Mercy

I wrote about patience in an earlier input, (which you can find >here), and I started that input with the following words… “One of Allah’s 99 names is As-Sabur (الصَّبُورُ), the Patient One. If we consider the chaotic nature of humans in this world and how most people are distracted, ignore or reject Him… we may gain an understanding of why He carries such a name”. The very same can also be considered when hearing the name Al-Ghaffar (الغفار), The All-Forgiving.

سورة البقرة ٥٢-٥١
وَإِذْ وَاعَدْنَا مُوسَىٰ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً ثُمَّ اتَّخَذْتُمُ الْعِجْلَ مِن بَعْدِهِ وَأَنتُمْ ظَالِمُونَ
ثُمَّ عَفَوْنَا عَنكُم مِّن بَعْدِ ذَ‌ٰلِكَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

سورة الزمر ٥٤-٥٣
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
وَأَنِيبُوا إِلَىٰ رَبِّكُمْ وَأَسْلِمُوا لَهُ مِن قَبْلِ أَن يَأْتِيَكُمُ الْعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ

Surah Al-Baqara 2:51-52
And remember We appointed forty nights for Moses, and in his absence ye took the calf (for worship), and ye did grievous wrong.
Even then We did forgive you; there was a chance for you to be grateful.

Surah Az-Zumar 39:53-54
Say: “O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
“Turn ye to our Lord (in repentance) and bow to His (Will), before the Penalty comes on you: after that ye shall not be helped.

I started thinking about this recently. One morning, I saw a fly sitting on the ceiling of my apartment. It must have somehow come inside through one of the windows I’ve had opened. It was early in the morning and it was absolutely still, as if it was sleeping… an easy target to just smack and dispose of, quickly and easily. Especially since I was tired and barely dressed. But I didn’t. I prepared myself, then caught it in a cup and carried it outside… as I removed the covering from the cup, it didn’t fly off right away… maybe it was somehow shocked, partly from how it woke up, but also from the fact that it was helped by a human… “go on… you are free”… and I saw it fly off into the distance. As I watched it fly away… I held my own faults and imperfections in mind…. hoping… that this small act of mercy might help my own soul…

سورة النور ٢٢
أَلَا تُحِبُّونَ أَن يَغْفِرَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

Surah An-Noor 24:22
do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? For Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

As I thought about it, a small life in my hands… life is a gift from Him… and even the smallest creature is a part of His creation.

سورة البقرة ٢٥٥
لَّهُ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ

سورة آل عمران ٨٣
أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللَّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ

سورة آل عمران ١٠٨
تِلْكَ آيَاتُ اللَّهِ نَتْلُوهَا عَلَيْكَ بِالْحَقِّ ۗ وَمَا اللَّهُ يُرِيدُ ظُلْمًا لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

Surah Al-Baqara 2:255
His are all things in the heavens and on earth.

Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:83
Do they seek for other than the Religion of Allah?-while all creatures in the heavens and on earth have, willing or unwilling, bowed to His Will (Accepted Islam), and to Him shall they all be brought back.

Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:108
These are the Signs of Allah: We rehearse them to thee in Truth: And Allah means no injustice to any of His creatures.

Actually, something that has been on my mind for some time is whether creatures outside of the human race are under the same trial as humans are. The above mentioned ayat, in particular aya 83 from Surah Aal-i-Imraan certainly hints something about it. This is a topic I’ve been meaning to write about, inshallah I will, in a later input.
In any case, I’m only human… creatures like this can be hard to catch, some of them can be outright annoying, this one was easy. But whenever I can, I try to act with kindness and curtousy… remembering that even the smallest creature contributes to this world, and the kindness we show is but a small part of the kindness He shows us every day.

In the words of David Mitchell, (Cloud Atlas), “My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops? Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.”
Our time is temporary. We have but one chance to make things right. This should never be forgotten.

The best of times to you all inshallah.
Peace, happiness, and stay faithful.