Saturday, July 16, 2005

Small Acts of Kindness

"Whoever is kind, Allah will be kind to him; therefore be kind to man on the earth. He Who is in heaven will show mercy upon you."(Abu Daud: Tirmidhi) My car practically got totaled today at the mosque. We came out of the mosque at the end of the prayer to find our car in amazingly bad shape: the two doors on the driver's side were totally crushed. We panicked of course, since the perpetrator was nowhere to be found. Luckily, a woman had seen the guy who hit our car, and she approached us with this information. The guy (who was driving a truck) denied ever hitting our car, even though our car's paint was on his truck! The thing that made me happy was that this woman stuck around even though she didn't have to. Just because it was the honest thing to do. Which got me thinking, setting aside your own interests, when was the last time you did something for someone else just because it was the right thing to do? I'm not talking about saving someone's life here, I'm talking about the small acts of kindness that people remember. Like when the cashier gives you a bit too much change, do you go back? Or when someone's carrying heavy bags, do you wait and hold the door open for them? These are the things people remember. When someone holds open a door, or gives up a seat on the bus, it's an act that fills the person on the receiving end with a kind of satisfaction and a feeling that they'd like to reciprocate the act of kindness in some way. I mean, if someone gives you his seat on the subway, wouldn't you perhaps be happy enough to pass on some of that goodness to another person you meet that day? It'd be like a never-ending cycle of kindness. Which would be pretty cool. So, I'm waiting for the cycle to start. Maybe I should start it myself. As Anne Shirley would say "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it - yet."

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

assalam-u-alaikum,
that was a beautiful post, surely kindness is a virtue and one who portrays it in small simple ways is indeed blessed. :)

Ameera said...

Salam alaikum.

I agree totally... the small acts of kindness not only please the other person but leaves us with a wonderful feeling too. It makes you want to do it again and again.

In case you're on the receiving end, the other person seems like a real angel and you wish you could make everything right for him or her. Often, such acts cannot be repayed immediately in material terms but a small, heartfelt prayer is more valuable.

One thing I meant to ask though, your car was wrecked probably due to an anti-Muslim rage wasn't it? I cannot imagine how it feels to be so at risk, to be aware that you might be targeted any moment... especially in a place you call home.

May Allah protect you and your family from all dangers. Ameen.

Anonymous said...

LETS ALL MAKE A PACT TO START THE CYCLE... NOW!

Anonymous said...

grrr :@ damaging ur car!!! :@ how dare he!!

TBD said...

dont let the guy escape...if he's desi, he might just resort to giving his truck a new paint job.

Borges said...

Salaam Aleikum wr wb,
Was the guy Muslim? That totally is uncool. I think we should all start it :-). InshAllah i will

Anonymous said...

Sucks about your car. Because your car is pretty much my car ... so many memories.

I'm home, by the way.

Anonymous said...

very nice post

Squeeky said...

Assalaamu Alaikum :D

wow masha'Allah, I know what you mean. I don't know what it is about those little acts of kindness that just fills your heart with so much gratitude.

It's the things people do that one can easily disregard.

Lovely post, as usual ;)

elysium said...

it's the ciiiircle of liiiiiife
and it moves us all
through despair and hope
through faith and love
till we find our place
on the path unwindingggg
in the circle
the ciiiiircle of liiiiiife :D

Anonymous said...

salaam :D how are you? :)

Anonymous said...

ugh i cant believe that happened...how unfortunate...wow asmaa, alot of interesting stuff happens to u...nothing ever happens to me...yes i have a boring life...

Well i will do an act of kindness...starting with the laundry...SaRa

Anonymous said...

YAY!!! Tante Dalia had her BABY!!!
MASHALLAH...asmaa now we have another cousin to stuff full of food...LOL...salam
Sara

Asmaa said...

She had her baby?! aaaaaaaa! YAY! That's it, we're calling you guys now.