Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the foolish (i.e. don't punish them). And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitân (Satan) then seek refuge with Allâh. Verily, He is All-Hearer, All-Knower.

(Surah al A’raf, 199 200)

The above verses introduce several attributes of Akhlaq (character) of Prophets of Allah. Besides a forgiving nature, commanding the good is a duty.

Enjoin what is good- If this rule is applied, a lot of problems can be solved with giving good advice. The role of parents and ulema can fetch better results if they constantly command to do only good, instead of walking on the path of evil and sin. The duty of the Prophet and his followers is to command to do good and this is what Allah says -

You are the best of the people, brought out for mankind, you command that which is good and forbid that which is evil and you believe in Allah

(Surah Al e Imran verse 110)

Turn away from the foolish - The Prophet ﷺ would come across all types of people, the foolish, the ignorant, the immature and the ones who get carried away by emotions. This section of the people cannot be reasoned with. Allah instructs us to ignore the ignorants instead of engaging in arguments with them.

Imam Bukhari has narrated a lesson based on an incident from the life of Umar bin al Khattab ( Allah be pleased with him).

Hur bin Qais was amongst the well learned nobles. Umar (Allah be pleased with him) used to include religious scholars and Fuqaha in his shura (consulting team) during his Khilafat.

Hur bin Qais says, “My uncle, Aqra ibn Haris came to Madina to meet me. He had a quarrelsome nature. He insisted that I should arrange a meeting with Umar (Allah be pleased with him). I was reluctant because I knew Umar (Allah be pleased with him) would not be able to tolerate his stupidity and aggressive nature. If Umar (Allah be pleased with him) got angry with him, my uncle would speak ill of me and if I did not fix his meeting, my uncle would still speak ill of me. Finally I agreed to arrange a meeting and Umar agreed to meet my uncle. During the meeting, my uncle often interrupted the conversation and used harsh language as well.. He did not address him as Ameerul Momineen but also accused him, “ O Bin Khattab! You are sitting on public wealth and are not giving us our due share. You are unjust.”

Hur bin Qais says, “My fears turned into reality and I could see Umar (Allah be pleased with him) getting angry and he picked up his stick to hit my uncle. When he was about to hit him, I grasped the situation and suddenly recalled the Qur’anic verse and I said, “ O Ameerul Momineen! Allah has instructed even His Prophet - Hold to forgiveness, enjoin the good and ignore the ignorant - This man is an ignorant.”

The moment I recited this verse, angry Umar cooled down immediately. This was the impact of the Quran. He kept his stick and ignored the man who then left indifferently.

(Sahih Bukhari)

Ali bin abi Talib (Allah be pleased with him) - When the Prophet ﷺ passed away and his funeral was over, I found a small written note from the sheath of the sword. It was an advisory instruction from the Prophet ﷺ- Wa’fao amman zalamat, Wa’timan haramat wa Silman Qata’at - Forgive the one who commited wrong upon you, give to those even if they have not given to you and build relations even with those who broke with you.

And if an evil whisper comes to you from Shaitân (Satan) then seek refuge with Allâh

Only Allah can protect from the viciousness of shaytan- He causes all your good deeds and good intentions to go in vain through disputes and arguments