Principles of Islam
26. Mercy of God
~ 77 ~
On this subject, many traditions have been recorded
in the books of
hadith.
Two of these sayings of the
Prophet are of particular significance. One concerns
a woman who trussed up a cat with rope and
deprived it of food and water. Ultimately, the cat
died. God so strongly disapproved of this that, in
spite of her great devotions (she used to pray a lot),
He decreed that she be cast into hell. The other
incident concerns a woman who although not
religious, took pity on a dog she found lying on the
ground, dying of thirst. There was a well nearby,
but she had nothing with which to draw water from
it. Then she thought of her shawl. She lowered this
into the well, and then squeezed the water, which it
soaked up into the mouth of the dog. She continued
to do so until its thirst was quenched. The animal’s
life was thus saved. God was so pleased with this
human gesture of mercy that He decreed that she
should enter paradise.
