Ramadan 2022 - The Manners of The Believers #15 - Being Merciful and Compassionate To Others

Of the characteristics of the believer is that he is kind and merciful to all those around him, even animals and plants! The sīrah of the Prophet ﷺ shows this reality throughout - the default is to be full of compassion for all the creation. The Prophet ﷺ once shortened the prayer by reciting the two smallest Surahs, and then explained, "I heard a baby crying, and I felt that his mother would be grieved [if I prolonged], hence I recited those two Sūrahs]. Can you imagine the level of consciousness to take into consideration, over and above the hundreds of people prayer, the sentiments of just one mother, and because of her shorten the prayer? In fact, he chastised the owner of a camel for treating it too harshly, and even hugged the tree that cried when he stood on a new pulpit and left it. The heart of the believer is full of compassion for the creation - that is the default, and exceptions to the rule remain exceptions. It is truly mind-boggling that some have turned this reality upside down and consider it an insult to label another Muslim 'compassionate'. Our Lord is al-Raḥmān; He revealed to us a religion of mercy, and He sent us a prophet who is a Mercy to all of mankind. Whoever finds this problematic has completely misunderstood the basics of Islam.