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. ------- 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. 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