Back to Act on What You Know

First Khutbah:

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger; may Allaah exalt his mention, as well as his family and all his companions.

Mercy is one of the attributes of Allaah, and His mercy engulfs everything. From the mercy of Allaah is that calamities and trials expiate ones sins, and a believer is rewarded if he perseveres through such trials and calamities. Another thing that manifests the mercy of Allaah is that He conceals our sins and faults in this life, and then forgives them in the Hereafter. Therefore, one should never give up on the mercy of Allaah.

The vastness of the Mercy of Allaah: One of the Names of Allaah is The Most Merciful and The ever Merciful. The mercy of Allaah is vast and it encompasses everything. Allaah created mercy in one hundred parts, but only sent down amongst mankind one of them and kept the rest for the pious slaves on the Hereafter. Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “Allaah has divided mercy into one hundred parts; and He retained with Him ninety-nine parts, and sent down to earth one part. Through this one part creatures deal with one another with compassion, so much so that an animal lifts its hoof over its young lest it should hurt it”. [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim].

In another narration the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “Allaah created one hundred units of mercy on the Day He created the heavens and the earth. Each one of them can contain all that is between the heaven and the earth. Of them, he put one on earth, through which a mother has compassion for her children and animals and birds have compassion for one another. On the Day of Resurrection, He will perfect and complete His Mercy”. (That is He will use all the hundred units of mercy for his slaves on that Day)”

The mercy of Allaah is so vast that the Prophet sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam described it in an amazing way. Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “Were an infidel to know the Mercy Allaah has, none would despair of His Paradise”. [Muslim].

As a matter of fact, the mercy of Allaah is more than that of the mother over her child. `Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: “Some prisoners were brought to the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, amongst whom there was a woman who was running (searching for her child). When she saw a child among the captives, she took hold of it, pressed it against her belly and breastfed it. The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “Do you think this woman would ever throw her child into fire?” We said: “By Allaah, she would never throw the child into fire.’’ Thereupon the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “Allaah is more kind to his slave than this woman is to her child”. [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim].

Abu Hurayrah, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, saying, “When Allaah created the creatures, He wrote in the Book, which is with Him over His Throne: `Verily, My Mercy prevailed over My Wrath” [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]. This is the mercy that the believer’s soul resorts to after death, as the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, indicated to the companions.

Allaah extends His mercy to the disobedient and sinners whenever they repent and turn to Him for forgiveness. When the slave turns to Allaah with repentance, Allaah receives him with His mercy and forgives his sins and conceals them for him. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: “Once a group of the disbelievers came to Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, who had killed many people and committed adultery excessively. They came to him, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, and said: “What you are saying and calling people to is a good thing, but is there a way to expiate for what we have committed in the past?” Then the following verse was revealed (which means): “And those who do not invoke with Allaah another deity or kill the soul which Allaah has forbidden [to be killed], except by right, and do not commit unlawful sexual intercourse. And whoever should do that will meet a penalty. Multiplied for him is the punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and he will abide therein humiliated. Except for those who repent, believe and do righteous work. For them Allaah will replace their evil deeds with good. And ever is Allaah Forgiving and Merciful” [Al-Furqaan: 68-70]”. No one can limit this vast mercy of Allaah nor prevent it from reaching the people. It is with His mercy that Allaah guides the people, forgives their sins, accepts their good deeds and overlooks their wrongdoings.

Concealing sins and forgiving them in the Hereafter: Ibn `Umar, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported: “I heard the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, saying: “Allaah The Almighty will bring a believer close to him on the Day of Resurrection, enveloping him in His Mercy and shielding him from the people. Allaah will make him confess his sins by saying: `Do you remember (doing) this sin and this sin on such and such a day?’ He will reply: `My Lord, I remember.` The slave will think that he is destroyed, but then Allaah will say: `I covered it up for you in the worldly life, and I forgive it for you today.` Then the record of his good deeds will be handed to him”. [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim].

Overlooking matters done erroneously or out of forgetfulness: The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “My nation will not be held accountable for that which they do erroneously, forgetfully or forcefully”.

Trials and disasters are a form of the Mercy of Allaah: Allaah sends down His support according to the need of the slave. He sends down patience to coincide with the affliction of the slave as the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said. One wonders when he sees some people who are greatly afflicted, yet they live their lives. This is because Allaah supports them to the extent they need. For example, one of the ways of relieving people who are afflicted with the death of their children is that Allaah promised to forgive the parents who have three of their children die.

Anas, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “Any Muslim who loses three children before they reach the age of maturity, will be granted Paradise by Allaah, The Exalted, out of His Mercy for them.” [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim].

