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Esteemed audience, ladies and gentlemen, guests,
organizers and members of this blessed conference, I greet you in
the blessed way of Islam and convey to you the greetings of your
brothers in Islam in the land of Morocco. I wish you and the whole
Islamic Ummah a blessed Eid Al Fitr, and beseech the Almighty to
bless this august conference, the conference of Islamic action and
civilizational edification, for the spread of the mercy of Islam to
the far reaches for the world.
It is my pleasure and honor to have been delegated by my brothers,
who placed their trust in my humble knowledge, to prepare this
modest research: “The Universality of Mercy and Islam” on the
exalted subject of the present Conference, derived from Allah’s
words: ‘We have not sent you forth but as a mercy for mankind’
.
To facilitate the presentation of this paper, I suggest dividing it
into three parts:
- The Quranic Nature of Mercy
- The Universality of Islam
- The Prophet of Mercy to the Universe
Part I: The Quranic Nature of Mercy
The reader of the Qur’an can only wonder at how prevalent in this
Book is the concept of mercy and its synonyms, in a way much similar
to how the soul permeates the body. The terms of mercy, its synonyms
and derivatives suffuse the fabric of the Holy Qur’an and embellish
it with their gentle meanings, truly reflecting in linguistic form
its feature as ‘A guide and a mercy to all who believe ’ (Al A’raf,
52). The self-description of the Qur’an is imbued with mercy and
other such attributes as healing, enlightenment and guidance. If we
limit ourselves to listing the many instances where the word mercy
‘rahma’ occurs in the Qur’an, we will be amazed to note how often it
is present throughout the Holy Book. In fact, there are 340
instances of the word ‘rahma’, almost as numerous as the days of the
year, as if signifying a portion of Quranic mercy for every day of
the year.
Further entrenching this wonder is the fact that this figure is
divided over 32 grammatical forms and derivations, which wealth
reveals the diversified and prevalent occurrence of the term ‘rahma’
in the Qur’an and its myriad uses in verbal, nominal, derivative,
singular and plural forms, as well as in the absolute and relative
forms, attributed to the Almighty in most cases, and to the prophet
and some virtuous men in others. They are generally meant for all
God’s creatures, and more specifically to some who were specifically
blessed and at varying degrees for having special traits or having
achieved special deeds that warranted this place of choice. We will
limit ourselves to mentioning the most powerful and common of these
terms” ‘rahima’, ‘rahimnahum’, tarahhamani’, ‘sayarhamuhum’,
‘turhamun’, ‘rahmatan’, ‘arrahimin’, ‘arrahman’, arrahim,
‘almarhama’, al arham’, ‘ruhama’, and ‘ruhman’. In this magnificent
semantic field of derivatives of the word ‘rahma’, two words occur
at an interesting rate, namely ‘rahman’ (57 occurrences), and
‘arrahim’ (95 occurrences). In fact, these are two of Allah’s
attributes, and two of his divine names and embellish the opening of
all the s of the Holy Qur’an (except for the chapter of ‘Attaouba’),
and including the Opening of the Book, the seven-verse Fatiha. Thus,
the Qur’an does not limit itself to opening all the s with the
ultimate expression of mercy ‘bismillah arrahman arrahim’, but
places this noble opening at the heading of all its s. Neither the
basmalla, nor the Almighty are content to use the ordinary form of
‘rahma’ through the adjective ‘rahim’, but supercedes it to the two
superlatives, continually adjacent to each other, supporting and
highlighting each other, namely: ‘arrahmane arrahim’. When the
Qur’an uses the rare form of adjective in ‘raahim’, it associates it
with a superlative and produces it in the absolute plural form ‘wa
anta arhamu arrahimine’ (Thou art the Most Merciful of those that
are merciful) (Al Anbiaa, 83).
If the person perusing the Qur’an shifts from the linguistic field
to the semantic one, he will be amazed to discover that mercy is
attributed to almost every positive aspect in the Holy Qur’an. Thus,
every good deed, charitable act, divine munificence, blessing,
virtuous act and show of submission in good deeds are described in
the Qur’an as mercy, or motivated by mercy, or aiming at mercy.
Mercy nearly becomes the first and the ultimate goal, the perceived
and the unknown premises in the prescription of laws, injunctions
and proscriptions:
In flexibility, there is mercy: ‘Now then hath come unto you a clear
(sign) from your Lord,- and a guide and a mercy’ (Al Imrane, 157),
in inspiration there is mercy and in rescue from death and loss is
mercy: ‘We saved him and those who adhered to him. By Our mercy’ (Al
A’raf, 72). The Prophet was mercy: “He believes in Allah, has
faith in the Believers, and is a Mercy to those of you who believe."
