Enjoy Your Life

Make it easy to rectify a fault

Errors that people make vary. Some are huge while others are small. Irrespective of the magnitude of the errors, it is possible to rectify them all. Although, it might not be possible to completely rectify the bad consequences of an error, it is still possible to rectify a lot. Many people fail to rectify their faults since they doubt their own ability to rectify.

Sometimes, the way we deal with others' faults happens to be part of the fault itself. For instance, if my son were to err, I may blame and belittle him, and magnify his fault so much that he may start thinking that he has fallen into a well out of which there is no escape! Hence, he loses hope in any chance of rectification, and therefore remains at fault.

My wife may fall into an error, or my friend, and if you make him realise that he has indeed erred, but there is a way out, rectification is easy, and to return to the truth is better than persisting on falsehood, this would prove to be helpful in the rectification process.

A man came to the Prophet peace be upon him to give him the oath of allegiance on migration. He said, "I have come to give you the oath of allegiance on migration, and I have left my parents weeping." The Prophet peace be upon him was neither harsh towards him, nor did he belittle his action, nor demean his intelligence. The man had come with good intentions, and thought that what he was doing was best. The Prophet peace be upon him made him realise that it is easy to rectify a mistake, thus he said to him in simple words, "Go back to them and make them laugh the way you made them weep", and that was the end of the matter.

The Prophet peace be upon him would deal with people in a manner that would encourage them to do good and make it easier for them, even if they were to make mistakes.

Here I present to you a painful incident. Although, the point behind this incident exists towards the end, I would still like to present the story from the beginning for our benefit.Whenever the Prophet peace be upon him wanted to travel he would draw lots between his wives. Whoever won would accompany him in his travels. When he wanted to go on an expedition against Banu al-Mustaliq, he drew lots between his wives, which A'ishah won. Hence, she left with the Messenger of Allah peace be upon him and this was after the verses of Hijaab were revealed. She used to be carried in a howdaj. Whenever they stopped, she would leave the howdaj to fulfil her needs. Whenever they wanted to set off, she would return to the howdaj.

When the Prophet peace be upon him was finished with his expedition, he began his return journey to Madinah. When he arrived closer to Madinah, he stopped at a place to spend some of the night, and then ordered the men to set off, once again.

The people then began to gather their belongings before they set off. Meanwhile, 'A'ishah −may Allah be pleased with her− went away to fulfil some of her needs. She was wearing a necklace with Zafar beads, while she fulfilled her need, it slipped from her neck without her knowledge. When she went back to the camel and decided to enter the howdaj, she felt her neck but did not find the necklace, and the people were about to head out.

She quickly went back to the place where she had relieved herself and began to look for her necklace, and got delayed. The people came and carried her howdaj thinking that she was in it, and placed it on the camel. They then took the camel by the head and went off, as did the army.

As for 'A'ishah, after a long, tiring search she eventually found the necklace and came back to the place where the army had stopped.

'A'ishah said, "I came back to the place to find no one to call or to respond. The people had left. I then stayed where I was and thought that perhaps the people would miss me and come back to collect me. I then wrapped myself with my Jilbab.

As I was sitting, I was overcome by sleep, thus I slept. By Allah, I was lying down when Safwan bin al-Mu'attal passed by me. He was also left behind due to some of his needs, and so he did not spend the night with the people.