Hadith on Mercy: A Culture of Rahmah
By MyMasjidScreen Team ·
"Be merciful to those on earth, and the One in the heavens will be merciful to you." A reflection on mercy in our homes, our masjids and our online spaces.
Every chapter of the Quran but one begins with the same words: Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Raheem, in the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. Before we hear any command, warning or story, we are reminded who is speaking. The first thing Allah tells us about Himself, again and again, is mercy.
A hadith worth memorising
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on earth, and the One in the heavens will be merciful to you" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 1924, Sunan Abi Dawud 4941).
It is a short hadith, and it is often the first one taught to students of hadith. The message is simple: the mercy we hope to receive from Allah is connected to the mercy we show to others.
Mercy was the mission
Allah describes the Prophet ﷺ himself in these words: "And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds" (Quran 21:107).
His mercy reached children, whom he kissed and played with. When a man was surprised to see him kissing his grandson and said he had ten children and had never kissed any of them, the Prophet ﷺ replied: "Whoever does not show mercy will not be shown mercy" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5997, Sahih Muslim 2318). It reached animals, servants, people who wronged him, and people who did not share his faith.
Where mercy is tested today
At home. It is often easiest to be gentle with strangers and hardest with the people we live with. Tired parents, ageing relatives and teenagers all need more patience than we feel we have.
In the masjid. The new Muslim who does not know the movements. The child who runs between the rows. The brother who prays differently from you. A sharp word in the masjid can push someone away from it for years.
Online. Comment sections and group chats have made it very easy to be harsh to people we will never meet. A useful test: would I say this, in this tone, to their face, in the masjid, after Jumu'ah?
To ourselves. Some people are merciful to everyone except themselves. Remember that Allah's mercy is greater than any mistake you have made.
Small acts of rahmah
- Greet people at the masjid door, especially those who look unsure. - Visit someone who is ill, or send a message to someone who has gone quiet. - Feed someone, even if it is only a cup of tea after Fajr. - Correct mistakes privately and gently, or not at all. - Pause before posting.
Mercy is not weakness. It was the character of the strongest man who ever lived, and it is the quality Allah chose to introduce Himself by.