There are many simple yet beautiful human gestures that we unfortunately tend to overlook, fail to notice, or simply do not attach enough importance to—a greeting, a step, a smile. Yet such small gestures can open the door to a new friendship, allow that friendship to grow, and eventually lead to bonds as strong as those between true brothers and sisters. The saying, “Spring does not come with a single flower, but every spring begins with a flower,” carries a profound meaning. Yes, a single greeting may not immediately make two people friends, but just as spring begins with one flower, a greeting can be the beginning of mutual acquaintance. And just as spring arrives as flowers multiply, human relationships grow when a greeting is followed by further gestures of kindness and connection.
A man used to walk down the same street every morning on his way to work. One day, he smiled and greeted a stranger coming toward him, someone he had never met before. The man returned his greeting. The next day, they met again. This time, after exchanging greetings, they briefly asked each other how they were doing. A few days later, they began having short conversations whenever they met. Then the man realized something: there had been nothing between them but a simple greeting, yet that greeting had been enough to remove the distance between two human beings. Perhaps sometimes all that is needed to begin a friendship is simply a greeting and a step.
Unfortunately, in the age in which we live, such simple human gestures are sometimes neglected, ignored, or taken for granted. Passing one another without a word or gesture, almost as if we were machines or inanimate objects, can become a routine. Changing and improving this routine in a positive way brings positive energy to both the person who offers the greeting and the person who receives it. Greeting everyone, whether familiar or unfamiliar, either verbally or simply with a nod, requires neither much energy nor much time. A small gesture, a single word, can be a key that opens the lock of the most precious treasure in the world: the human being. Just as “It is not the power of water that wears away marble, but its persistence,” it is equally important to follow up a greeting, without making the other person uncomfortable, in an appropriate manner and tone, and through different opportunities.
Let us take a step, offer a greeting, and get to know another person. Then let us make that acquaintance more meaningful and carry it to someone else. Because sometimes what changes the world is not a great leap, but a small step taken in the right direction. The world has become smaller than ever. In the past, it was very difficult, and often almost impossible, for people living thousands of miles apart to meet, communicate, and form friendships. Today, however, thanks to the internet, telephones, airplanes, and other means of transportation, we can speak with someone on the other side of the world within seconds.
Moreover, that person may have a language, religion, skin color, culture, worldview, and way of life completely different from our own. Yet, starting from our common humanity, it is possible to establish dialogue with everyone. In fact, this is a tremendous opportunity for humanity. People who have never met one another may often form judgments based on what they have heard and what they assume about each other. But when they meet, talk, and listen to one another, many prejudices can—and often do—give way to understanding and closeness.
Indeed, with the encouragement and advice of Fethullah Gülen, many of us, coming from different segments of society, first met and formed friendships with people in Türkiye and later with people in countries whose languages, religions, colors, and nationalities were different from ours. We shared our experiences with them, particularly in education and dialogue, as well as in areas such as the business world. Within this framework, schools, universities, and charitable organizations were established in many countries together with the people of those countries. Even today, these dialogue, educational, and various humanitarian activities, together with human relationships that have developed to the level of brotherhood, continue.
None of this requires enormous projects. Sometimes all that is needed is a step. Sometimes a greeting… Sometimes a smile… A greeting can open a door. The Qur’an beautifully encourages people to respond to greetings: “When you are greeted with a greeting, respond with one better than it, or at least return it.” (Qur’an, 4:86). A greeting is more than just a word. A greeting says, “I have no ill intention toward you.” A greeting says, “I see you.” A greeting says, “You are a human being just like me, and I am a human being just like you.” At times, a greeting can even be the first bridge between two people who are far apart.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also particularly encouraged people to exchange greetings as a means of increasing love and brotherhood among them: “You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I tell you something which, if you do it, will make you love one another? Spread greetings of peace among yourselves.” (Muslim, Iman, 93).
Clearly, a greeting has great power to bring people closer together. Today, in many parts of the world, people may feel apprehensive toward those who are different from themselves. A different religion… A different sect… A different language… A different skin color… A different culture… Different political or social views… Yet difference does not have to be a cause of hostility.
The Qur’an presents the creation of human beings as different nations and communities not as a reason for superiority, but as an opportunity to get to know one another:
“O mankind! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may know one another.” (Qur’an, 49:13). The expression used in this verse is particularly striking: “so that you may know one another.” This means that one of the important purposes behind our differences is to enable us to know one another. We should first listen to people we do not know, try to understand them, and recognize that they too have joys, sorrows, hopes, and fears just as we do. We have differences, but our humanity is shared. This is precisely where dialogue begins.
Dialogue does not mean making the other person resemble ourselves.
Dialogue means being able to understand one another while preserving our differences. Acceptance does not mean thinking alike. There is perhaps a very important distinction here: accepting a person does not mean accepting everything that person thinks. We should respect people even when they think differently from us. We may not share their beliefs, but we should respect their right to practice those beliefs. We may disagree with their ideas, but we can still listen to them. We do not have to think alike in order to communicate. Indeed, sometimes the most meaningful friendships are born precisely where differences exist.
