Page 67 - The Mercy of Believers

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EXEMPLARY VALUES OF BELIEVERS REFLECTING THEIR MERCY

for other people, unless there is some serious advantage
to be gained. That is because they forget that they will en-
counter all their evil acts and good deeds in the hereafter.
Believers, on the other hand, having no doubts about
the existence of the hereafter, know that they will be re-
warded for each deed they engage in and similarly feel
regret for the things they neglected. This being the case,
they try to live up to the values of the Qur'an in the best
way they can.
In numerous verses, Allah makes clear the importance
of making sacrifices. Hence, believers strive to express the
compassion and love they feel for other believers by the
self-sacrificing manners they assume.
For someone to experience sacrifice as defined in the
Qur'an in its real sense, he must primarily set aside all his
selfish feelings and desires. Otherwise, guided by his
worldly ambitions, he would wish to have the best of
everything for himself. Believers are aware that every-
thing in this world that has been given to them is but a
temporary favour to test them and that they will have the
best of everything in the hereafter, provided that they
adopt the values of the Qur'an. For this reason, they take
pleasure in giving something they like to someone else or
giving priority to others so that they may experience
something pleasurable. Indeed, Allah informs us that
people can never attain true goodness unless they give
away the things they love:

You will not attain true goodness until you give of
what you love. Whatever you give away, Allah
knows it. (Surah Al 'Imran: 92)