The Divine Quality of Mercy/Compassion
In Islam, mercy implies
the fear of Allah the Almighty. For it is with this fear of Allah the Almighty
that the highest degrees (of faith etc.) are reached, torments are dispelled,
the evil influence of Satan is repulsed. According to the Quranic verses and
various Hadiths, it is clear that life on earth is built on foundations and
principles that engender happiness and encourage creatures to help one another
with mercy foremost.
Indeed, mercy is a
great quality that Allah the Almighty has given to the blessed and deprived the
unfortunate. Mercy is implanted in the heart of every creature but it is up to
this one to know how to keep this mercy alive for the sake of Allah the
Almighty.
According to Abu
Huraira (ra) the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, as reported through the
pages of Sahih Al-Bukhari: “Truly Allah possesses a
hundred mercies and of them there is one mercy through which all creation
show mercy to one another and ninety nine are for the day of resurrection...”
Alhamdulillah!
Mercy is one of the
beautiful qualities of Allah the Almighty. For us, the creatures of Allah the
Almighty, mercy is a quality of perfection. With mercy, creatures feel
tenderness towards one another. He who is strong has pity/ compassion on him
who is weak. That's mercy. The rich man never hesitates to help the poor, the
destitute and the needy. That's mercy. For us (Muslims) in the Ummah, mercy is
even an obligation at the level of the family as well as of society. And that
pleases Allah the Almighty Who then sends His blessings on those who grant
mercy (to others) in their daily occupations.
The Spiritual Value of Mercy
Mercy is a gift from
Allah the Almighty that is anchored in the body of every human being. But, some
leave this gift of Allah the Almighty in a passive state, not understanding its
spiritual value. Especially when the human being is easily influenced by Satan,
and then commits sins, some more serious than the others, thus allowing this
great spirituality which is mercy to pass through his hands. He thus loses this
blessing.
Among the believers of
the Ummah, mercy is a sacred element, a divine gift, a precious element.
Islam has ordered Muslims to be merciful because Islam itself is a religion of
mercy. Just as the teachings of Islam came for the realization of goodness,
justice, kindness, tranquility, truth, peace, and the worship of Allah the
Almighty without reservation. Mercy also gives an opportunity to remove what is
wrong and what is evil, bad, despicable. Allah the Almighty said to His
Messenger, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): “We
have sent you only as mercy to the inhabitants of this world.”
(Al-Anbiya, 21: 107).
According to Abdullah
Ibn ʻAmr, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “The
Merciful (i.e., Allah) shows mercy to those who are merciful; have mercy on
those who are on earth, so that the One Who is in heaven will have mercy on
you.” (Tirmidhi).
Another explanation of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) according to Jarir Ibn Abdallah, as reported
in the Hadiths, Bukhari and Muslim: “Allah
does not show mercy to the one who does not show mercy to people (mankind)”. Moreover, the one who does not forgive (others),
will never be forgiven by Allah the Almighty. The example of believers in their
friendship, their affection, their compassion, their sincerity, their honesty,
their spirit of help, their sympathy is like the body. If one of the members of
this body suffers, the whole body will suffer.
Even the youngest ones,
the babies, ask for mercy from their elders. As for the elderly, the weak, the
sick, mercy must be doubled, tripled, even be unlimited.
“He is not of us who does not respect the elderly, is not
merciful to the young children, does not prescribe good in his daily life, and
does not forbid evil, malice, tyranny, pride, corruption and other evils of
society,” said the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), according to a
Hadith of Tirmidhi.
The mother of the
believers, Hazrat Aisha (ra) narrated an anecdote about the mercy she has
experienced with the Holy Prophet (pbuh). She related: “A Bedouin came to see the Messenger of Allah and said to
him, ʻYou embrace the children and we do it
very rarely or even never do it.’” The Holy Prophet (pbuh) replied, “What can I do
for you if Allah the Almighty has taken away mercy from your heart?”
(Bukhari).
Duty to Care Animals and Nature
Even animals, even nature, have received mercy
from Allah the Almighty. Why is this so? Islam is indeed the religion of mercy,
justice, peace. Islam has especially commanded Muslims to be merciful.
Abdallah Ibn Jaafar narrated: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) entered a well-fenced
garden belonging to a man among the Ansars, where was a camel. When the animal
saw the Holy Prophet, he began to shed tears and to groan painfully. The
Messenger of Allah rushed to the wretched animal, wiped his tears, caressed him
tenderly. The camel stopped moaning and showed signs of joy. The Holy Prophet
(pbuh) asked who was the owner? A young man from the Ansars answered that he
was the owner. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said to him, “Do you not fear Allah in
respect to this animal? He lacks affection, love and mercy from you. It has
hereby complained to me and is crying.” (Ahmad).
Allah bestowed this gift on the Holy Prophet
(pbuh) to understand the language of the camel as He taught the language of the
birds to His prophet Sulaiman.
On another occasion, the Holy Prophet (pbuh)
said:
“Whoever kills a bird without a valid
reason, the latter will complain to Allah the Almighty on the Day of Judgment,
saying, ʻOh Allah! Someone tortured me, wounded me, even killed me
without valid reason, without showing the least sign of mercy towards me...’”.
Imagine the punishment of Allah the Almighty at such moments.
Islam prescribes righteousness even towards
unbelievers. When acting like this, the Muslim shows mercy, to the delight of
Allah the Almighty.
Reclaim Mercy and Compassion
The time we live, brothers and sisters in
Islam, gives the impression that mercy is no longer part of the vocabulary of
the Muslim. We in the Ummah are under the obligation to be merciful to
everyone in every step of life. Even to the one who calls you his/ her worst
enemy. On the contrary, Islam recommends compassion and asks you to pray
(supplicate Allah/ duahs) the Almighty to grant His blessings to those
people who are doing harm so that they may reform.
At this point of time of life on earth,
humanity needs high Islamic principles, and it is up to us to make the
necessary effort to revive the true divine/ Islamic teachings so that humanity,
and Ummah of the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) finally find the desired
peace. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of