(Attaouba, 61), and kindness to parents is an act of mercy: “And,
out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility” (Al Israa,
verse 24).
This also applies to the generalization of guidance, the revelation
of the Torah and the resurrection of the Messiah, the sending of
rain, the generalization of forgiveness and salvation from hell, the
achievement of submission and piety, reverence in worship, charity,
the quest for forgiveness, mediating between people, fortitude,
hijra, the sanction of punishment, the continuity of the creation,
making lawfulness the general premise, bounty, wisdom, justice,
resurrection, heaven, fair judgment, the alleviation of sorrow, the
quest for the means of salvation, kindness to orphans and to those
in need, the avoidance of despair, praying for the wellbeing of the
parents, erecting the barrier against Gog and Magog, the bliss of
matrimony, and all other sublime meanings and bestowed godly
blessings, all these attributes are referred to in the Qur’an as
mercy or the result of mercy, the aim being to send mercy down and
generalize it to all worshippers, pious men and the gentle-hearted.
The Qur’an does not limit itself to adopting mercy as the criteria
of noble deeds, the guideline in laying down objectives, the
indicator for God’s bestowal of blessings, it also urges its readers
to seek mercy ‘So say: "O my Lord! grant Thou forgiveness and mercy
for Thou art the Best of those who show mercy!" (A Muminun, 118),
stand fast in the face of calamities ‘And bring glad tidings to
those when … They are those on whom (Descend) blessings from Allah,
and Mercy, and they are the ones that receive guidance (Al Baqara,
157), understanding the wisdom behind the precepts of the Charia:
‘Say: "I find not in the message received by me by inspiration any
(meat) forbidden to be eaten by one who wishes to eat it, unless it
be dead meat, or blood poured forth, or the flesh of swine,- for it
is an abomination - or, what is impious, (meat) on which a name has
been invoked, other than Allah's". But (even so), if a person is
forced by necessity, without willful disobedience, nor transgressing
due limits,- thy Lord is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful’ (Al An’am,
145), teaching us how to value Allah and keep hope in the face of
our inadequacies and sins, with gentle words that exude mercy,
repentance, forgiveness and peace for all sinners: ‘When those come
to thee who believe in Our signs, Say: "Peace be on you: Your Lord
hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) mercy: verily, if any of
you did evil in ignorance, and thereafter repented, and amend (his
conduct), lo! He is Oft- forgiving, Most Merciful” (Al Anaam, 54).
But this mercy only gains its credibility from its universal nature.
Were it to be elitist, it would become the privilege of the
fortunate few and for the deprived a curse and a source of grief,
and God the merciful and the just, with His wise and true revelation
forbids that revelation becomes the purview of a select group and a
privilege.
The Qur’an is clear and firm about the universality of mercy. It
addresses all humanity and no people, race, class or tribe is
privileged: “O mankind! there hath come to you a direction from your
Lord and a healing for the (diseases) in your hearts,- and for those
who believe, a guidance and a Mercy. Say: "In the bounty of Allah.
And in His Mercy,- in that let them rejoice": that is better than
the (wealth) they hoard.” (Yunus, 57-58). It is an all-encompassing
mercy: “My mercy has encompasses everything” that introduces them
with ease and gentleness to its easy rules so that all can benefit
from it: “That (mercy) I shall ordain for those who do right, and
practice regular charity, and those who believe in Our signs;-
"Those who follow the apostle, the unlettered Prophet, whom they
find mentioned in their own (scriptures),- in the law and the
Gospel;- for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is
evil; he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits
them from what is bad (and impure); He releases them from their
heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them.” (Al A’raf,
156-157). The person who seeks the ultimate and loftiest forms of
mercy, heaven, has only to respond to the primal belief in
monotheism, shun evil and behave with virtue, and heaven shall be
his to share with the prophets, the men of piety and the martyrs
through his deeds after they all enter it by the mercy of Allah.
