The Principle of Compassion

Many sayings of the Prophet of Islam emphasize this teaching. For example, he said: “The Merciful shows mercy to those who are merciful.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 4941) In another narration: “Show mercy to those on earth, and the One in the heavens will show mercy to you.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 1924) Another hadith states: “God shows mercy to those among His servants who are merciful to others.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1284) This message of compassion became so widespread that it became an essential part of Muslim thought and literature across cultures. Its echo can be heard in every language. A Muslim poet from the Indian subcontinent beautifully expressed it: “Karo mehrbani tum ahl-e-zameen par; Khuda mehrban hoga arsh-e-bareen par.” “Show kindness to the people of the earth; God on the Throne will be kind to you.” The importance of this principle in Islam is so great that it is treated as a deeply personal matter. In a hadith recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari, the Prophet of Islam said: “God does not show mercy to those who are not merciful to others.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 7376)