There was once a little girl named Saarah who was very helpful, very kind and very intelligent. However, her parents and teachers always complained that she had one problem – nobody could tell her anything!

If she was misbehaving and being naughty, and her father scolded her, she would immediately begin to cry! If she was being lazy and did not want to pack her toys, and her mother told her to stop being lazy, she would begin a tantrum and start to scream! Also, if she did not know her sabaq and her aapa told her to learn it again, she would start to cry!

Once Saarah started to cry, she would carry on, and on, and on, and would cry for so long that everyone would get a headache! Sometimes, she would scream and cry so loudly that the birds would get a fright and fly away, and even the neighbour’s cat would become scared and run away!

One day, when Saarah’s parents were tired of all her crying, they sat with her and said, “Saarah! Whenever we tell you anything, you start a tantrum and begin to cry! You are too sensitive! When will you stop this terrible behaviour?” Saarah looked at them and said, “You always tell me such mean things! You tell me that I’m being lazy and I’m being greedy and other hurtful things! That’s why I cry!” When her father heard this, he began to think and had an idea.

That night, when they sat for their daily home ta’leem and it was time to read Fazaail Aa’maal, Saarah’s father began to read a story. He read that there was once a Sahaabi named Sayyiduna Khuraim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu). One day, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mentioned, “Khuraim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) is a good man, but he has two bad habits; his hair is too long, and his pants is below his ankles.” After reading this, Saarah’s father asked, “Saarah! What do you think Sayyiduna Khuraim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) did when he heard this?” Saarah immediately said, “He must have started crying, because that was a mean thing to say!”

Saarah’s father said, “Well, let us carry on reading the story and see what happened next.” Saarah’s father carried on with the story, and read that when Sayyiduna Khuraim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) heard what Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had said, he immediately cut his hair and began to wear his pants above the ankles.

When Saarah heard this, she was confused and did not know what to say. Her father saw that she was confused, and explained to her, “Saarah! When we tell you about something you did that was not right, or about some bad habit, then we are telling you about it because we want to teach you how to be a good Muslim and be a better person. We are telling you because we love you, not because we are mean and hurtful. But, if you tell someone about the wrong things that they do and you tell them because you want to tease them or hurt them, then that is wrong! That is being mean and hurtful!”

Saarah thought about it for a while, and then said, “Now I understand! So when Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said that Sayyiduna Khuraim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) had two bad habits, he wasn’t being mean! He was saying that to teach him how to be a good Muslim! That’s why Sayyiduna Khuraim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) didn’t mind and didn’t feel bad!”

The next day, when Saarah went to madrasah, her aapa scolded her for talking in class. As soon as her aapa scolded her, she went to aapa and said, “Sorry aapa! I won’t do it again!” Aapa was so surprised that Saarah was not crying and having a tantrum, that she did not know what to say! She asked Saarah, “Saarah! What happened? You aren’t being sensitive anymore!” Saarah said, “We had ta’leem at home, and I learnt that when your parents and your teachers tell you something, it’s because they love you and they want you to be a good Muslim – not because they are being mean!”

Aapa was so happy, that she made Saarah tell the story of Sayyiduna Khuraim (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) to the whole class, and from that day on, Saarah never cried when someone corrected her.

Source: Uswatul Muslimah