26. MERCY OF GOD

26. Mercy of God ~ 73 ~ 26. MERCY OF GOD The Qur’an tells us that the prophets were sent to the world to teach the ways of mercy and compassion. According to one of the Prophet’s sayings, related in the Sahih (authentic traditions) of Imam Muslim, “God has a hundred mercies, one of which He has sent down amongst jinn and men and cattle and beasts of prey. With this they are kind and merciful to one another and the wild creature inclines to tenderness to her offspring. The remaining ninetynine mercies have been reserved by God Himself, so that He may show mercy to His servants on the Day of Resurrection.” This hadith is quite specific about the importance of mercy in the eyes of God who is All Merciful. All of God’s creation is, in fact, an expression of divine mercy. And it is this self-same virtue that God desires to see in the hearts of human beings. According to another tradition, the Prophet observed: “Be merciful to people on earth and God on high will be merciful to you.” This is the basis of