On Allah's Mercy

My Dear Readers,

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

As-salaamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. (May the Peace, Mercy and Blessings of Allah be upon you)
  

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ نَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ وَنَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَسَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللَّهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِيَ لَهُ

وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ

(See end note in the first post)

On Allah's Mercy:

تَبَارَكَ اسْمُ رَبِّكَ ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ

55:78 Hallowed be your Sustainer’s name, full of majesty and generosity! (audio)

Listening to contemporary discourses in our local masajid (mosques), we are frequently encouraged to adopt the idea of "Fear" in our relationship with, and in matters pertaining to, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. Perhaps the connection to God has been jealously guarded by those who have set themselves up as the "guardians" of faith, and for that they do not want the hoi polloi to get direct access. Or perhaps the reason why people are made to fear Allah is because through fear they can be easily controlled by these self-appointed guardians.

Despite our best efforts, and the efforts of Tawhid purists against anthropomorphism in context of God,  a cursory survey of our younger generation reveals a shocking phenomenon. The imaginations of our youth converge on an image of God as a vengeful old man (white beard? white clothes? golden crown/throne?), who is waiting to punish them in the most horrendous manner (نعوذ بالله من ذلك  May Allah protect us from such {a terrible thought}).

Fear of God, for them is like fear of death, lightning, a short-tempered dad, the police, a tiger etc (نعوذ بالله من ذلك  May Allah protect us from such {ideas}). This fear is encouraged, and reinforced by vivid descriptions of punishment in this world, the grave, the Hereafter and of course Hell (types and kinds, and the full menu of punishments available).  It is also drilled into them via some unfortunate mistranslations (for example Taqwa(تقوى), which is akin to "God consciousness", according to Muhammad Asad, and "piety" according to various other interpreters, is mistranslated as "fear").

In fact, to my knowledge, the view held by the overwhelming majority of the greatest scholars of Islam is quite the opposite.  Love and proximity to Allah has been encouraged throughout the mainstream discourse. Fear, if mentioned, is limited only to the context of "fearing the displeasure of the rabb (Sustainer) and the Beloved".  The purpose of today's blog post is to revisit this classical understanding of Allah as God of Love and Mercy through a diverse list of quotes.

In the Qur'an, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, tells us:

هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا

33:43 He it is Who sends blessings on you, as do His angels, that He may bring you out from the depths of Darkness into Light: and He is Full of Mercy to those who Believe. (audio)
I have highlighted (يُصَلِّي) in red because recently one of my dear friends shared an apocryphal story about "tahyat and salwat" during the Prophet's(ﷺ) ascension.  (I will write a small blog post explaining its origins, later insha Allah.)

And this has been known and taught by all the Prophets (alayhumussalaam), for example the Prophet Yaqub (Jacob) (alayhissalaam) advises his children of it, and further elucidates that it is a matter of kufr (rejection) if we are devoid of this hope:

يَا بَنِيَّ اذْهَبُواْ فَتَحَسَّسُواْ مِن يُوسُفَ وَأَخِيهِ وَلاَ تَيْأَسُواْ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِنَّهُ لاَ يَيْأَسُ مِن رَّوْحِ اللّهِ إِلاَّ الْقَوْمُ الْكَافِرُونَ

12:87 O my sons, go forth and try to obtain some tidings of Joseph and his brother; and do not lose hope of God's life-giving mercy: verily, none but the kafiroon (people who deny the truth) can ever lose hope of God's life-giving mercy. (audio)

I would also like to quote something which was shared by a fine gentleman, and teacher, Lee Weismann  . According to the Talmud (Bavli - Brachot 7a can be seen at : http://halakhah.com/berakoth/berakoth_7.html), in the name of Rab:

"May it be My will that My mercy may suppress My anger, and that My mercy may prevail over My [other] attributes, so that I may deal with My children in the attribute of mercy and, on their behalf, stop short of the limit of strict justice"

In the Qur'an, Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala, tells the Prophet(ﷺ) to tell us incontrovertibly:

قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

39:53 SAY: “[Thus speaks God:] ‘O you servants of Mine who have transgressed against your own selves! Despair not of God’s mercy: behold, God forgives ALL sins - for, verily, He alone is much-forgiving, a dis­penser of grace!’  (audio)

And the Prophet(ﷺ) reinforced it through a wide variety of hadith, even until just before he passed away, for example it is quoted in Muslim:

وَحَدَّثَنِي أَبُو دَاوُدَ، سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ مَعْبَدٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو النُّعْمَانِ، عَارِمٌ حَدَّثَنَا مَهْدِيُّ بْنُ، مَيْمُونٍ حَدَّثَنَا وَاصِلٌ، عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ بِثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ لاَ يَمُوتَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلاَّ وَهُوَ يُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Jabir b. 'Abdullah al-Ansari (RA) reported:
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)  say three days before his death: None of you should die but hoping only the best from Allah, the Exalted and Glorious. (Reference from sunnah. com)

It is stated in the Qur'an that Allah has decided for Himself to be Merciful, as can be seen in the following ayaat (verses) of the Qur'an:

وَإِذَا جَاءكَ الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِنَا فَقُلْ سَلاَمٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ أَنَّهُ مَن عَمِلَ مِنكُمْ سُوءًا بِجَهَالَةٍ ثُمَّ تَابَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَنَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

6:54 And when those who believe in Our messages come unto thee, say: "Peace be upon you. Your Sustainer has willed upon Himself the law of grace and mercy - so that if any of you does a bad deed out of ignorance, and thereafter repents and lives righteously, He shall be [found] much-forgiving, a dispenser of grace." (audio)

وَاكْتُبْ لَنَا فِي هَـذِهِ الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ إِنَّا هُدْنَـا إِلَيْكَ قَالَ عَذَابِي أُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ أَشَاء وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَـاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ

7:156 And ordain Thou for us what is good in this world as well as in the life to come: behold, unto Thee have we turned in repentance!" [God] answered: "With My chastisement do I afflict whom I will - but My Mercy encompasses everything:  and so I shall confer it on those who are conscious of Me and spend in charity, and who believe in Our messages (audio)

 In Mishkat (مشكاة المصابيح), a detailed version of Al-Baghawi's Masabih al-Sunnah, Muhammad ibn ʻAbd Allāh Khatib Al-Tabrizi (rahmatullah alayh) describes several hadith in an entire chapter dedicated to how merciful Allah SWT is (باب في سعة رحمة الله ):

When Allah created the world, He wrote (إن رحمتي سبقت غضبي. في رواية: غلبت غضبي), which in effect is the governing principle behind the functioning of this Universe. The statement literally means that "Allah's Mercy encompasses His Anger".

In his sharh of Mishkat (مرقاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح), Mullah Ali Qari (rahmatullah alayh) writes about its source from within the primary books of hadith:

 ويؤيد الثاني رواية للشيخين إن رحمتي تغلب غضبي. (سبقت غضبي وفي رواية غلبت غضبي) الرواية الثانية للبخاري فقط أوردها في بدء الخلق، ولفظ مسلم تغلب، وكذا وقع عند البخاري

Accordingly, in Sahih Bukhari, the hadith is found as (referred from sunnah. com):

Narrated Abu Huraira(radhi Allahu anh):
Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, "When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book which is with Him on His Throne, "My Mercy overpowers My Anger (wrath)."

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُغِيرَةُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْقُرَشِيُّ، عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ لَمَّا قَضَى اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ كَتَبَ فِي كِتَابِهِ، فَهْوَ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي غَلَبَتْ غَضَبِي ‏"‏‏.‏

And in another version in Bukhari as well (referred from sunnah.com)

Narrated Abu Hurairah (radhi Allahu anh):
I heard Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)saying: "Before Allah created the creations, He wrote a Book (wherein He has written): "My Mercy has preceded my Anger.' And that is written with Him over the Throne." 

