My son woke bleary-eyed and sat up in bed. The morning light muted by the cardboard box that serves as a curtain in our bedroom glowed across his sleepy features. I rushed to him and swiftly laid him back down and prepared myself to feed him back to sleep. He stretched contentedly as his head reached the sheet. He peered at me through those half focused blue eyes and my heart filled with maternal warmth. A smile just naturally came to my face. I wasn't expecting anything from him but as he saw his beloved mother smiling upon him he returned the favor. His cute little mouth lifted at both sides and he gave me a smile.
I thought subhanAllah a simple thing can mean so much. It is narrated from the Prophet, Sallahu Alayhi wa Salaam, that even a smile to someone is a charity. It can turn even the grumpiest person's face into pleasantness. A smile is the first thing a parent searches to find in it's baby's expression. Usually in sleep a baby will fleetingly smile. The parent exclaims "Oh! Did you see how cute that was! She smiled!" And thereafter will take great pains to watch the child while it sleeps to catch another fleeting smile. Once it learns how to smile in the day Parents go to great lengths to keep their beloved child smiling.
Customer Service is nothing without a smiling representative. How many times have you been off put from a company because their representative had a sour disposition? That of course goes with people too. When you meet someone for the first time you take in their general character from their face and usually if they aren't smiling it puts you a tad bit off.
Smiles light up the face especially warm smiles that make the eyes glow as well.
I love it when niqabis take off their niqabs in private and I'm able to see their full face including their smiles. It really changes the whole way I feel about them and interact with them. When I wear niqab and I'm in Private I prefer to lift it because I feel I can't converse properly without them seeing my full expressions. I want them to see they have filled me with happiness.
Even between husband and wives some people forget to smile. It can really change a tense situation into a more relaxed one. Sometimes one doesn't know if another is joking when they say something but if they say it with a smile the meaning will be clear.
Not only it cheers up other people but it cheers yourself up too. Many doctors say that even if you are depressed and deeply unhappy just smiling can cheer you up. It is a beautiful moment when you see or hear something that you like and a smile just springs up out of nowhere. I really love these moments.
Everyone is attracted to smiling people. It's rare you see a Hollywood Star posing with a grumpy frown. They save those pictures for the tabloids. Why, because they know smiling will attract more people to themselves and make them more likable.
Haven't you seen those old fashioned photos of people looking dourly at the camera and they stood stern. Didn't you think they were a bunch of unhappy uptight crotchety people? Compared to modern times where it is almost mandatory to capture people happy. Everyone knows the phrase, "Say Cheese!" They even have these cameras now that will only click when someone is smiling in the camera. I tested them out at a mall in Dubai it was amazing. A hint of a smile and flash it went off.
So I think a smile is one of the most important gifts you can give someone. I try every morning to wake my kids up with a cheerful smile and it makes them feel happy and they are all smiles for a few hours.
A smile is not just a smile, it's charity.
12 intelligent thoughts:
Your kids are adorable!!!
A simple smile can make or break someone's day. Smiling can also make the smiler feel better too. Nice post!
As salamu alaykum
subhan'Allah something similar happened to me this morning!My son woke up and when I got up to take him and saw him I smiled at him (with one eye opened and one closed lol!) and he gave me back a great smile mash'Allah!This made my day alhamdulillah! :)
MashaAllah your kids are so beautiful, their smiles are priceless :) We forget sometimes that smiling is charity! We can make someone's day just by smiling at them. Thank you for the reminder, great post, :) :) *virtual smile*
Masha Allah beautiful post .... Yup smiling does brighten up some peoples days .... but some ppl are realy grumpy they don't smile back and some even become suspicious when u smile .... but Alhamdulillah that hasn't put me off coz ther r many out there who are willing to return it ...... Ur kiddos are so cute Masha Allah ... :)
You're kids are adorable! I like the new look of your blog, too, which probably isn't new anymore, because I've been away from your blog too long!
They are to adorable Sis...Great charity indeed.....they definetely made may day...
MashaAllah
As Salaamu Alaikum Sis:
Masha Allah! They are so sweet! The little guy has really grown since the Hamza Yusuf post!
And beautiful post about the smile :) (see? we can even write a smile!)
Suzie, Hijabee, thanks, and yup you're soo right :)
um almujahid, awwww thats so cute!!! Isn't it just so awesome the power of a smile!
Ms. Unique, Lol those grumpy people make me wonder how someone can become so bitter to life they forget how to smile. And those who are so suspicious are kinda funny it's like what is suspicious about a smile!?!?!? Your right they are the few though.
Marahm lol welcome back I knwo how you feel I was away from everyone's blgos commetning for a long time while i sorted out my life and now I have to play catch upa nd visit everyone lol. Thats partly where my idea for All Muslimah came from. I was like My blogroll is sooo long and I keep meeting more and I feel weird to keep adding every single blog I read because they are sooo many I should just make a directory instead of sorting them on my blog hehehehe.
Glad you liked the new look it was part of my 2009 Goals. Hmm I better post my completion of those lol. I like the new headers on yours and how you always change them it's like I never know what will be comiong next on your blog :)
Salam Nasi, heh glad they cheered you up too :) Erm gurl I'm WAITING for my e-mail with the latest updates... *ahem* hurry up *ahem*
Saf, Lol thanks and yeah this picture is from E'id so NOW he has a whole mouthful of teeth and looks even more older hehehe. You blink and these kids change eh!
It's fun for me to look back through all the pictures and see just how drastically they change because I'm near them all the time i Don't always catch it. He looks nothing like he did when he was born. He was born with dark hair and a pouty expression and he's blossomed into this blonde little ball of cuteness MASHA'ALLAH.
Also while looking for pictures for this post I ran into an article about the smiley faces we type :) :( :/ etc.. apperently it's part of our American Culture to focus on the mouth of an individual for clues of mood while the Japanese who are more reserved emotionally look to the eyes and so their emoticons are all about the eyes like this :
^_^ , ;_; , 0.0
strange eh? But cool.
Now you've found the secret that makes motherhood so wonderful and rewarding,smiles!Don't forget DH smiles too when they get a nice dinner and a cleaan house!
Mine usually collapses on the couch with a full tummy grinning like a cheshire cat.
You have beautiful children,just like their mother!
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