How the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, dealt with groups requiring specific styles of religious invocation

“There was a man during the time of the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, named ‘Abdullaah, and his nickname was Himaar, and he used to make the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, laugh. The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, had previously had him lashed for drinking alcohol. One day he was brought to the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, (drunk), so the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, ordered for him to be lashed. A man said: ‘O Allah, curse him! How often he is brought (to be lashed).’ The Prophet of Allah, sallal- laahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: ‘Do not curse him, for by Allah, I only know about him that he loves Allah and His Messenger.’”1

“I met Abu Tharr (a Com- panion) in the place called Ar-Rabatha, and he was wearing a garment, and his slave boy was wearing the same garment. I asked him the reason for that. He replied: ‘I argued with a person and I insulted him because of (the low status of) his mother.’ The Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to me: ‘Did you insult him because of his mother? You are a person who has an attribute of Jaahiliyyah [the times of ignorance before Islam]. They are your brothers and servants whom Allah has placed under your au- thority. So anyone who has his brother under his authority should feed him the same food as he eats, and dress him in the same clothes that he wears, do not overwhelm them with work that they cannot bear. If you give them work to do then help them with it.”2