إنّ أحسن ما يألف به الناس قلوب اودّائهم ونفوا به الضّغن عن قلوب أعدائهم حسن البشر عند لقائهم والتفقد في غيبتهم والبشاشة بهم عند حضورهم
One of Imam Ali’s (AS) sermons:
Friendliness to others – namely asking after them in their absence and smiling and showing cheerfulness in their presence – when meeting them is the best thing they can do to win the hearts of their dear ones and remove the spite from the hearts of their enemies.
(Tohfatul Oqul, p. 218)
Friendliness wins people's affection and makes the hearts grow fonder. "Friendliness is half of wisdom," as an Islamic tradition goes. All the officials of the Islamic system, especially the clerics who are in a position of responsibility in a department or a government organ, must consider this tradition as particularly noteworthy. This is because the clients are not at the same level in terms of their faith and, therefore, there is a strong possibility that unfriendliness towards them may put them off religion and shake their faith. Conversely, good manners attract them towards religion and make them optimistic about Islam. "The believer puts on a happy face while he is sad at heart."