رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه stayed. Each night, Tegudar would come to him, and the pious man would gently call him towards goodness. Through his individual efforts, a transformation began to take place within Tegudar. The very man who yesterday had sought to erase Islam became its admirer today. Under the guidance of this preacher, Tegudar converted to Islam along with his entire Tatar nation. He was given the Islamic name Aḥmad. History bears witness: through the blessing of a preacher’s gentle words, the Tatar kingdom was transformed into an Islamic state.^[1]

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب                          صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Gentle speech

O devotees of the Saint! You just heard how our pious predecessors رَحِمَهُمُ الـلّٰـهُ never became angry when faced with harsh words or bitter manners. Instead, they displayed patience, tolerance, and admirable character, and that is why their words resonated deeply with people.

Remember! Kind words cost nothing, yet bring great benefit, whereas harsh words bring nothing but loss. Someone once said a very unique thing: “The parrot eats chili yet still speaks sweetly, while man eats sweets yet still speaks bitterly.” It is true that when we hear something we dislike, anger naturally rises. But letting go of patience and tolerance, and reacting impulsively instead of acting with reason, brings no benefit at all. Let me share with you an inspiring parable from the blessed life of Amir Ahl al-Sunnah دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ, in which he demonstrated perfect self-control.

A display of self-control

This occurred in the early days when Dawat-e-Islami’s weekly Sunnah-inspired gathering was held at its very first Madani Markaz—Gulzar-e-