Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (ra) Greets the Prophet ﷺ and...
We used to greet the Prophet ﷺ while he was praying and he used to answer our greetings. When we returned from An-Najashi (the ruler of Ethiopia), we greeted him, but he did not answer us (during the prayer) and (after finishing the prayer) he said, "In the prayer one is occupied (with a more serious matter)." [Bukhari]
In the beginning talking in the prayer was permissible. Once Abdullah Ibn Masud(ra) came upon the Prophet while he was praying. He greeted the Prophet ﷺ with ‘as-salaam’alaikum’ but received no reply. He said;
“When he didn’t reply, all sorts of reasons and explanations came to my mind about why he didn’t reply: maybe he is displeased with me, or angry for such and such thing, or this and that reason... “ Finally, when the blessed Prophet finished his prayer and told me that Allah (swt) forbade talking in prayer, I let out a sigh of relief.”1
It’s natural that someone will seek the validation and approval of someone they respect and look up to; whose opinion really matters to them in return. Someone you don’t want to disappoint, so you do your utmost to be what they want you to be or behave in a way that leaves you accepted, valued and dear in their circle.
This is how the Prophet ﷺ won hearts over. Not just relying on exerting do’s and don’ts. Rather he fostered a strong relationship of love and mutual respect with those who fell in his good company, leaving them only willing as you might expect to want to please the Prophet ﷺ and be open to being influenced by the Prophet’sﷺ teachings, counselling and mentoring-listening with an open heart and willingness to learn.
In these stories lie poignant lessons for parents, mentors and for those who underestimate the company and quality of relationships they have and its ability to influence the path and choices made by others in their life.
𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 of 𝗦.𝗡.𝗝𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗹𝗶 ✍🏼 (𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗯𝗻 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, Islamic chapter books for kids📚)
