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Mercy

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the


Ever-merciful. All Prayers and Blessings
of Allah are to our master, the noblest
Prophet Muhammad. We praise Allah,
thank Him, and seek His help, guidance
and forgiveness. We seek refuge in
Allah from the evil in our souls and the
sinfulness of our deeds. “Whomever
Allah guides, then he is right-guided, and
whomever He leads away into error,
then you will never find for him a right-
.(minded patron” (TMQ[1], 18:17

Brothers and sisters, keep in mind that


we discuss these morals so that we
apply them practically in our lives.
Applying them will certainly help us lead
better lives. Imam Ibnul-Jawzi wrote in
his book “Saydul-Khaatir” that thousands
of people used to attend his lessons.
People used to tell him, "We did not
sleep last night out of longing for the
lesson." He answered, "If you had truly
benefited from the lesson, it should keep
you up the night after it, not the night
."before it
The moral we will talk about today is a
truly precious one. However,
unfortunately, most people miss it.
Consequently, crimes spread, nuclear
weapons were developed, and millions of
people are being killed in a matter of
seconds. Today's moral is mercy; a
moral that has recently been replaced by
cruelty among the vast majority of
.people

Getting to know what mercy is is not


enough. We all need to master
practicing it. If you are merciful during
your lifetime, you will be treated
mercifully on the Day of Judgment; even
if you spent some time acting to be
merciful (as a sort of training yourself),
.you will still be treated mercifully

The Prophet (SAWS)[2] said, “He who


shows no mercy to the people, Allah, the
Exalted and Glorious, does not show
[mercy to him.”[3

Hence, treat people mercifully, so that


you deserve the mercy of Allah (SWT)
[4], which you are greatly in need of.
Mercy grants you salvation on the Day of
Judgment. To know if Allah (SWT) will
treat you mercifully on that day or not,
ask yourself this question: “Am I truly
merciful to others?” Observe at this
point the connection between being
merciful to people in this world and
Allah (SWT) being merciful to you on the
Day of Judgment. I’d like to draw your
attention to the fact that morals are part
and parcel of worship! Note the strong
relation between morals and religion.
See how Allah's mercy, on the Day of
Judgment, is mainly a reward to those
who have been merciful during their
!lifetime

:Allah’s (SWT) Mercy

We start by talking about the mercy of


Allah (SWT); a great subject that softens
the hearts and causes angels to
encompass us by their wings. Mercy is
originally one of the traits of Allah
(SWT). Hence, to learn to be merciful,
one should first get to know how
.merciful Allah (SWT) is
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated
as, “He has prescribed for Himself (the)
mercy” (TMQ, 6:12). Again the same
meaning has been included in another
ayah of the same Surah, Al-An'am, "Your
Lord has prescribed for Himself (the)
mercy…" (TMQ, 6:54). What do you feel
when you read this ayah (verse) ? You
feel safe and sound that "mercy" is one
of the original attributes of Allah (SWT),
while "anger" is just a temporary result
.of our sins

Allah (SWT) says to the


Prophet (SAWS) what can be translated
as, “So, in case they cry you lies, then
say, ‘Your Lord is The Owner of
embracing mercy, and His violence will
not be turned back from the criminal
people,’” (TMQ, 6:147). What does His
mercy embrace? The answer to this
question comes in the following
ayah, “…My mercy has embraced
.(everything…” (TMQ, 7:156

Now let us look around and observe the


various signs of Allah's mercy in the
whole universe. A wonderful example of
Allah’s mercy is the gradual succession
of day and night. They do not switch all
of a sudden, but do so gradually.
Imagine if you are walking in bright
daylight, and then suddenly, without a
gradual sunset, you find yourself in
extreme darkness! You will certainly
suffer from major nervous system
disturbances. Now, imagine the
opposite; a sudden transition from night
to bright daylight. It results in the same
.shock

Allah (SWT) describes this in the ayahs


that can be translated as, “And by the
night when it darkens, (Or: swarms).
And by the morning when it breathes.”
(TMQ, 81:17-18). The word "breathes"
describing the morning shows how
smoothly and gradually the change from
dark to light happens. It happens bit by
bit, in the same way man breathes.
Unfortunately, the signs of Allah's mercy
are witnessed by everyone, yet,
.considered by no one

Another sign of Allah's mercy is rain.