Whether he was an Arab master or an Ethiopian slave, was born in
Washington or grew up in Beijing, lived at the time of the Prophet
or witnessed the rise of the Anti Christ, he shall be equal to all
Muslims: ‘Our Lord! Thy Reach is over all things, in Mercy and
Knowledge. Forgive, then, those who turn in Repentance, and follow
Thy Path; and preserve them from the Penalty of the Blazing Fire
"And grant, our Lord! that they enter the Gardens of Eternity, which
Thou hast promised to them, and to the righteous among their
fathers, their wives, and their posterity! For Thou art (He), the
Exalted in Might, Full of Wisdom” (Ghafer, 7-8). Could there be a
clearer indication of the all-encompassing reach of this mercy than
this? It is then no wonder that we find the term ‘rahma’, standing
independent with no addition and no attribution, appearing 79 times
in the Qur’an!
The most tangible proof that mercy – as promised to all Muslims -
cannot be the subject of monopoly, is that it is conditioned by
their belief in all previous prophets: “There is, in their stories,
instruction for men endued with understanding. It is not a tale
invented, but a confirmation of what went before it,- a detailed
exposition of all things, and a guide and a mercy to any such as
believe” (Yusuf, 111). It is no wonder that this soothing verse is
the conclusion of a chapter named after one of the prophets of
Israel! Did not the Qur’an name a whole chapter after Arrahmane (The
most Merciful)!.
Talking about mercy in Islam may clash with reality since Muslims
fought many wars throughout the shining history of the Islamic
civilization. In answer, we need no more than say that Islam
legitimized warfare for Muslims while considering it undesirable, a
simple reminder of the inherent human nature which rejects harm and
bloodshed so that the Muslim accustoms his mind to the idea that war
is an undesirable exceptional state. Hence engaging in war became a
special dispensation for those who were forced to fight against an
injustice, in self-defense, in championing the cause of a weak
person, or to free people from a tyrannical force that deprives them
of the freedom of faith guaranteed by Islam. Therefore, fighting
should cease the moment the enemy veers towards peace so that all
can embrace this peace.
For these purposes, Muslims fought many wars but they never carried
in their hearts the seed of genocide, nor did they justify it with
religion or practice it. Fighting for them ceased the moment peace
was sought. No injured person was finished off, no prisoner was
executed and no harm was wrought upon those who were uninvolved in
the battle.
In contrast, the West espoused the culture of genocide in theory,
formulation and religious justification through a horrendous march
that started with the inquisition and even before, and continues
today in the Fallouja, opening with no qualms the gates of hell on
the rest of the oppressed humanity.
To date, America has not apologized for the extermination of one
hundred and twenty million Indians. In fact, it dedicates museums to
the major slayers of this exterminated people and presents them to
their students as true historical heroes about whom documentaries
are made! A large portion of the Zionist Puritan Protestant
Christian culture is used as a premise for the justification of
genocide, labeling it as a ‘moral necessity’ and a ‘divine will’. It
has shown that since its creation, America has based its religion on
six foundations of which the first one is the Israeli dimension of
America, and the last one is ‘the right to sacrifice the other’.
The thought of genocide in the West has Torah-based justifications
that translate in the frightening instructions for bloody violence
that abound in the texts of the Torah and are wrongfully attributed
to revelation, and divine orders of which of which the execution is
an act of sacrifice that brings its maker closer to the specific god
of a given people! (Muslims never considered Allah as their God and
theirs only). This is particularly true of the Book of Jesus (Sifr
Yassu’) which is dedicated to the operations of genocide known as
‘tahrim’, which genocide is a source of pride and is attributed to
divine orders and a haughty determination to cleanse the earth from
‘depraved races’ possessed by evil spirits.
To gauge this blood-thirst we need but read, for example, some of
the horrific texts in the Book of Jesus which was plagiarized form
the Torah even though in chronological terms it was written much
later on the banks of the Euphrates at a time of pillaging and with
the emotional state of the oppressed who compensates with dream of
domination (Chronicles 1, 6, 8 and 10).2
This despicable blood thirst is also deeply ingrained in the
rightist Zionist Christians who rule over the most powerful country
of the world, and shows in the frightening description of the
apocalypse through the battle of Armageddon and of which the details
are also given in the Torah through the prophecy of Daniel. This
prophecy predicts that the skins of four-hundred million people will
melt with the fire of sulfur and that they shall die an atrocious
death, but that it is a ‘moral necessity that will ensure the
perfection of man’s humanity’. The same counsel is given by such
congressmen of Bush junior as Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Folowell and Jim
Baker, and their cronies among the religious advisers of the White
House and the Pentagon3, bolstered by the Zionist-prone champions of
‘sanguinary’ thought such as the author of the book ‘The Clash of
Civilizations’.
