'' Our Lord ! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter and save us from the torment of the Fire '' [Ameen]
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{in Arab} :->
Rabbanaa aatinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wafil aakhirati hasanatan waqinaa 'athaaban-naar/-
(Surah Al-Baqarah ,verse 201)
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20′s), there was a supervisor who used to harrass me. He was abusive
toward everyone, but he seemed to have a particular dislike of me. I
don't know why. Well, I had been experimenting with meditation, and
had been reading a few books about spirituality. One day I decided
that I would go about my day trying to see the soul within each
person. With each person I met, I would look past the exterior
appearance, past the external behaviors, and try to perceive the soul
inside.
It may sound silly or new-agey, but I noticed a difference
immediately. I was able to see things in people that I had not
previously perceived. In particular I saw a lot of fear. As I was
walking toward the cafeteria,I saw the abusive supervisor standing
near the door. I tried to forget everything I had experienced at his
hands, and look to his soul. I can't say exactlywhat I saw, but as I
approached him, he smiled at me. This was so unexpected and
incongruous, that I didn't know how to react and I continued on my way
without response.
After that day, I noticed a change.That supervisor and I certainly did
not become friends, but he stopped being hostile toward me. I cannot
really explain this, exceptto speculate that the act of looking to a
person's soul is a form of love, just as listening deeply, without
judgment, is an act of love. We are so unaccustomed in this life to
people regarding us in a pure way, without judgment, without
responding to our appearance or dress, without resentment for past
mistakes, that when someone does it, it's disarming. It transforms.
This is the power of love.
I'm not suggesting that all oppression in this world can be overcome
with a look. There is evil in the world. There are times when we must
fight to defend our lives and our families. Certain entities are
immune to the power of love (the current murderous regime in Syria is
not going to be overthrown with love). But even in the context of
conflict, love andfaith are powerful. Some Russian soldiers in
Chechnya embraced Islam after being captured by the mujahideen and
treated with kindness. Some soldiers in Egypt who were ordered to fire
upon civilians refused to do so after being embraced or kissed by
protesters.
The Prophet Muhammad (sws) himself was a reluctant warrior who
disliked fighting except as a last resort. He was one of the
firstmilitary leaders in history to lay down stringent rules for
humane warfare, prohibiting even the killing of animals or burning of
crops. He was a champion of faith, not fighting. His mission was one
of compassion. The mostpowerful tools in his arsenal werethe Quran and
the testimony of "Laa ilaha il-Allah" (there is no Godbut Allah). That
is how he changed the world.
Proof of this is that, as Wikipedia reports, "The sum total of all
casualties on all sides in all the battles of Muhammad range from 1200
to 1500 dead according to the most authoritative sources." This is
outrageously low by today's standards.
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