On a mission to read all the articles from The Nawawi Foundation's Reading Room. It'll probably take me a while, and I'll honestly probably only highlight this article, as it's the shortest (and notice how the highlights go on for miles).
"Mercy: The Stamp of Creation" by Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah
Highlights:
From a theological perspective, however, it would be more precise to describe Islam as the religion of mercy. Islamic revelation designates the Prophet Mu^ammad as “the prophet of mercy,” and Islam’s scriptural sources stress that mercy—above other divine attributions—is God’s hallmark in creation and constitutes his primary relation to the world from its inception through eternity, in this world and the next.
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In Islam, the All-Merciful (ar-Rahman) and the Mercy-Giving (ar-Rahim) may be said to be the greatest names of God after Allah. Of all his names, they are most descriptive of his relation to the world and emphasize his will in salvation history and throughout eternity to benefit creation and ultimately bring about the triumph of
supreme good over evil.
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Consequently, mercy is the stamp of creation and the ontological thread that runs through everything. All that transpires—even temporal deprivation, harm, and
evil—will, in due course, fall under the rubric of cosmic mercy.
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Because we live in a universe bearing mercy’s imprint, harmony and beauty permeate
all things: “Our Lord, you have embraced all things in mercy and knowledge.”6 In the verse, mercy—technically an attribute of act—is given priority of reference over knowledge—an attribute of essence—again emphasizing mercy’s predominance in the universal plan.
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Theologically, Islamic tradition defines mercy as the intent to bring good to
others and cause them benefit.
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But as it relates to the intent to bring about good or avert evil, mercy assumes
an elemental and proactive dimension and is often before the fact, evincing a forward-looking quality that seeks to set things right, make a break with the
past, and foster new beginnings where goodness and benefit can thrive.
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[The Prophet) did not restrict his mercy to his followers. One day in Medina, he was sitting with his Companions, who later related: “A funeral procession passed us by, and the Prophet, may God bless and keep him, stood up so we all stood up because he had. Then we said: "O Messenger of God, it is only the funeral procession of a Jew.’ He replied: ‘Was he not a human being?’”
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That same attitude combined with masterly statesmanship enabled him not only to rescue the city of Medina — which had invited him for that purpose—from generations
of civil war between its feuding clans but to create an island of stability in a sea of chaos and then extend that island gradually until it claimed the sea.
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Those who died in the Prophet’s battles were relatively few, and, according to some estimates, numbered around two hundred on both sides. He laid down rules of engagement and parameters of war that became a central part of Islamic law, forbidding the predation of civilian populations, the wanton destruction of lands and livestock, and the use of fire, flooding, and poisons that kill indiscriminately.
The Prophet accepted people at their word and forgave them easily. He harbored no desire for vengeance and rejected the pagan custom of blood feuds and revenge. There was nothing mindless or fanatic about his piety. He was never intransigent or
bent on war. Men who had been numbered among his most relentless and unforgiving enemies—like Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, 'Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl, and Safwan ibn Umayya—ultimately came not only to accept and follow the Prophet but, during the last years of their lives, devoted themselves heroically to his mission with a passion
surpassing the enmity that had driven them before.
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In imitation of the Prophet, Muslims are expected to be merciful, to bring good, and to seek the benefi t of others—all others—not wish them harm or rejoice in the evil that befalls them. Indeed, the Tradition of Primacy promotes a doctrine of universal,
all-embracing mercy. Commentators emphasize this point, clarifying that the mercy Muslims are commanded to show is not exclusively for themselves or the righteous amongst them. It extends to all human beings: Jews, Christians, the believing and unbelieving, the upright and the immoral, and it goes beyond the human family to include both the animate and inanimate: birds and animals, even plants and trees. In English, “be merciful to those on earth” tends to imply human beings. Translated here as “those,” the Arabic word man is broad and inclusive. Its primary reference is
to rational beings, but it includes, by secondary reference, non-rational ones
also: animals, plants, and, by extension, what today would be termed the environment.
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Mercy begins with the individual by taking care of the self physically, emotionally, and spiritually and includes exercise and diet, pursuing education, and keeping good company.
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From the individual, concentric rings of mercy extend outward, taking in parents, spouse, children, family, neighbors, community, and the world. Part of being merciful toward others is having a good opinion of them, defending their good name, and doing whatever makes their lives better and averts harm.
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As discussed at the beginning of this essay and as the Traditions above concerning kindness to animals indicate, mercy—God’s signature in creation—is linked to a law of universal reciprocity: Mercy will be shown to the merciful, and it will be withdrawn from the merciless. The positive side of this universal law is reflected in the words of the Tradition of Primacy: “Be merciful to those on earth, and he who is in heaven will be merciful to you,” a lesson often repeated in the Islamic scriptures. The
Prophet taught: “Truly, God only shows mercy to those of his servants who are themselves merciful.”12 Here the complementary side of the law of mercy is clarified. The Prophet said elsewhere: “Whoever shows no mercy will be shown no mercy.”13 In the
same authoritative collections, we find: “God will show no mercy to those who show no mercy to humankind.”14 The Prophet warned his community: “Being merciful is only stripped away from the damned,”15 implying that mercy is the natural condition of the human soul and is only stripped away and exchanged for mercilessness in people with callous, unnatural hearts that can no longer receive it. A heart that no longer has the capacity to feel mercy cannot be a receptacle of salvation either or a container of true faith; to become ruthless and void of compassion is to carry the mark of divine wrath and bear the brand of damnation and is the sure sign of an evil end.
Thus, the reciprocity inherent in the universal law of mercy embodies another dimension: the fact that mercy is linked with faith and opens the door of salvation, while mercilessness is linked with the rejection of God and invites damnation. Classical commentators explain that mercy springs from a healthy heart, one that is spiritually alive and suitable for sincere faith. Utter lack of mercy, on the other hand, reflects a heart that is spiritually dead. The implications are profound: Mercy and true belief do not cohabit hearts where hatred and the utter disregard for others reign.
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The imperative to be merciful—to bring benefit to the world and avert harm—must underlie a Muslim’s understanding of reality and attitude toward society. Islam was not intended to create a chosen people, fostering exclusive claims for themselves,
while looking down upon the rest of humanity like a sea of untouchables or regarding the animate and inanimate worlds around them as fields readied for wanton exploitation. Wherever Muslims find themselves, they are called upon to be actively
and positively engaged as vanguards of mercy, welfare, and well-being.
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The merciless heart abides in the spirit of the damned, while the healthy heart
is instinctively humane and comprehends the pricelessness of mercy.
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