The Prophet (peace be upon him) often had to deal with difficult situations that required a proper approach so as to ensure that the consequences did not lead to an even more unpleasantness. Many of those who came to him, having heard that he preached a new faith, were uneducated Bedouins who led nomadic life in the Arabian desert. They generally had little contact with city life. They were uncouth and very primitive and direct in their ways, as we see in the behavior of the one mentioned in the following Hadith, reported by Abu Hurayrah: “A desert Arab who sat with the Prophet stood up, went aside and urinated inside the mosque. People rushed to stop him, but the Prophet told them to leave him alone, and to pour a bucket of water over the place where he urinated. He added: ‘You are required to make things easy for people, not to make them difficult.’”
The Prophet’s advocacy of his message ensured that people throughout Arabia heard of Islam and learned its basic message, which is to believe in God’s oneness, Muhammad’s prophethood, resurrection and accountability. Even desert Arabs heard of Islam, and those of them who found themselves close to Madinah might come to speak to the Prophet and learn about Islam. One of them, known as Abu Al-Khuwaysirah, entered the Prophet’s mosque as he was talking to his companions. He sat down, then when it was time for prayer, he prayed with the people. The Prophet heard him saying: “My Lord, bestow Your mercy on me and on Muhammad, but grant it to no one else.” The Prophet said to him: “You have restricted something that is available to all. You better say: My Lord, bestow Your mercy on me, Muhammad and all Muslims.”
A little while after that, the man went aside and urinated, thinking that the mosque was just like any open place in the desert. Those who were present were very angry, because they were aware of the need to keep the mosque free from all impurities. They rushed toward him wanting him to stop. The Prophet called out to them, saying that they should leave him alone. If the man was scared, feeling that he was about to be attacked, he might try to stop himself and run, which could cause him harm. Therefore, the Prophet wanted them to take matters gently and not to frighten him.
The Prophet dealt with the matter in a gentle way, telling the man that mosques must always be kept free from impurity. He also told his companions that scaring the man would not have achieved any good result. They must always try to make things easy for people, because ease is in the very nature of the Islamic faith. The situation can easily be dealt with, by pouring a large bucket of water over the place where the man urinated. Thus the urine is sufficiently diluted to make the place clean again. When dealing with an uneducated person, the best way is to explain why his action is unacceptable, pointing out the reasons and the way to redress the fault.