Home »
» Allah's Mercy - By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Allah's Mercy - By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Allah's Mercy
By Shaykh Ashraf Salah
Dear Muslims:
I would like to start this beautiful topic about
Allah Almighty's Mercy by showing this Saying from our beloved Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH):
Narrated Abu Huraira: "Allah's Apostle said,
'When Allah completed the creation, He wrote in His Book which is with Him on
His Throne, 'My
Mercy overpowers My Anger.” (Bukhari).
There are ample Noble Verses from the Noble Quran
that talk about Allah Almighty's Mercy and Forgiveness. Allah (SWT) says:
“So, as for those who believed in Allah and held
fast to Him, He will admit them to His Mercy and Grace (Paradise ),
and guide them to Himself by the Straight Path”. (4:175).
In Surat Sad He (SWT) says:
"The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and
all between,- the All-Mighty, the Oft-Forgiving” (38:66).
If we are sincere, our daily sins are almost
always forgiven, Allah (SWT) says:
"Those who avoid great sins and shameful
deeds, only
(falling into) small faults, verily your Lord is ample in forgiveness.
He knows you well when He created you from the earth, And when you were
fetuses in your mothers' wombs. Therefore justify not yourselves: He knows best
who it is that guards against evil”. (53:32).
Dear Muslims:
Of all the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah, it is
Ar-Rahmán and Ar-Rahím that we use, most frequently, in our prayers and dua’s.
Ar-Rahmán and Ar-Rahím, are both derived from the same Arabic root word, Rahma,
meaning mercy, compassion. Ar-Rahmán and Ar-Rahím means The Beneficent, The
Merciful, and it is translated also as, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful.
Allah
(SWT) says:
"O
mankind! Revere your Rabb, who created you from a single person; created, of
like nature, its mate, and from them twain scattered (like seeds) countless men
and women; Revere Allah, through whom you demand your mutual (rights) and
revere the wombs (that bore you): For Allah ever watches over you." (4:1).
The
Arabic word Arham (the singular is Rahm) is so important to Allah that He
declared in the Qur'an: "Would you then, ... sever your ties of kinship
(Arham)? Such are they whom Allah curses so that He defeats them and makes
their eyes blind." (47:22-23). Think about this womb! Allah (SWT) has
brought us to this world through the same reproductive system that has been
named Rahm derived from the same root from which two supreme attributes of
Allah are also derived. It then make sense when Allah says "My mercy
extends to all things."
Dear Muslims:
Allah (SWT) is
more kind to his slave than a mother to her child. On the authority of `Umar
bin Al - Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) who reported: Some prisoners
were brought to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) amongst whom
there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child
among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and gave
it a suck. The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said, "Do you
think this woman would ever throw her child in fire?" We said, "By
Allah, she would never throw the child in fire." Thereupon the Messenger
of Allah (may peace be upon him) said, "Allah is more kind to his slave
than this woman is to her child"
(Muslim).
It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of
Allah (may peace be upon him) said: "The Great and the Glorious Lord
said (to angels): Whenever My bondsman intends to corn it an evil, do not record it against him,
but if he actually commits it, then write it as one evil. And when he intends
to do good but does not do it, then take it down is one act of goodness, but if he does
it, then write down ten good deeds (in his record).
(Muslim).
One should never
despair of the mercy of Allah (SWT). Allah's mercy embraces all things. The Messenger of
Allah (RAA) 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." (Bukhari and Muslim).
Also, on the authority of Abu Hurairah (RAA) who reported that he heard
the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) saying: "Allah, the Exalted, and Glorious
said: 'A slave committed a sin and he said: O Allah, forgive my sin,' and Allah
said: 'My slave committed a sin and then he realized that he has a Lord Who
forgives the sins and punishes for the sin.' He then again committed a sin and
said: 'My Lord, forgive my sin,' and Allah (SWT) said: 'My slave committed a
sin and then realized that he has a Lord Who forgives his sin and punishes for
the sin.' He again committed a sin and said: 'My Lord, forgive my sin,' and
Allah (SWT) said: 'My slave has committed a sin and then realized that he has a
Lord Who forgives the sin or takes (him) to account for sin. I have granted
forgiveness to my slave. Let him do whatever he likes'." (Bukhari and
Muslim).
Moreover, Abu Hurairah (RAA) reported that he had
heard the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) saying: "By the One
in Whose Hand my soul is, were you not to commit sins, Allah would replace you
with a people who would commit sins and then seek forgiveness from Allah; and
Allah would forgive them". (Muslim).
Dear Brothers And Sisters In Islam:
How do we become worthy of Allah’s Mercy? We
become worthy of His Mercy, when we begin that long journey from doing what
pleases us, to doing what pleases Allah. This comes only by conscious effort.
But remember, when you do just one good action, you can repeat it, and it can
become a good habit. Like a farmer with his seed, when you sow an action, you
reap a habit. You sow a habit, you reap a character, you sow a character, and
you reap a destiny. And the good destiny we all seek is to enter the garden that
Allah has prepared for those who seek his pleasure, and mercy.
We should also remember, that part of Allah’s
mercy, is that He is very patient with our shortcomings. We all have many
faults, but Allah’s anger does not just descend on us like a bolt of lightning,
as soon as we step out of line. He always gives us time, lots of time, to
recognise the error of our ways, and to put things
right, to ask for mercy.
Dear Muslims:
Allah (SWT) is most Merciful because He forgives
our many sins: He (SWT) says: "If God were to punish men according to what they
deserve, He would not leave on the back of the (earth) a single
living creature: but He gives them respite for a stated Term: when their Term
expires, verily God has in His sight all His Servants. (35:45).
Allah (SWT) does accept us at any time we go back
to Him in repentance because He is close and He listens to our prayers: He
(SWT) says: "When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close (to
them): I listen to the prayer of every suppliant when he calls
on Me: Let them also, with a will, Listen to My call, and believe in Me: That
they may walk in the right way. (2:186).
And Allah (SWT) always helps us to be saved from
hell fire because He gives rewards more than bad deeds at the Day of
Judgement: He (SWT) says: "If any does good, the reward to him is better
than his deed; but if any does evil, the doers of evil are only
punished (to the extent) of their deeds.
(28:84).
We ask Allah (SWT) to bestow us His Mercy and
to accept us amongst His pious servants.
May Allah (SWT) help us to do
whatever pleases Him, bless, guide and forgive us all. (Ameen).
