بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
وَابْتَغِ فِيمَا آتَاكَ اللَّهُ الدَّارَ الْآخِرَةَ وَلَا تَنسَ نَصِيبَكَ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا وَأَحْسِن كَمَا أَحْسَنَ اللَّهُ إِلَيْكَ وَلَا تَبْغِ الْفَسَادَ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
Surah al-Qasas, Verse 77
But seek, through that which Allah has given you, the happiness of the Hereafter; and do not forget your share of the (joys of the) world. And do good as Allah has done good to you. And do not seek to spread corruption in the land, Indeed, Allah does not like corrupters
Acts of kindness and gentleness must begin from home when we interact with our very own family members. Home is where everyone deserves to feel safe and at peace. It is also the place where we nurture feelings of love and affection between family members.
While this may sound simple and easy to do, there are times when it requires a lot of effort and determination, especially when we are faced with various problems and complications. During such challenging times, our words and actions would either improve or further complicate the situation.
Let us ponder upon the example shown by Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. in how he treated his family. Despite having to deal with various types of challenges, our Prophet s.a.w. always handled his family affairs with kindness. For example, it was narrated that Saidatina Aisyah r.a. once got jealous and deliberately dropped a plate of food prepared by another wife of the Prophet s.a.w., causing the plate to break into pieces. Our Prophet s.a.w. did not lose his temper when the incident happened. Instead, He s.a.w. just said: Your mother was jealous and requested that the broken plate be replaced by the one from Saidatina Aisyah’s household. (Hadith narrated by Imam Bukhari).
This serves as an example for us regarding how we communicate and deal with our family members, especially in times of crisis and challenges. We must not act in haste nor react out of anger. Sometimes, all we need to do is give gentle advice. Other times, it may even be better to wait for a more appropriate time before providing any form of advice, perhaps when the situation has calmed down.
Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said: “The best of you are those who are the best towards their families, and I am the best to my family.” (Hadith narrated by Imam Tirmizi).