The Differences between the Negative and the Positive People
By Aslam Abdullah
CA
Every human being walks through life carrying an invisible mirror. What they show to others is, in time, reflected upon themselves. A smile returns as kindness. A harsh word echoes back as loneliness. This is the law of human character — whatever you plant in the hearts of others will eventually grow on your own.
A negative person walks through the world with heavy steps. His words sting. Their eyes narrow at others’ success, their hearts store suspicion, and their tongues are quick to mock or gossip. To them, life feels like a competition where all the blessings others hold somehow rob them of their own. They may laugh at others, but deep within, they are restless. They may harm someone’s reputation, but the wound they leave behind also festers in their own soul. Not only that, but they think they are strong when they ridicule, yet in truth, they are weakened. They believe they are gaining by speaking ill, but they are only emptying their hearts of goodness. Slowly, their relationships dry up, their circle shrinks, and they are left with the bitter taste of their own words. In harming others, they have built walls around their hearts, shutting out love, peace, and even hope.
By contrast, a positive person walks lightly, as if carrying light in their chest. He sees others’ success and feels no envy — only gratitude that blessings exist in the world. His words heal, his presence calms. He does not rush to suspect or condemn, for he knows every heart carries unseen struggles.
Such a person is not naive. He knows that life has hardships, betrayal, and pain. But he refuses to add to the darkness. He chooses patience instead of complaint, fairness instead of injustice, and generosity instead of greed. Where the negative person consumes himself with fire, the positive one feeds himself with peace.
The difference between the two is not measured by wealth, knowledge, or power, but by the mark they leave on the surrounding hearts. The negative person leaves people cautious, wounded, and withdrawn. The positive person leaves people lifted, seen, and safe.
This is why the teachings of faith — echoed in every culture and creed — insist that we guard our tongues, our hearts, and our hands. To live in negativity is to live in chains, harming others, and slowly destroying oneself. To live in positivity is to live in freedom, spreading mercy and building a legacy that survives long after one’s footsteps fade.
A Muslim between Negative and Positive
The Qur’an and the Sunna are not only a lamp of guidance; they are also a mirror. In that mirror, two reflections appear. One is the silhouette of the negative Muslim — a figure cloaked in envy, mockery, and injustice, whose actions corrode the soul and fracture the community. The other is the positive Muslim, radiant, merciful, and whose example lifts hearts and builds harmony. Between these two images lies the struggle of every believer.
The Negative Muslim
The negative Muslim begins with the cruelty of mockery. The Qur’an warns:“O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule another people; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another, and do not call each other by offensive nicknames.” (Qur’an 49:11) Mockery strips dignity and breeds bitterness, forgetting that honor belongs only to Allah.
He deepens his fault with backbiting and slander. The Qur’an asks: “Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would detest it.” (Qur’an 49:12) The Prophet ﷺ called backbiting worse than adultery, for it festers until the victim forgives. Such behavior poisons trust and tears communities apart.
Suspicion clouds his heart, envy gnaws at his soul, miserliness chains his hands, and extravagance squanders his gifts. Worst of all, he embraces injustice, forgetting that oppression will be “darkness upon darkness on the Day of Resurrection” (Muslim).
This shadow is not an abstract figure. It lurks wherever rumors are spread, whenever mercy is withheld, wherever parents are dishonored, and families are divided. The negative Muslim is a warning: faith without character is but a shell without life.
The Positive Muslim
Against this darkness, the positive Muslim shines like a lamp in the night. His light is not imagined — it is embodied in the lives of the Prophet’s Companions, who became living commentaries on the Qur’an.
He begins with the purity of the heart. Where the shadow envies, he rejoices in others’ blessings. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the Prophet’s closest companion, embodied this. When others hesitated to give, Abu Bakr brought all his wealth to the Prophet ﷺ, content to leave nothing for himself but Allah and His Messenger. His heart knew no envy, only joy in service and love for his brother.
The positive Muslim guards his tongue with truth and kindness. Umar ibn al-Khattab, known for his firmness, would weep if he feared his words had been unjustly wounded. His sense of responsibility made him tremble: “If a mule were to stumble in Iraq, I would fear that Allah would ask me why I did not level the road for it.” His words were measured, his speech a shield for justice, not a sword for gossip.
Where suspicion corrodes trust, the positive Muslim offers Husn al-Zann — thinking well of others. Uthman ibn Affan, the modest Caliph, embodied this. His humility was so profound that even the angels were shy before him. He never searched for faults in others, preferring to see their goodness, and his generosity — equipping an entire army in one day — flowed from that trust in Allah’s provision.
His life is warmed by mercy and service. Ali ibn Abi Talib, renowned for his courage in battle, was also recognized for his kindness towards orphans and the poor. He once carried sacks of flour to widows at night, unseen, seeking no thanks but Allah’s pleasure. To the weak, he was a shield; to the needy, a hand; to the oppressed, a voice.
The positive Muslim practices balance wealth. Abdul Rahman ibn Awf, blessed with immense riches, lived and spent generously. When famine struck Medina, he donated entire caravans of goods to the poor, preferring the eternal reward over fleeting gain. His wealth was a trust, never a throne.
Above all, the positive Muslim lives by justice. Umar’s reign became a parable of fairness, where no one, not even governors, stood above the law. A Christian could take the Caliph himself to court, and Umar would stand as an equal before the judge. This was Islam’s light in action — justice that honored every soul.
And through all of them shone the spirit of the Prophet ﷺ himself, who declared: “The most complete of the believers in faith are those with the best character. And the best of you are those who are best to their families.” (Tirmidhi)
The Choice
Between these two portraits — the shadowed and the radiant — every Muslim must choose. The negative Muslim corrodes communities; the positive Muslim heals them. One spreads suspicion, the other spreads trust. One hoards, the other gives. Not only that, but one oppresses, the other stands for justice.
The Prophet ﷺ taught: “The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the people are safe.” (Bukhari, Muslim). Safety, kindness, and justice are the hallmarks of the positive believer.
And so, each of us must ask: Am I a shadow that hurts, or a lamp that guides? For the true beauty of Islam is not in ritual alone, but in character — the living reflection of the Prophet’s mercy in our daily lives.
(Dr Aslam Abdullah received a Doctorate in Communications from the University of London, England in 1987. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Muslim Media Network Inc. that publishes the Muslim Observer. He has served as Director of the Islamic Society of Nevada and Masjid Ibrahim, Las Vegas. Dr Abdullah has also been the Editor-in-Chief of the Minaret Magazine since 1989. He was an associate editor of The Arabia in the 1980's. He also served as vice chairman of Muslim Public Affairs Council.He is the current Vice President of the American Muslim Council. He is involved in interfaith dialogue and has represented Muslims in several interfaith conferences. He has published several books and more than 600 articles and papers in magazines all over the world. He is based on Southern California and has appeared on several TV and Radio shows)
