Cleanse Your Fasting
Mercy is an all-encompassing word the pious righteous Muslim rejoices in. Mercy literally denotes compassion and clemency. On contemplating the Noble Qūr’an, you will find out that Allah, Exalted be He, has prescribed for Himself (the) mercy. Ar-Rahman (i.e. the All-Merciful) and Ar-Rahīm (i.e. the Ever-Merciful) are two Divine Names. When the righteous slave contemplates these attributes he will benefit from them and abide by them. Now, how was this mercy initiated? What did Allah, Exalted be He, do when He created the creations?
The Prophet (SAWS) informed us that when Allah created the creations He wrote in a Book He keeps with Him above the Throne: “Verily, My Mercy supersedes My Wrath!” and in another narration: “My Mercy preceded My Wrath!”. In a third narration: “My Mercy superseded My Wrath!”. I do prefer the first narration, that is, “My Mercy supersedes My Wrath!” because the present tense denotes perpetuity. When a slave hears this hadith (Prophetic tradition) and contemplates the Noble Qūr’an, he has to exert all efforts to be endowed with this mercy and be among those who are showered with Allah’s mercy.
“My Mercy supersedes My Wrath!” means that the human being might commit a sin that incurs Allah’s wrath yet His mercy will supersede and overcome His wrath. When the human being disobeys his Lord, He might be Wrathful or have mercy on him yet Allah’s Mercy supersedes His Wrath. On hearing Allah’s saying: “He has prescribed for Himself (the) mercy.” hence this mercy always supersedes His Wrath. That is why we should contemplate a Qudsiyy (Divine) hadith narrated by the Prophet (SAWS) to explain the whole issue. Each human being is in an incessant state of righteousness and disobedience, between sinning and repentance. Allah says to His Angels in that Qudsiyy (Divine) hadith: “If My slave would do an evil deed, don’t record it unless he does it; hence if he does it then record it as the like of it. And if he abandons it for My Sake, then record it as a fair deed. And if My slave would do a fair deed then record it as a fair deed for him. So if he does it then record it for him as ten times the like of it to seven hundred times.” And in another narration Allah, Exalted be He, says: “.. to manifold!” (Reported by al-Būkhary).
Allah says: ““If My slave would do an evil deed, don’t record it unless he does it;…” because the slave might decide to commit an evil deed yet the Angels, according to their Lord’s orders, will not record it and wait for the slave as he might abandon it for fear of Allah. Hence, this evil deed will be recorded as a fair deed, and if he commits that bad deed, it will be recorded it as an evil deed. What a great and inundating Mercy!
On the other hand, Allah says: “And if My slave would do a fair deed then record it as a fair deed for him. So if he does it then record it for him as ten times the like of it to seven hundred times!” There is a difference between the tenfold and the seven hundred times because it depends on the slave’s intention and how he does it. Moreover, if the slave who committed the evil deed repents, his repentance will be accepted. Furthermore, he will have his sins forgiven, rather, turned to fair ones as Allah says: “Except him who repents, and believes, and does righteous deed (s). So those, Allah will turn (Or: substitute fair deeds in place of odious ones) their odious (deeds) into fair (deeds); and Allah has been Ever-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful.” (Sūrat Al-Fūrqan (The Criterion)(25), verse 70).
Indeed, I ask Allah, Exalted be He, to inundate us with His all-encompassing mercy and ordain us to be among His pious and righteous slaves, Amen.
Translated by sister Soad Naguib jazahaAllah kheiran