Spread Mercy, Uphold Humility

Republika.co.id, Jakarta – Prophet Muhammad SAW has the primary task as the Messenger of Allah SWT. He is a mercy to the universe and the completer of character. ‘And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds’ (Qur’an 21:107).

According to Imam ath-Thabari in his exegesis, the above verse indicates that the mercy brought by the Prophet Muhammad SAW encompasses all peoples. Not only Muslims; non-Muslims too feel the positive impact of that mercy.

As Ibnu Abbas is said to have noted, Allah Ta’ala sent the Messenger Muhammad SAW as a mercy for all creation, including those who believe and those who do not believe. The mercy for the believers is in the form of guidance from Allah. Ultimately, Allah will admit into Paradise those who believe and are pleased with Him.

As for those who do not believe, the mercy for them is that Allah will spare them from the hastening of punishment for themselves. Remember the state of the disbelieving peoples before the Prophet SAW. They were swiftly subjected to punishment for denying the Messenger of Allah.

Metaphorically, mercy is affection and compassion. This also constitutes a good character according to Islamic teaching.

Shariah motivates and commands us, the Muslim community, to possess such a characteristic. Indeed, Islam provides various depictions of mercy or compassion in a variety of forms.

In Sahih Bukhari, a hadith is related from Nu’man bin Basyir. He states that the Prophet Muhammad SAW said, ‘You will see the believers feeling compassion for one another, warmth of kinship, and among them they feel, like a single body. If one part of the body complains, the whole body suffers fever and sleeplessness.’