Abstract
 
Compassion is, according to the Oxford Thesaurus, synonymous with the following: sympathy, pity, tender-heartedness, soft-heartedness, mercy, leniency, understanding, considerate, kind-heartedness, charity, benevolence,amongst a host of other, related qualities. Indeed many faiths advocate and preach this concept. However, given the critical stage in our world affairs and particularly for Muslims, one finds it rather hard and odd to associate ‘Compassion' with Islam. In fact many people think jihad[1], suicide and other heinous deeds are more akin to Islam than compassion.
 
This very brief article endeavours to demonstrate that compassion is central to Islam and that it occupies a unique position in Islamic faith and tradition. Furthermore, the article shows that Compassion is a characteristic feature of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. Not only did he practise compassion, but also urged his followers to act upon it. Moreover, the paper also shows that Muhammad even extended this practice to animals.
 
It is note-worthy that although there is a theological debate as to how God the Most Merciful can also be at the same time the God that punishes, this article examines compassion from a purely Islamic, religious point of view.
 
 
To start with, it would be helpful to remind our readers that Islam is a religion revealed to Prophet Muhammad (d.632) The word ‘Islam' is derived from salam which means peace in Arabic language. It means also surrendering to the will of God. Hence a Muslim is someone who surrenders or submits to the will of God. It is worth mentioning that Prophet Muhammad never claimed to be the pioneer of this submission.[2]
 
There are five pillars of Islam and they are as follow: (1) (Shahada), the testimony of the faith which means that: there is absolutely none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad as His messenger (2) (Salat) performing five daily prayers (3) (Zakat) giving charity (4) (Ramadan) fasting a whole month every year (5) and (Hajj) performing pilgrimage to Mecca.
 
If we look closely we find compassion to be at the heart of two key rituals, namely (Ramadan) Fasting and (Zakat) Charity. For instance, every able Muslim is required to fast the whole month of Ramadan. The Qur'an reads: "O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may learn self-restraint".[3] The self-restraint that the Qur'an speaks about here is nothing but to prepare the person to be able to experience and taste what the hungry and the underprivileged ones are facing in their daily life. Indeed while fasting the whole month, he or she would without doubt have the first hand experience and would in return show consideration and compassion to those who are unable to secure a meal a day, let alone the three daily meals. Hence fasting, to paraphrase Asghar Ali, helps make one sensitive to other's pangs of hunger and develop sensitivity to others suffering and this develops compassion towards the poor.[4]
 
This sense of feeling and being sympathetic to the suffering ones can also be observed in the ritual of Zakat. For instance Islam makes it a religious obligation to pay Zakat. Thus the Qur'an says, "(Zakat) charity is only for the poor and the needy ones....".[5] The Qur'an further reminds the Muslims that "If you disclose your Sadaqat (almsgiving or charity), it is good; but if you conceal them and give them to the poor, that is better for you".[6] It is interesting to note that the above quoted verse gives choice to either give charity discretely or openly but encourages the former. The wisdom behind such preference may be said to prevent people from showing off and being arrogant. Moreover, the ritual of Zakat also purifies the person's soul by cleansing him or her of the disease of stinginess and miserliness.[7] There are indeed many other important social aspects that can be deduced from the rituals of Zakat and Ramadan. However, the most obvious one is compassion and it is at the centre of these rituals.
 
 
The Holy Qur'an
 
 
Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the very word of God revealed to His Prophet Muhammad over a period of twenty-three years. The Qur’an consists of 114 chapters. Though a divine revelation, the Qur’an is a message to mankind and addressed man’s wellbeing and needs. Hence it is not surprising to see the Egyptian scholar, Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, describe the Qur’an as a book for man. It is fair to accept this view as man is for instance mentioned in the Qur’an 63 times. Moreover the expression “Son of Adam” is repeated 240 of times in the Qur’an.
The belief that the Qur’an is for mankind[8] is even more apparent and solid when we consider the very first verses that were revealed to Muhammad. For instance the verses read as follows:
 
"Read: In the name of thy Lord Who created, created man, out of a clot of congealed blood. Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bountiful, He Who taught (the use of) the pen, taught man that which he knew not".[9]
 
