*The Effect of Encouragement and Good Guidance* How many hidden talents have gone undiscovered, and how many brilliant minds were overlooked — even taught to feel helpless and dull — until Allāh sent someone to guide them and remove the fog from their eyes. In the beginning, you see such a person make mistakes, stumble, and hesitate — until Allāh blesses them with someone who praises their strengths, corrects their faults, and makes their slips seem lighter. Then, their ambition grows like a flower blooming in dry land. Encouragement is a key, while harsh criticism can blind and deafen. A cruel word can put out the light of talent just as the wind blows out the last lamp on a cold night. This actually happened to the great scholar Salim Al-Bukhari, as mentioned in the book Elevation of Aspiration. He wrote an impressive treatise and showed it to his teacher, who was sitting by the fire to keep warm. The teacher took the essay, threw it into the fire, and said: "Do you really think you've reached a level to write something? You?!" That was the first essay Al-Bukhari ever wrote — and the last — until he passed away. As for the author of these lines (referring to himself), I wrote my first treatise called 'The Art of Dialogue' and presented it to my teacher, the reformer Imam Muqbil bin Hadi Al-Wadi’ee — may Allāh have mercy on him. He liked it, praised it, and wrote an introduction so full of good words that just reading it would fill your ears with hope. Among other things, he said: "I know Faisal as someone who loves the Sunnah and hates innovation. Allāh has opened his mind and blessed him with exceptional intelligence." So I felt like that saying: Even weak birds, in our land, learn to soar like eagles. I had no choice but to believe my teacher. I pushed myself hard, shook off laziness, and motivated myself — until, by the grace of Allāh, I authored nearly one hundred books and essays. And the road to striving is still open. We ask Allāh to accept this work, to have great mercy on our teacher Muqbil, and to reward him on my behalf and on behalf of all his students. ------ Forwarded from Sheikh Faisal Al-Hashidi