The habit of smoking is increasing day by day in the world. Young and old people are looking to smoke cigarettes at various places. Smoking is the most dangerous for health. Cigarette smoking has become a fashion in the societies of the world. The use of tobacco makes a person habitual and he feels restless when he does not smoke.
The students in colleges and universities are also looking to smoke even in their institution because they see their elders and teachers smoking, thus cigarette smoking is becoming a part of culture. A person when he is sitting with others take out a packet of cigarette from his pocket, enlightens the cigarette in a stylish way then smoke it without sharing the others. The smoke of cigarette is not only harmful for the person who is smoking but it is also harmful for the others.
Cigarette smoke contains tar which is a sticky substance which when enters inside the body sticks in the tube from where air passes during breathing Hence it can produce problems of breathing. The other substances and carbon monoxide in the smoke of cigarette produces many health problems.
The great danger of cigarette smoking is lung cancer. Other problems of respiratory tract like bronchit’s and tuber culosis may also be appeared due to smoking. The habit of smoking also reduces the working capacity of a person. Nervous tension and restlessness arc also caused by smoking. ft reduces the power of perception and capability of mind. The trade of cigarette manufacturing is a flourishing trade in the world therefore the government only informs the public about the hazards of smoking but no government takes serious steps to stop the increasing sale of cigarettes. The cigarette companies make such attract full advertisements for their cigarettes that young generation is motivated to enjoy smoking in spite of knowing the dangerous effects of smoking.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught love, kindness and compassion to his people, and was seen to be the most loving, kind, and compassionate of all of them. The Quran mentions his kind and gentle behavior in these words: “O Messenger of Allah! It is a great Mercy of God that you are gentle and kind towards them; for, had you been harsh and hard-hearted, they would all have broken away from you” (Quran 3:159).
There are many instances that show his kindness and gentleness, especially to the weak and the poor. Anas, who was his helper, said: “I served Allah’s Messenger for ten years and he never said to me, ‘Shame’ or ‘Why did you do such-and-such a thing?’ or ‘Why did you not do such-and-such a thing?’” (Bukhari, 2038).
Once the Holy Prophet ﷺ said to his wife: “0 ‘A’ishah! Never turn away any needy man from your door empty-handed. 0 ‘A’ishah! Love the poor; bring them near to you and God will bring you near to Him on the Day of Resurrection”. He ﷺ also went much further on to say: “Seek me among your weak ones, for you are given provision, or you are given help only by reason of the presence of your weak ones”. (Rahman, Encyclopedia of Seerah, VOL. VIII, p. 151) Allah Almighty is Kind, and the Prophet ﷺ imitated Allah’s example in its perfection by showing kindness to his servants and all creatures without any regard for their beliefs, color or nationality. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah is kind and likes kindness in all things” (Bukhari, 6601).
His heart ached within him at the corrupt state of his fellow-Meccans and their rejection of One God. The Holy Quran testifies to it in these words: “0 Muhammad, you will, perhaps, consume yourself with grief because the people do not believe” (Quran 26:3). In Surah Kahf, we read: “Then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [O Muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.” (Quran 18:6). And Surah Fatir says: “So let not your life be consumed in grief for their sake.” (Quran 35:8).
