Imbibing the culture of mercy, empathy and compassion with one another is necessary and an essential approach, given our present world which is filled with hostility and disturbing disunity among folks in the different parts of the world. The much needed move isn’t further divergence, but relationship based upon mercy, despite our different cultural, ethnic, religious, racial backgrounds.
Wrong isn’t the ideal thing to counter a fellow wrong with, which, in essence, means that the already existing hatred shouldn’t be fortified/fueled with more hatred. Even the people fanning the embers of war or any form of disunity are not pleased with those action of theirs, but they seem so, because they have been blinded to some realities of living with peace or, perhaps, they are under the influence of some toxic resources or individuals, which have corrupted their being. May Allah save us from misguidance.
“And of His signs is that He created for you from yourselves mates that you may find tranquillity in them, and He placed between you affection and mercy. Indeed in that are signs for a people who give thought” [Quran 30:21]. We’re one nation, irrespective of any sort of differences we may possess, so, showing mercy to one another is like doing a self-favor, and with this comes its deserving rewards.
“The believers are but brothers, so make settlement between your brothers. And fear Allah that you may receive mercy” [Quran 49:10]. Inter and intra religious distinctness, if you ask me, is a major reservoir for hostility in today’s world and this has been so misunderstood by a large number of religious adherents, with an accumulative effect on how others view Islam. As much as the need to separate light from darkness is necessary, so is the need to take a merciful approach in doing so. The reward goes to us for making correction and the power to make fruitful, the correctional efforts lies with Allah.
With mercy among folks, we can achieve the seemingly impossible, just by being patient and ready to recognise each other’s shortcomings, but being firm where necessary, without allowing those shortcomings of others get to us. May Allah grant us the best in our merciful disposition. Aameen.
Ismail Abogunde, Editor-in-Chief at The Muslim Voice, Nigeria. Contact: abogundedarey@gmail.com
