Episode 2 - The Face of the Prophet, Peace Be Upon Him
Introduction: The Importance of Influencing People
Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah. Dear brothers, if we want to influence people, we must accustom them to certain things from us before we need to advise or guide them. This is if we want our guidance to be effective and leave a real impact on behavior, not just a burden we cast off our shoulders and then say we have done our duty.
Accustoming People to Kindness and Smiling
The first thing is to accustom people to kindness and smiling, so that if you see a mistake from one of them, you can simply stop smiling, and the message will be conveyed. This is a noble, calm Prophetic method that affects noble souls.
The Face of the Prophet, peace be upon him: A Mirror of Emotions
The Companions would observe the features of the Prophet's face, peace be upon him, because they meant a lot to them.
Description of the Prophet's Face When Pleased
In one description: "When the Messenger of Allah was pleased, his face would light up until it was like a piece of the moon, and we would know that from him." In another description: "His face would shine." In another description: "Until I saw the face of the Messenger of Allah beaming like a piece of gold, a piece of gold." And Jarir said about the Prophet, peace be upon him: "He never saw me except that he would smile in my face."
How the Prophet Would Express His Displeasure
Therefore, when our Prophet, peace be upon him, would be displeased with something, the message would be conveyed through the change in his features. "The face of the Messenger of Allah would change," "The face of the Messenger of Allah would frown," "The face of the Messenger of Allah would change color."
Examples from the Prophet's Biography
In the hadith of the slander, Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "He would make me suspicious in my illness because I did not see from the Messenger of Allah the tenderness that I see from him when I complain." He would accustom her to special tenderness when she was ill, so she knew he was displeased because she saw that he did not show this special tenderness.
While those who do not accustom people to a smiling face, if they need to express displeasure with an action or situation, they need to speak angrily or shout.
Practical Application: Influencing Through Facial Expressions, Not Words
You may pass by a colleague in your studies or work who is accustomed to your greeting and smiling when he sees you, but now he is with a non-mahram woman in a manner that does not please Allah the Almighty. If you pass by him calmly without the expected smile, he will know that you disapprove of what he is doing, so he will feel ashamed and this situation will disappear, hopefully he will feel ashamed before Allah the Almighty.
Conclusion
Therefore, let us accustom people to kindness and smiling so that our advice will be more effective when needed. Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah.