Repel the evil with that which is better.

وَلَا تَسْتَوِي الْحَسَنَةُ وَلَا السَّيِّئَةُ ۚ ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ 

Good and evil are not equal. Repel evil with good, and the person who was your enemy becomes like an intimate friend. (Quran 41:34)

 وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَمَا يُلَقَّاهَا إِلَّا ذُو حَظٍّ عَظِيمٍ

But none will attain it except those who persevere, and none will attain it except the very fortunate. (Quran 41: 35)

In Surah Fussilat, we have been advised to repel evil with good. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "There is no better punishment for one who has disobeyed Allah with regard to you, than your obeying Allah with regard to him.''  This ayah teaches us clearly that there is a massive difference between good and evil.

This act of repelling evil with good is one of the hardest things to do. But are we not believers? Do we not believe in the signs (verses) of Allah. Some of them are admonitions, while some are warnings , some are reminders and some are glad tidings. Do we not believe that our Creators advise is the best. There is no other advise that can be better than the one that comes from our own creator. Only an inventor will know what is best suited for the invention in order for it to work well. 

How can we then forget this simple basic rule to react with kindness and compassion if someone does injustice or wrong to you. How can we then hold grudges or have hard feelings when we know the best way to bring empathy in between the relationship is to treat the bad treatment with good. How can we achieve this? Some of the common instances in life is someone spewing insults or accusations at you which is probably not even relevant or true. This is indeed an injustice. How can we repel it with good? We can either be silent and forgive them and not remind them of their action or instead advise them about their deed later when they are calmer in a polite manner. Or we can do something filled with much love such as perhaps hug them and say " I do not know why you are feeling this way, but I wish I can help and sort things out". 

These ayahs are incredibly strong in nature because of its message. Allah (SWT) , our Lord, our Sustainer, the One who created us is advising us to be patient in times of discord by repelling the evil with good as it brings empathy , sensitivity and will make the opposite person an intimate friend. He did not say will make the opposite person "happy" or " realise his mistake" , but instead used the words " كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ".   Who is a wali? Wali is a close friend. How are close friends? They are kind and helpful and caring . They are compassionate and considerate. This is Wali. The person will become like a close friend Allah says. SubhanAllah. As humans when we repel evil with good it is natural for the one committing evil at some point to feel pity and become kind towards the one repelling the evil with good.

Allah then tells us that no one can attain this kind of quality of patience except those who persevere and are persistent in repelling evil with good and do not give up. Meaning no one will accept this advise and stick to it as it is one of the hardest things to do. Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas explained this Ayah: "Allah commands the believers to be patient when they feel angry, to be forbearing when confronted with ignorance, and to forgive when they are mistreated. If they do this, Allah will save them from the Shaytan and subdue their enemies to them until they become like close friends.'' Those who achieve this quality will hold the greatest share of good in the dunya and hereafter.