The Holy Prophet ﷺ took a great interest in the welfare of all people and had great compassion for people in trouble. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ imitated the attributes of Allah par excellence and translated them into practice in the highest form possible for man. Kindness is an attribute of Allah, which has no limits. It is extensive and encompasses all things and all beings without discrimination. Likewise was the kindness of the Prophetﷺ. Heﷺextended it to all beings, both animate and inanimate and benefited all without measure. The Quranic words for the Prophet’sﷺkindness, Ra’ufun Rahim (Quran 9:128) are very intensive and comprehensive in meaning and convey the true nature and extent of the Prophet’s kindness to people. The Prophet ﷺ said: “One of the finest acts of kindness is for a man to treat his fathers’ friends in a kindly way after he has departed” (Abu dawud, 5123)
The issue of treating friends well was also extended to include relations: “He who wishes to have his provision enlarged and his term of life prolonged should treat his relatives well” (Bukhari, 5985). He emphasized on this matter because he deeply held the view that “Only kindness prolongs life, and a person is deprived of provisions for the faults he commits” (Ibn Majah). Bahz b. Hakim, on his father’s authority, said that his grandfather told him that he had asked Allah’s Messengerﷺto whom he should show kindness and that the Prophetﷺhad replied: “Your mother.” He asked who came next and he replied: “Your mother.” He asked who came next and he replied for the third time: “Your mother.” He again asked who came next and heﷺreplied: “Your father, then your relatives in order of relationship” (Abu Dawud, 5120). He dwelled on the issue of treating orphans humanely as he stated that “The best house among the Muslims is one which contains an orphan who is well treated, and the worst house among the Muslims is one which contains an orphan who is badly treated” (Ibn Majah, 3679). This means that the Prophetﷺcautioned his followers against general maltreatment of anyone regardless of his status. By extending good treatment from friends to relatives and now to neighbors, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was intent in making all humans interdependent as he emphasized in the following words: “All creatures are Allah’s dependents and those dearest to Allah are the ones who treat His dependents kindly” (Rahman, VOL VIII, p. 154). He ﷺ emphasized the kind treatment of women again and again in his speeches:
Treat women kindly, since they are your helpers; . . . you have your rights upon your wives and they have their rights upon you. Your right is that they shall not allow anyone you dislike to enter your bed or your home, and their right is that you should treat them well. (from the Farewell Sermon of the Prophet)
Once a number of women complained to the Prophet’s wives about their ill-treatment by their husbands. On hearing of this, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Such persons among you are not good persons.” (Abu Dawud, 1834). This condemnation by the Prophet himself was an indication that no one will be accepted before God who, while on earth, decided to be unkind to women. Another person said to the Prophetﷺ: “0 Messenger of Allah! My relatives are such that although I cooperate with them, they cut me off; I am kind to them but they ill treat me.” The Prophet ﷺ said this in reply: “So long as you continue as you are, God will always help you and He will protect you against their mischief” (Muslim, 4640). This was not only a way of bringing comfort to the mind of the worried person but one of the communicative techniques of the Prophetﷺto assure who ever found himself in that situation to look up to Allah to be consoled and protected. So it was pointless to preach vengeance to this kind of people suffering from this similar fate. Indeed, Prophet Muhammadﷺwas nothing short of a competent counselor.
He ﷺ was always counseling people to be goodhearted regardless of their sex, age or gender. Once Asma bint Abu Bakr’s mother, who was still an unbeliever, came to see her in Madinah. She told this to the Prophet ﷺ and said: “My mother has come to see me and she is expecting something from me. May I oblige her?” The Prophet ﷺ said: “Yes, be kind to your mother” (Muslim, 2195). This attitude of the Prophet was equally extended to Zainab as-Saqafia, the wife of Abdullah ibn Mas’ud and an Ansari woman. She went to see the Prophet ﷺ and to inquire whether it would be a charity if they spent something on their husbands and on the orphans under their care. The Prophet ﷺ said: “They will get a two-fold reward, one for kindness towards their relatives and the other for charity” (Bukhari, 1466).
There are many Ahadith concerning his kindness to animals, birds and insects: “Allah prescribed kindness towards everything; so when you slaughter any animal, slaughter it well; when you sacrifice, make your sacrifice good. And let everyone sharpen his weapon and make it easy for his sacrificed animal” (Muslim, 5055). He ﷺ made this kind of statement to demonstrate his love for both humans and animals. In essence, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was equally showing his followers that he too is feels pain.
Once when a Lion was asleep, a little Mouse began running up and down upon him. This soon wakened the Lion, who placed his huge paw upon him and opened his big jaws to swallow him.
"Pardon, O King!" cried the little Mouse, "Forgive me this time. I shall never repeat it and I shall never forget your kindness. And who knows, but I may be able to do you a good turn one of these days?"
The Lion was so tickled at the idea of the Mouse being able to help him, that he lifted up his paw and let him go.
Sometime later a few hunters captured the King and tied him to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him on.
Short StoriesJust then the little Mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the sad plight in which the Lion was, ran up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes that bound the King of the Beasts. "Was I not right?" said the little Mouse, very happy to help the Lion.