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي غَالِبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعْتَمِرٌ، سَمِعْتُ أَبِي يَقُولُ، حَدَّثَنَا قَتَادَةُ، أَنَّ أَبَا رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَهُ أَنَّهُ، سَمِعَ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ كِتَابًا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ الْخَلْقَ إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي سَبَقَتْ غَضَبِي‏.‏ فَهْوَ مَكْتُوبٌ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ ‏"‏‏.‏

And the hadith is found in Sahih Muslim as (referred from sunnah.com)

Abu Hurairah (radhi Allahu anh) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)said:
When Allah created the creation as He was upon the Throne, He put down in His Book: "Verily, My mercy predominates My wrath.:

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُغِيرَةُ، - يَعْنِي الْحِزَامِيَّ - عَنْ أَبِي الزِّنَادِ، عَنِ الأَعْرَجِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ "‏ لَمَّا خَلَقَ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ كَتَبَ فِي كِتَابِهِ فَهُوَ عِنْدَهُ فَوْقَ الْعَرْشِ إِنَّ رَحْمَتِي تَغْلِبُ غَضَبِي ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Tabrizi continues this further by sharing the following hadith from Bukhari:

Narrated `Umar bin Al-Khattab (radhi Allahu anh):
Some sabi (i.e. war prisoners, children and women only) were brought before the Prophet (ﷺ) and behold, a woman amongst them was milking her breasts to feed and whenever she found a child amongst the captives, she took it over her chest and nursed it (she had lost her child but later she found him) the Prophet (ﷺ) said to us, "Do you think that this lady can throw her son in the fire?" We replied, "No, if she has the power not to throw it (in the fire)." The Prophet  (ﷺ) then said, "Allah is more merciful to His slaves than this lady to her son."

حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ أَبِي مَرْيَمَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو غَسَّانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي زَيْدُ بْنُ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَدِمَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم سَبْىٌ، فَإِذَا امْرَأَةٌ مِنَ السَّبْىِ قَدْ تَحْلُبُ ثَدْيَهَا تَسْقِي، إِذَا وَجَدَتْ صَبِيًّا فِي السَّبْىِ أَخَذَتْهُ فَأَلْصَقَتْهُ بِبَطْنِهَا وَأَرْضَعَتْهُ، فَقَالَ لَنَا النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏"‏ أَتَرَوْنَ هَذِهِ طَارِحَةً وَلَدَهَا فِي النَّارِ ‏"‏‏.‏ قُلْنَا لاَ وَهْىَ تَقْدِرُ عَلَى أَنْ لاَ تَطْرَحَهُ‏.‏ فَقَالَ ‏"‏ اللَّهُ أَرْحَمُ بِعِبَادِهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ بِوَلَدِهَا ‏"‏‏.‏

In another famous book,(رياض الصالحين) Riyadh us Saliheen, Imam Yahya Ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (rahmatullah alayh), compiled the following hadith from Bukhari and Muslim (referenced from sunnah.com):

وعنه قال‏:‏ سمعت رسول الله ، صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول‏:‏ “جعل الله الرحمة مائة جزء فأمسك عنده تسعة وتسعين، وأنزل في الأرض جزءا واحداً، فمن ذلك الجزء يتراحم الخلائق حتى ترفع الدابة حافرها عن ولدها خشية أن تصيبه‏"‏‏.‏
‏"‏وفي رواية‏:‏ ‏"‏إن لله تعالى مائة رحمة أنزل منها رحمة واحدة بين الجن والإنس والبهائم والهوام، فيها يتعاطفون، وبها يتراحمون، وبها تعطف الوحش على ولدها، وأخر الله تعالى تسعاً وتسعين رحمة يرحم بها عباده يوم القيامة” ‏(‏‏(‏متفق عليه‏)‏‏)‏ ‏.‏
ورواه مسلم أيضاً من رواية سلمان الفارسي، رضي الله عنه ، قال‏:‏ قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم‏:‏ “إن لله تعالى مائة رحمة فمنها رحمة يتراحم بها الخلق بينهم، وتسع وتسعون ليوم القيامة‏"‏
‏"‏وفي رواية‏:‏ ‏"‏إن الله تعالى خلق يوم خلق السماوات والأرض مائة رحمة كل رحمة طباق ما بين السماء إلى الأرض، فجعل منها في الأرض رحمة، فيها تعطف الوالدة على ولدها، والوحش والطير بعضها على بعض، فإذا كان يوم القيامة، أكملها بهذه الرحمة”‏.‏