Allah (SWT) says what can be translated
as, “And He is The (One) Who keeps
sending down the succoring (rain) even
after they have become despondent,
and He spreads His mercy; and He is The
Ever-Patronizing, The Ever-
Praiseworthy,” (TMQ, 42:28). Hence,
rain is one of the methods by which Allah
(SWT) spreads His mercy on earth. In
another ayah, Allah (SWT) says what can
be translated as, “And He is (The One)
Who sends the winds, bearing good
tidings before (Literally: between the two
hands of His mercy) His mercy…” (TMQ,
.(7:57

Allah also says what can be translated


as, “So look into the tracks of the mercy
of Allah, how He gives life to the earth
after its death…” (TMQ, 30:50). Imagine
what could happen if we were deprived
!from this sign of mercy, rainfall

In Surat Al-Waqi'ah, Allah says what can


be translated as, “Have you then seen
the water you drink? Is it you who have
sent it down from the rainy clouds or are
We, Ever We, The Senders down? If We
had (so) decided, We would have made
it bitter; so had you only thanked (Us)!”
(TMQ, 56:68-70). What if rainwater was
salty, not fresh? See how fresh water is
one of the signs of His mercy and
.compassion

Allah's mercy is also apparent in social


relations. He implanted mercy in
parents' hearts. Everywhere you find
fathers and mothers showing mercy
towards their children. Moreover, and
amazingly enough, animals too show
mercy towards their offspring. On the
family level too, mercy shows up. You
find yourself automatically showing love
to your uncle, aunt...etc. Out of a
hundred portions of mercy that Allah
has, only one has been sent to earth
which includes all the signs you see.
Meanwhile, Allah (SWT) has kept the
.remaning 99 portions

We can also consider marriage as


another proof of Allah's mercy. He
(SWT) is the one who brings two distant
hearts together. Allah (SWT) says, “And
of His signs is that He created for you, of
yourselves, spouses, that you (may) find
rest in them, and he has made between
you amity and mercy. Surely in that are
indeed signs for a people who meditate,”
(TMQ, 30:21). Hence, families are
founded on mercy. Unfortunately,
spouses can deprive themselves from
this mercy when they commit sins and
.disobey Allah's orders

Moreover, Allah, the All-Merciful, does


not punish us immediately for our sins.
On the contrary, He gives us many
chances to repent. Think about the
whole course of your life; how many
times you have sinned and He has been
Merciful with you. In Surat Al-Kahf, Allah
says what can be translated as, “And
your Lord is The Ever-Forgiving, The
Owner of mercy. If He should take them
to task for what they have earned, He
would (quickly) hasten for them the
torment; no indeed, (but) they have an
appointment, apart from which they will
never find any safe retreat,” (TMQ, 18:
.(58

If He was to punish you immediately for


your sins, He would have never allowed
you to listen to those very words I say
now. Though you have been disobedient
to Him for years, He, the All-Merciful,
allows you to attend today's lecture. He
even makes the angels witness your
presence, and goes on saying, “O My
Angels! Before your eyes I bestow My
forgiveness upon so and so”. See how
Merciful Allah is! He forgives you for sins
that your parents might not forgive for
the rest of your life. He gives you many
chances to repent and listen to His
.words

Allah (SWT) says what can be translated


as, “And had it not been for the Grace of
Allah upon you and His mercy in the
present (life) (Literally: the lowly “life”,
i.e., the life of this world) and the
Hereafter, indeed a tremendous torment
would have touched you for what you
press on(i.e., for what you press on
talking about falsehood ‘ifk’)” (TMQ,
24:14). He also says, “And had it not
been for the Grace of Allah upon you and
His mercy, in no way would any of you
have been cleansed at all; but Allah
cleanses whomever He decides, and
Allah is Ever-Hearing, Ever-
Knowing,”(TMQ, 24:21). Besides, in
Surat Ya-Seen, He says, “And in case We
(so) decide, We drown them; then they
will have no screaming, nor are they
rescued. Except as a mercy from Us and
enjoyment for a while,” (TMQ, 36: 43-
.(44

