💐 In The Name Of Allah The Most Gracious The Most Merciful
💌 Intentional harassment or bullying doesn't only occur in school, but it can also take place among "adults", particularly in the workplace. Adult bullying is usually done by insecure individuals, who act like childish fifth-graders persistently messing with another student whom they regard as prettier, wealthier or more intellectually accomplished than them.
🔹 Three examples of bullying behavior found in some "adults":
1] They deliberately try to make you feel excluded. Imagine talking to a group of five friends, discussing where your next outing will be. After you all agreed to a specific date and location, you later discover on social media that they already had their gathering without you. Upon confronting them about it, you're informed that they wanted the hangout much earlier and "forgot" to invite you. This awkward misunderstanding doesn't happen just once, but numerous times.
2] A co-worker or acquaintance behaves like an obnoxious bully when they have an awful habit of distributing items to everyone in a room while purposely ignoring you.
3] When they're in a bunch with bystanders around, they treat you with fake niceness, yet when nobody close to you is watching they emphasize their insecurities through immature gossip, direct as well as passive-aggresive maltreatment, injustice and disrespect.
🔹 Ways to cope with adult bullying:
1] Maintain strong connection with Allah the Almighty and keep trusting Him Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala. The stronger your faith/Imaan is, the less prone you are to becoming emotionally affected by people's unfair dealings with you.
2] Understand that whoever tries to hurt you on purpose is likely hurting inside. Their self-hatred, struggles with inferiority complex, ignorance of good morals, miserable upbringing or intense jealousy towards you could explain why they treat you poorly.
3] Be grateful Alhamdulillah that you're not the one oppressing others and taking people's sins. It is better to be the innocent subject being gossiped about than be the insecure gossiper whose unkindness causes their despicable envy to become clearly evident.
4] Avoid and minimize your interactions with toxic people. Unfriend, unfollow and never bother checking the timelines of those whose companionship can't add any positive value to your overall well-being. Gladly walk away from adult bullies and learn not to copy their terrible traditions.
5] Focus on developing your connections with those who genuinely care about you for Allah's sake. Find new companions who can inspire you to become a better Muslim and whose actions aren't manipulated by selfishness, egoistic pride, insecurity, greed or self-hate.
Oftentimes it's your inner beauty, abilities, firm faith/Imaan, confidence and other gifts from Allah Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala which intimidate certain individuals. Don't let their misery and criticism stop you from being the best version of yourself.
📖 Abu Huraira RadhiAllahu 'anhu narrated: Allah's noble Messenger Muhammad SallAllahu 'alaihi wa sallam said, "The strong believer is more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, but there is goodness in both of them. Be eager for what benefits you, seek help from Allah, and do not be frustrated. If something befalls you, then do not say: 'If only I had done something else.' Rather say: 'Allah has decreed what He wills.' Verily, the phrase ‘if only’ opens the way for the work of shaytan."
Source: Sahih Muslim 2664
Grade: Sahih (Authentic) according to Muslim