Abu Hurairah (radhi Allahu anh) reported:
Messenger of Allah  (ﷺ) 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".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim]Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) 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].Another narration in Muslim is reported by Salman Al-Farisi  (radhi Allahu anh): Messenger of Allah  (ﷺ) said, "Allah has hundred mercies, out of which one mercy is used by His creation for mutual love and affection. Ninety-nine mercies are kept for the Day of Resurrection."Another narration is: Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "Allah created one hundred units of mercy on the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Each one of them can contain all that is between the heaven and the earth. Of them, he put one on earth, through which a mother has compassion for her children and animals and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Resurrection, He will perfect and complete His Mercy". (That is He will use all the hundred units of mercy for his slaves on that Day).

In addition to the above ayat and hadith, there are vast amounts of literature regarding Allah's rahmah (Mercy), especially about His Beautiful Names, and a simple search can reveal far better works on this issue than anything than the amateur writer of this blog can muster. However, there is one name, that is not commonly known, so I would conclude by writing about it.

When the Prophet Ibrahim (alayhissalaam) was excommunicated by his father, his parting words are recorded in the Qur'an, surah Maryam as:

قَالَ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكَ سَأَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكَ رَبِّي إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِي حَفِيًّا

19:47 [Abraham] replied: "Peace be upon thee! I shall ask my Sustainer to forgive thee: for, behold, He has been extremely kind and generous to me.

حَفِيًّا is an interesting word. Although not identified as one of the Glorious Names of Allah, it is mentioned in the Qur'an in surah Maryam 19:47  and in Al-A'raf (7:187). In the notes to 7:187, Muhammad Asad writes that the verb ahfa means "he did [a thing] in an excessive measure" or "he exceeded the usual bounds in doing [something]". So حَفِيًّا is used by the Prophet Ibrahim (alayhissalaam) to refer to Allah as "Extremely kind, generous and gracious, exceeding the bounds".

My understanding is reinforced by the usage of the term in one of the supplications (doa) in Al-Sahifa al-Sajjadiyya (الصحيفة السجادية) by sayyidina Ali bin Hussain (radhi Allahu anhuma) Zayn al Abideen, also known as imam Sajjad, due to his commitment to prayers and prostration:

         اللَّهُمَّ قَدْ تَعْلَمُ مَا يُصْلِحُنِي مِنْ أَمْرِ دُنْيَايَ وَ آخِرَتِي فَكُنْ بِحَوَائِجِي حَفِيّاً

O my Allah, You know what will set my affairs right in this world and the next, so be ever gracious toward my needs! (referenced from الصحيفة السجادية الكاملة - الإمام زين العابدين )

This doa indicates the understanding of  (ذِي الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ), that Allah is the Possessor of ultimate Majesty and Power, coupled with ultimate Generosity and Kindness. If we remember this, we will never suffer from dismay or depression, nor will we suffer the consequences of worrying. As believers in Allah's Perfect Knowledge, and Kindness, we believe that whatever Allah chooses for us is the best for us. In the words of the poet:

کارساز ما به فکر کار ماست
 فکر ما در کار ما آزار ماست

My Caretaker is busy taking care of all my cares, What will my worrying bring, except (unnecessary) pain?

Hassan Al Basri (rahmatullah alayh) advised us:

المؤمن أحسنَ الظنّ بربّه فأحسن العملَ ، وإنّ الفاجر أساءَ الظنّ بربّه فأساءَ العمل

"The believer assumes the best about his Lord so he does the best deeds. The sinner assumes the worst about his Lord, so he does evil deeds"

May Allah always help us in remembering how Loving and Merciful our Beloved is, and then help us to be on the right path and do good deeds.


والله أعلم   
 Wa Allahu 'Alam (And Allah is the All-Knowing)