BE MERCIFUL TO OTHERS So That You Receive Mercy!

 

Be Merciful To Others

So That You Receive Mercy!

Compassion Is God's

Gift To Humanity

(M. Javed Naseem)

Allah's Messenger, Muhammad (s.a.w.), had an examplary character. He was the best role-model for us. He was full of mercy, compassion and patience. He never lied in his life and also never did injustice to anybody. He was patient in every situation and people never saw him in a rage or anger. He was always calm and composed and never abused or rebuked anybody. Such a high level of morality is so hard to achieve. While talking to others, he always put a smil on his face. And that's why the Almighty Allah praised him for his decent manners and conduct.

“And you (O Muhammad) are on

an exalted standard of character!”

(al-Quran 68:4)

Allah the Almighty is our Creator and we are His children. He is like a father to us but He loves us almost 100 times more than a mother. He is full of compassion and mercy for us. His mercy encompasses the entire universe. Being His creation, we inherit compassion, love and mercy. But sometimes we lose those qualities because we get a bit unreasonable in our anger and rage.

Mercy and compassion are the most important virtues of a Muslim or a good human being. As a matter of fact, those are the divine attributes of Allah (God) and are also considered the best qualities of a person. All religions consider mercy and compassion as the most important elements of a believer's character. In the Quran, every chapter is opened with the name of Allah, the "Most Gracious, Most Merciful," Our Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) was declared as a "mercy to the worlds," or mercy to the mankind. The Quran is full of teachings that urge believers to show mercy to all creatures, linking human kindness to divine mercy, emphasizing forgiveness and universal care over cruelty.

Muslims are commanded to be merciful to all people (Muslim or non-Muslim) and creatures, not only to the fellow believers. There's a saying: 'If you show mercy to those on the earth, Allah will show mercy to you on the Day of Judgment.' And that includes showing kindness to the sick, the poor, the elderly, children, enemies, and even animals. Actually, hope in Allah's mercy encourages humans to seek forgiveness and extend it to others.

Love is an ocean with no limits and if you drown in it, you’ll live forever – in the hearts of others whom you loved. You can’t see love, just like you can’t see Allah. But you can feel love the same way you can feel Allah's presence and creation everywhere. Allah is infinite Love and Mercy. And if you have these virtues in your character, you are blessed because they come from Him. It also means that you are connected with the Infinite. You are really blessed!

Love and mercy originate from Allah. We, being His creation, need love and mercy not only from Him but also from the fellow human beings. This is something that binds us together. Our children also need love, affection and special attention – actually more than the adults. We are like the leaves and branches of the 'Love Tree' that holds us together. Allah the Most Merciful declares in the Quran:

'And one of His signs is that He created for you

spouses from among yourselves so that you may

find comfort in them. And He has placed

between you compassion and mercy. Surely

in this are signs for people who reflect.'

(al-Quran 30:21)

Long time ago, I read a beautiful story about a child's love for her parents. A man once saw his 3-year old daughter trying to gift-wrap a small box with golden foil. He saw the child trying again and again, wasting a lot of foil as she was trying to wrap up the box but could not handle it perfectly. The man was not happy with what he saw and he reprimanded his daughter angrily for wasting foil. Money was tight and times were tough. It was the month of Ramadan and the 3-year old was probably preparing some Eid gifts for her friends. Eventually, the little girl finished packing. The next day she brought the gift to her father and said,

‘This is for you, Daddy. Happy Eid Mubarak!’

The man was embarrassed by his earlier over-reaction when he snubbed the little girl. He felt ashamed but put a smile on his face and hugged the girl thanking her for the gift. But the moment he opened the box he got mad with anger again. The box was empty.

‘What the hell…..?’, he screamed at the girl. ‘Don’t you know, when you give someone a present, there is supposed to be something inside the box? How could you…..?’

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, ‘But Daddy, it is not empty at all. I blew one hundred kisses into the box. They are all for you, Daddy.’

The father was devastated. Tears started running on his cheeks. He put his arms around his little girl, hugged her and begged for her forgiveness. He regretted that every time he got mad and said or did something unpleasant to hurt the child's feelings; while the child was doing innocently whatever she thought was good to please her father.

If you are short-tempered and get upset over every little thing, you'll be regretting a lot in your daily life. Friends and family members would always try to avoid you. Dont' make any decisions while you are mad or upset. An angry mind cannot think straight and positive. Angry people lack tolerance and want to punish others for their smallest fault or lapse while, at the same time, ignoring their own faults and lapses.

There's an old saying : ‘The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger/rage.'

The Prophet (s.a.w.) has been reported to have said: 'The best among you is the one who has the best manners (conduct).' Good conduct or manners are the most important quality of a Muslim. Allah the Almighty has declared in the Holy Quran that the Prophet (s.a.w.) had the best manners (conduct). Therefore, he was the best role-model not only for Muslims but for the entire mankind.

“You have indeed in the Messenger of Allah

a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for any one

whose hope is in Allah and the Final Day, and

who engages much in the Praise of Allah.”

(al-Quran 33:21)

Now, getting back to the story! Only a short time later, an accident took the life of the child. Her father was devastated. He kept the gift box by his bed for many years and whenever he was down, discouraged or demoralized, he would take out one imaginary kiss from the box and remember the love of the child who had put the kisses there. That box was a great source of consolation.

We need love to survive, and for that purpose we need each other too. We are social beings and prefer to live in community or groups. Each one of us has been given a gift box filled with unconditional love and countless kisses from our children, family members, friends and neighbors. There is simply no other possession that anyone could hold dearer or more precious than that. It's a real treasure. We humans should be grateful to Allah, the Most Merciful for that. Do we appreciate and give thanks to the Almighty for that?

“Lo, your Lord is full of bounty for mankind,

but most of them do not give thanks.”

(al-Quran 27:73)

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