As stated earlier, these were the very first verses that were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad when he was just forty years old. The verses explain, to a degree, the Islamic perspective of the relationship between the created and the Creator. In other words, the verses show the relationship between man and God. However, what makes these verses even more relevant to our topic, "Compassion" is the Qur'an's use of the word (rabb) which means Lord. The word ‘Lord’ is even used in the verses. Moreover (rabb) Lord is one of the very first attributes that God used in the Qur'an.[10] Thus man, as Dr. Qaradawi puts it is related not to a mere lord or to a bountiful lord but to the most bountiful Lord Who gives without measure and requires nothing in return.[11] Hence the fact that the Qur'an refers to God here as rabb (Lord) means that it classifies man as God' slave. Dr. Qaradawi's explanation of the word Lord reflects this fact "Lord implies bringing up, caring for and elevation to the ranks of perfection; and the genitive construction indicates closeness, selection and honoring". Needless to say all these are under the umbrella of compassion.[12] 
 
The above consideration is in regard to the first verses that were revealed in the Qur'an but if we we look at the very first chapter of the Qur'an, we find compassion to be the key feature of this Muslim holy book. For instance the Al-Fatiha which means the Opening reads as follows:
 
"In the Name of God the Merciful the Compassionate. All praise to God, the Lord of all world. The Compassionate, the Merciful. Master of the Day of the Judgement. You alone do we worship and to You alone do we turn for help. Guide us on the straight path. The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your favours, not those who have incurred Your wrath, nor those who have gone astray".
 
The above chapter is known as Al-Fatiha (The Opening) and when one opens the Qur'an this is the very first chapter he or she finds. Every Muslim is required to read it before reciting any portion of the Quran.  Every Muslim recites this chapter at least seventeen times a day in their five daily prescribed prayers (Salat). Most importantly a prayer (Salat) is not valid if the person fails to recite this chapter in his or her (Salat). There is a very strong (Hadith) i.e. the sayings and the doings of Prophet Muhammad that supports this claim. For instance, Prophet Muhammad is reported to have stated that: "A prayer by the one who does not read the Fatiha (The Opening) is invalid".[13]
 
In addition to that, it is a religious obligation to any Muslim whenever he or she starts anything to begin it with the following: "In the Name of God the Merciful the Compassionate". It is also significant that all the 114 chapters that are in the Qur'an begin with the following: In the name of God the Merciful and Compassionate".[14] Moreover one out of the 99 names of God mentioned in the Qur’an is Alrahim the Compassionate. Hence this puts the divine attribute of compassion at the heart of the Qur’an’s teaching.
 
According to some Muslim scholars, the divine attribute of the Compassionate and Merciful encompasses all aspects and interpretations of mercy and can only be used together with respect to God Almighty.[15] Others however, believe that the attribute of Al-Rahim the Merciful can be used in reference to human beings but as far as the attribute of Al-Rahman is concerned, it would be erroneous to associate it with anything but God the Almighty.[16]
 
It is interesting to note that one finds several verses in the Qur'an where God describes Himself as Al-Rahman the Compassionate and Al-Rahim the Merciful.[17] Classical Muslim interpreters of the Qur’an, and even some modern interpreters, consider the two attributes Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim as the link between God and man.  To this the Egyptian scholar Sayyid Qutb makes the following comment: "As the invocation of God's name at the begging of every action constitutes the first fundamental principle of the Muslim faith, the restriction of the use Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim to God alone constitutes second principle and defines the relationship between God and man".[18]
 
It is indeed a very close relationship; a relationship that is far much closer than mankind can ever describe. As the One Who created everything and Knows us better than we know ourselves; God knows that mankind is a weak creature and is not free from mistakes, sins and other bad deeds;[19] hence man is moulded with the attribute of Al-Rahman and Al-Rahim. Indeed His compassion and mercy for His creatures cannot be explained or measured; and are beyond human understanding.
To this the Qur'an states the following: "Had it not been for the grace of God and His mercy unto you, none of you would ever have grown pure".[20] In another verse the Qur’an commanded Muhammad to say the following: "Say O [Muhammad] My slaves who have transgressed against themselves [by committing bad deeds and sins]! Despair not of the mercy of God, verily, God forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful".[21]  The Qur'an further reads: "Had it not been for the grace of God and His mercy unto you in this world and the Hereafter, a great torment would have touched [you all]".[22] Indeed God is full of mercy, grace and compassion, unfortunately, however, mankind is ungrateful.[23]   
 
Although the Qur'an speaks of retaliation and self-defence, it urges people to forgive and be compassionate. One of the Qur'anic verses illustrates this point: "The recompense for an evil is an evil thereof; but whoever forgives [and shows compassion] and makes reconciliation, his reward is with God".[24]  When we consider Prophet Muhammad’s life, as we shall see below, it becomes apparent why he favoured forgiveness of his enemies rather than vengeance and retaliation.
 

