Page 92 - The Nightmare of Disbelief

lievers to be merciful: "Those who are merciful have mercy shown
them by the Compassionate One. If you show mercy to those who are
on this earth, He Who is in heaven will show mercy to you." (Abu
Dawud, At-Tirmidhi)
Not being committed to earning Allah's approval or to liv-
ing by the principles of Islam will leave man without the pur-
pose of attaining moral perfection. In a disbelieving society, a

lack of compassion emerges in every walk of life and in all so-
cial relations. An unbeliever may treat even his immediate fam-
ily members, his mother, father, grandmother, sisters, relatives,
etc., in an uncompassionate manner. He may easily become en-
raged at other people's shortcomings or errors and hurt them.
Every form of behavior becomes a matter for them to feel angry
about, since they do not know to look at events from a com-
passionate standpoint.
The unbeliever never shows mercy to the poor or dis-
abled, because his immediate or daily interests are more im-
portant than anything else. Such concerns hinder him from
thinking about others. Surely, such a person develops his own

interpretation of compassion, yet it is a perverted one. For in-
90 stance, he feels pity for beggars and sees this as a great demon-
stration of compassion, yet in circumstances which call for real
conscientious decisions and behavior and, more importantly,
self-sacrifice, he simply remains inconsiderate and thoughtless
so as not to risk his own interests. For instance, if he witnesses
a serious traffic accident, he does not stop and help. He makes
up countless excuses for this. After all, taking the injured to
hospital would ruin his day, and would probably mean spend-

ing money and time. Furthermore, there is no point in going to
any trouble or making a sacrifice for a person with whom he is
unacquainted. After all, he will gain nothing in return.

THE NIGHTMARE OF DISBELIEF