Peace does not begin with grand words, but with small steps. Yet after the first greeting, a second step is needed. Meeting someone is beautiful; but turning an acquaintance into a friendship is even more beautiful. Meeting once instead of never meeting again… Listening to the other person instead of merely talking about ourselves… Remembering their important days… Being there when they are going through difficulties… Congratulating them on their achievements… In this way, a greeting can become an acquaintance; an acquaintance can become a friendship; and friendship can develop into a broader service to humanity.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.” When we look at life from this perspective, we can regard every person who enters our lives as both a trust and an opportunity.
Perhaps we can bring a small moment of beauty into the life of someone we meet. Perhaps they can do the same for us… To meet one person is to encounter an entire world. Every human being is, in fact, a world unto themselves. Perhaps years from now, when we look back, we will realize through our own experience that those small steps we took were actually the beginning of a much greater journey.
A step… A greeting… An introduction… A friendship… A small act of kindness done together… And eventually, small islands of peace emerging in different parts of the world… Perhaps this is one of the things humanity needs most today. Because peace is not merely the absence of war. Peace is when people begin to know one another. Peace is being able to live together despite our differences. Peace is being able to recognize one another’s humanity.
So perhaps one of the most beautiful things we can do today is this: Let us take a step, offer a greeting, and get to know another person; then let us enrich that acquaintance and carry it to someone else. Because sometimes what changes the world is a small step taken in the right direction, with no ulterior motive whatsoever, but solely for the sake of Allah. Life is also short, and there are many things to be done. For this reason, the cause of dialogue that begins with a greeting should be given a place among our highest priorities.
Especially in the world in which we live today, the internet and modern means of transportation enable everyone to meet and communicate with people anywhere in the world, even when their religion, language, skin color, and ideas are different from our own. For all these reasons, people’s ability to establish dialogue with one another and to accept one another as they are can help transform the world into peaceful and livable islands of peace, free from war. In this regard, it is of great importance that people greet one another, make use of different opportunities, and get to know one another.
Therefore, beginning with something as simple as a step and a greeting, getting to know people, developing those relationships, and then expanding our circles so that we can continue and encourage work for the benefit of humanity is of tremendous value.
Every journey begins with a single step. That single step turns into a journey, and the journey takes a person toward the destination they wish to reach. This is an unchanging principle in every matter, at all times and everywhere. In particular, meeting people, establishing contact, and engaging in dialogue also begin with human gestures such as a greeting, a smile, or a small act of help. All of these are, in essence, steps toward reaching people, greeting them, sharing goodness with them, and making this world a more livable place on the basis of our common humanity.
As these efforts develop, the other person responds to the greeting. They, too, take a step toward us. Thus, people meet and come together, dialogue develops, and it is continued—and should be continued. As a result, friendships are formed and companionships are gained. The younger generations who will carry the world of the future forward will witness and experience these beautiful approaches and, in turn, enrich their own lives with dialogue.
In this way, the dialogues that are initiated gradually develop, and the meetings and exchanges eventually extend beyond the two individuals involved, reaching their wider circles as well. Human relationships can then flourish within broader communities. Conflicts and wars can be prevented from escalating. For all these reasons, the first greeting and the first step are extremely important. Just as a small catalyst in a chemical reaction helps initiate the reaction, a greeting and a step can initiate and develop positive and beneficial human reactions.
Allah Almighty has given every person a different fitrah—a unique disposition and nature. Shyness is, in a sense, listening to one’s own ego, and it can be overcome in a short time. The beginning of dialogue with people can be a greeting, an act of kindness, a smile, or a helping hand. What matters is being able to continue these chemical reactions—that is, these dialogues—initiated by such catalysts, in appropriate ways and with the proper tone, at the right measure and pace, while also understanding the language of the time and place. Thus, it is an important human responsibility to continue developing these reactions and the dialogues that emerge from them day by day. In this way, beneficial seeds are planted for humanity, the environment, and countries. In time, these seeds will produce ears of grain. Future generations will harvest their fruits and benefit from them, helping make the world a more livable place.
Rather than humanity being destroyed in the future by increasingly powerful weapons—God forbid—friendships built through bridges of dialogue, created by powerful, sincere, and positive human reactions, can make the world of the future a more livable place. In such a world, people will not only live peacefully and happily in this life; the goodness that develops from their sincere, heartfelt, selfless thoughts and actions, free from any ulterior motive, will also be rewarded by Allah Almighty in the Hereafter. Those who engage in such efforts will attain countless rewards that no eye has seen and no ear has heard.
Let us, therefore, work together not to miss out on these rewards, and let us strive to create the means by which humanity can live peacefully both in this world and attain reward in the Hereafter. Let us not deprive anyone of these blessings. If the beginning of all this is a greeting, a step, a smile, or a small act of kindness, then let us become servants of our Lord, who grants us great and magnificent blessings in return for these small acts, and let us be grateful to Him. Let us never neglect what He has commanded us, and let us continue to share these approaches with everyone, God willing.
The effort is ours; success and divine help come from Allah.
What do you think?
