Page 15 - The Mercy of Believers

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HOW IS MERCY DEFINED IN THE QUR'AN?

ing of mercy and act accordingly. This indeed shows a
crude understanding of how they should respond, be-
cause they act without knowing who is right or wrong,
without making a just and rational assessment and, more
importantly, without considering the commands of the
Qur'an. Often, they tend to behave in a manner likely to
do harm both to themselves and to other people; their at-
tempts to remedy matters are abortive because they take
ill-considered decisions. Their understanding of compas-
sion thus presents a structure uninspired by the values of
the Qur'an.
In relation to this subject, we need to dwell on another
important point. People sometimes harbour an under-
standing of mercy which may be wrong according to the
Qur'an. Since this kind of mercy does harm to people
rather than good, it may be considered as "evil compas-
sion". In societies which are indifferent to religion, people
allow others to engage in any act without considering its
baneful result in the hereafter. For instance, they allow
them to behave immorally and turn a blind eye when
they engage in an act forbidden by Allah, or even encour-
age them.
The criteria believers adopt for themselves in this mat-
ter is that the mercy shown to others must definitely
make a positive impact in terms of others' eternal life in
the hereafter. In some cases, the love and mercy they feel
for believers may entail their interfering or criticising
them on some issues which may be hard on their lower
selves (an-nafs). Upon witnessing a wicked deed, they
may criticise the perpetrator and make strong pleas to