I recenlty read an article about Sheikh Ali Al-Tantawi. For those who do not know him, he passed away in 1999 and was a renowned Islamic scholar and one of the great Arab writers of the 20th century. Originally from Syria, he moved to the Kingdom in 1963 where he delivered lectures at academic institutions and presented a well-known radio show for many years. The article included an incident that happened to Al-Tantawi while he was in a taxicab on his way to the airport. The taxi driver was traveling at normal speed and following traffic rules when a car suddenly appeared out of nowhere and cut him off. The driver had no choice but to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of him. The driver of the other car, who could have caused a tragic accident, was angry and started blaming the taxi driver. He even swore at the taxi driver who remained silent and controlled himself and even smiled and waved his hand to say he was sorry. Al-Tantawi was sitting watching silently. "Why did you apologize to him when you knew it was his mistake?" Al-Tantawi asked the driver. "Sir, many people are like garbage trucks that travel around in neighborhoods full of garbage, or as it were, full of problems, frustration, disappointment or anger. When people bottle up these negative feelings inside them, there will come a time when they need to vent those feelings. They then search for people at whom they can vent their anger. I do not want to be that person and I do not want to be like a dumpster." Al-Tantawi was surprised at this reply which he then included in an article. "When you meet people like these, just smile, get over it and keep on driving. Pray that Allah the Almighty helps them overcome whatever problems they are going through," he said. We can learn great lessons from this story such as self-control and patience. We should learn to control and manage our anger and pray for people who insult others on the road or at any place because they need our prayers.
