How has Islam* made you a 'better person'?

[Southie]

Re: How has Islam* made you a ‘better person’?

@teggy

This is what I feel helps in everyday situations;

When you start to get angry. Consider the fact that if you swallow your anger and reply in Kind manner, you will be rewarded for it.

For instance, when you start to get agitated with parents; consider the fact that Allah has ordained for us to be kind to our parents because we can never repay them for the hardships they faced on our behalf. Giving birth, then raising the child, but to find out that it was all in vain; rude son/daughter. Can you imagine the kind of injustice that will be considered when all accounts are set?

Again, when you start to get agitated or angry, reply with kindness as much as possible. You don’t necessarily have to agree with everything everyone says, but how you handle the situation determines the outcome (seen and unseen).

There’s that saying “Keep your eyes on the prize”…keep in the back of your mind that the ultimate goal is for you to do more good than bad. The ultimate prize for any muslim is Allah’s Mercy, and safety from Hellfire. Every little bit of good that you do intentionally instead of bad, will not only become a reward-worthy act because you did good, but you never know what bad acts it’s also erasing that you don’t remember. Things that you didn’t intend.

I suppose it’s about you slowing yourself down, and consider if what you’re about to say/do is really worth it. Some things are, some things are not. There are matters in which you need to display anger because it’s the right response. Then there are situations where you need to practice restraint and let good overwhelm the negative emotions that might be brewing.

When you really think about it, in a nutshell the little things that we do make us who we are at our core. It feels tedious to amend every little way we act/speak, but when you consider that if you can make a few adjustments to your personality, you will be that much closer to practicing Islam in everything, and every act that you do according to that mindset/set of ethics may be worthy of reward, inshaAllah… points really add up quick!

There is a place for righteous indignation and even anger. IMHO.

Lord Sri Krishna showed righteous indignation when danveer Karna asked for time to pull his chariot wheels off a ditch. When Sisupala kept calling Krishna names, Krishna finally used his chakra. Lord Shiva 's anger is epic.

Corollary: when one encounters prejudice, bigotry and discrimination against folks of different faith and orientation, it is OK to be angry. Lord Krishna would say it is our Dharma to fight for equal rights for all. Even if that entails inconvenience.

OP, thank you for encouraging people from other faiths to chip in.