THOUGHTS WORTH CONSIDERING HAJR JAMEEL

HAJR JAMEEL (GRACEFUL AVOIDANCE) a believer affirms: ‘I cannot allow this kind of negative thinking to take root within me.’ To clarify this matter further, some practical examples of gracious avoidance from the lives of the Prophet and his companions will now be shared. 1. A Subtle Example of Graceful Avoidance It is narrated by Ibn Ishaq that the Quraysh of Makkah used to mock and abuse the Prophet. They stopped calling him by his name Muhammad, which means “the praised one,” and instead referred to him as “Mudhammam,” which means “the condemned one.” According to the narration, the Prophet said: Are you not amazed at how God has turned away from me the harm of Quraysh? They abuse and slander Mudhammam, while I am Muhammad. (Sirah Ibn Hisham, Volume 2, page 6) This statement by the Prophet can be understood as follows: if the Quraysh were to say that “Mudhammam is insane,” the Prophet would not take offense and would instead reply, “Your words refer to someone named Mudhammam. My name is Muhammad.” This is a subtle example of graceful avoidance. In this way, a believer protects himself from harm by preventing someone’s abuse from causing negative emotions. The believer’s stance is: I cannot afford to carry negative emotions inside me. A similarly graceful example can be found in the life of