The Mercy and Compassion of the Prophet, in his Invocations

the invocations of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, were not detached from his compassion and mercy towards his ummah (nation).

it was narrated that ‘abdullah ibn ‘amr ibn al-‘aas, may allaah be pleased with him and his father, said,

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, recited the verse in which allaah the almighty says (what means) on behalf of ibraaheem (abraham), may allaah exalt his mention: {my lord, indeed they have led astray many among the people. so whoever follows me - then he is of me; and whoever disobeys me - indeed, you are [yet] forgiving and merciful.} [quran 14:36] and, the one in which allaah the almighty says (what means) on behalf of ‘eesa (jesus), may allaah exalt his mention: {if you should punish them - indeed they are your servants; but if you forgive them - indeed it is you who is the exalted in might, the wise.} [quran 5:118] then he raised his hands and said: “o allaah! my ummah, my ummah,” and started to weep. allaah the almighty then said: “o jibreel, go to muhammad - and your lord knows best anyway - and ask him why he is weeping.” so jibreel, may allaah exalt his mention, went to him and asked him, and the messenger of allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, told him – and he knows best anyway. allaah the almighty said: “o jibreel, go to muhammad and say that we will make you pleased concerning your ummah and we will not displease you.” [muslim]

furthermore, the invocations of the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, were not detached from his compassion and mercy for all creatures. in fact, the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would invoke allaah the almighty ceaselessly and did his best to the extent that he was on the brink of killing himself with grief over the non-muslims because they would not embrace islam and because they distanced themselves from him.

allaah the almighty therefore says (what means) to console his messenger:

• {then perhaps you would kill yourself through grief over them, [o muhammad], if they do not believe in this message, [and] out of sorrow.} [quran 18:6]

• {perhaps, [o muhammad], you would kill yourself with grief that they will not be believers.} [quran 26:3]

• {so do not let yourself perish over them in regret. indeed, allaah is knowing of what they do.} [quran 35:8]

it is as if allaah the almighty is rebuking and pitying his prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, here for his exreme distress and concern that his people did not believe in him while being certain of the punishment that awaited them for denying his message. this made his soul melt with grief over them, given that they were his family and people. so his lord the almighty, the most merciful pitied him, forbade him from such destructive anxiety and made the matter easier upon him.

what great sincerity, determination and resolution in trying to guide people to the extent that he would feel like killing himself due to the grief over them!

how far are those who claim to love the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and those who wish to support him are from such great determination and sincerity towards people and keenness on calling them and guiding them to the straight path!

allaah the almighty says to him (what means): {arise and warn} [quran 74:2] and thus, the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, arose to warn and continued to do that for more than twenty years. he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not rest nor live for himself or his family.

he bore the heavy burdens of the entire humanity and the burdens of conveying the greatest trust on this earth.

the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, arose and his call to islam encompassed all human beings. of all the messengers of allaah, he was the one who exerted the most efforts in calling people to islam, conveying the message and fighting in the cause of allaah the almighty.

therefore, he was the most harmed and tried messenger since the dawn of his call until he passed away.

his call was full of mercy and compassion, and keenness on gathering the hearts of people around him and guiding all people. he was lenient with those who made mistakes or went against the correct standards. he would treat them kindly and teach them in the most appropriate way, in adherence to the saying of allaah the almighty (which means): {invite to the way of

your lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best.} [quran 16:125]

amongst the examples that clearly prove this is the following:

it was narrated that abu umaamah, may allaah be pleased with him, said, “a young man came to the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and said, ‘o messenger of allaah, grant me permission to commit adultery.’ the people turned to him and rebuked him. the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said to him: ‘come closer.’ so he came closer. he asked him: ‘would you like this for your mother?’ he said, ‘no, by allaah, o messenger of allaah. may allaah cause me to be sacrificed for you!’ he said: ‘neither would other people like it for their mothers.’ he then asked him: ‘would you like this for your daughter?’ he said, ‘no, by allaah, o messenger of allaah. may allaah cause me to be sacrificed for you!’ he said: ‘neither would other people like it for their daughters.’ he then asked him: ‘would you like this for your sister?’ he said, ‘no, by allaah, o messenger of allaah. may allaah cause me to be sacrificed for you!’ he said:

‘neither would other people like it for their sisters.’ he then asked him, ‘would you like this for your paternal aunt?’ he said, ‘no, by allaah, o messenger of allaah. may allaah cause me to be sacrificed for you!’ he said: ‘neither would people like it for their paternal aunts.’ he asked him: ‘would you like this for your maternal aunt?’ he said,

‘no, by allaah, o messenger of allaah. may allaah cause me to be sacrificed for you!’

he said: ‘neither would people like it for their maternal aunts.’ the prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, then put his hand on him and said: ‘o allaah, forgive him his sin, purify his heart and make him chaste.’ after that, this young man never again paid attention to anything of that nature. [ahmad; al-albaani: saheeh (authentic)]

allaah the almighty, the most truthful says (what means) describing him: {and indeed, you are of a great moral character.} [quran 68:4]