When American Imam Ahsan Zahid was woken by a phone call early on Friday morning, he had a terrible feeling that the call was bringing bad news. Only he didn’t know just how bad it was. A fire was engulfing a building at the Quba Islamic Center. Zahid had seen someone lurking around the property with his face hidden, but he prayed that his fears were unfounded. However fire investigators confirmed the worst: The fire was an arson attack.
Whatever the attacker hoped to achieve, he failed. A building may have been destroyed, but buildings can be re-built. The tens of thousands of Muslims who live in the area may be concerned, but they are going nowhere. Most importantly, though, Zahid was able to make the tragedy into a blessing by turning for guidance to the one thing that can make such a transformation: Sunnah.
Zahid did not respond by offering a bounty for the attacker. He did not take out a protest march with the slogan “In the service of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we are willing to die”. He did not respond with calls for jihad. He responded with love, and in turn he received an outpouring of love.
In a time when media headlines are filled with threats and counter threats and violence seems to be the only thing that anyone knows anymore, what is needed more than ever is for more people to be like Zahid and follow the example of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and answer enemies with love and forgiveness. A bullet can make a heart bleed, but kindness can make hearts blossom.
