What Turns Enmity into Friendship
However it can be achieved with the miracle of the Word of God.
There is a verse in Surah Fussilat of the Holy Quran that shows the way how to do it: “Virtue and evil are not equal. If you replace evil habits by virtuous ones, you will certainly find that your enemies will become your intimate friends.” (Surah Fussilat, verse 34)
First, we should see what the verse means by ‘enemies’. Enmities are of different kinds. Some are rooted in ignorance, some are rooted in envy and some arise due to doubts and suspicions. These kinds of hostility can be turned into friendship according to this verse, not those that are rooted in Kufr (disbelief) and an intention to destroy the truth.
The verse advises people to respond to bad deeds with good deeds and refuse to retaliate. In the Makarim al-Akhlaq Supplication, Imam Sajjad (AS) prays to God to give him the blessing of talking about people’s goodness and forgiving them when they tell bad things about him. There are many such cases in the Seerah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Ahl-ul-Bayt (AS) where the behavior of the Infallibles (AS) has turned the enemies into friends and followers.
Based on this and other verses of Surah Fussilat, here is how we should act to change enemies into friends:
1- Respond to bad behavior with goodness: “replace evil habits by virtuous ones,…” (Verse 34)
2- Seek good for others and know that God has created paradise for all of us, provided that we choose to enter it: “We are your guides in this world and in the Everlasting Life. There, you shall have all that your souls desire, and all that you ask for.” (Verse 31)
3- We should always remember that God is forgiving and merciful: “a hospitable welcome from the All-forgiving and All-merciful God.” (Verse 32)
4- Our invitation to God follows the best purpose “Who speaks better than one who invites human beings to God, acts righteously and says, ‘I am a Muslim,’”(Verse 33) and should be done in the best way. (Verse 34)
5- Such a miracle is achieved with good words and good deeds and requires patience and tolerance. “Only those who exercise patience and who have been granted a great share of God's favor can find such an opportunity.” (Verse 35)
