Never Despair! Allah’s Mercy Is Always There

 

“When Allah created creation, He wrote words that were placed at His throne. They said, “My mercy will prevail over my anger.” (Al-Bukhari)

Knowing that the mercy of Allah will prevail over His anger is reason never to lose hope. When we are overcome, we should remember that all is never lost.

If you ever think there is no point in living because you have reached a dead end, committed too many mistakes and are doomed, you are in fact shutting out an ocean of forgiveness and second chances. It is all there for the taking. So long as we breathe, the way ahead can be filled with light and mercy.

Only with His mercy can we amount to anything, and that is why we should not be too overwhelmed to the point of despair by our own flaws. Yes, His anger is there, but His mercy is much closer.

Never think that it is too late to change. Our mistakes, no matter how many or how huge, are never beyond the mercy of Allah. We are small and insignificant, so it is nothing for Allah to forgive us. In fact, He loves to do so.

We complicate our life stories by over-thinking and making assumptions of Allah. Sometimes, we rush to judge ourselves instead of leaving the judging to Allah. His mercy is there for those who ask. Only in Him can we find completion, only in Him can we find fulfillment.

With that humbling knowledge, we can always remember to hope for better and continue striving. When we are troubled by our thoughts toward Allah, when we are tempted to run away from Him because we are afraid, we should remember these words.

Just as Allah favors mercy over anger, so we should aspire to exemplify mercy in whatever way we can. Mercy and forgiveness are better than anger and revenge. Sometimes we think that forgiveness and making peace in the face of provocation is a sign of weakness.

Rather, mercy, peacefulness, and forgiveness are indications of inner strength. We should not judge harshly or condemn, but rather rush to pardon as we hope to be pardoned one day. We should not hesitate to grant others the same mercy and forgiveness that we wish for ourselves.

About Hazem Said and Maha Ezzeddine

Dr. Hazem Said has been active in the Muslim community in America for over 10 years and held many different leadership posts. Most notably, he was the president of MAS Youth, a national youth organization from 2004 to 2008. He helped establish Ihsan, a non-profit organization based in Milford, OH and is currently the chair of its board. In his professional life, Hazem is an associate professor of Information Technology at the University of Cincinnati. Maha Ezzeddine has a bachelor degree in Journalism and History from the University of Maryland - College Park and a Master degree in History from Stanford University. She edited several publications for MAS Youth between 2006 and 2008, when she was a member of the national executive team.

- aboutislam.net