The horrific inquisition is the most eloquent proof of the inability
of the old West to accept religious difference, which inadequacy has
lodged itself within the Christian homeland and translated in
genocide fighting between Protestants and Catholics to which the
recent ‘human excavations’ in Ireland are witness.
Muslims, on the other hand, and when forced to fight, did not engage
in massacres nor did they reciprocate in the same way. There is a
world of difference between the manner in which Salah Eddine El
Ayyoubi treated the Crusaders after the Battle of Hettine, and the
horrendous massacres they perpetrated throughout two centuries, and
of which the first only cost their lives to seventy thousand Muslims
in the precincts of the Aqsa Mosque. The stance of the Muslims is no
strange to a nation that learnt that the Prophet of mercy kept on
chastising one of the closest companions to his heart, Usama Ibn
Zaid, because he had killed a fighter after he immunized himself
with the profession of faith: “Were you taken by pity for him”.
Garaudy, the men of civilizational statistics, is fully justified in
saying that all the causalities made by Muslims throughout their
history and geographical expansion do not come close to the number
of Muslims slaughtered by the Mongols in one of their massacres.
The Ottomans ruled over Eastern Europe for six centuries and left it
as if they had never been there, never exterminating a race and
never bothered by religious difference, while the massacre of
Bosnia’s Muslims in the age of modernism and human rights betrayed
the bigotry and inability to co-exist that characterizes some
Christians.
Prior to this there was Spain’s endeavor to erase Islam from
Andalusia after the fall of Granada, with further massacres, exile
and cultural obliteration, as if Islam was never a leading religion
and civilization for so many centuries.
Second: The Universality of Islam
The Holy Qur’an opens with the phrase: ‘Praise be to Allah, the God
of the Worlds’, and closes with the starting “I seek protection from
the God of all People’. Between beginning and end stretch verses
that propound a world of universality that neither limits God to a
people nor makes them His chosen people. One of the most dangerous
racist lapses committed in the name of religion in the history of
human religious conflict was, regrettably, the monopoly placed on
the relationship with God, and therefore the fall in the trap of
playing god over other people and considering them ‘ignorant’ or
‘uncivilized people’, leading them to believe that they were born to
serve the religiously-fortunate class. There is no religion like
Islam in its sensitivity and caution not to fall in the trap of this
racist monopoly, hence the opening and the concluding of the
revelation with the stress that Allah is the God of the universe:
‘And your Allah is One Allah. There is no god but He, Most Gracious,
Most Merciful” (Al-Baqara, 163). I recall that in 1996 when I
visited the Museum of Religions in the province of Quebec in Canada,
the curator presented me with the programme of a cultural
competition organized for the visiting pupils and asked me to
correct the questions related to Islam. I was pleasantly surprised
at the accuracy of the information provided by an intellectual of
average caliber who is unrelated to Islam. But I was shocked by one
major mistake in the formulation of the question: ‘What is the name
of the God of Muslims?’. I corrected the mistake with a
rectification that may appear slight linguistically but it is
decisive in the impact of the question: “How do Muslims call God?”.
I availed of that opportunity to explain to her and to those present
that Islam does not accept the monopoly of God by one party and is
not the sole purview of a doctrine, nor does it operate a rift with
the religions that preceded it: ‘We make no distinction (they say)
between one and another of His apostles’ (Al Baqara, 285).
It is not random that the sura of ‘Annas’ is the last one in the
Qur’an as it was compiled and transcribed by the grace of Allah (as
opposed to the order to revelation). There is a clear indication
that the ultimate return is towards the stage and an address of ‘O
People’, the most suitable discourse for closing the message and
announcing the phase of human maturity in dealing with the
revelation through mental jurisprudence. It is the clean break with
‘O tribe’ which was the common address in the messages that preceded
that of Allah as an outcome of the demands of reality, the closed
nature of human societies, the difficulty of transport and the
absence of mass communication means. There is then little wonder
that the word ‘annas’ in address, injunction, guidance, warning and
bringing of glad tidings, occurs 241 times. Similarly, the word ‘the
universe (al ‘alamain’) is repeated 73 times with the clear majority
of these instances provided in clearing Allah from being the God of
a specific fortunate people, because, indeed, he is the lord of the
universe.
