Ramadan: The Month of Mercy to Muslims
Shaykh `Aa'id Abdullah al-Qarnee
REFRENCE :
Thirty Lessons for those who Fast
Mercy is a favour from Allah which He places in the hearts of whomsoever He wills. Verily, Allah will have mercy on His servants who are merciful. Allah is the Most Compassionate the Most Merciful. He loves the merciful and calls to mercy. He orders His servants to enjoin patience and mercy. A person may lack mercy for any number of reasons, among them, an abundance of sins and disobedience. They stain their hearts so much so that they ultimately blind them until their hearts become harder than stones. Allah says of the Children of Israel:
ثُمَّ قَسَتۡ قُلُوبُكُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ ذَ ٰلِكَ فَهِیَ كَٱلۡحِجَارَةِ أَوۡ أَشَدُّ قَسۡوَةࣰۚ وَإِنَّ مِنَ ٱلۡحِجَارَةِ لَمَا یَتَفَجَّرُ مِنۡهُ ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُۚ وَإِنَّ مِنۡهَا لَمَا یَشَّقَّقُ فَیَخۡرُجُ مِنۡهُ ٱلۡمَاۤءُۚ وَإِنَّ مِنۡهَا لَمَا یَهۡبِطُ مِنۡ خَشۡیَةِ ٱللَّهِۗ وَمَا ٱللَّهُ بِغَـٰفِلٍ عَمَّا تَعۡمَلُونَ
[Surah Al-Baqarah 74]
'And yet, after all this, your hearts hardened and became like rocks, or even harder'(2:74).
Allah also says about them when they opposed and rebelled against the divine law:
فَبِمَا نَقۡضِهِم مِّیثَـٰقَهُمۡ لَعَنَّـٰهُمۡ وَجَعَلۡنَا قُلُوبَهُمۡ قَـٰسِیَةࣰۖ یُحَرِّفُونَ ٱلۡكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِۦ وَنَسُوا۟ حَظࣰّا مِّمَّا ذُكِّرُوا۟ بِهِۦۚ وَلَا تَزَالُ تَطَّلِعُ عَلَىٰ خَاۤىِٕنَةࣲ مِّنۡهُمۡ إِلَّا قَلِیلࣰا مِّنۡهُمۡۖ فَٱعۡفُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَٱصۡفَحۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ یُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِینَ
[Surah Al-Ma'idah 13]
'Then, for having broken their solemn pledge, We rejected them and caused their hearts to harden'(5:13).
Among the things that cause a loss of mercy is arrogance with wealth and pride with riches. Allah says:
(كَلَّاۤ إِنَّ ٱلۡإِنسَـٰنَ لَیَطۡغَىٰۤ أَن رَّءَاهُ ٱسۡتَغۡنَىٰۤ)
[Surah Al-Alaq 6 - 7]
'Nay, verily, man becomes grossly overweening whenever he believes himself to be self-sufficient'
(96:6-7).
The day the heart is disciplined with faith and good deeds it fills with mercy and kindness.
Another reason for the weakness of mercy is an abundance of gluttony and saturation. They give rise to contempt and recklessness. Hence the month of fasting was prescribed to crush this unruliness and ill discipline. The fasting person is naturally among the most merciful people. That is because he has tasted hunger, experienced thirst and endured hardship. His soul is, therefore, enveloped with mercy, care and gentleness for Muslims.
Mercy is something which every Muslim is required to render to his brother Muslim. It is a requirement from every responsible custodian toward those under his care. He should feel sorry for them and be lenient toward them. Prophet Muhammad sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said:
حديث عائشة -رضى الله عنها- قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول في بيتي هذا: اللهم من ولي من أمر أمتي شيئاً فشق عليهم فاشقق عليه، ومن ولي من أمر أمتي شيئاً فرفق بهم فارفق به، رواه مسلم
'O Allah! Whoever was entrusted with authority over any affair of the Muslims and made it difficult for them, please make it difficult for him. And whoever was entrusted over any affair of the Muslims and was kind toward them, then be kind toward him.'
In a related hadith Allah's Messenger also said:
'Whoever oversees an affair for my nation and disappeared or abandoned them without fulfilling their needs while impoverishing them, Allah will debar him from his needs and impoverish him on the Day of Judgement.'
Mercy demands that the scholar and teacher should be gentle toward his students and lead them to the easiest and best ways to love him and benefit from his teachings. If he does this Allah will decree for him the most excellent and abounding reward. Listen to the manner in which Allah praises His Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam :
فَبِمَا رَحۡمَةࣲ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمۡۖ وَلَوۡ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِیظَ ٱلۡقَلۡبِ لَٱنفَضُّوا۟ مِنۡ حَوۡلِكَۖ فَٱعۡفُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَٱسۡتَغۡفِرۡ لَهُمۡ وَشَاوِرۡهُمۡ فِی ٱلۡأَمۡرِۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمۡتَ فَتَوَكَّلۡ عَلَى ٱللَّهِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ یُحِبُّ ٱلۡمُتَوَكِّلِینَ
[Surah Aal-E-Imran 159]
'And it was by God's grace that thou [O Prophet] did deal gently with thy followers: for if thou hadst been harsh and hard of heart, they would indeed have broken away from thee'(3:159).
Mercy further requires from the imam that he should not make worship difficult for his followers or cause them harm. On the contrary, he should be merciful, kind and wise. The Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said:
عن جابر بن عبد الله رضي الله عنه أن معاذ بن جبل رضي الله عنه كان يصلي مع النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- ثم يأتي قومه فيصلي بهم الصلاة، فقرأ بهم البقرة، فتجوّز رجل فصلى صلاة خفيفة فبلغ ذلك معاذاً فقال: إنه منافق، فبلغ ذلك الرجل فأتى النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم- فقال: يا رسول الله، إنا قوم نعمل بأيدينا ونسقي بنواضحنا، وإن معاذاً صلّى بنا البارحة فقرأ البقرة، فتجوّزت فزعم أني منافق، فقال النبي -صلى الله عليه وسلم-: ( يا معاذ أفتّان أنت؟ - قالها ثلاثاً -، اقرأ {والشمس وضحاها} و { سبّح اسم ربك الأعلى } . ونحوها)
متفق عليه واللفظ للبخاري
وفي رواية أخرى: ( فلولا صليت بسبح اسم ربك والشمس وضحاها والليل إذا يغشى، فإنه يصلي وراءك الكبير والضعيف وذو الحاجة)
'Whoever from you leads the people in prayer must make it easy because among them are the old, the sick, the young and the needy.' It was narrated that when Mu'adh once extended the prayer the Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said to him: 'Are you a troublemaker O Mu'adh? Are you a troublemaker O Mu'adh? Are you a troublemaker O Mu'adh?'
In the same manner, when Uthman ibn Abi al As al Thaqafi requested: 'O Messenger of Allah, make me an imam of my people.' The Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said:
'You are their imam so lead the prayer according to the weakest of them and take a caller to prayer who would seek no payment for doing so.'
Mercy dictates that the one who calls to Islam must advise
those whom he is inviting with tenderness. That he should, moreover, clarify issues to them with concern. He should not hurt, defame people or even revile the disobedient in public. Allah advised Moses and Aaron to employ the following methods in their call to the tyrant Pharaoh:
(فَقُولَا لَهُۥ قَوۡلࣰا لَّیِّنࣰا لَّعَلَّهُۥ یَتَذَكَّرُ أَوۡ یَخۡشَىٰ)
[Surah Ta-Ha 44]
'But speak unto him in a mild manner, so that he might bethink himself or [at least] be filled with apprehension'(20:44).
He also says:
ٱدۡعُ إِلَىٰ سَبِیلِ رَبِّكَ بِٱلۡحِكۡمَةِ وَٱلۡمَوۡعِظَةِ ٱلۡحَسَنَةِۖ وَجَـٰدِلۡهُم بِٱلَّتِی هِیَ أَحۡسَنُۚ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ هُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِمَن ضَلَّ عَن سَبِیلِهِۦ وَهُوَ أَعۡلَمُ بِٱلۡمُهۡتَدِینَ
[Surah An-Nahl 125]
'Call thou [all mankind] unto thy Sustainer's path with wisdom and goodly exhortation, and argue with them in the most kindly manner'(16:125).
The eminent jurist and Islamic scholar, Imam al Shafe'e wrote:
تعمدني بنصحك في انفرادي ..... وجنبني النصيحة في الجماعة
فإن النصح بين الناس نوع ..... من التوبيخ لا أرضى استماعه
وإن خالفتني وعصيت قولي ..... فلا تجزع إذا لم تعط طاعه
Support me with your advice in private, and avoid advising me in public.
Surely giving advice among the people is a kind of reproach,
which I would rather not listen to.
If you disobey and ignore my wish,
don't be saddened if you are not obeyed.
Mercy is required from a father to his children. This matter was previously discussed in the lesson (No. 18) on how we train our children. The mercy of the father or mother toward her children has the greatest effect on their integrity, well-being and obedience. Self-praise and harshness only open the door to despair. The Prophet sallallahu `alaihi wa sallam said:
وعن عائشة رضي الله عنها: أَن النبيَّ ﷺ قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ رَفِيقٌ يُحِبُّ الرِّفقَ، وَيُعْطِي على الرِّفق ما لا يُعطي عَلى العُنفِ، وَما لا يُعْطِي عَلى مَا سِوَاهُ رواه مسلم
وعنها: أَنَّ النبيَّ ﷺ قَالَ: إِنَّ الرِّفقَ لا يَكُونُ في شيءٍ إِلَّا زَانَهُ، وَلا يُنْزَعُ مِنْ شَيءٍ إِلَّا شَانَهُ رواه مسلم
'Kindness was never bestowed upon something except that it beautified it, and it was never removed from that thing except that it made it ugly.'
O you who fast and cause hunger to your stomach, there are thousands of stomachs more awaiting a meal. Will there not arise from among you those who would feed them? O you who fast and cause thirst to your liver, there are thousands more who await a mouthful of water. Will there not arise from among you those who would quench their thirst? O you who fast and wear the finest garments, there are naked people out there awaiting only a piece of cloth to cover their bodies. Will there not then come forth from among you those who would clothe them?
O Allah! We implore your extended mercy that will forgive our sins and erase our misdeeds and errors
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