The Power of Action over Words

During one of my trips to a southern city in Iran, I held several classes for young students. The atmosphere was lively and full of questions. In one of the sessions, the topic I raised was: “Why does God not punish us immediately for our deeds in this world?”

I had already prepared several answers, but before presenting them I said to the students: “Before hearing my thoughts, I want you to reflect and share your own answers.”

After a moment of silence, one of the young men stood up and gave a thoughtful response. To my surprise, his answer was not among the notes I had prepared. Instantly, I took out my pen and notebook, wrote down his words in front of everyone, and told him: “This is something I did not know before-I learned it from you.” Then I encouraged him warmly.

On the last day of my stay, just as I was about to leave the city, one of the teachers came to me and said: “Do you know that the way you acknowledged that student’s answer and wrote it down had a greater educational impact than all of your lectures?”

At that moment I realized: sometimes a single honest act can leave a deeper mark on hearts than hours of preaching.

Lessons from this Experience

1. Accepting the truth, even from others, is a sign of scholarly humility and can win hearts more effectively than long speeches.
2. Encouraging young people to share their ideas builds their confidence and inspires them to think more deeply.
3. Practical behaviour often teaches more than words, and the educator’s actions can speak louder than their lectures.