Issues of Ijtihad

conversations will enable you to speak in the same way, keeping yourself under control and speaking with mental discipline in emergency situations, too. Much of the chaos and conflict in this world has to do with words. Some words provoke hatred and violence. Other words nourish a climate of peace and humaneness. If people could only do this one thing—making the correct choice of words while speaking, and then keeping their emotions under control—most conflicts and strife would die even before they were born. To be able to keep oneself under control while speaking is a very great thing. Only those people who keep examining themselves and constantly keep a check on their words and deeds possess this lofty attribute. When you hear something, you should not answer or react immediately. Instead, you should pause for a while, ponder on what you have heard, and think of what your ideal response should be. This will guarantee that you reply in a proper manner to what you have heard. Instead of reacting to stones with stones, you will find yourself responding with flowers, and thereby you will achieve success! Do not Confront the Enemy In a hadith recorded in the Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet is said to have remarked that one should not desire confrontation with one’s enemy, and that one should ask for peace from God. (Sahih al Bukhari, Hadith No. 2966)