رَحْمَةً لِلْعَالَمِينَ
A Mercy to All
The Last and Final Messenger of Allah ﷺ, sent as a mercy to the worlds
"And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds." — Qur'an 21:107
The Kindest of Men
Allah's Messenger ﷺ was the kindest of men, in the same way as he excelled all others in courage and valour. Being extremely kind-hearted, his eyes would brim with tears at the slightest sign of inhumanity. Shaddad ibn Aws (RA) reported that he ﷺ said: “Allah has commanded you to show kindness to everyone, so if you have to kill, kill in a good manner, and if you slaughter an animal, slaughter it gently. If anyone of you has to slay an animal, he should sharpen the blade first and treat the animal well.”
Ibn Abbas (RA) relates that a man threw a goat on its side and then started sharpening his knife. When the Prophet ﷺ saw him he said: “Do you want to kill it twice? Why did you not sharpen the knife before throwing it on the ground?”
A Mercy for the Believers
The Messenger's compassion towards the believers was of the utmost degree. The Qur'an describes his compassion: “There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; he is concerned over you, and to the believers is kind and merciful.” [At-Tawbah 9:128]
💧 Tears for a Sick Companion
Sa'd ibn Ubadah (RA) once became ill, so Allah's Messenger ﷺ visited him in his house. On seeing his faithful Companion in a pitiful state, he was moved to tears. He then said: “Allah does not punish because of tears, nor because of grief, but He punishes because of this” — and he pointed to his tongue. (Bukhari)
🌿 A Mercy Towards His Enemies
The prisoners of war taken captive at the Battle of Badr were among his bitterest enemies. Nevertheless, he ﷺ made sure they were given the best of treatment. Among them was Suhayl ibn Amr, a fiery speaker who denounced the Prophet ﷺ. Umar (RA), one of the Prophet's closest companions, suggested that two of his lower teeth be pulled out so that he might not speak so vilely. The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Were I to do this, Allah would disfigure me on the Day of Judgment, despite the fact that I am His Messenger.”
In Makkah, his people inflicted every kind of suffering upon him, eventually forcing him to emigrate to Madinah, and then waged war against him for years. Yet when he conquered Makkah without bloodshed, he asked the Makkan unbelievers who were awaiting his decision: “How do you expect me to treat you?” They responded unanimously: “You are a noble one, the son of a noble one.” He announced his decision to them:
🕊️ The Announcement to the Makkans
“You may go free! No reproach this day shall be on you; may Allah forgive you.”
A Mercy for Women
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was also very kind and affectionate towards women. Women were very badly treated in those times, and the Noble Prophet ﷺ gave them honour and dignity alongside men in the community. Umar (RA) reported: “We did not have much regard for women while we were at Makkah, but they were better treated in Madinah. Allah's Messenger established women's rights through his sayings and commandments, which improved their position and status.”
A Mercy for Children
Allah's Messenger ﷺ was particularly compassionate towards children. When he saw a child crying, he would sit beside him or her and share in their feelings. He felt the pain of a mother for her child more than the mother herself. He once said: “I stand in prayer and wish to prolong it. However, I hear the cry of a child and cut the prayer short for the anxiety which the mother is feeling.” (Bukhari)
🕊️ Pity for Others
He would take children in his arms and embrace them. He was once hugging his beloved grandsons, Hasan and Husayn, when al-Aqra' ibn Habis told him, “I have ten children, and I have not kissed any of them.” Allah's Messenger ﷺ responded: “The one with no pity for others is not pitied.” (Bukhari and Muslim). In another version, he said: “What can I do for you if Allah has removed compassion from your heart?” (Tirmidhi)
A Mercy for Slaves
The Prophet ﷺ strongly enjoined kind and generous treatment of slaves, servants and labourers. Jabir (RA) related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Feed them with the food which you eat, clothe them with such clothing as you wear, and do not cause trouble to Allah's creatures.” He ﷺ further said: “Those whom Allah has made your dependents are your brothers, servants and helpmates. Anyone whose brother has been placed under him ought to feed him with the food he eats and clothe him with the clothes he wears; he should not command him to do what he is unable to do, and if it becomes necessary, he should help him in doing the job.”
🌿 A Mercy for Animals
His compassion encompassed not only human beings, but also animals. The Prophet ﷺ forbade his companions to keep animals hungry or thirsty, or to disturb or overburden them, and taught that kindness towards them was a meritorious act that draws a person nearer to Allah.
🐕 The Thirsty Dog
Abu Hurairah (RA) reports that the Prophet ﷺ said: a thirsty traveller once saw a well on his way. He climbed down into it, and when he came out he saw a dog licking mud out of thirst. Realising the dog was as thirsty as he was, he went back down the well, filled his shoe with water, and carried it up in his mouth to give the dog to drink. Allah was pleased with this act of kindness and forgave his sins. The Companions asked, “O Messenger of Allah, is there reward for what we do for animals?” He ﷺ replied, “There is reward in every living creature.”
Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) related that the Prophet ﷺ said: “A woman was sent to Hell because she had kept a cat locked up until it died of hunger, neither feeding it nor releasing it to eat the insects of the earth.”
Once, on returning from a military campaign, a few Companions took the chicks of a bird from their nest to stroke them. The mother bird came back and, unable to find its chicks, began to fly around in distress. When the Prophet ﷺ was told of this, he became angry and ordered that the chicks be put back in the nest. (Abu Dawud)
A Mercy to All the Worlds
The love and compassion of Allah's Messenger ﷺ for all kinds of creatures was not the kind claimed by today's secular humanism. It was sincere, balanced and unmatched — the mercy of a Prophet raised by Allah, the Creator and Sustainer of all beings, for the guidance and happiness of mankind and jinn, and for the harmony of all creation. He lived not for himself, but for others; he is a mercy for all the worlds.
“Indeed, in this [Qur'an] is notification for a worshipping people. And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds.” [Al-Anbiya 21:106–107]