My fellow brothers & sisters of Islam,
There is a story that is worth sharing with all Moslems worldwide of how the great Muhammad S.A.W. dealt with people full of contempts. People who recognized him only by name, but not by nature. This story is certainly better than the story of how the Danes are shouting 'We are upholding the right to speak freely!' to justify why they allow degrading images that tarnished other people's belief to be published in their newspaper. Because in this story, the Danes are the people full of contempts.
Once, during the time when Muhammad S.A.W. was still alive and spreading the good of Islam, there was an old woman who hated him that she made a point to wait for him when he passed by her house. Every time she saw him, she would shout humiliating and contemptious words to him, full of hatred.
The great Prophet S.A.W. did not flinch, or even showed a trace of anger. He smiled at her to acknowledge her presence and went on with his journey. This made the old woman even angrier because she cannot gauge the reactions that she hoped for. She wanted him to be angry at her, or to strike her, so the world could see that he was who she perceived him to be - a cruel, unkind person. So people would stop believing him and his teachings, but that didn't happen.
Every single day, the old woman waited for the Prophet S.A.W. , and every single time, she cursed and degraded him. But every time he never reacted, merely passing by with a smile in return.
Then one day, when the Prophet S.A.W. passed by the old woman's house, she was nowhere in sight. This puzzled him. The next day, he did not see her again. Overcame by curiousity, he stopped by to check on her. He found her lying down, sick and alone.
The Prophet S.A.W. called for people to give her assistance, cook for her and give her medicine. When the old woman felt better, she asked, 'Why did you come to find me at my house? I thought you'd surely hate me after all these while.'
The Prophet S.A.W. replied, 'I do not hate you. I came to find you because you had not been standing by your house to shout at me like you used to do every day and I thought you would be in trouble.'
The world is full of people like the old woman who had nothing better to do than to spread malicious words about the Prophet. But we know better who this great leader is. He is the man who repaid cruelty with kindness. Who was patient with the people who made fun of him.
If the woman had shouted 'You're a cruel man who do not deserve to be a leader!' and he had striked her, wouldn't that make what she said as true? That was what she was hoping for anyway. She wanted the world to know that the great leader of Islam was a cruel person. When Prophet S.A.W. did not respond to her accusations, she was angrier because nobody believed her.
The cartoonists who drew that malicious and vile cartoons wanted to show the world that Islam is a religion that encourages violence. We would certainly render them good services if we acted the way they wanted us to react - violently. Then the world will know that what they wrote are no more lies but the truth.
My dear brothers & sisters,
We are the bearers of Great Truth. God has spoken in the Holy Quran that we read every day. This world belongs to God and He will deal with them as how He wants them to be dealt. In the mean time, this Moslem sees her duty to uphold what the Prophet S.A.W. has shown. That we should show the world that the religion we embrace is not a violent religion. That the Prophet S.A.W. did not teach us to be violent.
What we believe, we must continue to believe. What they believed, we ought to show them so they will understand. Eventually, for those who think, they will believe.
