SEPTEMBER 12

Compassionate Behaviour

God’s attribute in the Quran is said to be ‘The Compassionate’, ‘The Merciful’. That is, very kind and sympathetic. Similarly the Prophet of Islam, has been called ‘A Mercy to the Worlds’ (21:107). That is, the Prophet of Islam has been sent as a blessing to the whole world. The most prominent quality of the Prophet is his being the instrument of universal mercy.

The Quran, as a matter of divine guidance urges people to exercise patience and compassion in their dealings with one another. This means that everyone should treat others with sympathy and kindness. Even when one experiences unkindness from others one should not return unkindness for unkindness, but should continue to behave sympathetically. Alqurtubi has interpreted this verse ‘and they exhort one another to patience and compassion’ to mean that creatures of God (human beings) ought to be dealt with mercifully.

A number of traditions have been related in the books of hadith, which enshrine certain observations made on this subject by the Prophet of Islam. Here are three of them: “God will be merciful to those who are merciful (to His creatures).” “You should be merciful to people on earth, God on high will be merciful to you.”

This teaching of Islam spread so widely that it came to be included in Muslim literature all over the world. Every language reverberated with these ideas. An Indian Muslim poet composed this couplet:

Karo meherbani tum ahl-e-zameen par

(Be kind to people on earth)

Khuda meherban hoga arsh-e-barin par

(God on high will be merciful to you)

Of all matters which are of great personal importance, the virtue of mercy is ranked as the foremost. That is why the Prophet of Islam observes: God will not show mercy to one who does not show mercy to others. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tawhid)