Have you ever contemplated upon how deeply our words can affect others?
Around the 100th year after hijrah (around the early 8th century, CE) in the city of Kufah, Iraq, there was a young man by Nu’man. Raised in a family of merchants, Nu’man did not grow up in the pursuit of Islamic sciences with a scholarly background. He was groomed towards becoming a proficient businessman, much like his father before him.
One day on the way to the markets, Nu’man passed by a scholar by the name of Ash-Sha’bi, who was a tabi’ee, a student to the companions of the Prophet Muhammadﷺ. Ash-Sha’bi asked the young man, “who are you going to?”
Nu’man replied that he was on the way to see another merchant. Ash-Sha’bi said, “I am not referring to you going to the market. I meant which scholars do you go to see to seek knowledge?”
Nu’man, who realized that the Sheikh thought that he was a student of knowledge, then said, “Oh, I hardly ever attend any of their classes”
Ash-Sha’bi then said, “I can see signs of intelligence and energy in you. You should seek knowledge and sit in the company of learned men.”
Nu’man said, “His advice left an impact in my heart. Ever since then, I left behind turning to the market, and instead turned to the pursuit of knowledge. Thus, Allah benefitted me through Ash-Sha’bi’s advice.”
Thus began his journey in Islamic scholarship. Despite only starting his pursuit of knowledge well into his adult years, his dedication and passion eventually nurtured him to become one of the greatest scholars in Islamic history.
This young man’s full name is Nu’man ibn Thabit, otherwise known as Abu Hanifah.
Yes, the great Imam Abu Hanifah, one of the four prominent imams of the mazhabs (schools of Islamic jurisprudence), of whom at least one third of the Muslim nation today attribute their following, the Hanafi mazhab.
His entire pursuit of scholarship can be traced back to be the result of the encouraging words from the random encounter of one person, ash-Sha’bi. Imagine the mountains of rewards that Allah will effortlessly reward Ash-Sha’bi on the Day of Judgment because of his few words in this life-changing moment!
This is indeed from the barakah (blessings) from Allah due to a person’s sincere advice. This is as Prophet Isa (Jesus) alayhissalam said,
وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُ
“And He (Allah) has made me blessed (mubarak) where I may go” (Surah Maryam 19:31)
Why was Prophet Isa “blesssed”? What does this mean?
In the books of tafsir, the early scholars stated that this means, "And He made me a teacher of goodness”, “A person of great benefit”, and “commanding good and forbidding evil wherever he was”
In other words, he was blessed because of his ACTIONS, and therein lies a practical lesson for us: This is how we can attain barakah from Allah. Keep on giving good advice, words of encouragement, and beneficial reminders.
You never know which one will stick: which ones will Allah add His barakah to, and grant His Guidance.
Don’t worry about how many people “like”, “share”, or even respond to your calls. Worry about how sincere and how much effort you put into that advice. Leave the rest to Allah.
I personally can recall how many people have had a profound impact on my life because of their words of advice for me. I recall an incident that happened over 11 years ago, where I was eating out with a few friends. One of our friends, who just learnt a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ, observed my sloppy manners of eating, not finishing my food, with bits and pieces of food and grains of rice remaining on my plate when I was done.
Lowering his voice, he told me personally, “brother, can I give you some advice? Please do not take any offence, ya. You really should finish up your food and don’t leave bits and pieces of food like that on the plate to waste, because the Prophet ﷺ said,
فَإِنَّهُ لاَ يَدْرِي فِي أَىِّ طَعَامِهِ تَكُونُ الْبَرَكَةُ
“..(you) do not know in where the barakah (blessing) lies in your food.” (Muslim)
That advice really impacted me and from that moment on, I make an effort to finish my food completely at every meal to seek Allah’s barakah, to the extent that I started getting very uncomfortable when I observe people not finishing their food and would “help” others so we do not get deprived from the barakah.
So much so that until today, my mom considers me “DBKL” (KL city municipal) because I help “clean up” the dinner table.
I have so much positive jealousy for this brother who gave me this advice! For more than 10 years (and counting), all of those times I finished up my meals in conscious efforts to uphold this sunnah, he gets a share of that reward effortlessly, because of that one moment of advice.
And the more I think about the impact of those around me – my parents, teachers, good company of friends – it humbles me to feel a sense of gratitude for helping me shape the person I am today.
Which really got me thinking and wondering: How much impact have I had on others? What have I left behind that has left a mark that can be a source of my investment for success Hereafter? To my wife? My son? The rest of my family? My friends? My colleagues?
Be mindful of what we say, because the impact of our words can swing the other way around too: if we aren’t careful, it could be a source of punishment against us. The Prophet ﷺ said,
إِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ رِضْوَانِ اللَّهِ لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً، يَرْفَعُ اللَّهُ بِهَا دَرَجَاتٍ، وَإِنَّ الْعَبْدَ لَيَتَكَلَّمُ بِالْكَلِمَةِ مِنْ سَخَطِ اللَّهِ لاَ يُلْقِي لَهَا بَالاً يَهْوِي بِهَا فِي جَهَنَّمَ
“A slave (of Allah) may utter a word which pleases Allah without giving it much importance, but because of that Allah will raise him to degrees (of reward)!
A slave (of Allah) may utter a word (carelessly) which displeases Allah without thinking of how heavy it is, and because of that he will be thrown into the Hell-Fire." (Al-Bukhari)
Who do you know of in your life that has had a huge impact on you? What were their words and actions that helped shape you who are today?
How has that shaped your life in how you treat others?
#thePowerOfWords #theBarakahEffect
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