A BELIEVER

Islam has been called ‘a mercy to the worlds’ meaning, the Prophet of Islam has been sent as a blessing to the whole world. The most prominent quality of the Prophet is his being the instrument of universal mercy. A true believer therefore will be patient and compassionate in his dealings with others, treating others with sympathy and kindness. He will not return unkindness for unkindness, but continues to behave sympathetically with unconditional characteristic kindness. Believers exhort one another to patience and compassion. A Believer Sacrifices One of the qualities of the believer described in the Quran is the readiness to sacrifice his interests for that of another; holding the needs of others to be above his own; taking the trouble to help others; giving preference to others while occupying a back seat for oneself. This willingness to sacrifice, is a superior human quality. Almost every day such occasions arise when one feels the necessity for one kind of sacrifice or the other, to recede into the background and leave the path clear for others to go forward; to suffer oneself in order to give comfort to others; to cut down one’s expenses and help others; to suppress one’s personality so that others may come to the fore, to remain silent and allow others to speak; to direct one’s conveyance to one side and give room for others to go ahead to their destinations. Such sacrifice is a form of altruism. According to the Quran, true believers are those who possess this quality. A Believer Restrains Anger The Quran defines believers as those who “when angered are willing to forgive.” (42: 37) When a believer is confronted with such a behaviour as makes him angry, he does not retaliate, but rather returns forgiveness for anger. By adopting the path of avoidance, he nips evil in the bud. Instead of becoming embroiled with his antagonist, he engages himself in his own constructive work. A startling transformation takes place when a person starts living for God. He is happier to obey than to rebel, to forgive than to hold grudges, and he tries to cover others’ faults.