Principles of Islam
26. Mercy of God
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a divine code of ethics in accordance with which
man too should have feelings of well-wishing and
compassion for others. Everyone should look with
sympathy for his fellow men, and remain sensitive
to their needs. The relation of one man to another
should be that of love – not of hatred, or rivalry,
and people should consider it a matter of the
greatest good fortune that they are able to serve
others.
According to yet another hadith, God said: “My
mercy prevails over my anger.” Man would do well
to adopt this same divine ethics. That is, in social
interaction, when one individual has an unpleasant
experience with another, he should not permit his
feelings of anger and revenge to be aroused. What,
ideally, he should do is allow his sense of mercy to
prevail over his ire. He would thus refrain from
taking any step towards injuring others.
The culture desired by God in human society being
that of mercy
(rahmat),
the spirit of tolerance should
be predominant in all aspects of human behaviour.
People have a feeling of mercy in their hearts for
