Ayahs 155-156 of Suratul-Baqarah mean: [And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient ones, who when inflicted with an affliction they say, “Surely we belong to Allah, and surely to His Judgement we shall return].
Slaves of Allah, I advise myself and you to fear Allah and to remain steadfast on the path of His noble Messenger. The best words are the Words of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. Blessed are those among Allah’s slaves who are patient in affliction, in good times and bad, and in all circumstances, for the obedience of Allah is required at all times, in every moment and breath.
I remind myself and you of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, in which he urged us to be merciful and supportive of one another, and to be like a solidly built structure and a single body. He, peace be upon him, said: <<The example of the believers in their mutual love, compassion, and sympathy is like that of a single body; when one part of it complains, the rest of the body responds with sleeplessness and fever>>. He also said, warning against abandoning mercy: <<He who does not show mercy will not be shown mercy>>. Therefore, have mercy on each other, O brothers in faith, and be compassionate among yourselves.
One of the aspects of mercy and compassion is to honour your parents, who raised you when you were little and weak until you grew strong and old. Do not neglect them when they become weak and old. Honouring parents is a great act of obedience for which you may be granted sustenance. Our Lord, the Exalted, said in Surat Al-‘Isra’: [And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, ‘My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up when I was little’].
Brothers in faith, maintaining kinship ties is one of the greatest causes of mercy, so do not neglect them out of fear of being asked for help. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, guided his nation, saying: <<Allah helps His slave as long as the slave helps his brother>>. He also said: <<Whoever relieves a believer of one of the hardships of this world, Allah will relieve him of one of the hardships of the Day of Resurrection>>. He, peace be upon him, encouraged mercy and ordered us to show kindness and compassion to people and to fulfill their needs. He was the most active of people in practicing these recommendations.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, also urged us to show mercy to animals. He brought a dish of food closer to a cat to eat. He spoke of a sinful woman who saved a dog from dying of thirst by drawing water from a well with her shoe to give to the dog because it could not reach the water and was about to die of thirst, eating soil out of extreme thirst. Brothers in faith, her mercy moved her to draw water with her shoe and offer it to the dog, thus saving it. The Prophet, peace be upon him, informed us that she was forgiven because she quenched the dog’s thirst. If this was for a dog, how much more so would it be for saving a person in dire need, the hungry, the needy, the lost, and the sick?
O my brothers, if mercy is removed from among us, we will be destroyed. Therefore, show mercy to each other, cooperate, and offer help to one another.
