Mercy
Mercy is a human feeling towards other creatures. It is a great feeling that represents the pure nature “Fitrah ” that Allah SWT has created us with.
Mercy is the type of emotions that preserve the relationships and the human existence on the planet of earth.
Religious call for mercy :
All religions have taken care of good morals and virtues and have called for them to be displayed. Such morals as the virtue of generosity, honesty,tolerance, mercy and other noble morals. They are all virtues that bring peace and tranquility to the soul. Scientific studies have shown the positive effects of possessing these qualities on the health and psyche of the individual thus, his giving to the society in which he lives.
In this article we will address the character of mercy in terms of: its definition, manifestations, effects on the individual and society.
Concept of Al-Rahma:
Mercy is a benign moral that means kindness, gentleness and softness in dealing with the creatures with which man lives whether they are humans or animals. The heavenly messages have all urged to be characterized by this beautiful morality because of its positive effects on the individual and society as a whole.
Manifestations of mercy:
- Parents’ compassion for their children, providing them with psychological comfort, meeting their needs and the conditions for a decent life.
Also protecting them from deviation into what is negative, in order to create effective individuals in society.
- Not to harm animals, especially pets, and there have been honorable prophetic hadiths urging mercy and kindness to animals and warning against the consequences of harming them.
Abu Huraira reported from Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) A hadith out of which one was this that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
” A woman got into Hell-Fire because of a cat whom she had tied, and thus it could not eat, and she did not let it free so that it could devour the vermin of the earth, until it died.”
Other shows of Al-Rahma:
- Helping the poor and needy.
- Sharing with others the joys and sorrows.
- Helping people with special needs and giving them their full rights.
- Treating people with compassion without discrimination on the basis of race, color and gender.
- Kindness to the elderly and young people, as they need care and attention appropriate to their age and physical characteristics that are unable to do everything they want easily.
- Kindness to brothers and sisters until death.
- Helping orphans as individuals, sympathizing with them, and sponsoring them if possible, or providing assistance and donations in kind and cash to organizations that sponsor orphans in general.
- Helping the patient, visiting him at all times, comforting him, and raising his psychological status.
The Effects of Mercy :
Having this noble character has positive benefits and effects on individuals and societies as a whole.
Here we will mention some of them:
- Spread love and intimacy between people, so society becomes like one body.
Nu’man b. Bashir reported Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying:
“The similitude of believers in regard to mutual love, affection, fellow-feeling is that of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever.”
- Increasing and strengthening the bond of family ties.
- Creating a compassionate and cooperative society that calls for and implements world peace.