It is true that the Qur’an addresses bygone peoples and in so doing
we use words such as ‘O people’ as the words of many prophets, such
as the phrase ‘and to Thamud we sent their brother’, ‘the brother of
‘Add’. The Qur’an even tells of the one village to which a host of
prophets were sent, but these are stories of the past and morals
that serve to emphasize their manifest opposite: ‘We have not sent
thee but as a universal (Messenger) to men, giving them glad
tidings, and warning them (against sin)” (Sabaa’, 28).
The Qur’an is compatible with this universal trend of globalization
by freeing itself from the constraints of names and the limitations
of history, geography and demography, to embark on the world of
stances, actions and choices that define its judgments, rules,
sanctions and morals. There are no tribes, individuals, regions,
states, doctrines, sects, colors or races, nor peoples, communities
or dynasties. There are no special attributions and no privileges.
There are only three groups, open and flexible, that anyone can join
or leave at his own volition and at his own risk: ’those who
believe’, ‘the heretics’, and ‘the hypocrite’. These are deeds and
choices for which every legally sane person is accountable, whether
it is immigration, jihad, piety, charity, repentance…or: breach of
promise, doubt, forgery, substituting guidance with perdition,
conspiracy to hide the revelation, ignorance, lack of belief….
These are rules and precepts that can accommodate the American and
the Chinese, not only the Arab and the Turk. They are as suitable
for the people who will live in the fortieth century as they were
for those who lived ages ago. Islam is unbothered by other
differences such as color, culture, innovation, proclivities, tastes
and choices, but sees then as blessings. That is the dividing point
between the true believer who accepts the other, even if he is
wrong, and grants him the possibility of co-existence and
cooperation in good deeds. In fact, more than just accepting this
difference, Islam respects and draws benefits from it, and this is
not strange to a religion that has among its texts a called the of
Man (Al Insan).
A- Islam realistically provides for accepting the difference of the
other when it rejects all forms of discrimination against the other.
It also refuses to label this other in terms of his color, gender,
race or belief, or any other ‘unintentional’ causes.
Thus are refuted all the grounds that may be used to justify
violence and terrorism against the other with the aim of
humiliating, displacing or physically terminating him, Islam being a
religion of the logical and spontaneous conscience that encompasses
all the forms of acceptance, rather than rejection, of the other.
Let us, for example, take the religious motive which in the case of
Islam, a religion that proclaims that it is the seal of all
messages, annuls and dominates all other religions, may be a very
valid premise. In the Qur’an, there are many passages where Islam
defines its relation with the religions preceding it. But before
saying that it prevails over these religions, it also says: “To thee
We sent the Scripture in truth, confirming the scripture that came
before it, and guarding it in safety” (Al Maida, 48). It is not the
prevalence of cancellation nor that of alienation, but that of
rectification and remedying what has been modified in these
religions, and reverting back to the original source they share with
Islam, namely Abraham and Adam. Further proof that the meaning of
prevalence here is one of complementarity and not dislodgement lies
in the Prophet’s perceptions and behavior, as well as the behavior
of the his companions in how they dealt with non-Muslims.
In terms of conception, the Prophet says in an authentic hadith
which clearly delineated his position among other prophets: “I am,
like all the prophets who preceded me, like a man who beautifully
built a house and embellished it, but for one single brick. People
then started to turn around this house and exclaim how beautiful and
perfect it was but for that missing brick…I am that brick and I am
the seal of the prophets’4. The Prophet (SAW) has made himself, his
role and his status similar to a small brick in a small corner of a
large house. This not only complementarity but the epitome of
modesty.
In terms of the fiqh of the prophet and his companions, and when
Umar conquered Persia, he faced a new situation that required
ijtihad, namely dealing with a new pattern of collective beliefs,
Mazdaism. He consulted the companions but was at a loss because the
Qur’an and the Prophet’s tradition provide for relations with Jews
and Christians within the notion of ‘Ahl Adhimma’. With the latter,
the relationship was governed by a conditional contract that allowed
them to peacefully live with Muslims, enjoy the freedom of faith and
social relations and deal with their internal affairs. But Mazdaism
was a man-made religion, had not been mentioned in the Holy Qur’an
and there was no provision for how to deal with its followers. In
the light of the firm Islamic principle of monotheism, a drastic
stance of rejection should have been taken towards them. But,
Abdulrahmane Abu ‘Awf said: ‘I witness that the Prophet said: treat
them as you treat the people of the book’5. Thus, the concept of Ahl
Adhimma was enlarged as a concept that guarantees the flourishing of
a sublime human relationship that accepts the other, provides for
the respect of his freedom of faith and religious institutions and
guarantees a mode of conduct on which are built social relations and
the status of the individual. This field was further enlarged to
encompass all religions, initially rejected, including man-made
religions, paganism and religions where Allah is not even a figure.
