A Smile Is Always Contagious

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 6 October 2022 Itna Mahanga Ho Gaya Hai Tabassum Aaj Kal/Goya Regzaar Mein Paani Bachata Ho Koi Nashtar Nishapuri ( Smile has become so pricey, as if one uses water in the desert sparingly) Why I love an innocent smile For, it shows, the heart is free of guile Rumi Ek Tabassum Pe Munhasir Hai Hayaat Saari Phir Woh Zauq-E-Nazar Ki Ho Ya Ho Bhikari Ki -Faizan Nomani (Life hinges on just one smile/ Whether it's of a beloved or of a mendicant) When I go to the institute in the morning, I see children play and they always smile to see me. I also smile back and feel good from within. Smile has a universal language, which's intelligible to all. Like music, a smile has no language and geographical barriers. Yet, it pains me no end when I see people hardly smile nowadays. There has never been a face lovelier than a smiling one. This logic simply doesn't hold water that people in this age have more problems than those of the people of previous eras. So, they've forgotten to smile and laugh. Men have always had nagging worries and pressing problems in all ages, yet some people never forget to smile. 'Hujoom-E-Gham Meri Fitrat Badal Nahin Sakta/ Main Kya Karoon, Meri Aadat Hai Muskurane Ki' (The hordes of worries cannot change my inner fibre/ I just cannot eschew my habit of smiling). When you smile, you drive away all your blues and when someone looks at your smiling face, s/he also gets inspired and feels the waves of happiness welling up inside. A smile is much more contagious than Corona, albeit in a very positive way! A person's smile, not smirk, bespeaks his/ her character and fabric. Have you ever noticed the great singer Muhammad Rafi's face? His beatific smile vindicates the intrinsic innocence of his angelic persona. The ever-smiling face of the great Nelson Mandela also comes to the mind. Remember, a smile helps you go the extra mile. Only those, who're innately good, always smile and spread joy and happiness all around. As we grow old, we slowly drift away from our basic and inherent nature, that's goodness. We all have noticed how easily and spontaneously a child smiles and laughs. But adults often have to make an effort to smile and when they smile, it doesn't appear to be coming from the core of the heart. It seems forced and often laboured. A smile should have the quality to make others smile because all smiles begin from one and original smile. The flower of love, the greatest cementing force in the world, blossoms on the branches of smiles. The disarming smile of a damsel not just floors the suitor, it also gladdens the souls of the onlookers. A face that doesn't smile is often devoid of feelings. Why do all painters invariably draw angels and celestial beings with smiling faces? Because their smile is a message and a metaphor that only through a smile can we live our lives in this otherwise wretched and heartless world. ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/smile-contagious-/d/128117 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism