Jews came to the Prophet and said, "As-Saamu 'Alaykum [death be on
you]." 'Aa'ishah therefore said (to them), "[Death] be upon you,
andmay Allaah curse you and inflict His wrath upon you." The Prophet
said: "O 'Aa'ishah! Be calm. You should be kind and lenient, and
beware of severity and bad words." She said, "Did you not you hear
what they said?" He replied: "And did you hear what I said [to them]?
I said the same tothem, and my supplication against them will be
accepted while theirs against me will be rejected." [Al-Bukhaari and
Muslim]
This is how the Prophet taught us to avoid severity and resort to
easygoingness in all matters; he said: "Leniency adorns anything that
contains it, while anything that it is void of isdistorted."
The Meaning of Severity
Leniency means moderateness and kindness while severity is theabsence
of these qualities in dealing with any matter. In otherwords, it is
extremism and exaggeration that are accompanied by stiffness and
rudeness when dealing with others, even if they have behaved
impolitely.
Treating people severely creates adesire for retaliation when there is
a chance to do so, while kindness reconciles the hearts and makes
people obedient.
Deprived of Goodness
The one deprived of leniency and who lives among people and treats
them violently would be deprived of goodness, as the Prophet said:
"The one who isdeprived of leniency would be deprived of all
goodness."
Severity is a disgraceful and evil phenomenon that leads to the
spreading of grudges and enmities among people. It creates a desire
for challenging others and stubbornness that in turn leads to
disobeying orders and directives, even if they are good. Severity in
attempting to fix any mechanism leads to its breakage, while severity
when facing calamities destroys one's power and energy.
Violence, Severity and the Mass Media
Many studies and seminars have tackled the effects of violence and
severity propagated by the mass media on the behavior of its audience,
especially youngsters.
Unfortunately, many of the programs and series that are broadcast
today represent the oppression that people suffer at others' hands,
beginning from snubbing, neglecting and ridiculing them up to hitting,
cursing, or even committing crimes against them such as assault or
murder. This, undoubtedly, affects young people and this effect
appears later on in life, as some studies have revealed.
Violence and Severity with Servants and the Weak
An aspect of violence that people see in some communities is that
practiced against servants and other weak people, in addition
todespising them and burdening them with unbearable hard work, some
people may even hit them and abuse them physically and mentally. This
is something that should not, for any reason, be spread in Muslim
communities. Here is an incident that took place at the time of
theProphet :
Abu Mas'ood Al-Badri said: "Once, I was beating my slave with a whip
when I heard a voice behind me saying, 'O Abu Mas'ood, you ought to
know.' I did not recognize the voice because of my severe anger. When
he [who had spoken] approached me, I found that it was the Messenger
of Allaah and he was saying: 'O Abu Mas'ood, you ought to know
thatAllaah has more dominance over you than you have over your slave.'
I [then] said, 'I would never ever beat a servant again infuture.'"
The wording of another narration of this incident reads, "Abu Mas'ood
said 'He is free for the Sake of Allaah.' The Prophet said, 'If you
had not have done that, you would have been burnt by the Fire.'"
Violence and Severity Against Women
Statistics show that violence against women has become a widespread
phenomenon in western countries, which may be due to the corruption
and deviation of the methods of upbringing there. There is no doubt
that our societies are not free from such strange cases where women
and children are exposed to violence. In spite of the fact that these
cases are limited in our societies, we should remind people that this
is something that is despicable and contradicts the Islamic Sharee'ah
and its moral system.
The Prophet said: "I forbid the[usurping of the] right of two weak
people: orphans and women." When the Prophet was informed that some
men hit their wives, he said: "They are notthe best among you."
If women or children needed to be reformed, physical punishment should
be the last resort. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {Men are in
charge of women by [right of] what Allaah has given one over the other
and what they spend [for maintenance] from their wealth. So righteous
women are devoutlyobedient, guarding in [the husband's] absence what
Allaah would have them guard. But those [wives] from whom you fear
arrogance - [first] advise them; [then if they persist], forsake them
in bed; and [finally],strike them gently. But if they obey you [once
more], seek no means against them. Indeed, Allaah is ever Exalted and
Grand.} [Quran 4:34]
Even if it reaches this extent, the Sharee'ah rules that guarantee the
safety of the soul and the body and that allow no harm to be done
should be observed.
Violence with Animals
Some people who have a corrupt disposition find pleasure in tormenting
animals and use violence against them. Islam forbids this. The Prophet
onceentered an orchard that was owned by one of the Ansaar and found a
camel in it. When the camel saw the Prophet it shed tears, so the
Prophet wiped his tears and asked about his owner. A man from the
Ansaar said that it was his, so theProphet said to him: "Will notyou
fear Allaah with regards to the animal that He has granted you? It
complained to me that you keep it hungry and exhaust it."
In conclusion, it has to be remembered that the lenient person gains
safety, while violence and severity only leads to remorse.