B- As for accepting difference, Islam perceives difference as
inherent to nature and an innate trait, and therefore does not
consider it a deviation, a heresy or an exception. It is, in fact,
considered as the origin. Allah says in this regard: ‘And they shall
remain in dispute, but for those on whom Allah’s mercy was bestowed,
and for that He created them” (Hud, 18). This clearly shows that
Allah meant them to be different and that this difference is an
inherent part of their nature and only falls away with their
disappearance. Difference in the Islamic conception is a form of
mercy. Do we not say that the difference of ulemas is mercy, because
this difference gives birth to jurisprudence, and because difference
in the charia, fiqh and political view is the basis of innovation in
opinion, and also because difference is part of freedom. Islam gives
man the right to difference and builds this difference into a
foundation that is at the core of the human fitra, the intrinsic
desire for freedom and for a free life. Islam considers difference
as a fertile soil, and that the difference in opinions leads to the
enrichment of thought and human reality, and ultimately of the
universal scene.
Islam did not stop at considering difference part of nature, a form
of mercy, innovation, freedom and fertile soil, but even made this
difference, with the help of arguments, an original state. In the
rules of fiqh, ulemas always look at difference in legislative rules
as being natural, inevitable and necessary. By its very nature, fiqh
is made up of different opinions, even in the sacrosanct by which we
profess submission to Allah. We are different even in our
understanding of Allah’s teachings and we practice our rites in
accordance with our understanding of this worship. We differ in how
we translate this worship into rites and behavior while avoiding
contradiction, the truth being one but rightness can have many
forms.
This is why Islam has incited the innovative mind with a generous
award even if makes an error ‘If the ruler engages in jurisprudence
and misses, he has a reward, if he succeeds, then he has double the
award’ (Muslim and Al Bukhari). Thus, Islam fights standardization
and the literal interpretation of texts, and holds in esteem the
individual dimension and approach in work, thinking and perception,
to ensure that the spontaneous charge of the diversified human
nature feeds his religiosity.
For this purpose, Islam has set a method of managing co-existence
based on three axes:
- A perceptional axis that strives to achieve mutual understanding:
‘Say O People of the Book, gather around a word equal between all of
us” (Al Imrane, 3).
- A moral axis that seeks to achieve dialogue: ‘Argue not with the
people of the Book but in the best manner’ (Al ‘Ankabut).
- A practical axis that promotes cooperation through joint action:
‘The food of the people of the Book is lawful for you’ (Al Maida,
5).
3. Mercy to the worlds:
He was the conferred mercy, the bestowed grace and the shining
light. He was born, raised and sent as mercy to the worlds, as a
bearer of good tidings and as a harbinger. He was made of mercy, and
baked from the clay of tenderness. It was in his nature to be
humble, pious and supplicant, and tearful to present humanity in its
last powerful and prosperous age with a model of the perfect human
being whom Allah had willed that it be an example to mankind; one by
whose light they would be guided so that they could help one another
in doing good and shunning evil, and in building not destroying.
This Mercy is clearly stated in The Holy Qur’an(æãÇ ÃÑÓáäÇß ÅáÇ ÑÍãÉ
ááÚÇáãíä) ( Al-anbiya’ 107), thus defining the goal of creating the
most perfect of human beings in the creation, and the one whom God
had sent with guidance and entrusted with the message: mercy for all
the people, to all mankind, without exception.
As to the fact he was sent to the Arabs first then to all people, it
does not imply that his people are better than others, except for
the fact that his people are entrusted with the task and that they
are to deliver the Trust to the rest of the people as part of
self-abnegation and as a physical and material Jihad, and as a lofty
model. It is indeed a heavy Trust and a tremendous responsibility,
made even greater by the fact of being chosen for such a colossal
task. The Prophet’s words “I was sent to you especially” is but a
reference to an essential and real transitional stage; because there
has to be a human prophet who lives among his people, and whose call
starts from them and because prophets and messengers are not sent to
deliver their message on the clouds or as angels sent down from
heaven. It is just an ephemeral starting point from which the Daawa
train starts its journey to the destination of “Oh mankind”.
God forbid that the specification should be a historical reality or
a divine destiny or a prophetic discourse to mean “God’s chosen
people”. This is the mercy that teaches the stone-hearted people
tenderness (ÝÈãÇ ÑÍãÉ ãä Çááå áäÊ áåã) (Al-Imran, 159) and kindness.
