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[Thus
it is due to mercy from Allah that you deal with them gently, and had
you been rough, hard hearted, they would certainly have dispersed from
around you]
(Aal `Imran 3:159).
Mercy
is a divine characteristic manifested in human relationship through
kindness and affection for others, in contrast to harshness and wicked
intentions to friends and foes alike.
Rahmah
(mercy) in Arabic literally means “womb” and as such the most
merciful and compassionate link in human relationship is the mother.
Islamically, whenever there is rahmah Satan disperses.
Harshness or cruelty descends in the absence of rahmah.
A
typical example from the Sunnah on this is the crowing of the cock and
the braying of the donkey. We are told to pray “Allahumma inni
as’aluka min fadlik” (Allah, I ask You for Your favor) when
the cock crows, as angels are present, and “A`oodhubillahi min
ash-shaytan ir-rajeem” (I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed
Satan) when the donkey brays, as devils have arrived.
The
more we become attached to the wonderful divine attributes of
Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, the greater will be our propensity for
expressing mercy and compassion towards humanity.
Prophet
Muhammad has been epitomized as the very embodiment of rahmah.
Almighty
Allah says, [And
We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds]
(Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:107).
So
intense was the mercy in this human perfection that even his greatest
archenemies received mercy. He never killed anyone with his auspicious
hands, in spite of being forced into battle several times.
We
must beg Allah for His mercy. When the Prophet was seen crying for his
deceased young son Ibrahim, someone was amazed that the Prophet cried!
He (peace and blessings be upon him) retorted that weeping is the
mercy of Allah.
Practically,
mercy in Islam isn't just a cliché for some academic presentation,
nor is it jargon for some anti-war campaign, but it is
institutionalized.
The
secret behind Islam's spread across continents and the harmonious
interaction with cultures throughout its 1,400 years of existence is
this innate intrinsic value of rahmah. Even animals are not
exempted. The Prophet reprimanded his Companions for over-working
camels, burning ants, and killing sparrows. On Al-Mi`raj, the
miraculous ascension of the Prophet of Islam, Allah exposed a cruel,
hardhearted woman who starved her pet cat to death and so wallowed in
the flames of Hell.
The
conquest of Makkah on Ramadan 20 provided an incomparable incident to
show the true meaning of mercy for one's enemies. After nearly 20
years of relentlessly tormenting the Muslims, the Quraish were
defeated. They stood at the door of the Mercy of all the Worlds: Hind,
who had chewed Hamzah's liver; `Ikrimah, the son of Abu Jahl; Abu
Sufyan, the war financer; and so on. But all the Prophet said was the
same as Yusuf said to his brothers: “You are all free, there is
no revenge against you!”
From
the Christian students studying in the Moorish universities of Spain
to the Sufi healers of Xinjiang; from the Rishis in Kashmir to the
traditionalists in Mali; from the Malcom Xs of US prisons to the Cuffy
fighters of Magdalenenburg (Guyana), the blend of mercy was the secret
of the harmonious pact—godliness plus righteousness. Mercy binds us
to Allah and Satan cannot infiltrate. Why? A merciful character is
protection from the Hellfire.
Finally,
on the Day of Judgment, Allah the Creator, Sublime and Pure, will
announce to His slaves, “I was sick but you did not visit Me. I
was naked, hungry and thirsty but you did not accede to My needs.”
Surprised
at this, the slaves will glorify Allah further and say, “You are
above needs; how could You say this?” So the Lord of all the worlds
will explain, “So-and-so was sick; had you come to visit him, you
would have found Me next to him. So-and-so was hungry, thirsty, and
naked; had you gone to alleviate his poverty, you would have found Me
next to him.”
Yes,
Allah places Himself in the proximity of one who needs the mercy of
society. Will you?
*
Excepted, with slight modifications, from: www.understanding-islam.com
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