Another important example of Allah's


mercy is that He covers up your
shortcomings and does not expose your
sins to people. What if every time you
commit a sin it is written on your house?
What if sins had a bad odor that comes
out of the sinner to scandalize him? If
so, I bet no one will stand his friend's
stench. Only Allah's mercy shields our
.sins from being publicized

At the time of Omar Ibnul-Khattab (RA),


a man was caught for stealing. Carried
to Omar's place, the man went on
crying, “I swear by Allah, it is the first
time.” "A liar you are", replied Omar,
"Allah (SWT) never exposes a man the
first time he sins." Omar knew how truly
.Merciful Allah is

Repentance itself, being an easily


attained task, indicates how Merciful
Allah is. Allah (SWT) says what can be
translated as, “Then Adam received
(some) Words from his Lord; so He
relented towards him; surely He, Ever
He, is The Superbly Relenting, The Ever-
Merciful,” (TMQ, 2:37). After he had
eaten from the tree which Allah had
prohibited, Adam (AS)[5] regretted what
he did. However, he did not know how
to repent. Hence, Allah (SWT) revealed
to him some words. Upon saying those
words, Allah would shower His
forgiveness upon him. Subhan
Allah (Glorified be Allah)! Though Adam
had committed the sin, Allah, the All-
Merciful, taught him how to repent.
What were those words that Allah
revealed to Adam? Allah said to Adam,
“O Adam, say the following words, ‘Our
Lord, we have done an injustice to
ourselves; and in case You do not forgive
us and have mercy on us, indeed we
(both) will definitely be among the
.(losers’” (TMQ, 7:23

It is never amazing when a servant


draws near his Lord. However, it is
amazing enough when a Lord draws near
his servant by showering His mercy upon
!(him. Subhan Allah (Glorified be Allah
Sending messengers, revealing books
and providing the Islamic law are surely
signs of Allah's mercy. Islamic law
evidently signifies Allah's mercy. Allah
(SWT) says what can be translated as, "
And this is a Book We have sent down,
blessed; so follow it closely and be pious,
that possibly you would be (granted)
mercy"(TMQ, 6:155). Hence, "Islamic
law is all founded on mercy". Everyone
should memorize this statement by
heart. Never think that the Islamic Law
is unjust. However, some of you might
say, “How is the Islamic law founded on
mercy when it calls for cutting off the
thief's hand, whipping the adulterer…
etc.?” They might even consider the
Islamic prescribed laws as unjust when it
is indeed another sign of Allah's mercy.
Those prescribed laws keep the muslim
community safe from crimes.
Nowadays, when communities
abandoned those laws, the rates of
crimes and rape became much higher
.than ever

Amazingly enough, the Day of Judgment


is another sign of Allah's mercy.
Allah (SWT) says what can be translated
as, “…He has prescribed for Himself
(the) mercy. Indeed He will definitely
gather you to the Day of the
Resurrection…” (TMQ, 6:12). How can
our gathering on the Day of Judgment be
a sign of His mercy? It is a sign of mercy
as people are rewarded fairly, good ones
are rewarded positively and sinners are
.punished

All Praise be to Allah for creating the Day


of Judgment. On that day, some people
will be overwhelmed with happiness;
they will look like travelers who have
finally returned to their families after
long journeys. Those who strived in their
lifetimes, those who suffered from
injustice, those who fasted, those who
performed their prayers regularly, those
who prayed Qiyam (night prayer), ladies
who have worn Hijab (Islamic Veil), those
who kept their eyes away from the
prohibited…etc; all will be, like travelers,
.overwhelmed with happiness

On the other hand, sinners who have


strayed from Allah’s straight path will
look like criminals who have managed to
run away from prison for tens of years,
and have now been caught. See how
differently people will appear on that
day! Indeed, the Day of Judgment is one
.of the signs of Allah's mercy

