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Good words
Some people, even if their consciences tell them to be forgiving
towards someone who has wronged them or to speak politely to
someone who has spoken harshly to them, prefer not to forgive and
to answer the insult with a greater one. According to this warped
way of thinking, to speak peevishly, to ridicule another person with
arrogant and insulting words and to respond with insolence and
disrespect is actually a sign of superiority.
Of course, these ideas are totally contrary to the Qur'an. In the
Qur'an, Allah gives us the following examples of how blessed po-
lite language is and how it always brings benefit to human beings:
Do you do not see how Allah makes a metaphor of a good
word: a good tree whose roots are firm and whose branches are
in heaven? It bears fruit regularly by its Lord's permission.
Allah makes metaphors for people so that hopefully they will
pay heed. The metaphor of a corrupt word is that of a rotten
tree, uprooted on the surface of the earth. It has no staying-
power. Allah makes those who believe firm with the Firm
24 Hours in the Life of a Muslim
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