Principles of Islam
26. Mercy of God
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26. MERCY OF GOD
The Qur’an tells us that the prophets were sent to
the world to teach the ways of mercy and
compassion.
According to one of the Prophet’s sayings, related
in the
Sahih
(authentic traditions) of Imam Muslim,
“God has a hundred mercies, one of which He has
sent down amongst jinn and men and cattle and
beasts of prey. With this they are kind and merciful
to one another and the wild creature inclines to
tenderness to her offspring. The remaining ninety-
nine mercies have been reserved by God Himself,
so that He may show mercy to His servants on the
Day of Resurrection.”
This
hadith
is quite specific about the importance of
mercy in the eyes of God who is All Merciful. All of
God’s creation is, in fact, an expression of divine
mercy. And it is this self-same virtue that God
desires to see in the hearts of human beings.
According to another tradition, the Prophet
observed: “Be merciful to people on earth and God
on high will be merciful to you.” This is the basis of
