Ways
of
Praise

You know the world can be a pretty tough place to live in,

and no matter who we are we will be sent trials to deal with,

and because we are made of bodies and minds,

we will all at some time have to face some kind of suffering.

Disease can attack bodies

and quickly make the strong weak.

Accidents can take away prior abilities.

Death can take away loved ones.

So the world is full of physical and emotional pain,

and we would expect the Deen to show us ways of dealing with that pain,

using it to transform ourselves for the better.

But also it should guide us to

the best way to get rid of the things that cause the pain in the first place.

The most important thing for a community to do

if it is to avoid suffering

is to stop its members from causing each other pain.

What we need is for people

to be gentle with each other.

Now we do like different things about each other in different situations,

there may be a time when you would be grateful to have someone strong by your side,

or someone who is brave,

or someone who is clever,

but to deal with suffering and the relief of pain you need someone who is gentle.

And some people are born with a gentleness of nature,

but gentleness can also be learned.

It's something we practice together in our relationships.

Because being gentle is not really something we can do on our own,

it's about how we treat other people.

Gentleness is trying not to cause hurt,

and we use it when we show love and affection.

So when other people are gentle towards us we tend to like them,

and in the same way when we are gentle to other people they tend to like us.

We have a community that shows love and affection for each other.

And the finest example we can have

of gentleness of nature,

is that of Muhammad the Messenger,

who was known to be the most kind and gentle of men.

But of course there are other Ways of Being

that we admire in each other

and hope to show in ourselves.

What is the point of being humble?

Do people need to do things on their own?

How does being brave help ourselves and others?