Looking For the Mercy of Allah in the Quran and Hadith
By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
24 January
2023
God Will
Not Show Mercy to Someone Who Does Not Show Mercy to Others
Main
Points:
1. Allah has
decreed upon Himself mercy.
2. Indeed, the
mercy of Allah is near to the doers of good.
3. The Mercy
and Knowledge of Allah encompass all things.
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Muslims
always start their deeds by reciting “In the Name of Allah, the Most
Compassionate, the Most Merciful” whether they are reading the Quran or sitting
down to a meal. This sacred phrase, which was revealed by God Almighty, is
based on the two names Rahman and Rahim, both of which derive from the word Rahmah,
meaning mercy, a term that can also imply love, kindness, and compassion. These
two names have come after the name Allah.
When compared to His merciful traits, Allah Almighty did not favour two
names of wrath (Ghazab), nor did He choose to balance wrath and mercy,
nor did He choose a name for wrath and a name for mercy. Even the wrath of God
might be viewed as a form of mercy for the believer since it might aid in the
purification of his heart.
The
following Quranic verses are among those that speak of kindness and compassion:
“Say, "To whom belongs whatever is in the
heavens and earth?" Say, "To Allah." He has decreed upon Himself
mercy. He will surely assemble you for the Day of Resurrection, about which
there is no doubt. Those who will lose themselves [that Day] do not believe.” (6:12)
“And when those come to you who believe in Our
verses, say, "Peace be upon you. Your Lord has decreed upon Himself mercy:
that any of you who does wrong out of ignorance and then repents after that and
corrects himself - indeed, He is Forgiving and Merciful." (6:54)
“[Allah] said, "My punishment - I afflict
with it whom I will, but My mercy encompasses all things." So I will
decree it [especially] for those who fear Me and give Zakah and those who
believe in Our verses
–“(7:156)
“Indeed, the mercy of Allah is near to the
doers of good.”
(7:56)
“[O Prophet], inform My servants that it is I
who am the Forgiving, the Merciful. And that it is My punishment which is the
painful punishment.”
(15:49-50)
“Those* who bear the Throne, and those who are
around it, say the Purity of their Lord while praising Him, and they believe in
Him and seek forgiveness for the believers; “O Our Lord! Your mercy and
knowledge encompass all things, therefore forgive those who repented and
followed Your path, and save them from the punishment of hell.” (* The angels) (40:7)
There
are numerous Ahadith that speak of the Mercy of God Almighty. Some of them are
as follows:
God
declares, "Great and Glorious is He; My mercy exceeds my wrath.”
(Sahih
Muslim no. 7146, Kitab al-Tawbah)
“God will
not show mercy to someone who does not show mercy to others.”
(Sahih
al-Bukhari 7465, Kitab al-Tawhid) (Sahih Muslim 6170, Kitab al-Fada’il)
The
Messenger of Allah kissed (his grandson) Hasan, the son of Ali, as Aqra bin
Habis al-Tamimi sat close. Aqra said, "I have ten children, yet I haven't
kissed a single one of them." The Messenger of God turned to him and said,
"He who does not demonstrate mercy shall not be shown mercy."
(Sahih
al-Bukhari 6063, Kitab al-Adab)
An old man
came looking for the Prophet, and the people were slow in making way for him,
so the Prophet said, “He who is unkind to the young and disrespectful to the
old is not one of us.”
(Sunan
al-Tirmidhi 2043, Kitab al-Birr wa’l-Silah)
“Those who are merciful receive mercy from the
merciful. If you are merciful to others, God in heaven will be merciful to you.
Kinship ties are connecting branches from the Merciful. Whoever maintains them
will be maintained by God, and whoever cuts them will be cut off by God.”
(Sunan
al-Tirmidhi 2049, Kitab al-Birr wa’l-Silah)
The
Prophet's wife, Hazrat Aisha, said, "The Messenger of God never struck
anything with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant." He only did so
while struggling in the Path of God. He also never destroyed anything in order
to wreak revenge on the owner. He only did so when God’s sacred bounds were
transgressed and would take vengeance for God, Great and Glorious is He.”
(Sahih
Muslim 6195, Kitab al-Fada’il)
"God
divided mercy into a hundred pieces. He sent one part down to earth while
holding back 99 parts. It is from there that creatures express compassion to
one another, as seen when a mare lifts her hoof over her foal out of worry that
she could hurt him.”
(Sahih
al-Bukhari 6066, Kitab al-Adab)
“If the
believer knew the punishment of God, he would never feel assured of His Garden,
and if the unbeliever knew the mercy of God, he would never despair of His
Garden.”
(Sahih
Muslim 7155, Kitab al-Tawbah)
Although
Allah has the power to chastise offenders and destroy them all, He chooses to
have mercy on them and postpones the punishment. Allah Almighty is al-Halim
(the Forgiving) in this regard. Those who disobey Him are not immediately
punished by Him. In case they decide to alter their minds, He gives them some
time. He has the power to punish and seize all violators at once, yet He
chooses not to.
---
Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a
regular columnist for New Age Islam.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-spiritualism/mercy-allah-quran-hadith/d/128951
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