Kindness renders the thing in which it is found beautiful, and
wherein it is lacking ugly. It is also the mercy of freeing the
whole of humanity from all kinds of shackles, and of reversing the
oppressive social relationships in the age of slavery:
(Åä Çááå ãáßßã ÅíÇåã æÇæ ÔÇÁ áãáßåã ÅíÇßã). It is the mercy of a
spontaneous expression of feelings to a people who were raised to
believe that that is a humiliating weakness: “Oh Messenger of Allah!
I have ten children, and I have never kissed one of them.” The
Prophet (SAW) answers, “What can I do for you if Allah has removed
mercy from your heart?”
It is a general mercy; for there is no mercy that is specifically
meant for a people to the exclusion of others, for that would be
injustice and discrimination. This is what Ib-Abbas meant when he
limited the choice of Allah’s Messenger (SAW) being preferred to the
other prophets on earth because he was sent to all people while each
of them was sent to his own people only. This interpretation is
further supported by the Prophet’s saying: “I have been blessed with
five, none before has had them (…) and I was sent to all people, the
red-skinned and the blacks; the prophets before me were sent to
their people only.”
Abu Salih said: “The Prophet (SAW) used to call them saying, ‘O
people, I am an offered mercy.” The Prophet (SAW) reiterates the
truth of his being a mercy to the worlds; the aim from this
repetition is to have this truth inculcated in their heads. He
addresses this truth to the worlds, not just to his own people (Oh
people!), using the verbal noun (rahma) not the adjective. He
announces the “offered mercy” free of charge without expecting
anything in return. It is a sincere and pure mercy that accommodates
every one without exception, his followers and people from other
nations. This is the Mohammadan mercy bestowed on everyone who seeks
to do right and good, on the old and the young, the man and the
woman, the believer and the non-believer.
A) He was merciful even in the articles of worship; he would help
the weak, finish his prayer quickly whenever he felt that people
were coming in behind them. Anas reports: “The Messenger of Allah
was praying during Ramadan, and when he felt that I was behind him,
he prayed fast. Then he entered a place and he prayed a prayer which
he had never prayed in our presence. We said to him, ‘Did you hear
us coming in tonight’ he said, ‘Yes, that’s what made me do what I
did.’ He went on praying. Then some men from among his companions
carried on praying. He said ‘Why are they continuing to pray? Your
are not like me.”
He was concerned about seeing people doing tasks that caused them
some hardship. Abu Hurayra said that the Prophet (SAW) said: “Was I
not afraid to make it too difficult for you, I would have ordered
you to use siwak at every prayer.”
He felt for those who suffer, too. Anas Ibn Malik said, “The Prophet
(SAW) said ‘I would start spraying and when I hear a child crying, I
hurry up so that its mother can be with him.” In the same vein, Abu
Hurayra reports that the Prophet (SAW) said: “If one of you leads
people in prayer, he should hurry up, because among them there may
be those who are sick, those who are weak, and those who are old,
but if one of you is praying for himself, then he can pray for as
long as wants.” It is no surprise then if the Prophet (SAW) wanted
to save his Ummah through his mercy from danger monasticism,
(ÝãÇ ÑÚæåÇ ÍÞ ÑÚÇ íÊåÇ) (Al-hadid, 27) when priests agreed to forbid
themselves from enjoying some of the things that were halal and
allow themselves to enjoy some desirable things. Then came the
answer of mercy: “He who rejects my way is not of me.”
B) The prophet (SAW) goes public and declares his weakness and
displays his affection. He hears about the burying of girls alive
and he cries hard. Wadin narrates that a man came to the Prophet
(SAW) and said, “I had a daughter whom I threw in a well, and the
last words I heard from her were “Father! Father!” The Prophet (SAW)
cried very hard upon hearing this. A man from the group of people
who were sitting with him said, ‘You made the Messenger of Allah
very sad. The Prophet (SAW) said, stop it; the man is asking about a
thing that is important for him.’ The he said to the man, ‘Repeat
what you have just said.’ The man repeated his story. Then the
Prophet wept until his beard was soaked in tears and said to the
man: ‘Allah has forgiven people of Jahiliya what they had done.
Carry on with your work.”
