Be Kind to Others

There are two types of people- those who come into a room and say, “Well, here I am!” and those who come in and say. “Ah, there you are.”

So, I absolutely love the name gave- Here-I-Am versus There-You-Are!...

During the times when we are freezing cold, they come with a blanket and say Here-I-Am. When we are hungry, they have food in their hands and say Here-I-Am. When we need support, they lend their shoulders and say Here-I-Am. When we are limping in pain, they hold our hands and say Here-I-Am. They say Here-I-Am and share the only biscuits they have with us. They pick up phone calls at midnight and say don’t worry, Here-I-Am. During moments when we feel all alone and lonely, they come knocking our doors and say Here-I-Am. And sometimes, when they see us teary from far, they come closer and say Here-I-Am darling, don’t worry about a thing.

I ask myself-Am I living a life as a Here-I-Am person or There-You-Are person? Which one are you?

I remembered a verse sent down to us from Allah, our Lord who said:

“ Woe to worshippers, who are absent minded to their prayer, those who make a show (of piety), and refuse to render small acts of kindness (towards others).” (Al-Ma’un 107:4-7)

I learned the word woe meant serious (Code Red!) grief, misfortune, affliction, sadness, despair, misery and wretchedness.

Ya Allah, I am so afraid that if I continue to close one eye and ignore all these opportunities for me to do small acts of kindness Allah would send a package of “serious grief” to me! A package that says “Special Delivery: Compliments from your Lord. Thanks for the service Not Rendered to My Other Creations”. Do I dare face the consequences of such a “special package” delivery just because I am too lazy, too proud, too busy, too tired to be kind, to help, to care, to assist another person? Do you dare?

Suddenly I realized that I really needed to know something. What does Allah meant by small acts of kindness? How small is small? The answer come from our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him):

“Do not belittle even the smallest act of kindness, even if it were no more than meeting your brother with a smiling and cheerful face.” (Muslim)

I remember an anonamous quote that says:

Treat everyone with kindness, even those who are rude to you-not because they are nice, but because you are.

From Life Is An Open Secret by Zabrina A.Bakar