Prophet Muhammad

Accounts of the portrayal of Muhammad, mainly in the Western literature, have very little to do with anything good.[25] For some Muhammad was just the inventor of a false religion, a manipulator of people, and an autocrat. For feminists Muhammad was a misogynist and exploiter of women.[26]  For others Muhammad was a wicked person and represented religious fanaticism.[27] Hence to equate compassion with the Prophet of Islam was, until recently, unthinkable and sadly the behaviour of some Muslim fanatics today is not helping at all.

 
To start with, it would be helpful to remind our readers that Muhammad never claimed to be divine, a saint or super natural. In fact, the Qur’an asked Muhammad to make this point very clear at the very beginning of his message. The Qur’an testifies this in the following verses:  "Say [Muhammad]: I am but just man like yourself but revelation has come to me".[28] The Qur'an further states that "Muhammad is no more than a messenger, and indeed many Messengers have passed before him".[29] Moreover, Muhammad never claimed to be infallible. It is note-worthy that correcting mistakes also formed an integral part of the wisdom of the Qur'an, and on several occasions the Qur'an corrects and even rebukes Muhammad.[30] Hence Muhammad knew that he was not free from mistakes and one of his Hadith indicates this fact. As he states it "Every son of Adam makes mistakes, and the best of those who make mistakes are those who repent".[31]
  
As shown earlier the very few verses that we quoted place compassion at the very heart of the message of the Qur'an. Interestingly enough when Aisha the wife of the Prophet Muhammad was asked about the character of her husband she said "His character was the Qur'an".[32] If I dare to rephrase Aisha's statement then the Hadith would read as follows: "His character was compassion". And what we are about to see below would be enough for the testimony.
 
Describing Muhammad and his message, the Qur'an states the following: "And We have sent you [Muhammad] not but as a mercy for the Alamin [mankind]".[33] It is interesting to note here the inclusiveness of the Qur'an as it does not say that this mercy (Rahma) is dedicated only to the Muslims but rather to all mankind. Hence, to paraphrase Asghar Ali Engineer, Muhammad represents the universal mercy. As the messenger of God he is also representative of His Mercy which is known as (rahmatal lil `alamin) – that is, mercy of the world. In another verse the Qur’an states the following: “Verily, there has come unto you a messenger [Muhammad] from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty.[34]
 
There is the famous story of a woman that used to throw rubbish at the Prophet Muhammad whenever the latter passed by. The lady used to combine it with abusive language. Once Muhammad passed and noticed the absence of the lady and when inquired he was told that she was very ill. Instead of going to pray, which was what he intended to do, Muhammad went to pay a visit to the sick lady. Upon seeing Muhammad in her house she thought that the former came to preach to her. But Muhammad informed her that he had come to see if she is recovering from her illness; and that visiting the sick was his religious obligation. 

The story of Muhammad in Tai’f is also remarkable. Muhammad went to Tai’f seeking help after his people drove him out. Instead of help and assistance, the people of Tai’f ridiculed, beat and threw stones at Muhammad. While under a tree and covered with blood, an angel appeared to him and told him that God had given him authorization if Muhammad wished the people to be punished and the town destroyed. However, Muhammad’s reply was, “God forgive my people because they do not know what they are doing”. It is remarkable that Muhammad did not differentiate himself from those who inflicted harm on him. On the contrary, he beseeched God to forgive his people.

 
His compassionate spirit was shown to be even more remarkable in his dealing with his enemies. When he conquered Mecca, the Prophet forgave and granted amnesty to the very people who had previously driven him out, persecuted his companions and even plotted to kill him. In his own words: “Go, you are all free and none of you shall be harmed”. Muhammad, in the words of my former teacher (I feel blessed to be taught by this great scholar) Revd Dr. Marcus Braybrooke "forgave all the scorn and hatred and hardship and suffering, which he had endured".[35] Indeed Muhammad understood that compassion was not only to be felt but was also to be showed and practiced specially in difficult times. The three events that we just cited testify to this though more could be added.
 
Compassion was not limited to humankind but extended to all living beings including animals. Revd Dr. Braybrooke makes the following comment: "Muhammad was also a person of great compassion. There are many stories of his kindness to animals. I like the one of the occasion when he came into a house and put down his cloak. Whilst he was talking, a mother cat and her kittens settled on the cloak. Rather than disturb the cats, Muhammad took a knife and cut round them leaving the cats part of his cloak".[36]  
 
The Prophet was reported to have said that a man was forgiven all his sins for he had taken trouble to give water to a thirsty dog. Likewise, he is reported to have stated that another person would be punished in the hereafter because they kept a cat and did not feed it, or allow the cat to leave the house. The prophet also showed his dissatisfaction with a man who had overloaded his camel. It is reported that Prophet Muhammad diverted an entire army because he did not want to disturb a dog that was giving birth.
 
