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The world takes its path according to a regular pattern.
Events happen and show themselves one after another. Our small existence
in this vast universe is like a small particle which moves and impinges
on other particles at every instant of time. The running of this world
is not in our hands and the events of this world do not occur according
to our will. From the moment that one sets foot outside his house in the
morning until the time he returns home in the evening, one may be confronted
with hundreds of unpleasant circumstances.
One comes across a great many difficulties in the
arena of life. You might be insulted by someone, have an unfriendly colleague,
have to wait for the bus too long, have been accused of something at work,
have lost some money, have been robbed, or have come across anyone of a
number of similar events that could happen to anybody anywhere.
You might be so frustrated with the usual everyday
events of your life that you resemble a time bomb which could explode any
time.
Well you may think that you cannot blame other people
or the world for your mishaps, so when you come home, you try to vent your
anger out on your wife and children. You enter your house and it is as
if 'Izrail (the angel of death) has arrived. The children disperse like
little mice in front of you. God forbid that you should find something
to pick up fault. with! The food may be salty or saltless, your cup of
tea may not be ready, the house may be untidy, or the children make a noise.
and it gives you a good excuse to blow your top in your own house.
You then become furious and shout at every body, abuse
them, hit the children, and so on. You will have then turned a house of
affection and friendship into a burning hell in which you and the rest
of your family would have to suffer.
If the children are able to run away from home into
the streets, they would do so, and if they cannot do that, then they count
the seconds until you leave the house.
It is patently obvious what an apathetic and horrific
atmosphere is dominant in families of this kind. There are always rows
and arguments. Their house is always in a mess. The wife hates to see her
husband's face.
How can a woman live happily with a grim and bad- tempered man?
Worse than all is the fate of children who are to
grow up in such an environment. The parents' quarrels would certainly leave
a scar on their sensitive souls and hearts. Children who experience this
kind of hardship, tend to become furious, aggressive, depressed, and pessimistic
type of people in their adulthood. They become disheartened in their family
and go astray. They might fall into the traps of corrupt people and turn
to crimes of different kinds. They might even become so complexed and mentally
disturbed that they might even endanger other lives and commit murder or
even suicide.
The reader is recommended to conduct research into
the backgrounds of criminals. Statistics and the daily news of criminal
events all reflect this fact.
Responsibilities of all these lie with the guardian
of the family who has not been able to control his temper and who has mistreated
his family. Such a person can never find peace in this world and would
be punished in the next.
Dear Sir! we are not in a position and cannot control
the affairs of this world. Mishaps, hardships, and sorrowful events are
all inseparable parts of this life. Everybody experiences difficulties
at different times. As a matter of fact, one can reach maturity through
hardship. One must confront them with strength and must try to find solutions
to them.
Human beings have the ability to meet with hundreds
of small and large difficulties and not to give in under the strain of
misfortune.
Worldly events are not the only reason for our being
upset, but rather it is our nervous system which becomes affected by such
events and causes us to experience discomfort. Therefore, if one could
control himself when faced with the unhappy events of life, one would not
become annoyed or angry.
Suppose that you have experienced an unpleasant event.
This event is either an inseparable part of daily events with which we
cannot interfere or that we cannot help. Or it might be an event in which
we can thrust our own decision.
It is obvious that in the former case, our annoyance
would not help in anyway. We would be wrong to become angry or bad-tempered.
We must remember that we were not responsible for its occurrence and even
try to welcome it with a smiling face. But if our bad experience is of
the latter type, then we can seek a suitable solution for it.
If we do not lose heart when faced with hardships
and try to control ourselves, we can, through prudence, overcome our difficulties.
In this way we would not resort to anger which may itself add to our problems.
Therefore, a wise person is the one who is not affected by hardships.
We have the ability to overcome all difficulties through
patience and wisdom. Is it not a pity that We lose control over matters
resulting from inevitable events of life?
Moreover, why should you blame your wife and children
for your misfortunes?
Your wife is performing her share of duty. She has
to take care of the house and the children. She has to do the washing,
cooking, ironing, cleaning, etc. You should encourage her in the way you
treat her.
Your children are also doing their own work. They
too wait for their father to make themselves happy. Teach them the right
things and encourage them in their studies.
Is it fair that you confront your family with a grim
and angry face?
They expect you to fulfill their righteous desires.
They expect kindness from you and want you to talk to them gently and behave
pleasantly.
They would hate you for ignoring their feelings and for turning the house into a dark place in which there is not a glimpse of happiness.
Do you know how much they could suffer from your unpleasant and harsh manners?
Even if you do not take your family very seriously,
at least have mercy upon yourself. You can be sure that you would damage
your own health by being. bad-tempered.
How can you continue to work and how can you achieve
anything successfully? Why should you turn your house into a hell?
Is it not better for you to always be happy and confront
your problems with prudence and not anger?
Would you not prefer to believe that anger would not
solve your problems, but rather it would add to them. Would you not agree
that, while being at home, you should rest and regain your strength in
order to find a suitable solution to your problem with a clear mind? You
should meet your family with a smile on your face. You should joke with
them in a nice manner and try to create a happy atmosphere at home. You
should eat and drink with them and take rest. In this way you and your
family would enjoy life and you would overcome your problems easily.
That is why the holy religion of Islam regards good
behaviour as a part of religion and a sign of the utmost level of faith.
"The Prophet (SA) of Allah stated: 'Whoever is more
well-behaved is more complete in his faith. The best among you (the people)
is one who does good to his family'."'[157]
"The Prophet (SA) also stated: 'There is no deed better
than good behaviour'."[l58]
"Imam Sadiq (AS) stated: 'Doing good to the people
and behaving properly with them makes the cities populous and increases
the age (of the citizens)'."[I59]
"Imam Sadiq (AS) also stated: ' An immoral person
remains involved in torture and anguish'." '[160]
"Wise Luqman stated: ' A sagacious man must act like
a child when with his family, and leave his manly behaviour for when out
of his house'."[161]
The prophet (SA) of Allah stated: 'There is no joy
better than good behaviour'."[162]
"The Prophet (SA) also stated: 'Good behaviour is
half the religion (of Islam)'."[163]
"It has been reported that when Sa'ad ibn Ma'adh,
one of the great companions of the Holy Prophet (SA) died, the Holy Prophet
(SA) took part in his funeral with bare feet, as if he had lost someone
from among his own family.
The Prophet (SA) placed the dead body in the grave with his pious hands and then covered it. The mother of Sa'ad who was observing the Holy Prophet's (SA) respect for her son, addressed Sa'ad and said: 'O Sa'ad! enjoy Paradise.' The Prophet (SA) of Allah told her: 'O mother of Sa'ad, do not say that, because Sa'ad has just experienced Daghtat al-Qabr* (torment by way of compression in the grave etc). Later, when the Prophet (SA) was asked about the reason for Sa'ad's Dagh!at al-Qabr, the Prophet (SA) replied: 'it was because he (Sa'ad) was maltreating his family'."[164]
*Daghtat al-Qabr: 'Compression in the grave' which is a kind of torment for the deceased person against his sins.
REFERENCES
[157] Bihar al-Anwar, vol 103, p 226.
[158] Shafi, vol 1, p 166.
[159] Ibid.
[160] Ibid, p 176.
[161] Mahajjat al-Bayda, vol 2, p 54.
[162] Bihar al-Anwar, vol 71, p 389.
[163] Ibid, p 385.
[164]
Ibid, vol 73, p 298.