Becoming the Servants of the Most Merciful Series
Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV

The distinguishing characteristics of the true Servants of the Merciful have been laid out for us by our Most Merciful Creator. They are humility, forbearance, praying the vigil, seeking the guidance and support of God from sins, fearing the possibility of going to Hell for one moment, balance in spending wealth, avoiding the major sins, protecting the major objectives of Islam, repentance, not witnessing the glorification of falsehood, avoiding useless speech, submitting to scripture, building one’s family on piety and seeking the help of God while doing so.

After guiding us to these most noble characteristics, our Beloved Creator than told us the reward of working to attain them:

“These Servants of the Merciful will be rewarded with a high position in Heaven as a result of their perseverance.  They will be greeted therein with the glad tidings of eternal life free of enmity, discontent or any other defects.” (Qur’an 25:75)

Surely life is a test and it is not easy. The guidance has been facilitated and the path to the eternal bliss in the pleasure of our creator is clear. Now it is upon us to work for it as God said,

“How excellent is the reward of those who work for it.” (Qur’an 3:136)

In the verse about the reward of the Servants of the Merciful, the qualifying clause was “as a result of their perseverance”. This is the translation of “bi maa sabaroo”. God is telling us that the whole of life and the test therein is about perseverance in showing Him our devotion, loyalty, and gratitude.  Our scholars have defined for us the three types of “sabr” that we all face in life. Basically our test is in disciplining ourselves to rise above our carnal egotistical instincts to become spiritual servants of our Creator. There are basically three aspects of perseverance that we are facing.

The first of these is persevering by fulfilling all of our religious obligations. The fact is we value our time and we incline towards instant gratification of our desire to enjoy our time. We must regulate our time so that we do everything we possibly can to fulfill whatever God has commanded us to do (i.e. practicing the 5 pillars of Islam).  In doing this we make the divine obligations the most important thing in life. If they weren’t important then God wouldn’t have obligated us to do them. If we don’t feel the importance of them then we need to strengthen our faith by reading about the miracles of the Qur’an, the biography of the Prophet ﷺ and his companions and the previous prophecies about the coming of our Prophet. After building a strong faith, we must increase our knowledge so we can understand why we have been obligated to perform these acts of worship. After completing these steps we are on our way to a fruitful life of service to the Almighty. In today’s secular world we are brainwashed from a young age that worship is a matter of choice and not a requirement whereas our scripture treats intentionally leaving obligatory worship as even more sinful than committing acts prohibited by God.

The second aspect of perseverance in life is in avoiding all of the things prohibited by scripture. We have certain carnal desires as animals that we are inclined to. A big test in life is in breaking down our ego and our desires so that we may protect our souls. Again weak faith is a reason for committing sins so we must seek to feed and nurture our faith as mentioned previously. Similarly, we should seek the knowledge of the wisdom behind prohibitions so that we may see the big picture and how God is protecting us from great harm by prohibiting us from things we incline to egotistically and materialistically. One of the biggest means in avoiding sins is the environment we choose. If we choose friends and surroundings which facilitate piety then we will be much more likely to stay free of major sins. God almighty commanded us,

“Train yourself to persevere with the company of those who live in sincere servitude to their Lord throughout the day… “ (Quran 18:28)

Our beloved Prophet ﷺ said, “A person is influenced by the ways of his close friends. So pay close attention to those who you take as close friends.” (Abu Dawood 4833)

Finally, we have the last aspect of the perseverance required to pass the test of life. This is the way we deal with hardship and difficulty that we face. One of the main arguments of atheism is that if God is good and in control of everything then why does He decree so much violence, evil, and corruption.  The fact is that this argument doesn’t hold up to a day in court with Islamic theology. It is crystal clear in Islam that this life is a test. We have been blessed with life, intelligence, creativity and all our sustenance at our finger tips. We are asked to persevere through life by disciplining ourselves through knowledge and human struggle to be spiritual entities who are not content as a result of material gain or worldly attachments, but through submitting to our Creator’s divine plan for us. If we fulfill this trust then we will attain eternal bliss. On the other hand, if we allow our ego and desires to get the best of us we will live and die as animals until the hereafter where we will be responsible for our rebellion against our Creator. The hardships and calamities we face in this life are one of two things for a believer. It is either a means of purifying ourselves from sins in this life or a means of pleasing God through showing our pure submission to His will even when it doesn’t serve our desires. The Prophet ﷺ said,

