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Ramadan: The Month of Mercy to Muslims
Sheikh
`Aa’id `Abdullah Al-Qarni
Mercy
is a favor from Allah that He puts in the hearts of whomsoever He
wills of His servants. Verily, Allah will have mercy on His
servants who show mercy to others, as He is the Most Compassionate
the Most Merciful. He loves the merciful and calls to mercy. He
orders His servants to enjoin patience and mercy. A person may lack
mercy for some reasons, such as the abundance of sins and
disobedience. This is because sins stain people's hearts to the
extent that they ultimately blind them until their hearts become
harder than stones. Allah, speaking about the Children of Israel,
says: {And yet, after all this, your hearts hardened and became
like rocks, or even harder}. (2: 74) Allah also says about them
when they opposed and rebelled against the Divine law: {Then, for
having broken their solemn pledge, We rejected them and caused
their hearts to harden}. (5: 13)
Among
the things that cause a loss of mercy is arrogance with wealth and
pride with riches. Allah says: {Nay, verily, man becomes grossly
overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient}.
(96: 6-7) The day the heart is disciplined with faith and good
deeds it fills with mercy and kindness. Another reason for the
weakness of mercy is the abundance of gluttony and saturation,
because they give rise to contempt and recklessness. Hence, the
month of fasting was prescribed to crush this unruliness and ill
discipline. The fasting person is naturally among the most merciful
people. That is because he has tasted hunger, experienced thirst,
and endured hardship. Therefore, his soul is enveloped with mercy,
care and gentleness for Muslims.
Mercy
is something that every Muslim is required to show to his brother
Muslim. It is a requirement from every responsible custodian toward
those under his care. He should feel sorry for them and be lenient
towards them. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is
reported to have said: “O Allah! Whoever is entrusted with
authority over any affair of the Muslims and made it difficult for
them, make it difficult for him. And whoever is entrusted over any
affair of the Muslims and is kind towards them, be kind towards
him.”
In
an authentic Hadith, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him,
also said: “Whoever oversees an affair for my nation and
disappeared or abandoned them without fulfilling their needs while
impoverishing them, Allah will debar him from his needs and
impoverish him on the Day of Judgement.”
Mercy
demands that the scholar and teacher should be gentle toward his
students and lead them to the easiest and best ways to love him and
benefit from his teachings. If he does this Allah will decree for
him the most excellent and abounding reward. Listen to the manner
in which Allah praises His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him: {And it was by God's grace that thou [O Prophet] didst deal
gently with thy followers: for if thou hadst been harsh and hard of
heart, they would indeed have broken away from thee}. (3: 159)
Mercy
further requires from the imam that he should not make worship
difficult for his followers or cause them harm. On the contrary, he
should be merciful, kind and wise. The Prophet, peace and blessings
be upon him, said: “Whoever leads the people in prayer must make
it easy because among them are the old, the sick, the young and the
needy.” It was narrated that when Mu`adh once extended the prayer
the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him: “Are
you a troublemaker O Mu`adh? Are you a troublemaker O Mu`adh? Are
you a troublemaker O Mu`adh?”
In
the same manner, when `Uthman Ibn Abu Al-`As Ath-Thaqafi requested:
‘O Messenger of Allah, make me an Imam of my people.’ The
Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘You are their
Imam so lead the prayer according to the weakest of them and take a
caller to prayer who would seek no payment for doing so.’
Mercy
dictates that the one who calls to Islam must advise those whom he
is inviting with tenderness. That he should, moreover, clarify
issues to them with concern. He should not hurt, defame people or
even revile the disobedient in public. Allah advised Moses and
Aaron to employ the following methods in their call to the tyrant
Pharaoh: {But speak unto him in a mild manner, so that he might
bethink himself or [at least] be filled with apprehension}. (20:
44)
He
also says: {Call thou [all mankind] unto thy Sustainer's path with
wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the most
kindly manner}. (16: 125)
The
eminent jurist and Islamic scholar, Imam Ash-Shafi`i wrote:
Support
me with your advice in private,
and avoid advising me in public.
Surely
giving advice among the people is a kind of reproach,
which I would rather not listen to.
If
you disobey and ignore my wish,
don't be saddened if you are not obeyed.
Mercy
is required from a father to his children. The mercy of the father
or mother towards their children has the greatest effect on their
integrity, well-being and obedience. Self-praise and harshness only
open the door to despair. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon
him, said: “Kindness was never bestowed upon something except
that it beautified it, and it was never removed from that thing
except that it made it ugly.”
O
you who fast and cause hunger to your stomach, there are thousands
of stomachs more awaiting a meal. Will there not arise from amongst
you those who would feed them? O you who fast and cause thirst to
your liver, there are thousands more who await a mouthful of water.
Will there not arise from amongst you those who would quench their
thirst? O you who fast and wear the finest garments, there are
naked people out there awaiting only a piece of cloth to cover
their bodies. Will there not then come forth from amongst you those
who would clothe them?
O
Allah! We implore to you to bestow on us your extended mercy that
will forgive our sins and erase our misdeeds and errors.
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