Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Aoa, very GLAD! at u answering my previous questoins! actually u answered all o them until now, and now this encouraged me to write more! so here goes my another question: i just came through a comprehension in my exams.. where it was written that listening to your insults while absorbin all ov the things the person insultin says whos, is not bravery? .. while accordin to a hadith its said the one who absorbs his anger and witholds himselff is the true beleiver, altho in here it was written the ppl who are lyk, listenin to their insults and think that this is an act ov bravery are wrong! and it also said that cowardice is detested by Allah Almighty and the Holy Prophet thats why it conused me , as it was an islam-based comprehension.. u know! ... me bein a student hav been throuh Holy Prophet PBUH`s bioraphy and hav ound out that Holy Prophet always absorbed the curses while paans used to curse them, and he never replied back in order to show HIS BRAVERY? and well he only ougght in battles when Allah permitted, as in battle ov badr, when he permitted in Surah Baqaarah verse number 190; ffight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you ...and other prophets, even they were sent as a mercy...they didn`t show their superiorness, but teached Allah`s unity...

sooooo what do you say> i just want mysel to be assured o all this, cuz i reretting or once, my endurin attitude, and the comprehension blamin me as a coward! and it said that Allah;s blessins are fforbidden on whom whose a coward... oh well!! please i need urther consolation, altho i narrated what i think about it...help me out :)

Allah HAfiz 

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Answer:

Insults bravery coward

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 41 Surah Haa Meem verses 33-36:

33 Who is better in speech than one who calls (men) to Allah works righteousness and says "I am of those who bow in Islam"?

34 Nor can goodness and evil (ever) be equal! Repel (evil) with what is best: then will he, between whom and you was hatred, become as it were thy friend and intimate!

35 And no one will be granted such goodness except those who exercise patience and self-restraint; none but persons of the greatest good fortune.

36 And if (at any time) an incitement to discord is made to you by the Shaytaan, seek refuge in Allah. He is the One Who Hears and Knows all things.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 42 Surah Shura verse 37:

37 (The true believers are) Those who avoid the greater crimes and shameful deeds, and when they are angry even then forgive.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 24 Surah Noor verse 22 (part):

……let them (the believers) forgive and overlook: do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 45 Surah Jatthiya verses 14-15:

14 Tell those who believe to forgive those who do not look forward to the Days of Allah: it is for Him to recompense (for good or ill) each people according to what they have earned.

15 If anyone does a righteous deed it is to his own benefit; if he does evil it works against (his own soul). In the end will ye (all) be brought back to your Lord.

Sahih Muslim Hadith 6313 Narrated by Abu Hurayrah

Allah's Messenger (saws) said: ‘The strong man is not one who wrestles the other to the ground; but the strong man is one who controls himself when he is angry.’

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 5116 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "No one has swallowed back anything more excellent in the Sight of Allah Who is Great and Glorious, than the anger which he restrains seeking to please Allah, The Most High."

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 1740 Narrated by Abdullah ibn Mas'ud

The Prophet (saws) said: A believer does not taunt, curse, abuse or talk indecently.

Sunan of Abu-Dawood Hadith 4762 Narrated by Mu'adh ibn Jabal

Two men reviled each other in the presence of the Prophet (saws) and one of them became excessively angry so much so that I thought that his nose will break up on account of excess of anger. The Prophet (saws) said: ‘I know a phrase which, if he repeated, he could get rid of this angry feeling.’ They asked: ‘What is it, O Messenger of Allah (saws)?’ He (saws) replied: ‘He should say: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytaan.’

Dear and beloved brother in Islam, the barometer or determination of strength/bravery and weakness/cowardice in the Sight of Allah is quite different from what is termed acceptable in this modern-educated-but ungodly world!

Islam guides that strength and bravery is not the overpowering and humiliating of one who makes one upset or angry by his evil deeds or words….but strength and bravery in the Sight of Allah is when one says or does an evil to a believer, and the believer is quite able and capable and has the strength and resources to respond to that evil done to him with like evil….but the believer, only for the fear and sake of Allah not only displays patience, wisdom, and grace and swallows his anger, but out of the goodness of his heart forgives and forbears the ignorance done towards him. Not only that, the believer repels the evil done towards him by doing good to his adversary, and makes sincere supplications to His Lord Most Merciful to guide the one who has done him harm and forgive him his sins……These are the believers who manifest their righteousness and their piety, and they are those who have status and rank in the Sight of Allah for their strength and their bravery!

Swallowing ones anger and natural instinct of retribution and displaying dignity, patience, forbearance, grace, and forgiveness when one has complete control to respond to the evil done towards him is not cowardliness in the Sight of Allah….but cowardliness in the Sight of Allah is to be afraid to stand up to an evil-doer or injustice only for the fear of the evil consequences which might befall upon oneself personally if he were to go against the unjust wishes and desires of the evil-doer…..that state of mind is weakness and cowardliness in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan