People are like the minerals of the earth

If we reflect upon our experiences with others, we find that

People have different natures like the varying nature of the land.

There are those who are soft, and those who are hard. There

are those who are generous, like a fertile land, and those who

are miserly, like a barren field that can neither hold water, nor

produce fruit. People, therefore, differ immensely.

On reflection, we know that various terrains are traversed in

different ways. The manner in which solid ground is walked upon

is certainly not the way soft ground is. One would be relaxed

walking on the former while apprehensive on the latter. Human

beings are of a similar nature.

The Prophet (pbuh) said, “Allah created Adam from a handful of

dust taken from different lands, so the children of Adam have

been created according to the composition of the land. Therefore

from mankind we have red, white, black and what comes in

between these; we have good and evil, easygoing and sorrowful.”

(Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi who said it Hasan Sahih)

Bear this in mind when dealing with others whether they are

close, such as fathers, mothers, wives or children, or otherwise,

such as neighbours, colleagues or even shopkeepers.

People’s various natures and temperaments have an effect

on their decisions. To prove this point, carry out the following

experiment: If you ever have a problem with your wife, ask a

friend of yours, whom you know to be harsh, for advice. Say to

him, “My wife is giving me problems. She does not treat me with

respect. What should I do?”

He would probably respond with, “Women can only be controlled

by terror, fury and rage! Have a strong personality and

show her that you are a man!” If you follow this advice, you may

subsequently return home and as a result, break up your family.

Now, try another friend whom you know to be soft and

gentle. Tell him what you told your previous friend. You will find

that he would probably say something like, “Dear brother, she is

the mother of your children. All marriages have problems. Have

patience with her regardless of what happens. She is, after all,

your wife and your life partner.”

Note how a person’s nature affects his views and decisions.

For this reason, the Prophet (pbuh) forbade that a judge should pass

a verdict when he is either thirsty, hungry or even feeling the

urge to answer the call of nature. This is because these matters

may affect a person, and subsequently influence his decisions and

judgements.

On reflection, I came to realise what we have just mentioned

above, that many people’s views – or even legal rulings – vary

due to their nature and emotional state. Some people are known

to love wealth by nature. One should not be surprised to see

them humiliating themselves in front of the wealthy. Such people

would neglect their own children in order to accumulate wealth

and would hardly spend on those under their responsibility. This

should come as no surprise, bearing in mind their greedy nature,

as the fact is that most of the decisions they make and opinions

they hold are based on their nature.

If one wishes to deal with a person of this nature or make a

request of him, then he should bear in mind, before speaking to

him, his love for wealth, and then endeavour to not conflict with

his nature in order to attain success with him.

The amazing person in this regard is he who is able to capture

all kinds of hearts. If he travels with a miser, he wins the

heart of his companion by being economical. If he sits with the

emotional, he too is emotional towards them and so they love

him. If he accompanies the light-hearted, he makes jokes and

laughs along with them, thereby winning their hearts. He deals

with each situation accordingly.