THE HADITH OF GENTLENESS
This world operates according to the fixed laws of nature. One of these laws is that a greater part of power in this world lies in non-violence, while violence often leads to destruction. The greatest source of power in God’s world is peace, not war. This law of nature is expressed in a hadith:
“Indeed, God grants through gentleness what He does not grant through harshness.” (Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 2593)
This Hadith does not pertain only to moral behaviour; rather, it applies to all forms of action, including major activities in collective life. The principle is that any meaningful action in this world requires deep planning. Numerous obstacles exist on the path of every endeavour, and at every step, there is the potential for conflict with others.
In such situations, what should one do?
If you decide to remove all obstacles from your path before proceeding so that your journey may continue quickly and without interruption, the result will be that your journey may never even begin. Such an approach leads to endless conflict. You will continuously fight one obstacle after another, and this violent struggle will never end.
This is because God has created human life in this world with various challenges and obstacles (Quran, 90:4). It is God’s will that this world will never be free of difficulties. In such a situation, adopting a confrontational approach leads only to futile efforts, not to any meaningful or productive action.
The correct method of action in this world is to overlook obstacles and focus on utilizing opportunities through peaceful means. According to the Quran, difficulties (‘usr) never exist alone in this world; they are always accompanied by ease (yusr):
“Surely with every hardship there is ease.”
(Quran, 94:5)
In this verse, ‘usr refers to problems, and yusr refers to opportunities. According to the laws of nature, these two are inseparable. As Ibn Kathir explains: “With every difficulty, there exists an ease.” (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Vol. 8, p. 417).
In such circumstances, the proper approach is to disregard problems and challenges and to focus instead on utilizing the available opportunities in a non-confrontational manner.
The madrasa movement is a practical example of this wise principle. In the 19th century, when scholars initiated this movement, one possible thought could have been to eliminate the existing hardships first—such as overthrowing the British rulers, destroying the structure of the English education system, and so on. Only then, they might have believed, would they have the chance to establish their preferred educational system in the country.
Had the scholars adopted this mindset, the movement would have started and ended within a few years, yielding no positive results for the Muslim community—just as many violent movements have failed to produce any meaningful benefits.
However, God granted the scholars the insight to understand the difference between these two approaches. They abandoned the futile task of destroying others and devoted all their energy to the constructive field of building their own system. The result was so successful that this movement became a practical example of the principle outlined in the Hadith mentioned earlier.
