THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY: Islam’s Ethical and Spiritual Outlook

• “May divine mercy embrace you.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 1057) • “May God have compassion on a woman...” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith No. 1308) • “May God have compassion on the women of the emigrants.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 4758) • “May God’s mercy envelop you.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 6226) And many others. From this, one can understand the kind of temperament Islam aims to cultivate in its followers. It is a temperament of mercy and compassion. Islam requires that on every occasion, a person should feel sentiments of mercy for others. On every occasion, a person should offer the gift of mercy and affection to others. Even when expressing disagreement, the words that come from a believer’s mouth are such as: May God have mercy on you—why did you say that? God is merciful, and He wants His servants to live in this world with the same merciful spirit. UNIVERSALITY, NOT NARROWNESS In the Quran, God is described as the “Lord of the Worlds” (1:2)—not the “Lord of a specific people.” This means that Islam promotes universality, not limitation. In the Quran,