“If God has goodwill towards his servant, He hastens his punishment in this life. If He has bad will for His servant who is deserving of it, He leaves him to pay for his sins on the Day of Judgment.”(Tirmidhi)

“Verily the greatness of reward is according to the greatness of the trial. Surely if God loves a people then he tests them with hardship. So whoever is content with God’s decree then God is content with him and whoever is displeased with it then God will be displeased with them. (Tirmidhi)

We pray the Almighty Merciful One facilitate our struggle with perseverance that we may indeed be counted as His servants! Ameen

Allah’s Mercy.

It’s what we crave. It’s what we pray for. It’s the only means for getting into Paradise. We know that we are constantly sinning and that without His Mercy, none of these sins will be forgiven. We know that without His Mercy, not only will our entire lives be filled with misery, but also the afterlife. If we knew how to get it, surely we’d do everything within our human capacity to ensure it. If only we knew how to get it.

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) is the most Merciful, and out of this Mercy He has blessed us by answering every important question in our lives. It is out of His complete Mercy, that the most Merciful has explained to us, through the words of His beloved Messenger ﷺ (peace be upon him), exactly how to get His Mercy.

The Prophet ﷺ said: “Have mercy on those who are on earth, and the One in the heavens will have mercy upon you.”

Now that we know how to get it, we must understand what it means to have ‘mercy on those who are on earth.’ There are many ways to show mercy, but the three mains ones are forgiving the creation, forbearance, and showing general kindness.

Forgiving the Creation:

Throughout our lives we experience hurt and wrongful actions from people around us. Actions that are painful and that leave us wanting to hold onto a grudge for much time to come. It is in these times that we need to have mercy upon the creation. We need to forgive them for their wrongs, not for them but for Allah (swt). It is at these times that we need to have mercy upon the creation so that the Creator will have mercy upon us in an infinitely greater manner. Forgiveness for the sake of Allah (swt) is discussed further here: “Forgiveness: The Glue for a Broken Heart”

Forbearance:

The second act of mercy we can have towards the creation is forbearance. Forbearance is a beautiful trait but is one that requires training and self control. When we show forbearance to someone, essentially what we are doing is restraining our anger whether or not it may seem justified. The Prophet ﷺ said: “The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.” So, yes, it takes strength and perseverance, but imagine the end result. When we show forbearance, what we are actually saying is ‘Ya Allah (O God), this person did something fully wrong and if I wanted to I could lash out, but for your sake I won’t. Ya Allah, just as I did this with your creation, please do this with me. When I commit atrocious sins, show me forbearance, ya Allah!’

Kindness:

The last quality is general soft-hearted kindness. This type of mercy is found in a kind smile, a gentle hug, or even a kind word. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Never was kindness placed on something but that it beautified it, and never was it removed but that it marred it.” It is here that we must mention that kindness should be first given to those who are nearest and dearest to you, and then given to the community in general. There is no wisdom in a person who treats the world with kindness and care, yet goes home to a family and treats them with anger and disrespect. We should first smile at our families, and then the strangers on the street. We should spread cheer to our neighbors first, and then our colleagues at work.

To extend mercy to the creation is to ask Allah (swt) to extend His mercy upon us. To extend mercy to the creation is to make the world a better place, and make our akhira (hereafter) better as well. From today we should make it a point to place mercy in every interaction that we can, whenever we can, and to remember “Have mercy on those who are on earth, and the One in the heavens will have mercy upon you.”

How do you feel when are caught doing something wrong, but the person who catches you lets it go and doesn’t punish or embarrass you? There is a mixture of embarrassment, relief and gratitude. If you love the person you disobeyed, in general many would vow never to do the same and never to take advantage of their kindness and forbearance.

Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) is far above any analogy, but this is our state with our Lord every single day. We constantly look at, listen to and do things we know we shouldn’t. But Allah (swt) knows our state. And in most instances, He lets it go. He is al-Haleem.

Al-Ghazali defines Allah’s Name al-Haleem as the One “who observes the disobedience of the rebellious and notices the opposition to the command, yet anger does not incite Him nor wrath seize Him, nor do haste and recklessness move Him to rush to take vengeance, although He is utterly capable of doing that.”

Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an: “And if Allah were to impose blame on the people for what they have earned, He would not leave upon the earth any creature. But He defers them for a specified term. And when their time comes, then indeed Allah has ever been, of His servants, Seeing.” (Qur’an, 35:45)

In this scenario there is a specific action done and blame to be earned for that action. But Allah (swt) defers it—so a logical question would be, why does Allah defer it? A person could defer punishment because he is weak, because he is unable to act. But Allah (swt) is al-Qawiyy: He is the Most Powerful and can do as He wills. So why does He defer punishment?

As humans, we appreciate forbearance. We appreciate being given chances to rectify ourselves before seeing the consequences of our actions. If there was a rule that you would be sent to detention for not doing your homework, wouldn’t you be grateful that your teacher let it slide? How about the second time she does so, or the third? What about when a police officer catches you speeding, but doesn’t give you a ticket? Many of us would feel relief and then check ourselves to ensure we don’t do the same thing again. So Allah’s forbearance is for us to return. And we should be grateful for this attribute, just like we would be grateful to anyone who overlooks our faults and mistakes.

And imagine being punished for every wrong deed that you did. How many punishments in a day? What is beautiful about this Name is that it does not only pertain to punishments, but even simply the writing down of the wrong things that we do. The Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) tells us: “The Scribe on the left delays registering the sin of a Muslim for six hours. If he repents (within these six hours), and seeks Allah’s forgiveness, they drop if off. If he doesn’t, they write is down as a single sin.” (Tabarani)

And we sometimes take for granted that we do not see the consequences of our actions. Perhaps we assume that what we are doing is not a big deal—that Allah (swt) does not mind, even though we have clear commandments telling us to do something or to avoid something. So sometimes we need to be woken up. Even if we are punished in this world, this shouldn’t cause us to lose heart. Firstly because Allah is Just, but also because even in His punishment is a mercy.

Allah (swt) tells us in Surat al-Qalam the story of the people of the garden. There were three sons of a man who would allow his garden to be used by the poor. When he passed away, “they swore to cut its fruit in the [early] morning” so they could have it all and give none to the poor. So what happened? “So there came upon the garden an affliction from your Lord while they were asleep. And it became as though reaped.” (Qur’an, 68:19-20)

SubhanAllah (glory to God), but what was the result? When they finally reached the garden to do what they had set out to do, they found it burned to the ground. But they realized the lesson—“They said, ‘O woe to us; indeed we were transgressors. Perhaps our Lord will substitute for us [one] better than it. Indeed, we are toward our Lord desirous,'” (Qur’an, 68:31-32). And Allah (swt) says “Such is the punishment [of this world]. And the punishment of the Hereafter is greater, if they only knew,” (Qur’an, 68:33). This punishment woke them up. They realized the error of their ways. If Allah (swt) had allowed them to do what they wanted, then they would have to face a reckoning greater than it. The point is to bring us back. So Allah is al-Haleem for us to return to Him, but when we take advantage of that Hilm, of that forbearance, we need to be woken up and made aware. And all of this is from Allah’s Mercy.

Having the Characteristic of Hilm

There are some Names of Allah (swt) that are reserved for Him alone, such al-Khaaliq (the Creator). But other Names can be used to describe human beings, such as Raheem (Merciful), as Allah (swt) describes the Prophet ﷺ in the Qur’an using this term. Al-Haleem is also one of these attributes. Allah (swt) says in the Qur’an about Ibrahim `alayhi assalaam (peace be upon him):

“Indeed was Abraham compassionate and Haleem.” (Qur’an, 9:114)

The Prophet ﷺ said that forbearance is the best characteristic. If we want Allah (swt) to overlook our mistakes, we need to be able to overlook the mistakes of others. And this especially pertains to what we allow to fester in the heart. We may think we are being forbearing by not reacting to something, but the fact that we keep it in and then explode the next time is not forbearance. Being forbearing would be letting go once, twice and even three times depending on the situation. But if this allows abuse to continue, then that is where we stop and put the person in check—but for the sake of Allah (swt). Meaning that we put the person in check so that they return, so that they are made aware, so that they understand that actions have consequences.

May Allah make us of those who have forbearance, and of those who recognize Allah’s forbearance towards us, and to make that realization a means for us to return to Him. Ameen.