Moral and Emotional Intelligence

Once upon a time, the Prophet ﷺ walked past a huge camel, which screamed loudly the moment it saw the Prophet ﷺ.

It had tears running down its eyes.

The Prophet ﷺ responded with an affectionate stroke on its neck, and the camel stopped crying.

He requested to buy the camel from the owner, but despite the Prophet’s ﷺ obvious interest, the man was unwilling to sell. So, instead, he warned and expressed the importance of treating his animal with care and respect.

He understood and communicated the unspoken emotions of the camel to its owner.

Listening, contrary to popular belief, is an active process.

It’s a skill that is learned and, once mastered, allows you to hear even in silence. Once we become good listeners, we can better understand the feelings and experiences of the people around us, enabling us to affect their lives positively.

By listening effectively, we can also respond effectively.

Studying the Prophet’s ﷺ life reveals how he didn’t just react to situations but took a moment to pause, reflect, and choose the most morally sound response. This is where the term “moral intelligence” derives from:

The ability to discern right from wrong and to act accordingly.

The Prophet ﷺ knew that people get angry and feel sadness, and he didn’t shy away from expressing these emotions. Yet, he regulated his emotions, not by suppressing them, but by expressing them in ways that serve a higher moral goal.

Take the example of when the Prophet’s ﷺ grandson passed away.

He felt profound grief, and he didn’t hide it.

He cried.

Despite the conventional norms of his society that treated such an emotional expression as a weakness, he didn’t shy away from expressing his grief.

However, he managed to regulate his emotions so that nothing he said or did went against the commandments of Allah.

He let his heart grieve, but he also let his faith guide him.

This intimate connection between emotional and moral intelligence shows us that while it’s natural and healthy to express our emotions, regulating them in ways that align with our moral principles is crucial.

It’s about allowing ourselves to feel but not allowing our feelings to override our moral compass.

In other words, emotional intelligence helps us understand and manage our emotions, while moral intelligence helps us navigate our actions.

The two are deeply connected.

The aim isn’t just to recognize and understand our emotions and use this emotional awareness constructively through our moral values.

The Prophet’s ﷺ life wasn’t devoid of emotional struggles; it was full of them. He faced extraordinary challenges, felt deep pain, experienced immense joy, and did so in the most emotionally intelligent way.

Above all, he never let his emotional reality disconnect from his moral compass.

As we navigate our emotional landscapes, it’s vital to reflect on our moral values, inject our emotions with our morals, and let this guide our responses to various situations.

Like the Prophet ﷺ, we too can master our emotions and raise our moral intelligence, living fulfilling lives that are emotionally aware and morally sound.

Let us work on this and strive towards mirroring the Prophet’s ﷺ excellence in managing emotions and upholding moral values for a better self, society, and an enriched relationship with Allah.

Make du’a for Shaykh Mikaeel Smith for this reflection.