Creating woman is another sign of


Allah's mercy. Being the All-Merciful, he
created woman to be the source of
passion in man's life. Had not women
been created, no passion or compassion
would have existed on earth. Evidences
for my words are found in the story of
Adam (AS), related by the Prophet
(SAWS). As he lived in paradise, Adam
(AS) felt lonely. Hence, Allah created
Hawaa (Eve) while he was asleep. When
he woke up he asked her, “Who are
you? Why were you created?” “I am
Hawaa. I was created so that you can
find rest in me”, replied she.
Allah (SWT) clearly says, “…that you
(may) find rest in them…” (TMQ,
30:21). See how sacred the relationship
between man and woman is! See how
Islam dignifies woman and considers her
as man's sister! There is, actually, no
difference between man and woman in
.Islamic Law
Sending us down to earth is also one of
the signs of Allah's mercy. "It would
have been better if we were sent directly
to paradise", most of us might think.
However, sending us down to earth is a
sign of Allah's mercy. As a matter of
fact, the human self never feels satisfied
with what it attains easily. It quickly
gets bored with it. On the other hand, it
admires whatever is attained with
.difficulty

Consider the case of a father who strives


all through his life to buy a car. Surely,
he will be careful when driving it. Unlike
the father is the son, who might
indifferently smash it into pieces. "Why
are you angry, dad? It is just a car!”, the
boy will insensibly answer his father's
anger. Certainly the boy does not know
the value of such a car, since he had not
.strived to buy it

Hence, it is out of Allah's mercy that he


sent us down to earth first; so that we
long to paradise. Similarly, one might
spend 60 or 70 years on earth
worshipping Allah though has never seen
Him. Hence, he longs to see Him.
People, who faithfully worship Allah
during life, though they have never seen
Him, are those who enjoy seeing Him the
most, on the Day of Judgment. This is
because they have abandoned sins for
the sake of seeing Him. See how
!Merciful Allah is

Added to all the above mentioned signs


are afflictions; evident signs of Allah's
mercy! He sends you such afflictions, so
that you feel uncomfortable in life and
long to paradise. He wants paradise, not
life, to be the end you strive to reach.
Although it is quite troublesome, people
now quit life with wails and sadness.
Thus, what would they have done if it
?were comfortable and pleasant

!See how wonderful Allah's mercy is

One last sign of Allah's mercy is His


being Merciful even to disbelievers. He
bestows His blessings upon all humanity,
even disbelievers. Though he owns the
whole universe, He does not deprive
disbelievers from air to breathe, water to
drink or food to eat. He is truly the All-
.Merciful

One day, Prophet Ibrahim (AS)


"Abraham" invited a man for food. The
moment Prophet Ibrahim (AS) lit fire to
cook the food, the man ran towards it
and prostrated before it; he was a fire-
worshipper. Ibrahim (AS)rebuked him
saying, “Get up! Do you worship fire?”,
and decided not to serve food for
him. Angel Jibril (AS) “Gabriel” came to
Ibrahim (AS) and said, “O Ibrahim!
Allah (SWT) is saying to you, ‘Couldn't
you tolerate him for an hour, when I
have tolerated him for 60 years?’”
Hearing those words,
Ibrahim (AS)hurried to the man and said,
“Come eat with me.” "What changed
you?" asked the man. "My Lord has
blamed me for your sake", replied
Ibrahim. “An Ever-Merciful God like
yours must surely be worshipped”, said
.the man, and reverted to Islam

In Surat Al-Baqara, Ibrahim (AS) pleads


to Allah (SWT) saying what can be
translated as, “And as Ibrahîm said,
“Lord! Make this a secure land, and
provide its population with (various)
products, such of them as believe in
Allah and the Last Day.” However, Allah
the All-Merciful adds, “And whoever
disbelieves…”(TMQ,
2:126). Ibrahim (AS) asked Allah to
bestow His blessings upon believers
only; yet, Allah, the Ever-Merciful,
included disbelievers as well in Ibrahim's
.plea

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