[Roohi]

An Elderly Man was at an ATM withdrawing some money. A Saudi youth was waiting behind him and could not tolerate the delay any longer. Finish your work quickly. You have any mukh (brain)? he said.

The old man asked the youth why he was behaving like this to a person who is Saudi and older than him. The youth apologized and said: I thought you were an Asian after seeing your clothes and face.

The old man replied: My brother, we should not discriminate against a person or underestimate his value on the basis of his nationality or color and religion. An Asian is also a human being and deserves your respect. You know how to communicate with others in a better way? Unfortunately many people in our society do not use manners when talking to others. It is as if they have in their vocabulary phrases such as I am sorry or thanks or excuse me.

We often address elderly people in streets or markets in a disrespectful manner, especially if the person is simple and does not wear a new thobe or headdress. Is this because of the country hot climate or because of a bad upbringing at home and school? You often see many of our children in schools ridiculing their foreign teachers without any good reason.

This shows that there is something wrong in the way they were brought up.
We can no longer blame the rough climate for our rough behavior. By the Grace of God, we are now enjoying the most advanced living facilities. We have also learned how to behave according to the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said that adhering to religion is the best way to deal with others. The Prophet has also taught us to be merciful to others.

Even at our houses we don't use the word please when we ask our wives or children to do something for us and we rarely say thank you after they do what we wanted. We also find it extremely difficult to say sorry when we make any mistake or do something wrong to others, be it at home, school, the office or on the street.

We have heard the story of Sawad bin Aziyeh, a companion of the Prophet, during the battle of Uhd. When the Prophet asked his fighters to stand in line, all of them followed his order except Sawad. The Prophet beat him slightly on his stomach. He told the Prophet that he had been hurt.

The Prophet then showed his stomach and asked Sawad to beat him. But the loving companion kissed the Prophets stomach, instead of beating him. It was the highest form of apology demonstrated by the Prophet, who was a great example for noble behavior and morals.

I take this opportunity to commend the television program Khawater hosted by Ahmed Al-Sheqairy, especially the one that showed students cleaning their classrooms and school in the presence of the education minister. I am sure that such programs would have a great positive impact on our children and their future life.