Mercy is defined as
“the tenderness and compassion of the heart, and God’s mercy, kindness, and
provision” (Ibn Manzur), or it is defined as “a tenderness that necessitates
kindness towards the one shown mercy.” It is sometimes used to refer to
tenderness alone, and sometimes to kindness without tenderness, as in ‘May God
have mercy on so-and-so’” (Al-Raghib Al-Isfahani). Mercy is an attribute of the
Almighty Creator. The name Ar-Rahman (The Most Merciful) is derived from mercy (Al-Qurtubi).
Mercy and its derivatives are mentioned in the Holy Quran in approximately 268
places, indicating its importance and Islam’s emphasis on it as a virtue that
it calls for and encourages. Part of God’s emphasis on mercy is that He has
linked it to faith, meaning it is one of the signs of complete faith. At the
same time, God Almighty has warned us against hardness of heart. Moreover, God
has enjoined upon us in His Holy Book to show mercy to relatives, orphans, the
sick, and servants, for this vulnerable group is in greater need of care and
compassion. Mercy in Islam is not limited to human beings but extends to
animals as well. Among the most important aspects of mercy is that it fosters
affection among people, enables them to live in happiness, peace, and security,
guides them to the path of righteousness, brings them God's pleasure, and
atones for major sins and transgressions.
Among the verses of
mercy in the Quran is the saying of God Almighty: “Say (O Muhammad SAW):
"To whom belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth?" Say,
"To Allah. He has prescribed mercy for Himself. Indeed, He will gather you
together on the Day of Resurrection, about which there is no doubt. Those who
destroy themselves will not believe [in Allah as being the only Ilah (God), and
Muhammad SAW as being one of His Messengers, and in Resurrection, etc.]”
(Surat Al-An’am 12); and His saying: “When those who believe in Our Ayat
(proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) come to you,
say: "Salamun 'Alaikum" (peace be on you); your Lord has written
Mercy for Himself, so that, if any of you does evil in ignorance, and
thereafter repents and does righteous good deeds (by obeying Allah), then
surely, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful” (Surat Al-An’am 54); and His
saying: “And your Lord is Rich (Free of all wants), full of Mercy, if He
will, He can destroy you, and in your place make whom He will as your
successors, as He raised you from the seed of other people” (Surat Al-Isra
133). These verses are a message to those in the heavens and the earth, and to
the believers, that God is merciful to them day and night, and in every aspect
of their lives. Part of God’s mercy upon the believers is that He forbade them
from killing themselves, as He said, “O you who believe! Eat not up your
property among yourselves unjustly except it be a trade amongst you, by mutual
consent. And do not kill yourselves (nor kill one another). Surely, Allah is
Most Merciful to you.” (Surat An-Nisa 29). And He sent among them our Prophet
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, as a mercy to all the worlds, as He,
the Exalted, said: “And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy
to the worlds” (Quran 21:107). God urged Muslims to spread mercy within the
family, for it is the cornerstone of a compassionate society, and He made it a
pillar of the marital relationship, as God Almighty says, “And among His
Signs is this, that He created for you wives from among yourselves, that you
may find repose in them, and He has put between you affection and mercy.
Verily, in that are indeed signs for a people who reflect.” (Surat Ar-Rum:
21). They reflect” (Quran 30:21). Likewise, God commanded Muslims to be
merciful to their fathers and mothers, for they are the reason for their
existence after God Almighty, and they are the ones who raised them until they
grew strong and became independent, as stated in His Almighty words: “And
lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say:
"My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was
small." (Quran 6:24).
Mercy was manifested in
the hadiths of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, in
his call to cultivate and deal with it in his saying, "Whoever does not
show mercy to people, God Almighty will not show mercy to him." (Narrated
by Jarir bin Abdullah; Source: Sahih Muslim); and in his guidance to Muslims on
what creates compassion, love, and affection in them, he said, "The
example of the believers in their mutual love, mercy, and compassion is like
the example of the body; if one part of it is afflicted, the whole body
responds with sleeplessness and fever." (Narrator: Nu'man ibn Bashir;
Source: Sahih al-Jami'); and in making mercy a social etiquette by which
members of society interact, in the Prophet's saying, peace and blessings be
upon him: "O Allah, whoever is entrusted with any matter concerning my
nation and makes things difficult for them, make things difficult for him; and
whoever is entrusted with any matter concerning my nation and is kind to them,
be kind to him." (Narrator: Aisha, Mother of the Believers; Source: Sahih
al-Jami'); and in his urging of mercy and leniency in buying and selling, due
to the great good and significant impact these have on the cohesion of society,
in his saying: "May Allah have mercy on a servant who is lenient when he
sells, lenient when he buys, and lenient when he demands payment."
(Narrator: Jabir ibn Abdullah; Source: Sahih al-Bukhari); and in his mercy
towards his nation by guiding those who are astray, providing aid to the weak,
teaching the ignorant, forgiving those who wrong him, and caring for their
well-being, to the point that he said, “I stand for prayer intending to prolong
it, but then I hear a child crying, so I shorten it, not wanting to cause
hardship for his mother.” (Narrated by Abu Qatada; Source: Sahih Abi Dawud);
and in his mercy towards children, he jokes with them, treats them kindly, and
is good to them. “I hear a child crying, so I shorten it, not wanting to cause
hardship for his mother.” (Narrated by Abu Qatada; Source: Sahih Abi Dawud);
and in his mercy towards children, he jokes with them, treats them kindly, and
is good to them. The Prophet’s Sunnah recorded his mercy in letters of light in
the hadith narrated by the Mother of the Believers, Lady Aisha, which states
that “A Bedouin came to the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, and
saw the Prophet kissing Al-Hasan or Al-Husayn, so he said, ‘Do you kiss
children? We do not kiss them. The Prophet, may God bless him and grant him
peace, said, “Do I have the power to remove mercy from your heart?” (Narrator:
Aisha, Mother of the Believers; Source: Sahih Al-Bukhari). And in what was
narrated on the authority of Usama Ibn Zayd, he said, “The Messenger of God, may
God bless him and grant him peace, would take me and sit me on his lap.” He
sits Al-Hasan on his other thigh, and then he embraces them both.
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