him is included(.{ ]Quran 23:3[
·}And when they hear ill speech, they turn away from it and say: "For
us are our deeds, and for you are your deeds. Peace will be upon you;
we seek not the ignorant."{ ]Quran 28:55[
·}And when the ignorant address them ]harshly[, they say ]words of[
peace.{ ]Quran 25:63[
When one treats an abuser in a wholesome manner, he or she would
suppress his or her anger, thereby becoming one of those whom the
Prophet,, referred to when he said:"He who stifles his rage while he
is able to give vent to it, Allaah will summon him in front of all
people on the Day of Resurrection and let him choose from the Hoor
)maidens of Paradise( as he pleases."
Furthermore, one of the greatest benefits of repelling evil with a
better deed is that the enemy who wants to inflict harm and evil,
often converts into a defending supporter and a devoted friend. There
is a wondrous magic in good manners that it can be more influential
than physical force and vengeful will. Thus, antagonism changes into a
different sentiment, as Allaah The Almighty Says )what means(:}Repel
]evil[ by that ]deed[ which is better; and thereupon the one whom
between you and him is enmity ]will become[ as though he was a devoted
friend.{]Quran 41:34[ That is why Ibn 'Abbaasadvised:"Use your
forbearance to ward off the ignorance of those who harm you with ]that
trait of theirs[."
We have observed the best of all creatures, Muhammad,, not only
tolerating the maltreatment of the violent, but also overlooking that
and pardoning them. 'Aa'ishahdescribed him, saying:"He does not
counter evil with evil, rather he absolves and forgives."This was also
the example of the righteous peoplewho followed the methodology of the
Prophet,. One of them was insulted by someone once, so he said to
him:"If you are mistaken, I ask Allaah to pardon you; and if you are
correct, I ask Him to forgive me."
Although we are all required to adopt this trait, a person in a
position of power is worthier of doing so more than others. That is
why among the final instructions of the Prophet,, before his death,
was:"Whoever is given authority over something in the Ummah of
Muhammad and has the power to harm or bring benefit to anyone, then he
should reward those who do good and pardon those who commit evil."In
his,, life, a man once came to him complaining about his servant,
saying:"I have a servant who is a wrongdoer and an oppressor. Should I
beat him?"The Prophet,, said:"Forgive him as much as seventy times per
day."
Also, a person whose relatives treat him unjustly is particularly in
need of this quality. He or she should not meet their ill behavior
with evil in return; rather, he or she has to pardon, forgive and
increase in compassion. It was narrated that a man came to the
Prophet,, and said:"O Messenger of Allaah, I have some relatives with
whom I maintain ties of kinship and they sever them; I pardon them and
they oppress me; I treat them kindly and they harm me. Should I then
treat them in the same way?"The Messenger of Allaah,, replied:"No,
then you would all be sinners; rather, you should be better and
maintain the ties of kinship and as long as you are in that state, you
will have a protector and supporter appointed from Allaah with you.'"
Repelling vice with a better deed is the remedy that restores damaged
social relations. It reforms what has been corrupted and renews that
which is effaced. With this treatment, the manifestations of goodness
are revived, people race each other in virtuous acts, the gates of
iniquity are blocked to Satan and evil does not find any means to
spread. Instead, beneficence will prevail and the motives and
consequences of vice will be eradicated.