# How did the Prophet balance gentleness and strength? *Mercy and firmness in balance: the Prophet kissing children and riding out at night* - URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oag-f3hxcdy/s/3/ - Date: 2023-05-09 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Converts And The YouTube Dawah Scene | Mufti Abu Layth (10:04–13:09) - Status: latest answer on its topic; general teaching - Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAG-F3hxCDY&t=604s - Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oag-f3hxcdy/ **Topics:** The life of the Prophet; Masculinity and gender roles; Character and virtue **Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet was tender, kissing his children, yet firm when safety demanded, riding out alone at night to check on a frightening sound. **Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the Prophet combined compassion with firmness, being firm for the well-being of people and not in an intimidating way. **Evidence, his words at 12:30:** “it's not about you have the compassion but where the time comes a person is firm firm for the well-being of people not in a thugly intimidation kind of way” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAG-F3hxCDY&t=750s) ## Longer summary Mufti Abu Layth says people speak today of a balance of masculine and feminine energies, and that the Prophet was secure in himself, kind and compassionate. He relates that the Arabs thought the Prophet's kissing his children was weakness, that a man said he had several children and had kissed none, and that the Prophet replied that whoever does not show mercy cannot expect mercy from God. Mufti then relates a narration he places in Sahih Muslim: people on the outskirts of Madinah, frightened by a loud sound before dawn, came out of their homes and saw the Prophet returning on a horse without a saddle, having already gone to check for their safety. He says this shows compassion joined with firmness when the time comes, for people's well-being and not as intimidation, and calls such hadith mesmerisingly beautiful. ## Sources and names cited - report: the prophet kissed his children; a man said he had not kissed any of his and was told whoever shows no mercy is shown none - report: the prophet rode out on a horse without a saddle to check a loud noise at night and returned (Sahih Muslim, number not stated) - Sahih Muslim ## Transcript (machine tier, 10:04–13:09) [9:25] and it's I had this video as well and I was going to say this incident where they wanted to come and assassinate the prophet you have the story of Ahmed and this whole thing and I've spoken about it previously but in that incident the the person's calling the prophet to the side see the prophet wouldn't know he wouldn't walk around they did people did own the prophet did own a sword and did own these things everybody did in that Society but he would walk around with these kind of things and do things like this it was not it was the The Prophet's nature see this is the the beauty there was [10:04] such a you know people speak nowadays of this balance of Yin Yang of the of almost the masculine feminine energies this balance they speak of you see that that they say that if there's a balance is this this epic Harmony in an individual where they are secure with themselves where they are kind and compassionate like they used to say about the prophet that oh he kissed his children and like so the harsh because the people the Arabs thought what what on Earth is he doing that's that's like weakness women do that and the prophet said that this is Mercy Rahman and the person said to the [10:43] prophet I've got I think nine children I haven't kissed one of them and the prophet said that you know Allah Israel and whoever doesn't show mercial then how can they expect Mercy from God so this this this nature but at the same time you see there's a famous incident narration in sahih Muslim that the there was this this particular mourning there was this uh it was the General culture of the Arabs they would wake up at dawn and even non-muslim Arabs would it was just how the society was [11:22] in early just pre-dawn that there was this loud sound so on the outskirts of Medina there were these these kind of like like on one side there were these certain kind of woods and things that they had near not the hourly that was further out but on the outskirts of the city on one side and there was this certain sound that many people heard it and they didn't know what it was and they got scared it was so loud now I'm not sure what it actually was but they narrate that it was this really loud like a bind and obviously this isn't that day and age when there isn't machinery and it's [12:01] like people petrified like what is it what is it and then they they come out of their homes and they wait and somebody else comes out of his house and this person comes out of his home and they're like did you hear that did you hear that and they and since I Muslim and so and they say and then they see a figure it's emerging emerging emerging it's coming towards them it's the prophet on Horseback uh horseback without a saddle [12:30] that the prophet he had already gone and come back he went to check for the safety like that's me you see it's not about you have the compassion but where the time comes a person is firm firm for the well-being of people not in a thugly intimidation kind of way and I think that's so seriously these hadiths are so they're so mesmerizingly uh you know beautiful and all striking that ## Cite Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment oAG-F3hxCDY/s/3. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/oag-f3hxcdy/s/3/ Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.