26. MERCY OF GOD

26. Mercy of God ~ 74 ~ a divine code of ethics in accordance with which man too should have feelings of well-wishing and compassion for others. Everyone should look with sympathy for his fellow men, and remain sensitive to their needs. The relation of one man to another should be that of love – not of hatred, or rivalry, and people should consider it a matter of the greatest good fortune that they are able to serve others. According to yet another hadith, God said: “My mercy prevails over my anger.” Man would do well to adopt this same divine ethics. That is, in social interaction, when one individual has an unpleasant experience with another, he should not permit his feelings of anger and revenge to be aroused. What, ideally, he should do is allow his sense of mercy to prevail over his ire. He would thus refrain from taking any step towards injuring others. The culture desired by God in human society being that of mercy (rahmat), the spirit of tolerance should be predominant in all aspects of human behaviour. People have a feeling of mercy in their hearts for