TWO PATHS, TWO OUTCOMES
Once, a Bedouin came to Madinah. He entered the Prophet’s mosque, where the Prophet of Islam was present along with his companions. Standing inside the mosque, he began urinating. People wanted to stop him, but the Prophet forbade them. He said, “Leave him alone, and pour a bucket of water over that spot. For you have been sent to make things easy, not difficult.” The people did so accordingly. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 220, Sunan al-Nasai, Hadith No. 56, Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 147, and Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 380)
The Bedouin, upon realizing the mistake he had made, was deeply moved by the Prophet’s gentle behavior. When he returned to his tribe, he narrated the entire incident to them. He said, “I urinated in the place of worship, but by God, Muhammad came to me—and by God, he neither cursed me, nor scolded me, nor struck me.” (Musnad Ahmad, Hadith No. 10533) Hearing this, his people were deeply moved and became his followers.
Consider a real event that took place in India during the festival of Holi. A group of Hindu youngsters was joyfully walking down a road, celebrating the festival with traditional colours and enthusiasm. On their path stood a mosque. In a moment of excitement, one of the youngsters playfully sprayed coloured water, some of which unintentionally splashed onto the mosque’s outer wall.
Seeing the colour on the mosque’s wall, the local Muslims became enraged. They began fighting with the Hindu youngsters. News of the incident spread quickly throughout the city, and riots erupted. The Muslims could not tolerate the colour on the wall, and as a result, the streets of the city were stained with their blood, and their houses and shops were set on fire.
Why is there such a difference between these two incidents? The reason is that the Prophet of Islam followed the divine religion, whereas present-day Muslims follow a communal religion. Those who follow the divine religion receive the assistance of angels. For them, the closed doors of hearts are opened. On the other hand, those who follow the communal religion have only their ego as their companion. Their actions fuel the fires of stubbornness and pride. They give others the “gift” of hatred, and in return, others give them the “gift” of hatred and revenge.
