Kindness in Educational Seerah of Prophet Noah
Kindness and love are among the first feelings one receives and comprehends as a baby and growth up with them.
There are two types of kindness:
1- Wise kindness, in which there is wisdom in addition to feelings and sentiments. In this kindness, the educator considers the interests of the one receiving education, whether he or she likes it or not. For example consider a mother whose child has been injured in an accident and needs surgery. Normally, a mother would not tolerate seeing a thorn in her child's foot, but now she allows the doctors to tear up his body to heal him.
2- Unwise kindness in which there is no insight, logic and wisdom as they have been replaced by human desires. This kindness would not lead to positive results and may even cause irreparable damage. For example, take an athlete whose body is not ready to take part in a major sports event but his trainer allows him to attend the event because he likes him very much. Obviously, the athlete would be injured and his future in the sport would be jeopardized.
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Prophet Noah (AS), who was among great divine messengers, used the method of kindness to attract people to the religion of God. Normally, one cannot stay calm when facing others’ anger and bad-temperedness. However, Prophet Noah (AS) had a fatherly approach to his people who teased and harassed him.
According to Hadiths, Prophet Noah (AS) lived 950 years. So his people teased and harassed him for nine centuries. In response to such behaviors, he said: “My people, I am not in any error, rather I am a Messenger from the Lord of the Universe, sent to preach to you the message of my Lord and to give you good advice. I know what you do not know about God.” (Verses 61-61 of Surah Al-A’raf)
Despite the insults and harassment he faced, Prophet Noah (AS) spoke to the people with kindness and expressed his compassion for them, seeking to safeguard the people’s interests not his own.