He defends the rights of the newborn even if it is the fruit of an
illegitimate relationship. Abdullah Ibn Buraid reporting from his
father said, ‘I was sitting with the Prophet (SAW) when a woman from
Ghamid came to him and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah! I have
fornicated, and I want you to purify me.’ The Prophet said to her,
“Go home!” She came back the next day, he said to her “Go home.” She
came back the following day, and he said to her “Go back home until
you are delivered of the child.” When her child was born, she
brought it to the Prophet who said to her, “Go suckle him until he
is weaned.” And when she weaned him, she brought the child, who was
holding a piece of bread, to the Prophet.” Only then did he punish
her according to Islamic law. He warned Khalid Ibn al-Walid from
insulting her and he was witness to her repentance, saying to Ibn
al-Walid, “Don’t insult her. By He Who holds my soul in His hand she
has repented. If the tax-collector’s repentance is like hers, he
will surely be forgiven.’ Then he ordered that she be prayed upon at
her burial. The Prophet also cries very hard at the death of a
child. “When we entered the house, the Prophet (SAW) was handed the
child who was in death throes, and the Prophet began to cry. Saad
Ibn Ibada asked the Prophet, “Are you crying?” the Prophet (SAW)
answered, “Blessed are the merciful”.
The Prophet (SAW) was merciful with children at play, too, even if
the place where the child plays were the Prophet’s back itself.
People said: “Oh Messenger of Allah! You have prostrated too long,
so much so that we thought that something had happened to you or
that you were receiving revelation.” He said, “Nothing of that
happened, but my son was playing on my back and I hated to spoil his
play for him.” Whether the child was boy or girl, there is no
discrimination in mercy, as the people of pre-history used to do.
Abi Qatada said that the prophet (SAW) went out to pray carrying
Umama, Zainab’s daughter, on his shoulder. When he prostrated, he
put the child on the floor; and when stood up he put her back on his
shoulders again.”
C. The Prophet’s mercy extends to sinners, i.e., he forgives the
sinner because he is physically impaired. A woman who committed
adultery was brought before the Prophet (SAW) who asked her “With
who?”, and she said “With the handicapped man who is at Saad’s
wall.” The Prophet sent after him. When the man was carried before
him, he acknowledged his deed. Then the Prophet asked for a palm
branch and hit him with it, and he forgave him because he was
chronically handicapped.”
The Prophet (SAW) commuted the punishment to a social service
because the sinner was very poor; he even joked with him. A man came
to the Prophet (SAW) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I made a
terrible mistake” The Prophet said, “What’s wrong?” The man said “I
slept with my wife in Ramadan.” The Prophet said, “Can you free a
slave.” The man said, “NO”. Then the Prophet asked him “Can you fast
two months in a row?” The man said “No!” The Prophet said “Can you
feed 60 people?” the man said, “No.” Then a palm branch laden with
dates was brought to the Prophet. He said, “Where is the man who
asked the question?” The man said, “Here I am.” The Prophet said to
the man “Take it and give it as Sadaqa (alms).” The man said, “Give
it to someone who is poorer than me, O Messenger of Allah?” Then the
Prophet laughed very hard and said, “Feed it to your folks.”
D) The Prophet’s mercy includes the non-Muslims. The tribe of
Quraish goes through a period of starvation during its conflict with
the Prophet who sends food to them. People of Ta’if harm him
terribly, but he forgives them in compliance with Jibril’s order.
This is a mercy offered by the Prophet which he practices and which
he teaches people and calls on them to practice it. Abu Huraira (may
God be pleased with him) reports that a countryman urinated in the
mosque, and people threatened to beat him up. The Prophet (SAW)
said, “Leave him alone. Splash water on his urine. You are to make
things easy for people, not difficult.”
The Prophet’s Creator has given testimony to his mercy “You are
(Al-qalam, 4). He has blessed him with mercy and shared with him two
of His Beautiful Names
(áÞÏ ÌÇÁßã ÑÓæá ãä ÃäÝÓßã ÚÒíÒ Úáíå ãÇ ÚäÏÊã ÍÑíÕ Úáíßã ÈÇáãæãäÈä
ÑÄæÝ ÑÍíã) (At-taouba, 128). The prophet (SAW) was so merciful that
the Almighty God took pity on him for showing mercy to people out of
fear for them that they may turn infidel and be severely punished.
Abuzaid Al Muqrii Al Idrissi -
Morocco
Address: B.P. 1729, Derb Ghellef
20100, Casablanca, Maroc
Cell: 212-61 749442. Telephone:
212-37261578. Fax: 212-37 261579.
Website: www.abouzaid.net |
