Mercy of Allah:
A lecture by Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad (db)
Mercy in Creation
Hadith Qudsi says that Allah said, I was a hidden
treasure, and I wished that I be recognized, and this
is why I created. Hence the reason for creation was
love (mohobbah). Allah created everything out of love,
and therefore He loves what He has created.
Subsequently He loves the believers even more
intensely.
Hadith also says that Allah divided His Mercy into
seventy parts, and distributed one of those parts in
the creation around us. Let us think of all the love
in this world; be it between a mother and child, a
husband and wife, a brother and sister, be it between
animals and their young, be it between friends. All
the love amongst these people and in this world
comprises just one part out of seventy of Allahs
Mercy. This brings to mind the question that what
tremendous mercy might Allah show on the Day of
Judgment?
A bird is a very weak little thing. It builds a nest
for its young and leaves to get food. Now if the nest
was in a house and the door is closed upon the birds
return, this little bird will frantically search for
some way to get to its nest, flapping its wings at one
wall and then the next. She gets tired but keeps
struggling to find a way to her young so she can feed
them. If the door opens she flies hurriedly to feed
her young, but if it remains shut then she will die
flapping against the door, looking for some passage to
her young. This bird is such a little thing but Allah
has put such love inside it that she is willing to die
but cannot tolerate her young going hungry.
A chicken is also a very delicate little creature, but
it protects its young in its wings against a cat. It
knows that it is no match for the cat, but the
mothers love inside this chicken compels it to stand
up against the cat, because it knows that the cat will
harm its children. Such is the love that Allah has put
inside this chicken that it is prepared to give its
life in defense of her children.
Only a mother can know and understand how much love
Allah has put in her heart for her children. This love
is a mountain and no one has been able to scale its
heights; this love is an ocean and no one has been
able to calculate its depths.
A mother loves her children unconditionally, with no
display. A mother loves her child whether the child is
obedient or disobedient, honorable or dishonorable.
After Allah and His Messenger, only a mother can love
even the disobedient. This world likes the successful
and good, but hates those who are hateful and
disrespectful and rejects them. However, a mother is a
mother and loves her children no matter is they are
obedient or disobedient, kind or unkind. A mother
cannot be separated from her child.
A Womans Yearning
A womans greatest wish is to become a mother, because
that is how Allah has made her. She gets worried if
after marriage she somehow cannot have children, and
prays day and night in every prayer and in tahajjud.
When she goes for Umra and Hajj she will pray for
children. She has such a yearning in her heart for
motherhood that this becomes the first thing that she
prays for and it starts to consume her. Allah might
have given a big house and a successful husband who
loves her, but something will be missing from her life
and she will be sad. She will only have one wish
despite all this, and that is the wish to become a
mother.
This same womans life will be transformed if Allah
blesses her with children. Her face will gleam and she
will say that spring has come to her house. She spends
all day running after this child and stays awake all
night catering to this childs needs. She stays
sleepless and hungry for this childs sake, but this
struggle and hardship seem easy for her. Why? This is
only because Allah has put the love of her children in
her heart.
Now she forgets herself after begetting children. She
goes to the market but does not look for adult clothes
for herself, but searches for little clothes for her
child and anything else she can decorate the nursery
with. If she becomes tired, one look at her child
relieves her of her fatigue; if she is worried, she
hugs the child close to her and forgets all these
worries, and thinks that she has gained all the
happiness in the world.
She even forgets her relations, in that if her sister
dislikes the child then she does not consider her a
sister. Now the child becomes the purpose and focal
point of her life. This child grows up and starts
working, but the mother keeps worrying and stays up
late waiting for him. The rest of the household sleeps
but this mother stays awake waiting and worrying about
whether the child has eaten or not.
If the child hurts the mother to such a degree that
the mother says that she will never speak to him
again, the child only has to come and beg forgiveness
and the mother will immediately do so because she is a
mother. If the mother has been hurt worse than this
and says that she will not forgive him, then if the
child falls to her feet she will immediately pardon
him since a mother cannot bear to see her young son
begging her thus. If the mother is hurt worse than
this and is angrier still, vowing not to forgive him
because he is so disobedient and hurtful, then he
cries and begs for forgiveness. The mothers heart
melts because she cannot bear to see her child cry.
Just a minute ago she was angry, vowing not to speak
to her child, but now she wipes his tears with her own
shawl forgetting how this child had hurt and angered
her.
A mother loves her children so much that she cannot
bear to see tears coming from their eyes. Allah loves
His creation much more than a mother loves her
children and cannot bear to see tears either. No
matter how much someone has strayed from the right
path, Allah will forgive this person if he begs for
forgiveness with a sincere heart and vows to amend his
ways. If an ashamed servant of Allah comes to Him
asking for forgiveness with a true heart, Allah
forgives him because of the tears that he sheds.
Examples of Mercy
Allah is extremely merciful. An idol worshipper used
to worship an idol named Sanam. He sat up calling the
name Ya Sanam all night, and towards the dawn he
started getting drowsy and so he mistakenly took one
of the Glorious Names of Allah, Ya Samad. Allah
immediately turned His attention and asked, What do
you want My servant? The angels said in astonishment,
O Allah, this is an idol worshipper and only took
Your Name in forgetfulness. Allah said, This person
calls on these idols all night and they dont answer
him. What difference is there between Me and the idols
if I dont answer him either?
Allah wants us to seek forgiveness and come towards
Him. Hadith says that the Messenger of Allah was
traveling and stopped on the way at a village. A woman
was cooking at a fire nearby and he noticed that she
constantly had to push her child back who would come
forward. She said to the Prophet, I work with this
fire all day, my son wants to play with it but I have
to push him back all the time because Im frightened
for him. If Allah loves us more than we love our
children, how can He put us in Hell?
Hearing this the Messenger of Allah sat with his head
bowed and his eyes filled with tears. He cried for
some time and then said, Allah does not want to send
His creation into Hell, but it is man himself who buys
Hell for himself through his disobedience to Allah. He
forgets where he has come from and who his Caretaker
is. He does not seek forgiveness from his Creator.
The Merciful Creator
Allah is a Merciful God who wants to forgive us and
His Mercy tries to find excuses for forgiving us. We
must take advantage of the time that we have in this
life and seek forgiveness and amend our ways. May
Allah give us the ability to seek His forgiveness and
amend our ways. Ameen
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