The Orchards of Love – Part Two

The Beauty of Islam
When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) entered the blessed city of Madinah Munawwarah on the occasion of hijrah, multitudes of people eagerly awaited him. Among them were the ardent lovers of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) – the Ansaar (radhiyallahu ‘anhum) of Madinah Munawwarah – as well as the Jews and idolaters who resided in the city. The non-Muslims were quite curious to meet the person who claimed prophethood and hear his message.
Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) then delivered a public sermon in which he invited the people to the beautiful teachings of Islaam. Hazrat Abdullah bin Salaam (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), who was a Jewish Rabbi at that time, describes his first encounter with Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in the following words:
“I was among the people who came to see Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), and when my gaze fell upon his blessed face, I immediately knew that his face was not the face of an impostor. The very first words that emanated from his blessed mouth were, “O People! Make salaam a common practice among yourselves, provide the people with food, join ties with your family, perform nafl salaah during the night while people are asleep, and enter Jannah with salaam (with peace and grace from Allah Ta‘ala).”” (Sunan Ibnu Maajah #3251)
This was the first impression that was left in the heart of Hazrat Abdullah bin Salaam (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and others regarding the beauty of Islam. He saw that Islam is a religion that does not only advocate justice, but goes much further to promote the highest level of compassion and kindness when dealing with the creation. It was on account of this that later on, Hazrat Abdullah bin Salaam (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) embraced Islam.
When we think of showing kindness and love to the creation, then generally charitable causes come to mind. However, showing kindness and love to the creation is not confined to this. Rather, kindness and love should reflect in every dimension of a Muslim’s life.
Be it a word of encouragement to a downtrodden person, giving advice to one in difficulty, providing a meal to the poor, comforting the bereaved, assisting those in financial constraints, greeting the next Muslim with a smile and bringing cheer to his heart, making an effort to refrain from causing any pain and inconvenience to people, be they Muslims or non-Muslims, and overlooking the faults of people – all these are reflections of the spirit of kindness and love that was exhibited by our beloved Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) when dealing with the creation throughout his mubaarak life.