A Smile Is Always Contagious
By
Sumit Paul, New Age Islam
6 October
2022
Itna Mahanga Ho Gaya Hai Tabassum Aaj Kal/Goya Regzaar
Mein Paani Bachata Ho Koi
Nashtar Nishapuri
( Smile has
become so pricey, as if one uses water in the desert sparingly)
Why I
love an innocent smile
For, it
shows, the heart is free of guile
Rumi
Ek Tabassum
Pe Munhasir Hai Hayaat Saari
Phir Woh
Zauq-E-Nazar Ki Ho Ya Ho Bhikari Ki
-Faizan Nomani
(Life hinges on just one smile/ Whether it's
of a beloved or of a mendicant)
When I go to the institute in the morning, I
see children play and they always smile to see me. I also smile back and feel
good from within.
Smile has a
universal language, which's intelligible to all. Like music, a smile has no
language and geographical barriers. Yet, it pains me no end when I see people
hardly smile nowadays. There has never been a face lovelier than a smiling one.
This logic simply doesn't hold water that people in this age have more problems
than those of the people of previous eras. So, they've forgotten to smile and
laugh.
Men have
always had nagging worries and pressing problems in all ages, yet some people
never forget to smile. 'Hujoom-E-Gham Meri Fitrat Badal Nahin Sakta/ Main Kya
Karoon, Meri Aadat Hai Muskurane Ki' (The hordes of worries cannot change
my inner fibre/ I just cannot eschew my habit of smiling). When you smile, you
drive away all your blues and when someone looks at your smiling face, s/he
also gets inspired and feels the waves of happiness welling up inside.
A smile is
much more contagious than Corona, albeit in a very positive way! A person's
smile, not smirk, bespeaks his/ her character and fabric. Have you ever noticed
the great singer Muhammad Rafi's face? His beatific smile vindicates the
intrinsic innocence of his angelic persona. The ever-smiling face of the great
Nelson Mandela also comes to the mind.
Remember, a
smile helps you go the extra mile. Only those, who're innately good, always
smile and spread joy and happiness all around. As we grow old, we slowly drift
away from our basic and inherent nature, that's goodness. We all have noticed
how easily and spontaneously a child smiles and laughs. But adults often have
to make an effort to smile and when they smile, it doesn't appear to be coming
from the core of the heart. It seems forced and often laboured. A smile should
have the quality to make others smile because all smiles begin from one and
original smile.
The flower
of love, the greatest cementing force in the world, blossoms on the branches of
smiles. The disarming smile of a damsel not just floors the suitor, it also
gladdens the souls of the onlookers. A face that doesn't smile is often devoid
of feelings. Why do all painters invariably draw angels and celestial beings
with smiling faces? Because their smile is a message and a metaphor that only
through a smile can we live our lives in this otherwise wretched and heartless
world.
-----
A
regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative
religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to
world's premier publications in several languages including Persian.
URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/smile-contagious-/d/128117
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