In Islam, mercy, besides it being one of Allah’s characteristics
and is the mission for which the prophet Mohamed was sent. The Quran states «And
we have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to mankind» (Sura:
21, Verse: 107). Therefore, the mercy of the Prophet was not only for Muslims
but for all of humankinds, animals and nature.
One of the clearest examples of mercy to animals is
the saying hadith of the Prophet that tells the story of the man who
felt very thirsty. He found a well and went down to it and drank water. When he
came out of the well he saw a dog that was also very thirsty. He again went
down to the well, filled his leather socks with water and gave it to the dog. For
this act, God forgave him all his sins. The followers of the prophet expressed
surprise and asked: «O Prophet of God! Have we any reward (for our acts) in regard
to animals?” The Prophet said, “There is reward (for every good act done) in
regard to every heart fresh of life».
There are abundant Hadiths reporting the life
of Prophet Mohamed that show the importance of compassion as a tool to make
peace, not only among Muslims but between all human beings. Ibn Dakhil,
published in his book entitled The religion of compassion, a hundred
sayings of the Prophet related to compassion, among them we can highlight «Allah
is only merciful with those who show mercy to others», «Be merciful to those on
the earth, so the One above the heavens will be merciful to you».
This compassion is what all believers must apply in
their daily life with families, friends and even neighbors, whether they are
Muslims or not. Prophet Mohamed may God’s blessings and peace be with him says
«[The angel] Gabriel continued to advise me to treat neighbors well until I
thought he would make them my heirs». Therefore, Muslims should be kind to
their neighbors whether individuals or states, using compassion as peaceful instrument
to transform their conflicts with others.
Dr. Said Bahajin,
Researcher at UNESCO Chair of Philosophy for Peace, Jaume I University, Castellón, Spain
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