017: Handling Toxic Influences

Have you ever felt a sense of dread whenever you come across a particular person? This feeling might be a red flag that you are in a toxic relationship with that person. It can be a boss, a friend, a family member or even an organization. Before the advent of social media, toxic relationships might have been significantly small in number. However, these days toxic influences exist in various forms and it is worrying as they might cause a myriad of complications. Islam offers solutions that are holistic for people who are affected by toxic influences. The importance of Iman goes hand in hand with physical and mental wellbeing in handling toxicity. Hence in this week's episode, we discuss the meaning of toxic influence, its causes and practical tips to handle it effectively. 00:00:00 Intro 00:05:31 Effects of toxic influences 00:07:37 Definition of toxic influences 00:09:36 Hadith regarding influences 00:13:41 Toxic person are still human 00:18:01 Types of a toxic person 00:27:51 What are emotional vampires? 00:29:30 Bullying culture 00:32:10 Toxicity can come from many angles 00:33:23 Differentiating between truth and falsehood 00:37:02 The story of Imran ibn Hittan 00:41:00 You are influenced by who you sit with 00:44:08 Importance of being authentic 00:45:37 Najashi the Christian King and the sahabah 00:46:25 Toxic influences of Bani Israil 00:49:20 The munafiqun/hypocrites 00:53:25 Similarity of Abdullah bin Ubay's methods to toxic office politics 00:56:56 Focus on your goal 00:59:48 A trait of a munafiq is bringing the fight out of the ring 01:02:50 The effect of the toxic environment - the killing of Uthman bin Affan r.a 01:05:40 The "Loud minority" with a severe potential for harm on society 01:07:03 HOW should we handle toxic influences? 01:08:57 Find positive replacements: good company! 01:11:45 Three tips in dealing with toxic people 01:16:16 Most important key trait: Sabr! Don't allow the toxic environment to shape you 01:20:35 Appreciating the wisdom of toxic environment: to be BETTER 01:24:25 Go against the grain: Play your part to enjoin the good (in spite of the toxic surroundings) 01:25:55 Change your environment, walk away (where applicable) 01:28:23 The hijrah of a drug addict to become a Quran teacher 01:30:43 Exercise wisdom in getting rid of the bad apples 01:35:10 There will be goodness coming out from every difficulty 01:38:56 Constantly advise and bear patient on toxic people 01:45:19 Reality check! Impossible to completely avoid any difficult people 01:46:08 4 basic principles in confronting any issues 01:47:19 Take steps to rise above toxic influence 01:48:59 What scent is your personality?