Even sicknesses are a form of His mercy. `Aa’ishah, may Allaah be pleased with her, reported: “I asked the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, about pestilence and he said: “It is a punishment which Allaah sends upon whomsoever He wills, but Allaah has made it as a mercy to the believers. Anyone who remains in a town which is plagued with pestilence maintaining patience expecting the reward from Allaah, and knowing that nothing will befall him other than what Allaah has foreordained for him, he would receive a reward of a martyr”. [Al-Bukhaari].

The Mercy of Allaah in the form of accepting the repentance of His slave:  O Muslims! On the Day of Resurrection, Allaah will overlook and forgive some sins which He alone is aware of.  Many stories inform us that Allaah will forgive people and individuals despite them committing great sins as in the following narration. Abu Sa`eed Al-Khudri, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “There was a man from among a nation before you who killed ninety-nine people and then made an inquiry about the most learned person on the earth. He was directed to a monk. He came to him and told him that he had killed ninety-nine people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the negative and the man killed him also completing one hundred. He then asked about the most learned man in the earth. He was directed to a scholar. He told him that he had killed one hundred people and asked him if there was any chance for his repentance to be accepted. He replied in the affirmative and asked, `Who stands between you and repentance? Go to such and such land; there (you will find) people devoted to prayer and worship of Allaah, join them in worship, and do not come back to your land because it is an evil place.` So he went away and hardly had he covered half the distance when death overtook him; and there was a dispute between the angels of mercy and the angels of torment. The angels of mercy pleaded, ‘This man has come with a repenting heart to Allaah,’ and the angels of punishment argued, ‘He never did a virtuous deed in his life.’ Then there appeared another angel in the form of a human being and the contending angels agreed to make him arbiter between them. He said, `Measure the distance between the two lands. He will be considered belonging to the land to which he is nearer.` They measured and found him closer to the land (of piety) where he intended to go, and so the angels of mercy collected his soul”. [Al-Bukhaari & Muslim]. Note that this man did not perform any good deed after having killed one hundred souls, yet Allaah bestowed His mercy upon him and forgave him.

Abu Sa`eed Al-Khudri, may Allaah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet of Allaah, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “There was a man from among a nation before you who never performed a good deed and who had wealth and children. When he was on his death bed, he gathered his children and said to them: `What kind of a father was I to you?` they replied: `The best father` he said: `After my death, burn my body until I become carbonized then crush me to ashes and then throw my ashes in the wind` They promised they would do what he requested. After his death, they did as they promised, but on the day of Resurrection, Allaah commanded his ashes to come back together saying: `Be` and he was the same man again and then Allaah asked him: `What made you do what you did (i.e. burn your body)?` the man replied: `Fear of You` Thereupon Allaah forgave him”.

Second Khutbah:

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger; may Allaah exalt his mention, as well as his family and all his companions.

The mercy of Allaah in the form of the bestowal of bounties: Allaah blessed us with many other favors and bounties; the rising of the sun, alternating the day and the night, facilitating the earth and what it contains for us, sending the rain and providing us with fruits and other types of foods and much more.

One of the greatest bounties manifesting the mercy of Allaah upon mankind is His sending of the Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, His revealing of the Qur’aan and His guiding us to the straight path. Allaah says:

وَلَقَدْ جِئْنَاهُمْ بِكِتَابٍ فَصَّلْنَاهُ عَلَى عِلْمٍ هُدىً وَرَحْمَةً لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ

which means: “And We had certainly brought them a Book which We detailed by knowledge — as guidance and mercy to a people who believe” [Al-A’raaf: 52].

Also, Allaah admits whom He wills into His mercy, as He says:

يُدْخِلُ مَنْ يَشَاءُ فِي رَحْمَتِهِ

which means: “He admits whom He wills into His mercy” [Al-Insaan: 31].

A warning against despairing of the mercy of Allaah: It is not permissible for someone to give up on the mercy of Allaah. The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “There are three types of people about whom, ask not (i.e. you can not imagine how severe their punishment will be), an arrogant person, one who is in doubt regarding his faith and the one who gives up on the mercy of Allaah”. Allaah says:

وَمَنْ يَقْنَطُ مِنْ رَحْمَةِ رَبِّهِ إِلَّا الضَّالُّونَ

which means: “And who despairs of the mercy of his Lord except for those astray?” [Al-Hijr: 56].

The Prophet, sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam, said: “The gravest of the major great sins are; associating partners with Allaah and despairing of the mercy of Allaah”

Slaves of Allaah! Now after what has been said, it has become evident, that Allaah is indeed the Most Merciful, but the question is; why do we not work for it? Why do we not repent to Allaah? Why do we not strive to be worthy of this mercy while Allaah says:

إِنَّ رَحْمَتَ اللَّهِ قَرِيبٌ مِنَ الْمُحْسِنِينَ

which means: “Indeed, the mercy of Allaah is near to the doers of good” [Al-A’raaf: 56]. So where are the doers of good?

From islamav.com