Quran 41:34 (Repel The Evil With Good)
وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّنْ دَعَآ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا وَّقَالَ إِنَّنِیْ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِيْنَ. وَلَا تَسْتَوِی الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِیَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِیْ بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيْمٌ. [O Prophet! You are calling them towards God] and whose words can be better than the person whose calls people to God and does righteous deeds and says: “I am among the obedient.” [38] In reality, good and evil are not equal. [There is no doubt that these disbelievers of yours are now after evil, [39] but] you do that which is good in response to evil [40]. Then you will see that the very person between who and yourself there is enmity it is as if he has become a bosom friend [41] . (Quran 41:33-34) (Excerpt from Al-Bayan: Javed Ahmed Ghamidi) (Translated by Dr. Shehzad Saleem) ______________________________ [38] . Here in a very subtle style the attention of the disbelievers is directed to the Prophet’s message and personality. They are told that this message calls them to the onenness of God and to worship Him alone. At the same time, the person who is presenting this message is an embodiment of righteousness, a true and sincere believer of his Lord. [39] . It is mentioned earlier that that miscreants of the Quryash had gone so far to oppose the Prophet (sws) that they would urge people to make noise when he stood to recite the Qur’an so that nothing could be heard. The attitude that should be adopted in return is explained ahead. [40] . Ie., patience and forgiveness because it is only this attitude which is befitting to reform people. Thus every caller to the truth has been directed by the Almighty to adhere to this attitude before the phases of conclusive communication of the truth and decisive punishments arrive. [41] . This is stated with regard to general human nature . Imam Amin Ahsan Islahi writes: … When people whose nature has not been perverted see that so anxious is a person in wishing well for them that in spite of their bad behaviour and disrespect for him his graciousness towards them remains the same and in fact he responds to this bad behaviour with prayers for them, their attitude does change: even if because of some misunderstanding they have animosity for him they are deeply influenced by his magnanimous behaviour and their animosity gives way to love and affection and they become his bosom friends. Thus, it is an undeniable fact that the most effective factor in the preaching mission of Muhammad (sws) was this aspect of his character. Whoever among his enemies had any trace of decency in them were greatly influenced by this aspect of his character and ultimately became his sincere companions and undaunted men of Islam. Only those hard-hearts whose nature had been perverted were not affected by this attitude . (Amin Ahsan Islahi, Tadabbur-i Qur’an, vol. 7, 103)