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The smile (ibtisama)

الابتسامة

In Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's lessons the smile is a doorway to good dealing: he urges a person to begin a meeting with a smile, a greeting of peace and a kind enquiry. 1 He relates that the Prophet ﷺ smiled at a man who came in while he was angry. 2 He holds that a smile at an enemy shows the smiler's strength. 3

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Global / Diaspora
Review

Ethics and character

Overview

In Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's lessons the smile is a doorway to good dealing: he urges a person to begin a meeting with a smile, a greeting of peace and a kind enquiry 1. He relates that the Prophet smiled at a man who came in while he was angry 2.

From Sheikh Omar Abdelkafy's Tafsir lectures (episode 2)

The Sheikh urges beginning with a smile, a greeting of peace and a kind enquiry after the other person's state, since souls are disposed by nature to love goodness 1. He relates an occasion when the Prophet was angry: Abu Bakr was gentle, Umar said the man should be let in, and when the Prophet saw him he smiled despite his state of mind 2. The Sheikh holds that if a person meets an enemy and smiles at him, the enemy knows that he is strong 3.

People and things also explored

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)· Ada' al-shahada (performing testimony: the duty on request, the excused witness, and the wording)· Manners of the Qur'an bearer· Biting and the liability for injury it causes (add)· Adha (harm of a slight kind: removing harmful things and the duty not to harm)· Justice and grace (adl wal-fadl)· Pardon (afw) in purity, worship, contracts and penalties· Covenant (ahd) and the duty to keep it; oath by the covenant of God

Sources

  1. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Tafsir Al Quran Al Qareem, episode 2, at 00:33:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  2. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Tafsir Al Quran Al Qareem, episode 2, at 00:34:00 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
  3. Assabile archive of Omar Abdelkafy's lectures (audio and video) , Tafsir Al Quran Al Qareem, episode 2, at 00:50:30 · Listen at the archive (opens the audio at this time)
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The smile (ibtisama)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/ibtisama/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-25.

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Wing

Ideas

Beliefs, concepts, sciences and schools, explained in plain words. Related

Ada' al-dayn (paying a debt: its ruling, the manner of payment, insolvency and the debts of the dead)

Paying a debt in the form owed is obligatory by consensus. A debt due now must be paid on demand when the debtor can pay; a deferred debt is not due before its term. Payment is made in like items, with value owed where there is no like; a better payment is allowed when unconditioned. Remission, gift, assignment, set-off and settlement take the place of payment. A solvent debtor who refuses is compelled, imprisoned and his apparent property sold; the majority hold that a bankrupt is put under interdiction and his property divided among creditors, against Abu Hanifa. The insolvent is given respite, and his debt may be paid from zakat if he borrowed for himself in a lawful matter. A dead person's debt attaches to his estate and takes precedence over bequests and inheritance.