seeking mercy from your Lord which you hope to receive, then speak to them kindly.”

When a ruler passes judgment against someone, that person may be distressed. If he then reassures him with appropriate words and deeds, this completes the exercise of sound governance. It is like a physician giving a patient something to make an unpleasant medicine easier to swallow. When Allah sent Moses, peace be upon him, to Pharaoh, He said:

“Speak to him gently, so that he may take heed or be moved to fear.”

“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal and Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī, may Allah be pleased with them both, when he sent them to Yemen: ‘Make things easy, not difficult; give glad tidings, and do not drive people away. Cooperate with one another, and do not disagree.’”

“Once, a Bedouin urinated in the mosque, and the Prophet’s Companions rose to stop him. He said: ‘Do not interrupt him’—meaning, do not interrupt his urination. He then ordered that a bucket of water be poured over the spot. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘You have been sent to make things easy, not to make them difficult.’”

Both reports are found in the two Sahīh collections. A person needs this approach in governing himself, his household, and his subjects. People do not accept the truth without drawing strength from the share of life’s enjoyments that they need. With a righteous intention, those enjoyments thus become worship of Allah and obedience to Him. Do you not see that eating, drinking, and clothing oneself are obligatory? Indeed, if someone