It is not by the chance that the Qur'an describes Muhammad's character in the following "And verily, you [O Muhammad] are on an exalted standard of character".[37] This good character was shown to both human and animals alike, but also to nonliving things. Once while giving a talk to his companions a Jewish funeral passed by and Muhammad stood up and his companions reminded him that it was a Jewish funeral. Muhammad's reply was "should I not pay respect to the dead person". 

Conclusion
 
 
From an Islamic perspective we say that compassion is deeply rooted in the teaching of Qur'an and was one of the characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad. Hence for Muslims Muhammad's character is an example to follow. The Qur'an states it: "Indeed in the Messenger of God [Muhammad] you have a good example to follow for him whose hope is in God"[38] and the Qur'an went on to add: " And whatever the Messenger gives to you, take hold of it, and whatever he forbids you from, reject it".[39]The Qur'an further makes the following comment: "If you love God then follow me [Muhammad] and God will love and forgive you your sins".[40] Thus a true Muslim and follower of the Prophet Muhammad has to be merciful and compassionate to the extent that is humanly possible, this is not mere imitation but a religious obligation as the verses quoted previously indicate.
 
 
To our non-Muslim readers I would like to take this opportunity to remind you the oft-quoted saying that "God has many names, but if He was to choose only one it would be compassion". It would not be out of context to state that Mother Julian of Norwich understood this more than any other person. Mother Julian of Norwich spoke of God's love "in terms of joy and compassion" so eloquently.[41] She was not only confident in God's compassion; she also practiced it at all levels. Her sayings "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well"[42] is a powerful message to all those who wish to make our planet a better place.  
 
 
As God vicegerent on earth and most importantly as follower of the Abrahamic traditions choosing compassion without acting upon it fully would be a betrayal of all our Holy Scriptures. Failure to practice it would trigger more misunderstandings and prejudice within our respectable faith communities.  
 

[1] Jihad is indeed part of Islam but the word is very much associated with violence and other atrocities and almost nothing at all to do with the inner struggle which is the closest definition of the word in English Language; Asghar Ali Engineer, ‘The Concept of Compassion in Islam', The Milli Gazette (2009).
[2] Tariq Ramadan, The Messenger; The Meanings of the Life of Muhammad (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007).
[3] Qur'an. 2: 183.
[4] Ali Engineer, op. cit.,
[5] Qur'an.9:60
[6] Qur'an. 2:271.
[7] Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, He Came to Teach You Your Religion (United States: Al-Basheer Company for Publication and Translation, 1997), p. 51.
[8] Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, General Characteristics of Islam ( Cairo: Islamic INC, 1977), P. 79.
[9] Qur'an. 96:1-6
[10] The Encyclopaedia of Islam New Edition, (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1995), p.350.
[11] Qaradawi, op.cit., p. 81.
[12] Ibid., p. 81.
[13] Hadith reported by both Al-Bukhari and Muslim.
[14] With the exception of chapter 9. More see Qur'an translated by Yusuf Ali.
[15] Sayyid Qutb, In the Shade of the Qur'an, Edited and Translated by Adil Salahi and Ashur Shmis (Leicester: The Islamic Foundation, 2000)
[16] Ibid., p. 3.
[17] Qur'an. 55:1 ; 59:22; 24:14.
[18] Ibid.,
[19] Qur'an. 12.
[20] Qur'an, 24:14.
[21] Qur'an. 39:53.
[22] Qur'an. 24: 14.
[23] Qur'an. 27:73.
[24] Qur'an. 42:40.
[25] Norman Daniel, Islam and the West (Oxford: Oneworld Publication, 1993); Malise Ruthven, Fundamentalism the Search for Meaning (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).
[26] Minou Reeves, Muhammad in Europe (United Kingdom: Garnet Publishing Limited, 2000), p.4.
[27] Ibid., p. 5.
[28] Qur'an. 18:110.
[29] Qur'an. 3: 144.
[30] Qur'an. 80: 1-8; 33:37.
[31] Hadith reported in Al-Tirmidhi.
[32] Hadith reported by Ahmed Ibn Hanbal, Abu Da'ud, and al-Nasa'i.
[33] Qur'an. 21:107
[34] Qur'an. 9:128.
[35] Marcus Braybrooke, Beacons of The Light, 100 holy people who have shaped the history of humanity (Winchester: O Books, 2009), p. 199.
[36] Ibid.,
[37] Qur'an. 68:4.
[38] Qur'an. 33:21.
[39] Qur'an. 59:7.
[40] Qur'an. 3:31.
[41] Braybrok, op. cit., p.299.
[42] Ibid.