12 Tips from the Sunnah to Communicate Effectively with Others

Source: productivemuslim.com

By: Noorul Irfana Mashooq Rahman

We communicate with people on a daily basis, and what’s better than learning some important types of etiquette that could improve our daily interactions! I personally worked as an elementary school teacher in Sharjah for a period of time. After Allah blessed me with my third child, I couldn’t get back to work and I didn’t miss the work environment much except for a few wonderful things that used to happen. I reminisced all those small, lovely things and especially remembered the peace greetings.

The school where I used to work, being an Islamic one, had the full Islamic greeting instilled in its students from an early age, so whenever I used to enter any classroom and utter the greetings of peace, the entire class would reply, ‘wa’alaykum as-salaam warahmatul laahi wa barakaatuh’ (and may the peace and blessings [of Allah] be upon you) in unison.

It was so beautiful, so pleasing to the ears and I had taken it for granted! Though I knew I could not have that many duas showered over me now that I was at home, I made a mental note to use every talking/meeting opportunity (provided the kids weren’t crying or in tantrum-mode) to say the full greeting to everybody with the hope of receiving the same beautiful greeting; a small decision with much to yield, In sha Allah.

Footprints on the Sands of Time

Source: thehumblei.com

Here is a collection of musings, reminders and recollections I penned over the course of the last two years. Most can be found on my Facebook page (here), where they were first written. They cover a variety of themes and areas, with no particular structure or arrangement. As for the title of the post, I culled it from a line in a poem written by the American poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (d.1882) – widely held to be the best-loved American poet of his age – called A Psalm of Life:

Every Soul Shall Taste It

By: Jinan Bastaki

Source: http://www.suhaibwebb.com

“The eyes surely tear,

and the heart is surely in pain,

but (with my tongue) I will only say that which is pleasing to Allah,

and we are indeed sad at being separated from you, O Ibrahim.”

—Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him), upon losing his child Ibrahim at 2 years old

Al-Muhye, Al-Mumeet: The Life-Giver, the Life-Taker

These two names often come together, but I will be brief on al-Muhye, as I want to elaborate on it further in a separate article, and focus more on al-Mumeet here. These names are not mentioned in this exact form in the Qur’an, but their meaning is conveyed in numerous places. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala(exalted is He) says:
“He gives life and causes death (yuhyee wa yumeet), and to Him you will be returned,” [Qur’an, 10:56]

Al-Ghazali explains these two names, stating that “none is the creator of life and death but God—may He be praised and exalted, and so there is no life-giver or slayer but God—Great and Glorious.”

Allah gives life to things that are dead. We all witness the death of nature around us; a seed—a lifeless thing—is planted and given nourishment, and grows into a tall sturdy tree that gives us flowers and fruits. Then in autumn, the leaves fall, and the trees stand inanimate through the winter. But come spring, the flowers bloom again.  Indeed he is al-Muhye: He gives life. And perhaps the greatest manifestation is our own life: the growth of a human being, with a soul, from a sperm and an egg. Indeed, these are signs for people who reflect:

“He brings the living out of the dead and brings the dead out of the living and brings to life the earth after its lifelessness. And thus will you be brought out.” (Qur’an, 30:19)

As you can taste a pot full of food with a spoon, likewise someone’s tongue can tell you what’s in his heart.

 As you can taste a pot full of food with a spoon, likewise someone’s tongue can tell you what’s in his heart.
 Como se puede degustar una olla llena de comida con una cuchara, la lengua del mismo modo alguien puede decir lo que está en su corazón.
 Als je een pot vol voedsel kunt proeven met een lepel, kan de tong ook iemand vertellen wat er in zijn hart.
 Comme vous pourrez déguster un pot plein de nourriture avec une cuillère, la langue de même quelqu’un peut vous dire ce qui est dans son cœur.
 Da kann man einen Topf voll Essen mit einem Löffel probieren, kann ebenfalls jemand die Zunge Ihnen sagen, was in seinem Herzen.
 Zhèngrú nǐ kěyǐ pǐncháng dào chōngmǎn shíwù de guō, yòng sháozi, tóngyàng yīgèrén de shétou kěyǐ gàosù nǐ shénme shì zài tā de xīnzàng.
 Som du kan smaka en kruka full av mat med en sked, kan likaledes någons tunga berätta vad som finns i hans hjärta.
 Kak vy mozhete poprobovat’ gorshok , polnyy yedy s lozhkoy , analogichno chey-to yazyk mozhet skazat’ vam, chto v yego serdtse.
 Eğer bir kaşık ile yemek dolu bir pot tadabileceğiniz gibi, aynı şekilde kişinin dili yüreğinde ne söyleyebilirim.
 Come si può gustare un piatto pieno di cibo con un cucchiaio, la lingua allo stesso modo qualcuno può dire cosa c’è nel suo cuore.
 Seperti yang dapat Anda mencicipi pot penuh makanan dengan sendok, lidah juga seseorang dapat memberitahu Anda apa yang ada di hatinya.

What does your tongue say about you? (IMAGE)

A tongue has no bones but it is strong enough to break a heart. Be careful with your words.

 A tongue has no bones but it is strong enough to break a heart. Be careful with your words.
 Una lengua no tiene hueso, pero es lo suficientemente fuerte como para romper un corazón. Tenga cuidado con sus palabras.
 Een tong heeft geen botten, maar het is sterk genoeg om een ​​hart breken. Wees voorzichtig met je woorden.
 Une langue n’a pas d’os, mais il est assez fort pour briser un coeur. Soyez prudent avec vos mots.
 Eine Zunge hat keine Knochen, aber es ist stark genug, um ein Herz zu brechen. Seien Sie vorsichtig mit Ihren Worten.
 Shétou yǒu méiyǒu gǔtou, dàn tā shì qiángdà dào zúyǐ dǎpò xīnzàng. Yào xiǎoxīn nǐ dehuà.
 En tunga har inga ben, men det är tillräckligt starkt för att bryta ett hjärta. Var försiktig med dina ord.
 YAzyk bez kostey , no eto dostatochno sil’ny, chtoby razbit’ serdtse. Bud’te ostorozhny s vashimi slovami.
 Bir dil hiçbir kemikleri var ama bir kalbi kırmak için yeterince güçlü. Sizin kelime ile dikkatli olun.
 Una lingua non ha ossa, ma è abbastanza forte da spezzare il cuore. Fate attenzione con le vostre parole.
 Lidah tidak memiliki tulang tetapi cukup kuat untuk mematahkan hati. Hati-hati dengan kata-kata Anda.

Our tongue is only a small soft flesh, but it’s capable of breaking the strongest bonds and destroying relationships. Guard your tongue.

 Our tongue is only a small soft flesh, but it’s capable of breaking the strongest bonds and destroying relationships. Guard your tongue.
 Nuestra lengua es sólo una pequeña carne blanda, pero es capaz de romper los lazos más fuertes y la destrucción de las relaciones. Guarda tu lengua.
 Onze tong is slechts een klein zacht stuk vlees, maar het is in staat de sterkste banden en relaties te vernietigen. Bewaak je tong.
 Notre langue est seulement une petite chair tendre, mais il est capable de briser les liens forts et de détruire les relations. Garde ta langue.
 Unsere Zunge ist nur eine kleine weiche Fleisch, aber es ist in der Lage, brechen die stärksten Bindungen und Beziehungen zu zerstören. Schützen Sie Ihre Zunge.