يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O who believe, fasting is decreed for you as it was decreed for those before you; perchance you will guard yourselves. (2:183)
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:
“This is a month, the first part of which brings Allah’s Mercy, the middle of which brings Allah’s forgiveness and the last part of which brings emancipation from hellfire” (Hadith in Sahih Al-Bukhari)
The first 10 days of Ramadan are the days of Allah’s Mercy, and we should make the best of these great days. This Mercy of Allah continues the rest of the month, but at the start of Ramadan it is now with us.
اللهمً أرحمني يا أرحم لرًَاحمين
Oh Most Merciful, have mercy on me
The Mercy that is sought during the month of Ramadan by Muslims can be divided into 3 important areas
Receiving mercy from God
Being merciful towards others
Having mercy towards one’s self
Allah’s Mercy
The first sentence in the Qur’an has two of God’s Names which are derived from the word (rahma), i.e. mercy
He is The Most Gracious: Ar-Rahman, The Most Merciful: Ar-Raheem
The Most GRACIOUS is He whose Mercy prevails over everything in this world.The Prophet (SAWS) says that Allah is much more merciful to His creatures than a compassionate mother is to her child.
There are many examples around us that show us Allah’s mercy. He specified an exact time for day and an other one for night. This mercy of Allah we feel at night fall, when we are to rest and at dawn, when we are to start a new day. This change takes place smoothly to make us sense the mercy of Allah upon us.
Another of Allah’s mercy upon us is the basic elements we need for life, which are beyond the control of humans, such as air and rain. No one can live without it yet no one can control it or deny it to someone. Allah says what can be translated as “Allah is He Who sends the winds. So they stir up clouds,
then He outspreads them in the heaven how He decides and makes them into lumps. Then you see rain-drops coming (Literally: going out) out of the midst of them. So when He makes it alight on whomever of His bondmen He decides; only then they are glad at the tidings. And decidedly before that, before it was sent down on them, they had been indeed dumbfounded. So look into the tracks of the mercy of Allah, how He gives life to the earth after its death; surely He (Literally: That) is indeed the Life-Giver of the dead, and He is Ever-Determiner over everything.” (TMQ, 30:48-50).
A further mercy from Allah is that He made rain sweet instead of salty. Water has the characteristics in that it remains on the surface of the earth and does not sink into earth. Isn’t this from the mercy of Allah?
Allah’s mercy is reflected on all the social relations that surround us. He (SWT) planted the seed of love in the hearts of parents and created that special bond between the different members of a family. Even the womb in the Arabic language is named rahem , meaning mercy.
These are just some of the merices that Allah bestows on the universe.
Allah’s Mercy has no limit, and He has kept 99 parts of His Mercy for the Day of Judgement.
Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, “Allah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it”.
[Hadith in Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said, “Allah has one hundred mercies, out of which He has sent down only one for jinn, mankind, animals and insects, through which they love one another and have compassion for one another; and through it, wild animals care for their young. Allah has retained ninety-nine mercies to deal kindly with His slaves on the Day of Resurrection.”
[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Allah’s Mercy for those who are merciful towards others
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:
“Whosoever relieves from a believer some grief pertaining to this world, Allah will relieve from him some grief pertaining to the Hereafter.
Whosoever alleviates the difficulties of a needy person who cannot pay his debt, Allah will alleviate his difficulties in both this world and the Hereafter.
Whosoever conceals the faults of a Muslim, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter.
Allah will aid a servant (of His) so long as the servant aids his brother.
Whosoever follows a path to seek knowledge therein, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. No people gather together in one of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them amongst those who are in His presence. Whosoever is slowed down by his deeds will not be hastened forward by his lineage.”
(Hadith in Sahih Muslim)
Mercy Towards Others In Islam
Mercy Towards Parents
The most important type of mercy is a Muslim’s mercy and care for his/her parents
Allah (SWT) tells us in the Qur’an:
And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, “My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small.” (17:22)
So the first thing to do at the start of Ramadan is to visit parents, ask about them and do the best to please them, in order that Allah opens His door for us to enter and to be entitled to His Mercy.
Mercy Towards those in Need
One of the signs of a society where mercy truly prevails is that those in need of help are taken care of by the rest of society.Human beings go through stages when they are weak (children), then strong (adults) then weak again (elderly)
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, (He is not one of us who does not have mercy towards our young, and respect towards our elders)
It is human nature to go through stages when people may be rich or poor, healthy or in poor health, and a caring society should take care of the weak. Allah is The Most Merciful, and He wants us to be merciful towards others.
Why did Allah forgive a man for giving water to a thirsty dog?
In a hadith, prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said that Allah forgave a man all his sins for giving to drink to a thirsty dog
Why?
The answer is that he had mercy and he put it into practice by giving to drink to a thirsty dog
This is the hadith:
While a man was walking along a road, he became very thirsty and found a well. He lowered himself into the well, drank, and came out.
Then [he saw] a dog protruding its tongue out with thirst. The man said: ‘This dog has become exhausted from thirst in the same way as I.’
He lowered himself into the well again and filled his shoe with water. He gave the dog some water to drink. He thanked God, and [his sins were] forgiven.’
The Prophet was then asked: ‘Is there a reward for us in our animals?’ He said: ‘There is a reward in every living thing.’
Zakah and Mercy in Society
Many Muslims prefer paying the yearly Zakah during the month of Ramadan
One is encouraged to do that in the early days of Ramadan in order to make the month easier for those in need. By being merciful towards others, Allah will be Merciful towards us
Zakah is one of the five pillars in Islam and is an important foundation for a caring society, one where people don’t only live for themselves and their families but a society where Muslims feel responsible for the well-being of others seeking Allah’s pleasure and Mercy
Taking Care of Orphans in Islam:
Taking care of an orphan who has no father nor mother to protect and love is one of the best deeds which brings a believer closer to Allah
Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said:
“The best house among the Muslims is one which contains an orphan who is well treated.”
(Hadith in Al-Tirmidhi)
Mercy Toward One’s Self in Islam
Forgiving oneself for the harm one has caused to others is a tremendous psychological boundary for a person to overcome. Failure to overcome such negativity can cause an individual to make mistakes and bad decisions in life. Asking forgiveness from those who were harmed and making amends to those who have been injured are part of mercy toward one’s self. (Islamic Books)
