Righteous believers, who are adorned with the morals of the Prophet (pbuh), follow the footsteps of the Prophet in every aspect of their lives. They give people happiness and tranquility through their smiling faces. Their glance becomes a cure for the sick souls.
Their lightened faces remind people Allah the Almighty and the life after death; since they continuously receive the blessings of the Prophet (pbuh).
To have a nature of rose like the Prophet (pbuh) and the friends of Allah is the befitting characteristic for the followers of Muhammad (pbuh). Because a rose endures the thorns on its branches, and in a way it is smiling through its nice scent and telling people “Think about me and be like me.”
Religion’s object is to raise such courteous, nice and sensitive people. Perfect believers are always in a state of greeting to the entire creation with their smiling faces. A window from their spiritual world is open to other creation; because, perfect believers are people who are courteous and sensitive like flowers and generous like fruitful trees.
Junaid al-Baghdādī says that the most important condition and manner in friendship with a brother in religion is to meet him with a smiling face and make him happy, while Abū Uthmān Hirī says in this regard that it means to smile him as long as he is not committing a sin. Abū Abdullah Sālimah states that nice talk and smiling face are distinctive characteristics of the friends of Allah.
Ḥarith al-Muḥāsibī (q.s) says that:
“Good manners means four things:
– To be patient before the tortures of heedless people.
– Not to be angry very much (To be able to say peace to the provocations of the ignorant.)
– To able to display the smiling face of Islam,
– To have a nice and soothing language.”
Ḥasan al-Baṣrī summarizes the good manners as follows:
“The essence of good manners is to spread goodness, not to disturb anybody and to have a smiling face.”
The dough of the universe is molded with the yeast of love. When everything from micro to macro cosmos is observed through the eyes of soul, it can be seen that there is Divine love in the essence of everything. The manifestation of Allah the Almighty in this universe, such as gardens, springs, flowers, butterflies, birds, etc. all remind people the essential Divine smile. How sad is for a servant to be unaware of these realities. What a servant needs to do is to perceive this Divine smile and reflect it to the other creature through his face.
If a believer lives his life by performing good deeds, then he will face the best smile at his deathbed. This state is described in the following verse:
“(As for) those who say: Our Lord is Allah, then continue in the right way, the angels descend upon them, saying: Fear not, nor be grieved, and receive good news of the garden which you were promised.” (41; 30)
Again it is stated in another verse:
“Now surely the friends of Allah -they shall have no fear nor shall they grieve.” (10; 62)
Who knows what kind of blessings that mature believers, who are able to reflect the Divine smile to Creation, will receive in the Hereafter!
Sheikh Sādī narrates a story in his Bostān:
“Once there was a man with good manners. He was responding the people who did harm to him with goodness. After this righteous man passed away, someone saw him in his dream and asked him:
“Tell me what happened to you after your death.”
Deceased man smiled and started to talk like a hummingbird singing:
“I have never done harm to anybody in my lifetime and never put a frowning face. I have always smiled. This is why now I am being treated nicely here.”
You cannot see the friends of Allah to have a grim face. Looking at their faces make people feel peace and tranquility and take them to a spiritual world. These friends of Allah take the grieving spirits into their souls and relieve their sadness. Their souls are like centers of peace and rehabilitation.
The real wisdom behind this tranquility is that because they remind people Allah and the Hereafter, they save them from the concerns, ambitions, and excessive desires of self and the temporal world. And they show people that the real peace and tranquility can be achieved through efforts on the path of eternal happiness.
Another form of wisdom behind the friends of Allah having a smiling face is their responsibility to convey the message of Islam.
Because having a smiling face and using kind and conciliatory words while conveying the message of Islam and warning people is a Divine command. Smile is a means of spiritual connection between people. This is why there is no other method of showing people the straight path of Islam better and effective than a smiling face. In fact this is stated in the following verse:
“Thus it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from around you; pardon them therefore and ask pardon for them, and take counsel with them in the affair; so when you have decided, then place your trust in Allah; surely Allah loves those who trust.” (3; 159)
About the significance of having a smiling face, using kind words, and being courteous in conveying message of Islam, Sādī narrates the following story in his book Bostān:
“There was a young man, with a smiling face and pleasantspoken, selling honey. Everybody loved him and he had many customers. He was loved so much that if he had sold poison instead of honey, people would have still bought it.
A grim-faced man became jealous of his trade and he wanted to sell honey. He took a cart full of honey and started walk around the town. He shouted “honey, honey”, but his grim face was like selling vinegar. Let alone selling honey to people, even fly did not land on his honey.
In the evening he went back home. He could not even make a dime. He got furious and sat down in a corner of his house. His wife told him as a joke:
“A sour face’s honey would be bitter.”
Bad characteristics take their owner to the Hell, while good manners come from the Paradise.
My friend! Walk and if it is necessary, drink warm water from the river; do not drink cold and tasty honey syrup from the hands of a grimy face under a burning sun. It is spiritual waste eating bread from the hands of a frowned face.
Do not make things complicated by being obstinate; because, the stubborn people always become miserable. Let’s assume you own nothing; don’t you even have sweet talk?”
You see, a smiling face and kind talk are the most important capitals in showing the right path to people who are destitute of faith and good manners. Even a sullen face smiles while walking in a rose garden among colorful flowers because of the nice reflections in his soul. People who have the responsibility to guide others should be able to soften the hardest souls and make the sullen faces smile.
Mature believers are smiling, enduring, and patient people in shouldering the pains of other people. It is necessary to have a soul molded with the wisdom of the Qur’ān and Sunnah and a face reflecting the smiling face of Islam. In services of spiritual teaching, smiling and gratitude should become a natural quality.
Dear Lord! Make us all merciful, compassionate, smiling, courteous, and mature believers. Bless our hearts with the love of faith and our faces with the smiling face of Islam.
Amin …